DIVING "INSURANCE"

When the words "diving" and "insurance" are used in the same sentence, people think "uh oh -- big expense; hard to get; difficult to afford; etc.) But, I am not talking about this type of insurance -- rather I am talking about having "Dive Insurance."

"Dive Insurance" is making sure that you have a back-up dive or dives that you can substitute into your list at the last minute should one of your regular dives (for whatever reason) not be usable. Divers of course should practice their "list" of dives -- but they should also practice their "insurance dives". This is applicable to all levels of diving. Here are a few examples:

SUMMER LEAGUE DIVING:

Little Johnny learns an inward dive (401C) and it is really good. You are going to replace his 5111A (front dive with 1/2 twist) because he sometimes does not complete the twist all the way or his form is not good when he does the dive. However, during warm-ups for the meet, little Johnny starts getting too close to the board on his inward and gets scared. Johnny, (his mom) and you do not want to use that dive today. The insurance dive is his "questionable" 5111A -- might not be pretty, but at least it is safe.

HIGH SCHOOL DIVING:

Your diver learns a 105C (front 2 1/2 somersaults in tuck position) but goes to a meet at another high school where the diving board is not as good as the board on which your diver trains and they are having difficulty making the 105C on the "bad board." In this instance -- your insurance dive would be a 104C (front double somersault in tuck position) or 103B (front 1 1/2 somersaults in pike position).

COLLEGE DIVING:

Your diver learns a 5235D on 3M (Back 1 1/2 with 2 1/2 twists) and this will replace their 5134D (front 1 1/2 somersaults with 2 twists). During warm-ups the day before the meet, your diver starts "getting lost" on his 5235D. If you had your diver continue to practice the 5134D even after they learned the 5235D -- you could simply substitute the 5134D back into the list and not miss a beat.

As with any insurance -- you hope you never need it, but you gotta have it!

Diving Related License Plates?!?!

In this day and age of customizing just about everything, I have seen some very clever custom license plates that got me thinking about DIVING related custom license plates.

Most states allow a maximum of seven letter or numbers per license plate. Here are some I have seen, used or thought of (in no particular order).

DIVE 10; A10DIVE; GR8DIVE;
GR8 RIP; GR8PIKE; NICERIP;
HIGH DD; DURAFLX; CHZBRD;
SPLASH; O SPLASH; NOSPLSH;
SMACK; FLATHND; 10 METER;
HISCORE; GLDMEDL; BADCALL;
GAINER; HNDSTND; DIVING;
TWISTER; DIVER; TITETUK;

SPINFST; RIPDIVE

Feel free to use any of these or please suggest other ideas for our readers to enjoy.

LET'S DIVE!!

Blues Legend BUDDY GUY and the Sport of Diving

Recently, I had the opportunity to see BUDDY GUY in concert at a small, cozy outdoor amphitheatre nestled in the rolling farmland of central Kentucky. The music and the show were great -- especially when the 73 year old Blues Legend left the stage and started walking through the crowd singing and playing (See picture above). In addition, the warm-up act for the concert was a 12 year old guitar phenom who blew away the crowd with his abilities.

Being the diving geek I am -- I could not help but think how the sport of diving parallels Buddy Guy playing the Blues. So here goes:

• Playing the Blues or involving yourself in the sport of diving is something you can do for a lifetime. (Diver / Coach / Administrator / Volunteer / etc.)


• Buddy Guy still travels the country and the world doing what he loves -- opportunities that the sport of diving can provide to coaches and athletes and volunteers.


• Buddy Guy, even at age 73, keeps working to improve his skills and put on a good show every time he performs -- just like diving coaches and divers should strive to do.


• Buddy Guy really seemed to be having fun -- a must for any diver or diving coach to help yourself stay fresh and not get "burned out."


• Buddy Guy -- Blues Legend -- takes the time and effort to mentor young guitarists just as the legendary coaches in our sport mentor young coaches (Hobie / Kimball / Ron O'Brien / Narcy / etc.) and hopefully the next wave of legendary coaches will continue to do as well.

My Apologies to Ben Hogan!!

"If You Didn't Bring It To The Pool; You're Not Going To Find It At The Pool!"

I paraphrased this quote from Golfing Legend Ben Hogan who once said about the game of golf -- "If you didn't bring it to the course, you're not going to find it at the course."

He refers to bringing your "game" to the golf course -- or in my example bringing your "game" to the pool. The point here is quite obvious -- if you do not do the necessary work and preparation leading up to the diving meet -- you certainly should not expect to all of a sudden "put it together" at the meet.

REMEMBER: You do in a meet what you do in practice -- this is the reason why you practice. You need to practice all of your dives (under meet conditions) -- not just the dives you like or the dives you are comfortable doing. In fact, it is probably a good idea to spend MORE time on the dives that are giving you the most problems or on the dives that you are less comfortable doing. This way, when you show up at the pool for your next meet -- you will be ready!

GET YOUR "GAME FACE" ON -- LET'S DIVE!

World's Highest Springboard -- 876 Feet High!!

Yes you read that correctly -- 876 feet high (or 265 Meters) this old style "Cheeseboard" that has been painted yellow has been used at the wildly popular "Bridge Days" in West Virginia for a number of years as a "Method of Exit" for B.A.S.E. Jumpers to exit the bridge.

The Extreme Sport of B.A.S.E. Jumping (Building / Antenna / Structure / Earth) attracts people from all over the world to watch these crazy people go off a diving board that is 876 feet above the water below them. The water is about 12 inches deep!! The B.A.S.E. Jumpers "exit" the bridge by way of the diving board, wait just a second or two and then throw their parachute to (hopefully) land safely in the water below them.

Click here for more information about B.A.S.E. Jumping or "Bridge Day." ENJOY!!

How To Paint a Trampoline "String" Bed

Seems like an unusual article -- "How to Paint a Trampoline "String" Bed -- most people probably do not realize that this is part of the ongoing maintenance that needs to be done to your string bed to keep it in top working condition and help make it last a long time.

The Manufacturer recommends re-painting your String Bed every 6 – 12 months depending on usage. In extreme use cases -- such as sporting clubs -- repainting may be required as often as every 3 – 4 months.

If the trampoline is permanently sited outdoors, the frequency of repainting will need to be increased. Provided the correct repainting cycle is observed, the trampoline may be left outdoors indefinitely as the coated Terylene string is resistant to sunlight and rain.

PAINTING:

* Wash the bed with a VERY MILD soap and water solution using a soft bristle brush.
* Allow bed to completely dry before painting.
* Insert a pencil between each string intersection to straighten out the weave (even out the “boxes” created by the string intersections)
* Tape off red markings on mat both top and bottom.
* Spread drop cloths all around and underneath the bed – this is a very messy job!!
* Use a good quality acrylic paint.
* Paint should be applied while bed is mounted in frame.
* Apply paint with a roller applicator to BOTH top and bottom of the bed.
* Lightly tap bed with a piece of hose or a push broom to remove excess paint from weave.
* Quantity of paint needed -- 4 liter container should be sufficient for two coatings.

Trampoline String Beds are very expensive -- it only makes sense to upkeep and protect your investment. HAPPY JUMPING!!

The Answer? Ray Rude -- Inventor of the Duraflex Diving Board

The man you see pictured on the Harley Motorcycle below (taken in 1936) is the same man you see pictured above -- Ray Rude -- the inventor of the Duraflex Diving Board.

Ray dropped out of school in the 8th grade and went on to become an airplane tool manufacturer for Lockheed Martin. A neighbor was having a pool party one day and his wooden diving board broke. He stopped by Ray's shop to see if he had anything they could use. Ray had an old airplane wing panel laying around. They mounted it to the pool and as they say -- the rest is history!!

Click here to read more about this fascinating individual and his legendary invention.

Can You Name This Diving Legend?

Can you name the DIVING LEGEND pictured above in a photograph taken in 1936? (Click on the photo to enlarge it)

Check back soon for the answer!

THE ABC's of DIVING (M-Z)

• M -- MASTERY -- It takes years and years of practice to reach the top level of this sport.


• N -- NEVER GIVE UP -- If diving were easy, everybody would be doing it.


• O -- ON TIME -- It is better to be an hour early, that a minute late (for practice, meets, events, etc.)
  
• P -- PASSION -- Those who succeed in diving (or coaching diving) have this.


• Q -- QUICKNESS -- It is difficult to do the high DD dives if you do not have this physical attribute.


• R -- RIP -- If you cannot "RIP" a dive, chances are your diving career may R.I.P.


• S -- SMACK -- Avoid these if possible!
  
• T -- TOE POINT -- As far back as I can remember -- "flat feet" just do not bring rave reviews from the judges.


• U -- USE -- Use all resources available to make yourself a better diver.


• V -- VERY GOOD -- For judging purposes, a dive in the "Very Good" range should score from 8 1/2 - 10.


• W -- WASTE -- If you waste your time while at practice, it will definitely show at meets.


• X -- X-RAYS -- Poor kickouts or bad line-ups (especially on tower) could result in a trip to the hospital for some of these on your shoulders or wrists!
  
• Y -- YES -- Yes, you CAN do that dive!!


• Z -- ZERO -- An unsuccessful attempt or an incorrect dive results in this score from the judges.

Diving Words To Live By:

"You Cannot Expect Above Average Results With Below Average Preparation"

The ABC's of Diving (A-L)

• A -- ATTITUDE -- Better have a good one or you will not be successful (in anything)


• B -- BALANCE -- Such a critical part of every hurdle, takeoff and arm stand.
  
• C -- CHEESEBOARD -- has 189 "cheese holes" in it -- yes, I counted them!


• D -- DETERMINATION & DESIRE -- A diver must WANT to be great -- not going to happen by accident.
  
• E -- ENTRY -- The last thing the judges see. Should be vertical and with little or no splash!


• F -- FLEXIBILITY -- In order to do the BIG tricks these days (most are in pike position) -- a diver must be very flexible.


• G -- GUTS -- Being a diver -- especially a tower diver -- requires these.


• H -- HEIGHT -- With all dives, the higher you jump, the better.


• I -- IMPRESS -- Your dives better do this to the judges if you want to be successful.


• J -- JUDGES -- See letter "I" above.


• K -- KICKOUT -- There is a proper way and sequence for this -- better learn the right way!


• L -- LINEUP -- It does not matter how good the dive was, if you cannot line-up the entry, it will not score well from the judges.

CHECK BACK LATER FOR THE ABC's OF DIVING (M-Z)

THE FIVE "P's" OF DIVING:

"Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance"