New Terminology for Judging Diving

As one of the officials selected to judge the Men's Big 10 Diving Championships this week at Purdue University, I had the opportunity (and honor) to hang out with a really good group of diving people -- namely Oscar Delgado, Woody Franklin, Amy Kwan, Don Mason, Kevin Sage and the legendary John Narcy.

In addition to our judging responsibilities; we ate meals together, we worked out together and best of all, we had a lot of fun together. One thing of particular note that we did was to come up with some NEW terms for judging diving based on our experiences while scoring these spectacular 1M, 3M and Platform Competitions.

For all examples below, we will assume the judging panel consists of seven judges -- although the same terms could be used with a five-judge panel. In diving judge "lingo", the only terms known to most diving people are:

• "BINGO" -- When all the judges give the same score for a dive. An example would be 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0.
• "BINGO BUSTER" -- When one judge gives a score different than all the other judges for a particular dive. An example would be 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.0. (NOTE: Every diving judge knows that the "Bingo Buster" is sure to get some ribbing from the other judges AND rumor has it, that the judge who has the most "Busted Bingo's" picks up the tab later that night!)

Our panel of judges came up with some NEW terms that we think will making judging diving even more exciting (and possibly humorous) for the judges. Here they are in no particular order:

• "THE 7-10 SPLIT" -- Yes, this is a bowling term but now it is also a judging diving term too. This describes a scenario where the first and last judge give the same score AND the rest of the judges give the same score (but different than the first and last judge). An example would be: 6.5, 7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 6.5.
• "STRONG SIDE BINGO" -- In most cases, the judging panel is divided and positioned on both sides of the pool. With a Seven Judge Panel, one side of the pool would have FOUR judges (The "Strong" Side) and the other side of the pool would have THREE Judges (The "Weak" Side). A "Strong Side Bingo" occurs when all four of the judges on the "strong" side give the same score for a dive that is different than the scores given by the "weak" side. An example would be: 7.0, 6.0, 6.0, 6.5, 6.5, 6.5, 6.5.
• "WEAK SIDE BINGO -- This is where all three judges on the "weak" side give the same score for a dive and it is different than the scores given by the four judges on the "strong" side. An example would be: 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, 6.5, 6.5, 5.5, 6.0
• "DUELING BINGO'S" -- This is where you have a "Strong Side Bingo" AND a "Weak Side Bingo" on the same dive BUT with different scores. An example would be: 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0.
• "DIVA BINGO" -- This term describes a judging panel made up of six men and one woman where the six men on the panel "Bingo" the dive BUT the woman judge gives the dive a different score. Since the woman is always right, she is NOT considered to be a "Bingo Buster" -- rather, the six men who scored the dive differently than she did are incorrect. OUCH!!
• "LIPSTICK JUNGLE" -- This term describes a judging panel made up of six women and only one man where the six women on the panel "Bingo" the dive and the man gives a different score. (NOTE: The man should NOT think of himself a male Diva -- rather, he is merely considered to be the dreaded "Bingo Buster"!!)

HAPPY JUDGING!!

Check For Damage!

One mistake customers sometimes make when buying a diving board is to NOT inspect the shipment when it arrives.

The Duraflex factory takes great care to securely "box" each diving board that leaves the factory and they have the words "Do Not Fork" written all over the outside of these boxes; however, shipping companies apparently do not read AND they often do not handle freight with white gloves. As a result, damage to your diving board can occur.

A diving board that is damaged in shipment does not happen often, but when it does, you could be left holding the bag when it comes to getting a (free) replacement. If you sign for the delivery WITHOUT inspecting it, you run the risk of finding concealed damage later. The shipping company will argue that you signed for the freight as "okay" so therefore the damage must have occurred AFTER the freight was delivered -- ergo, it is YOUR responsibility.

THE SIMPLE WAY TO AVOID THIS HEADACHE: When the freight company delivers your diving board, make sure you open the box and inspect the shipment in the presence of the driver. Be sure to inspect the entire board (top and underside) for any dings, dents, scratches or blemishes. Usually they are very noticeable and are often caused by a forklift "hitting" the board or running over it while it sits on the ground. If the damage is minor, Duraflex will send to you (free of charge) a small touch-up paint kit. If the damage is NOT minor, you can refuse the shipment, or you could also "accept" it but be sure to note the damage on the delivery receipt and then contact the freight company to request an inspector. Be sure to keep all packing materials and paperwork for the inspection.

After inspection, the freight company will, in most cases, ship the damaged board back to Duraflex and they in turn will inspect it, repair it (if possible) and then send you a new board (or your repaired board) free of charge. Yes you end up waiting an extra week or so to get your diving board but at least you are not stuck with damaged goods.

MORAL TO THE STORY: Always inspect the shipment when it arrives to you!!

How To Create A Diving Meet "Time Line" (Part 3 of 3)

A FEW OTHER NOTES TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT DIVING MEET TIME LINES

1. Most Diving Meet Computer Programs have built in event time line calculators so if using one of these, your work to create a time line just became much easier.


2. Be sure to clearly state that your time line is an ESTIMATED TIME LINE ONLY!


3. Post your time line on your team or league website a few days in advance of the Meet so that coaches, divers and parents can log on and check it out.


4. Post your time line at various places around the pool deck including the registration table, the score table, on the wall behind the diving boards, in the hospitality room and in the spectator seating area.


5. Be sure to add one of the following “disclaimers” to your time line: Option 1: This time line is an ESTIMATE ONLY. If an event ends sooner than predicted we will NOT wait or slow down to in order to stick to the time line. It is the responsibility of the diver to arrive at the pool on time for the start of their event. We suggest you arrive AT LEAST ONE-HOUR BEFORE YOUR EVENT IS ESTIMATED TO BEGIN. Option 2: This time line is an ESTIMATE ONLY, however, we plan to stick to the time line. If an event ends sooner than expected, we will NOT begin the next event earlier than posted on this time line. Divers are responsible for arriving on time for their event.


6. You may want to provide a cell phone number for divers, coaches and parents to call in order to check on the progress of the meet.


7. You may be able to update the time line on your website as the meet progresses which would allow divers, coaches and parents to log on to check the progress.
   
   Whatever way you decide to go, creating and sticking to a time line for your diving meet will earn favorable reviews from the coaches, divers and parents – and this is always a good thing.
   
   As Always, Best Wishes for a Safe and Successful Diving Season!

How To Create A Diving Meet "Time Line" (Part 2 of 3)

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS IF THE MEET IS RUN AT 2.5 DPM (Dives per Minute):

(28 Divers in the Event) x (3 Dives BEFORE “Cuts”) = (84 Dives) / 2.5 DPM (2.5 Dives Per Minute) = (34 Minutes to Complete the Preliminaries).

Now, add 10 minutes to your time line to allow the score table workers to “reduce the field to the Top 12 Divers” (aka Make “Cuts”)

Next, repeat the formula from above to calculate the time line for The Finals.

(12 Divers in the Finals) x (2 Dives AFTER “Cuts”) = (24 Dives) / 2.5 DPM (2.5 Dives Per Minute) = (10 Minutes to Complete the Finals).

Here is what your NEW Time Line will look like for this event:

1:00 p.m. – 11-12,Girls Preliminaries Begin
1:34 p.m. – Prelims End / Score Table makes “Cuts” to Top 12 Divers
1:44 p.m. – 11-12 Girls Finals Begins
1:54 p.m. – Finals Ends / 20 Minute Warm-up for Event #7 Begins Now /
11-12 Girls Final Scores are calculated and then the Awards Presentation takes place.
2:14 a.m. – Next Event Begins

This illustration shows that by keeping a pace of 2.5 DPM, the event would end about 10 minutes sooner than the event would end running at 2 DPM. Now extrapolate this time saving over the entire day or even the entire WEEKEND (for a large invitational) and you can see where there would be a HUGE time savings.

Before you get all excited about running your diving meet at a blistering pace of 4 DPM, keep in mind that running a meet at 2.5 DPM requires a GOOD Announcer, an EXPERIENCED Group of Score Table Workers as well as an ATTENTIVE Group of Divers AND finally – Diving Board Fulcrums that MOVE EASILY. A pace of 2.5 DPM means that a dive is announced, performed, judged and scores recorded every 24 seconds all day long with no problems or errors – this is really moving!!

Now imagine the nightmare scenario if there were errors or problems at the Score Table, or the dive sheets get out of order, or the microphone stops working or the fulcrums do not move easily or the announcer is a slow reader or you have an inexperienced group of table workers. Any one of these common situations could cause an event to run at an abysmal pace of 1 DPM. Go back and re-calculate your time line using 1 DPM and you will find that your diving meet could last ALL DAY LONG with a bunch of unhappy parents, coaches and divers.


Check back later for some final thoughts and notes.

How To Create A Diving Meet "Time Line" (Part 1 of 3)

If your team will be hosting a diving invitational, you should know how to create an estimated time line for the events. Coaches and parents always want to know what time “their kid” will be diving. Creating a diving meet time line is relatively easy and your efforts will be very much appreciated – especially if you and your staff are able to run the meet close to the schedule you created. Here is how to do it:

To create an approximate time line for your diving meet based on a "speed" of TWO DIVES PER MINUTE (about normal), apply the following formula to EACH EVENT:

(Number of Divers in the Event) x (Number of Dives to be Performed Before the Cuts) / 2 DPM (Dives Per Minute) = (Number of Minutes to Complete the Prelims)
Then add 5-10 minutes to allow the score table workers to make "cuts" (if applicable)
Finally, (Number of Divers Remaining After Cuts) x (Number of Dives to be Performed in the Finals) / 2 DPM (Dives Per Minute) = (Number of Minutes to Complete Finals)

EXAMPLE from a local Summer League Champ Meet:

EVENT #6 -- 11-12 Girls 1 Meter – All Divers will do THREE dives and then a “Cut” will be made to the Top 12 Divers who will then perform TWO more dives. Let’s say that there are 28 Divers entered in this event.

(28 Divers in the Event) x (3 Dives BEFORE “Cuts”) = (84 Dives) / 2 DPM (2 Dives Per Minute) = (42 Minutes to Complete the Preliminaries).

If Event #6 is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m., the Pre-lims should end at 1:42 p.m. (that is 42 minutes after it started)

Now, add 10 minutes to your time line to allow the score table workers to “reduce the field to the Top 12 Divers” (aka Make “Cuts”)

Next, repeat the formula from above to calculate the time line for The Finals.

(12 Divers in the Finals) x (2 Dives AFTER “Cuts”) = (24 Dives) / 2 DPM (2 Dives Per Minute) = (12 Minutes to Complete the Finals).

Here is what your time line will look like for Event #6:

1:00 p.m. – 11-12 Girls Preliminaries Begin
1:42 p.m. – Prelims End / Score Table makes “Cuts” to Top 12 Divers
1:52 p.m. – 11-12 Girls Finals Begins
2:04 p.m. – Finals Ends / 20 Minute Warm-up for Event #7 Begins Now /
11-12 Girls Final Scores are calculated and then the Awards Presentation takes place.
2:24 a.m. – Next Event Begins

REPEAT THIS PROCESS FOR EACH EVENT AND THEN POST A SPREADSHEET THAT SHOWS THE EVENT TIME LINE.

Check back soon to see what happens when you are able to even slightly increase the speed at which you run each event -- WOW!!