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The sport of diving is safe, fun and exciting. More than 20 million children
participate in organized sports, but only a few thousand of the most
talented athletes will become divers.
Many young divers dream of the making it to the Olympic Games, others dream
of making their high school teams or getting a college scholarship. No
matter what size a child’s dream, it is important that the dream is their
dream. Parents should nurture these dreams and help them come true.
Being a "diving parent" is just one more facet in the challenging job of
being a parent. The goal of this booklet is to provide some pointers. Every
situation is different, so you should use your best judgment.
Through Diving your Child
can Acquire
• Improved athletic and motor skills;
• A positive self-image;
• Improved social skills from interacting with teammates and coach;
• An ability to deal with success and disappointments;
• Sportsmanship and leadership skills;
• A chance to travel, visit new places and make new friends.
What is United States
Diving?
United States Diving Inc. (USD) is the national governing body of diving,
the successor to the Amateur Athletic Union. USD is an independent,
not-for-profit corporation formed to promote and improve diving in the
United States. Your local association (i.e.. Pacific, Florida, New England)
is a subsidiary member. All athletes participating on a U.S. Diving team
must register with USD. The annual membership runs from January 1st through
December 31st. Currently, Novice level athletes pay a $50 membership fee;
Junior Olympic and Senior level athletes pay a $75 fee. Athletes registered
with USD automatically receive secondary accident insurance for all
supervised practices and sanctioned events. The coverage currently pays up
to $25,000 per accident with a $250 deductible. The insurance coverage is
secondary, meaning it takes effect only if your primary insurance runs out.
Diving Safety
Many parents express concerns about the safety of diving. However, for an
athlete who is properly trained by a safety certified coach, diving is an
extremely safe sport. “Diving Safety, A Position Paper” published by United
States Diving reports on a study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission which found that there were fewer accidents related to diving and
diving boards than to golf, bowling or bleachers. A second study conducted
by the National Spinal Cord Injury Data Research Center found that half of
all diving injuries occurred in rivers, lakes and oceans and that most
diving injuries “result from horseplay and injudicious behavior.”
As Olympic Coach Ron O’Brien has explained: The sport of diving has suffered
a poor image through association with accidents involving a dive into water,
but having no connection to the sport of diving itself. These accidents
occur in the shallow end of the pool, not the deep end, and they usually
involve people who are not divers, have received little instruction and
whose activities are not properly supervised.
A Diving Parents’
Responsibilities
• Make sure the diver is at practice on time and ready to dive. Siblings and
career obligations often make this difficult. Car pools with teammates are
often the best solution.
• Encourage your child without pressuring them. Always show interest and
enthusiasm.
• Try not to coach your child. During practices and meets, allow the coaches
to do their job. Some coaches find that divers perform better and more
effectively when parents are not present or are seated further away.
• If your child misbehaves, a coach has some responsibility to discipline
them, but the ultimate responsibility for discipline remains with the
parent.
• Do not criticize coaches, officials or other divers in front of your
child.
• Let your child know that you will be there for them, even if a practice or
competition does not go as well as hoped or anticipated.
• When asked, help out with team or meet activities. When at a meet hosted
by another team, remember to thank coaches, officials and other meet
volunteers. Putting on a meet is a tough job; expressions of appreciation
are always welcome.
How To Prepare Your Child
For A Competition
• Most divers do not need a pep talk from their parents before a meet.
Divers usually get excited about competing, and do not need to get “fired
up.” Let the coach set the mood and the tone.
• If your child seems nervous, help him or her to focus on their goals.
Always be positive with your encouragement and comments.
• Diving is a sport that is better performed when the athlete is relaxed. To
reduce stress, it is important that the diver’s self esteem (or the
parents’) does not depend on the outcome of a meet or the performance of a
particular dive. It is important to remember that a poor performance at a
competition is not a negative reflection on the diver or the parent. Win or
lose, a diver must know that he or she has his or her parents support and
approval.
How To Handle A Poor
Performance
It is impossible for an athlete to give a top performance at every meet.
Dealing with disappointment can be much more difficult than dealing with
success. A parent should focus on some aspect of the competition that went
well. Examples include performing a new dive for the first time in
competition, or visible improvements such as a better toe point or higher
jump. Allow your diver to be disappointed before trying to cheer them up. A
diver needs to know that they can fail and still be supported. Then focus on
up-coming events.
Try not to say the
following:
• Oh, it’s not that important.
• If only you had...
• Why did you balk?
• We pay a lot for you to train, and this is all we get?
• It wasn’t your fault, it was the judging.
• If only the coach let you do another dive.
Proper Eating
For good practices and meets, it is important that the diver eat well. Many
divers have trouble eating before the meet, but they should eat something.
If a diver runs out of fuel in the middle of a meet, it is too late to do
anything about it.
Complex carbohydrates such as apples, yogurt, pancakes, pasta and whole
grain breads are ideal pre-meet foods. Before practices and competitions,
divers should avoid foods high in fat such as hamburgers, french fries and
sausage.
What Age Group Is My Child
In?
Competition levels are divided into the following age groups: 9 & under,
10-11, 12-13, 14-15 and 16-18. A diver’s age as of the last day of the meet
determines the age group for that meet. Thus, if your child turns 14 on the
last day of a three-day meet, your child will compete in the 14-15 age group
for that entire meet.
Communicating with the
Coach
A diving coach can have a positive and long-lasting relationship with your
child. He or she can help a diver to perform well and make diving a pleasant
experience for your child.
As a parent, you may find it difficult to approach a coach with a question
or a concern. Remember, you and the coach are working together in the best
interest of your child, and you should feel comfortable discussing with the
coach any issue that affects your child.
The best time to approach a coach is before or after a practice or a meet,
not during the event. It is helpful to remember that a coach is most likely
concerned with long-term goals and may have a different perspective than the
parent. Also, remember that a coach is concerned with the best interests of
the team, as well as those of your individual child.
A misunderstanding or miscommunication should be addressed early on before
it turns into a more serious problem. Approach the coach with your concern
and listen to the coach’s explanation. Some misunderstandings may be a
miscommunication on the part of the child. Occasionally a parent may want to
remove a child from the sport due to an unpleasant experience. Before making
any abrupt moves, a parent should talk to the coach to see if a less drastic
step may improve the situation.
Working together, parents and coaches can create a positive atmosphere for a
diver. Please remember, it is the parents’ job to support the diver and the
program, and the coach’s job to coach.
Diving Meets - Everything You Need To Know
The following suggestions are geared to help you through your first few
diving meets. These are general rules. You should always check with your
coach to find out specifically what he or she expects of divers and their
parents.
Before the Meet Starts...
• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a healthy meal prior to
the competition.
• Be sure that you know what time the coach expects you at the pool. Give
yourself plenty of traveling time so that your child will arrive at the pool
before the scheduled warm-up begins. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
• If the meet is an “away” meet, make sure the coach knows where you are
staying so that he or she may get in touch with you if needed.
• Check with the coach before leaving for the meet to learn if your child
should sit in the bleachers with you or report to the deck. Some teams sit
together on the deck, so look for familiar faces.
• United States Diving insurance regulations do not allow parents on deck
unless they are serving in an official capacity (i.e., working the scoring
table).
• Have your child contact his/her coach so that they know you have arrived.
Follow the coach’s instructions on what to do next. It is important to
remember that coaches are generally very busy at meets, but will spend time
with each child when it counts the most - during their warm-up and during
their event.
• Find the registration table. If your child is registered, check in and
pick up a diving sheet(s). If your child is not registered, you should pay
the registration fee, fill out all appropriate entry forms and releases, and
pick up a diving sheet(s).
• Diving sheets describe what dives your child will be doing and in what
order. They are used by the announcer and the scoring table to record
scores. If your child has never before filled out a diving sheet, and does
not know how to do it, check with the coach. Sometimes, a more experienced
diver from your team will be available to help your child. Some coaches
recommend filling out a practice sheet the week before the meet and
reviewing it together.
• Once diving sheets are filled out, turn them in at the appropriate place
(usually the registration table or look for large envelopes hanging on the
wall).
The Competition
It is important for every diver to know when their event begins, and at what
time the coach expects them to be ready to compete.
Once the event has begun, the diver should know their order in the event,
and always be prepared to dive when their name is called. Usually, the
announcer will call the current diver and the “on-deck” diver (the next
diver in the order).
All questions concerning a judge’s call, the conduct of a meet, or the meet
results should be directed to the coach. The coach will pursue the matter
through the proper channels.
If you are looking for something to do, check with the parents’ organization
running the meet. You may be able to help in some way, such as working at
the scoring table, or you may want to bring a good book or some work from
home
After the Event, A Parent
May Want To
• Make sure the child is available for any award ceremonies if applicable.
• Tell your child what a great job they did and how proud of them you are.
• Help them to relax if they are preparing to dive in a second event.
• Make sure they are eating and/or drinking the proper foods.
• Once the diver has finished competing, check with the coach before leaving
(to find out about the next practice or warm-up times for any upcoming
events).
What To Take To The Meet
• Bathing suits - one for warm-up and one for competition.
• A sammy or chamois towel, so that the diver may dry off in between dives.
• Towels -your diver will be there for awhile, so pack at least two.
• Team outfit.
• Sweat suit or terry cloth bath robe.
• Playing cards, walk-man, games - diver may have some free time between
events.
• Food - don’t count on the snack bar at the meet to provide nutritious
foods. A cooler with healthy food such as fruit, yogurt, granola bars and
juice is usually a better choice.
• For you - a book or some work from home. You’ll have some free time in
between warm-ups and events.
• Remember, pools are usually very warm and humid. Therefore, you need to
make sure you dress appropriately - layers are recommended.
In Closing, being a diving parent has many rewards, but it is not always
easy. This booklet was designed to help make your role as a diving parent a
little more straightforward. This is only a starting point. We hope it is
useful.
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