CHINA TRIP -- Departure Day!!

Our group met at San Francisco Airport; checked in ; went through security and then headed to the international gate where we waited for our13+ hour flight on a large China Air 747. The picture above shows the group near the check-in gate.

Left to Right: Yilla Guan (our hostess from Allied International Resources); Jan Rude (President of Duraflex International); Kathy and Doug Bowman (Duraflex Factory Superintendent); Joanne and Bill Walker (Past President of USA Diving); Micki King (1972 Olympic Gold Medallist -- Women's 3M Springboard); Steve Voellmecke (Springboards and More); Lindsay, Micki and Mark Spry (Duraflex International Engineer); Tony Huang (VP and GM of Allied International).

On the plane, we were able to read the diary (and see the photos) that Micki King kept when she last visited China in 1973 after winning the Olympic Gold Medal for Springboard Diving in Munich, Germany the year before.

Thank You, Mr. Lindner.

One of the most instrumental people behind the creation of USA Diving as we know it today recently passed away. Cincinnati Philanthropist Mr. Richard Lindner died on Saturday January 16, 2010 at the age of 88.

Mr. Lindner was the owner of Thriftway Grocery Stores -- at one time the 2nd largest privately held company in Cincinnati, OH and was one of the people who helped the sport of diving break away from swimming and the AAU to become it's own entity in the late 1970's. Mr. Lindner was an original member of the United States Diving Foundation Board of Trustees, and a major contributor to USA Diving through the Helen Gill Lindner Memorial Fund which was created after the death of his wife in 1977. Over $100,000 in support of sports medicine and sports science came from this donation.

Mr. Lindner's daughter Carol was a diver who was coached by Rick Early, Wynn Young and ultimately Hobie Billingsley. Hobie remains a very close family friend.

According to Todd Smith (former Executive Director of USA Diving), "Rich was a very special person, the type that can never be forgotten."

Memorial contriubtions may be sent to the following charitable organizations:

Armstrong Chapel United Methodist Church * 5125 Drake Road * Cincinnati, OH 45243

St. Joseph Home * 10722 Wyscarver Road * Cincinnati, OH 45241

NEVER GIVE UP!

While attending the 2009 United states Aquatic Sports Convention in Chicago, IL I had the honor and pleasure of sitting in on a forum hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Laura Wilkinson (USA) and 2x Olympic Silver Medallist Alexandre Despatie (from Canada).

The two of them fielded questions from the packed house audience for a good 1.5 - 2 hours about anything and everything related to their diving careers. They answered every question -- whether about training, mental preparation, fear, exercise, competition, diet, burnout, sleep patterns, etc. with honesty and with a few funny anecdotes scattered throughout. (i.e. Alex going to "The Dark Place").

The underlying theme I took away from both of them was to NEVER GIVE UP. Everybody in the diving community knows the success these two have enjoyed but often times do not realize nor comprehend the amount of work, sacrifice, time and effort that went into those successes. Along the way, there were many set backs where they could have easily quit and just walked away. But great champions never quit -- they never give up. They keep working and working and working and as the old saying goes: "The Cream Always Rises to the Top"!

(The photo above shows Laura Wilkinson holding her Gold Medals from the Olympic Games; The World Championships and The World Cup -- the only female diver in history to win all three.)

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!!

Legendary Diving Coach with the Three Stooges

Do you recognize the legendary (and very "buff") diving coach pictured with the Three Stooges with whom he used to perform diving shows in Flushing Meadows, New York circa 1960?

Check back later for the answer!

Duraflex Announces Modification to the "Cheeseboard"

Duraflex International has announced a product improvement to the Maxiflex Model B ("Cheeseboard") diving board effective March 1, 2009. The change involves the area where the diving board attaches to the hinges which has been re-designed to improve the quality and longevity.

The new anchor angle is a rigid, heavy-duty hard-anodized aluminum angle that is mounted under the diving board and supports all 8 of the diving board ribs. This new anchor angle is assembled AFTER painting, which eliminates the contact between unpainted surfaces in this area, which provides better protection against corrosion. The Duraflex factory has added closed-cell foam gaskets between these components to reduce noise and prevent moisture from accumulating.

The top of the board is capped with a hard-anodized aluminum bar that, in conjunction the anchor angle, acts as a clamp, sandwiching the diving board between these two extrusions. This clamping action creates a highly stable mounting mechanism. This assembly is fastened together with flat-head stainless steel fasteners and torqued at the factory. The fasteners are locked in place with a permanent Loctite brand thread-locker. Heavy duty 3M Safety-Walk strip covers the fasteners, preventing tampering and providing a slip-resistant surface over the anodized surface. Replacement strips will be available.

The serial tag has been replaced with a tamper-resistant adhesive back aluminum label that is now applied to the VERTICAL surface at the rear of the diving board.

The warning label that was applied to the back of the board is directed at equipment installers and pool operators, and indicates that the pool dimensions must meet certain specifications. This label has been changed to a yellow label with a universally recognized symbol that indicates “warning.” On the Cheeseboard, this label is on the bottom of the new anchor angle. On all other boards, including refinished boards, this label is on the rear of the diving board. An additional warning label has been added to the board that is directed at the user (diver.) This label is intended to warn that improper use of diving equipment can lead to severe injury. This label is now attached to the rear of all Duraflex made diving boards.

The NEW diving board bolts are stainless-steel "short-neck" carriage bolts. The shortened neck only penetrates through the bar on top of the board, which eliminates the need to broach a square hole through the diving board. This increases the strength and longevity of the diving board.

My Diving Hopes and Wishes for 2009 (and beyond)!!

• I wish that the sport of diving continues to grow, thrive and prosper -- not only in the USA, but around the world.
• I hope that USA Diving continues to move forward and keep improving as we work our way back to the top.
• I hope the coaches will keep communicating with each other and continue to share ideas and techniques that will help to improve the sport.
• I wish more companies would see the benefits of aligning themselves with USA Diving in the form of sponsorships and partnerships. Your support is needed now more than ever.
• I hope the current administration of USA Diving continues to listen to the membership and to keep coming up with more and better ways to make diving a viable profession for coaches.
• I wish the insurance industry would take note of the incredible safety record of organized and supervised springboard and platform diving and create separate underwriting guidelines that insures quality insurance is available and affordable to coaches, clubs, schools, pools and parks and rec. departments. Stop lumping us together with anything and everything that contains the word "diving"!!
• I hope that Duraflex will continue to innovate and keep coming up with ways to make diving equipment better, stronger and more flexible which will give divers the opportunity to "create" newer and more difficult dives.
• I hope that more and more parents will have their kids try the sport of diving at an early age and realize all the positive things that can be acquired from this "lifetime sport."
• I wish that all young divers would quickly learn that good form and good entries are the KEYS TO DIVING SUCCESS at an early age and beyond.

Finally, from the Voellmecke Family and Springboards and More, we wish you and your family (and divers) a Safe and Successful 2009!! LET'S DIVE!!

"IRON MIKE" Fund Update

It is hard to believe that Mike Lyden has been gone for nearly eight months. The highly regarded and very accomplished former diving coach at the University of Kentucky succumbed to Cancer in early April after a hard fought two-year battle. He was a HUGE LOSS not only to his family and friends -- but to the entire diving community as well.

A fund was established to collect donations in Mike's name for the benefit of his wife and three children. The response from the diving community has been nothing short of incredible. To date, more than $30,000.00 has been donated to the "Iron Mike" Fund.

His wife Emily and his three children Jessica, Jack and Brittany are so grateful for the outpouring of support and they want to say thanks to all who contributed or helped in some way during these difficult times. The Lyden Family will always be a part of the "diving family" and we continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers over the holiday season.

It is not too late to contribute -- you can still send your tax deductible donation (check made payable to "Wildcat Aquatics, Inc. / Iron Mike Fund") to:

IRON MIKE FUND
c/o Springboards and More
P.O. Box 268
Milford, OH 45150
USA

THANK YOU DIVING COMMUNITY FOR YOUR VERY GENEROUS SUPPORT!!

What Happened to TEAM USA in Beijing?

I must confess that I had high hopes for TEAM USA in Beijing but I watched the 2008 Olympic Games with a heavy heart and a somewhat perplexed eye. After judging the Olympic Trials and witnessing some spectacular diving up close and personal throughout that entire event, I felt very confidant that the 2008 U.S. Olympic Diving Team would come away from Beijing with at least one medal if not a few. I looked very favorably upon the team that was selected to represent the United States at these Olympic Games. The divers looked to be in great shape; appeared to be injury-free and were diving very well both nationally and internationally. In addition, the coaches had worked so hard over these past four years getting their divers ready for "The Big Dance" and the administrative support that many felt was lacking in the past seemed to be in place. Based on all this and more, I really felt that USA Diving had turned a huge corner in their comeback from a very drastic free-fall in the world standing of the diving community.

Then Beijing -- no medals once again! Granted, our overall placing was much-improved from Athens but in the past THREE Olympic Games, the United States has won only ONE medal. To put that in perspective: Out of a possible 72 Olympic Diving Medals given during the last three Olympic Games (eight events x three medals per event x three Olympic Games), the US has a record of 1-72. OUCH!

What is the answer? Is it coaching? Is it lack of knowledge? Is it training (too much or not enough)? Is it lack of competitive fire? Is it facilities or lack thereof? Is it "delusions of grandeur" on the part of the athletes and / or the coaches? Are we missing "swagger"? Do we need to recruit and / or find better athletes? Is it experience or inexperience? Is it the age of our divers? Did the Chinese get over-scored at their home pool? Do our divers wilt under pressure at big meets? Were our divers simply tired from the travel and drastic time change? Did our divers peak too soon (i.e. Olympic Trials)? I do not know the answer but I look forward to talking with our Olympic Coaches as well as the athletes to get their take on what needs to be done.

I certainly am not giving up and I hope the coaches, divers and administrators are not giving up either. I think USA Diving has made HUGE strides in the past four years and I think we will continue to improve and continue to chip away and slowly but surely make our way back to the top. GO USA!

What We Can Learn From Mathew Mitcham

The diving world was shocked to see a non-Chinese diver standing atop the medal podium at the completion of the Men's 10 Meter Platform Event at the 2008 Olympic Games. Australian diver Mathew Mitcham put together the meet of his life in Beijing and will forever be known as "Olympic Champion."

What can we learn from this most unexpected result? Many things including:

1) NO DIVING EVENT IS OVER UNTIL THE LAST DIVER ENTERS THE WATER. Even with what seemed like an insurmountable lead going into the last round and the fact that Chinese diver and current leader Zhou Luxin had his usually very good 307C remaining for his final dive -- strange things can occur -- especially in the finals of the Olympic Games in front of your home crowd. Zhou inexplicably broke position on his kick out AND left his dive short -- scoring a meager 76 points and opening the door for Mitcham who needed a near perfect dive with high degree of difficulty in order to complete the upset. As most coaches know, getting 9.5's and 10's on a 3.8 DD dive does wonders for a diver's final score and that fact held true for Mitcham who earned over 112 points on his final dive to leap past Zhou and win the Gold Medal by four points.
2) LEARNING TO SPOT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT. Mitcham, a former World Champion on Double Mini-Tramp, is an excellent "spotter" (He uses visual references to see and know exactly where he is in the air at all times).
3) GOOD KICK OUTS, COME OUTS AND LINEUPS ARE EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT. It does not matter if you know how to "spot" as well as Matthew Mitcham does if you do not know how to properly kick out, come out and line up a dive. I loved watching the slow motion replays of Mitcham's dives where you could see him "spot" the dive, kick flat and tight, line-up and disappear when he hit the water.
4) GOOD FORM NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE. Mitcham has a great toe and foot point, long legs and excellent body lines. He used all of these elements to wow the judges and put together a most memorable list of dives on the world's biggest stage. CONGRATULATIONS, MATHEW!

What We Can Learn From Michael Phelps

The world has watched with great interest and enthusiasm the exploits of Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In his quest to tie and break Mark Spitz' record of SEVEN Gold Medals in one Olympic Games, we have witnessed some incredible athletic achievement as well as a little bit of luck. The outcome of the 400 Medley Relay looked in question until Phelps' teammate Jason Lezak turned on the after-burners to narrowly beat the big-mouthed Frenchman. Then again in the 100 Meter Butterfly -- Phelps appeared to have lost the race but miraculously, he touched the wall ahead of the the 2nd place finisher by the slimmest of margins -- 1/100ths of a second.

How can one guy have so much luck? Well consider the old saying "The harder I work, the luckier I get." Nobody works harder than Phelps does inside or outside of the pool. His "will to win" is legendary and he is a vicious competitor. He makes his own breaks and he reaps the benefits. Along the way, he has had great coaching, great support from family and friends and has been pushed to the max by great teammates.

All divers and coaches should take a few notes from Michael Phelps. Work really, really hard and surround yourself with a great supporting cast and you too can enjoy some successes on the boards and eventually outside of the pool when your career is over.

GO USA!

Reflections on Coach Lyden

While attending the funeral for University of Kentucky Diving Coach MIKE LYDEN, I was impressed (but not surprised) by the large outpouring of support from his friends and neighbors, the UK Athletic Department and of course from the diving coaches around the country. However, I was most impressed at seeing many if not most of Mike's current and former divers.

I believe the true measure of success for a coach in any sport is the positive impact he or she has on their athletes long after they have competed for the last time. Mike was more than a great diving coach -- he was tough, driven and very demanding both inside and outside of the pool. He required his divers to do well academically and to be in top physical condition. He instilled in them discipline, attention to detail, a work ethic and most importantly, he taught them to be winners. This was quite evident as I looked around the room and saw table after table of physically fit, well-groomed, well-dressed productive members of society who have carried with them the lessons learned while diving for "Iron Mike."

USA Diving Registration and Safety Certification

Coaches beware - make sure you have your USA Diving registration and safety certification. USA Diving will be checking your registration at all the regional, zone and national level meets.

They have also partnered with the American Red Cross, and you can get your first aid requirements online. For more information CLICK HERE. Don't procrastinate, get certified!