WHAT TO DO WITH OLD DIVING T-SHIRTS

Have a "T-Shirt Quilt" made!!

This is the second quilt that I have had made using my old diving T-shirts as well as many collegiate diving T-shirts and Sweatshirts I have collected over the years. Most of these were gifts from college diving coaches around the country. (Click on the image above to make it larger)

My favorite T-shirt in this quilt, however, is the center one -- taken from the back of the old Moss Farms Diving Team T-shirts. It was given to me in 1994 by Robert "Moose" Moss and it has the emblem of the Flying Tigers in the center surrounded by the (reproduced) signatures of all (at the time) living former Flying Tigers. These legendary WWII Veterans were highly decorated for their daring and courageous exploits during the war with Japan in the Pacific. Their picture hangs in the Smithsonian Institute among many other places. Moose was granted permission by the Flying Tigers to use their emblem as the emblem for the Moss Farms Diving Team.

Moose Moss's signature is in the upper right hand corner of the T-shirt.

Your'e Going To Wear That?

Now this is not really relevant to diving, but I heard this idea from JEN REHBERGER (a former diver of mine) who has coached high school and summer league diving with me for many years in the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area. I liked it so much, I thought I would share it with you. At the end, I will tie it in to diving with another "Moose" Moss classic that IS very relevant to diving.

Recently, Jen and I were judging a local Summer League Champ Meet and between events we were talking about our children and some of the joys and concerns of raising them. Jen told me that her husband Jeff tells their two children the following:

"You can wear whatever you want outside of the house but whatever you do decide to wear, please know that I will show up at school to pick you up in front of all your friends DRESSED THE EXACT SAME WAY."

WOW!! That is good -- there is quite a bit of incentive for their children to dress in a manner deemed appropriate by their parents.

Getting kids to do the right thing is difficult. Among other things, it takes time; it takes patience and it takes discipline. The same could be said about coaching diving. One of the most difficult things to do while coaching diving is getting your divers to do what you want them to do, the way you want them to do it all the time. This also takes time, patience and discipline.

To end with the immortal wisdom of legendary diving coach Robert "Moose" Moss: "The secret to getting a kid to do something they don't want to do, is to give them the choice of doing something they'd rather do less."

Keeping The Hogs Cool!

For those coaches who are lucky enough to have diving programs with an outdoor tower facility and if you have Rough-tex installed as your non-skid surface -- specifically BLACK Rough-tex -- you are well aware just how hot the material can get on any summertime afternoon.

Try this remedy: run a garden hose (or 1/2" PVC pipe) up the back of the tower and then attach to another PVC pipe or hose that runs along one or both outside edges of each tower. The PVC pipe or hose should contain numerous pin size holes. When the water is turned on, the pipes or hoses that run along the side edges of the towers will spray a very fine mist of water onto the top surface of the tower. In most cases, this will make your BLACK Rough-tex surface quite comfortable -- definitely cool enough to stand, walk or dive on without burning your feet.

I first saw this set-up while attending the Moss Farms Diving Invitational in Moultrie, GA back in the mid 1990's. Those who have had the opportunity to attend a meet at this well known diving facility in southern Georgia know how hot it can get in the summer months. I asked "Moose" Moss -- the legendary (and now late) diving coach at Moss Farms -- where he got that idea and he said in that oh so memorable slow southern drawl of his -- "Uh, that's how we keep the HOGS cool in the summertime."

So there it is.

In honor of "Moose" Moss, go ahead and add some hog coolers to your diving platforms -- your divers will very much appreciate it!