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A Great Year For 2007 Cross Retriever

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KLINT LOWRY, SUNCOAST NEWS STAFF

Published: January 8, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - Michael Xipolitas will continue a tradition tomorrow, during the Epiphany Celebration procession, as he leads 61 young men to Spring Bayou, where they will try their best to succeed him as the next successful cross diver. The dive for the cross is one of the highlights of the Greek Orthodox Epiphany Celebration.

Dozens of divers between the ages of 16 and 18 will jump into the oftentimes frigid water from dinghies and dive to the bottom of the murky pond in search of the holy cross.

The young man who comes out of the water with the cross receives a special blessing, which is said to stay with him for the next year.

For a boy who grows up a member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, as Xipolitas did, the annual cross dive is something to look forward to.

"When I was younger, all my older cousins would dive," he said. "And I was, 'Oh man, I can't wait until I dive.'"

Even then, he told them he would get the cross someday. But that was just part of the big talk that goes with the event.

"It's pretty competitive," Xipolitas said with a smile. "Everybody talks about it. We all joke around with it before. Some say they're better swimmers than others. It's a guy thing, I guess."

But now that he has his cross, he thinks about the achievement with humility.
"I think it truly is meant to be, really," he said.

When Jan. 6 came last year, he recalled, it just seemed like the day was preordained to be his.

"I felt like Superman," he said.

All morning he could feel this positive energy all around him, and was picking up more from everyone around him. He recalled he was extremely focused when the time came and he watched the cross being thrown into the water and when he went in after it.
Though he's relived the day countless times, Xipolitas can't really describe how he wound up being the one who came up with the cross.

"I wasn't even the first person to the cross, there were two in front of me," he said.
Both of those boys dove right under the cross that, instead of sinking like it usually does, stayed motionless, suspended like a fishing bobber, perfectly upright.

"It came to me; I didn't go to it," Xipolitas said. "It's unexplainable. It all happened so fast. I was in shock when I was holding the cross. I didn't know I was holding the cross. I looked up, and 'Wow! I have it.'"

Cross divers get to keep the cross. Xipolitas was also given a trophy and a gold cross to wear around his neck. Although he cherishes these physical reminders of his great day, he holds a deeper appreciation for the spiritual impact the day has brought him.

He has, in fact, enjoyed a good year. He got his high school diploma. His mother is in good health after fighting cancer. But there are other changes that look to last long after his year is up.

"Every time I hear that priest talk I get goosebumps," Xipolitas said. "I still think about it, I still dream about it. It was the best day of my life."

Somehow, he said, the experience brought him closer to his family.

"Before, I was never a family guy," he said. "I was always out doing what I wanted to do. This brought me closer to my mother, my brother. It made me realize, I can't be a kid all my life."

When the youths reach Spring Bayou, it's doubtful Xipolitas will wish them luck. As someone who has retrieved the cross, he has come away as many of his predecessors have, with the feeling that it was neither luck nor skill that put the cross in his hand; it was a blessing, one that if appreciated, can last a lifetime.

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