Band-Aid for a Slippery Diving Board

If you have a Duraflex Diving Board and the non-slip surface is starting to show signs of wear, the ONLY acceptable "fix" is to send your diving board back to the Duraflex Factory for inspection and refinish.

Despite what you may hear from friendly sales people at Swimming Pool Supply Stores, there are NO acceptable products sold that you can use on your slippery (Duraflex) diving board that are approved by the Duraflex Factory. The question becomes, what can you use on your diving board to get you through the end of the season at which time you can then send your diving board back to Duraflex for a factory refinish. The factory approved answer is "3M Safety Walk Strips" that are sold at most big box or hardware stores around the country.

As you can see in the picture above, the adhesive backed stair tread strips are placed ACROSS the diving board with a half inch space between them. This spacing allows water to run-off the side of the board. Normally, you need cover only the last 24" - 30" of the diving board (out over the water). Be sure to periodically check these to make sure they are all in place and securely attached. You may need to replace one or two as the season progresses -- it just depends. As soon as the season ends, contact Springboards and More to arrange pick-up and shipping of your diving board back to the Duraflex Factory. While at the factory, your diving board will undergo three different inspections and in most cases be approved for refinish. A factory refinished diving board looks brand new and includes new rubber channels, a new number strip and new attachment bolts. The approximate cost with shipping in both directions is about 1/3 the cost of a new diving board so it is an economical way to extend the life of your diving board.

Duraflex Spare Parts -- Emergency Kit

I often get asked "what would be a good supply of Duraflex parts to keep on hand at my pool"? The answer really depends on how many diving boards that you have and if you have guard rails or not. So, in a nutshell, what follows is a list of parts that would make for a very nice emergency parts kit at a pool with 1-2 diving boards. I have also listed the tools and supplies you should keep on hand as well that are needed to change out these parts.

FOR SURE HAVE THESE PARTS:

Qty. 2 -- Item #515 Rubber Bumpers for Fulcrum Assembly
Qty. 2 -- Item #516 Anti-Rattle Clamps for Fulcrum Assembly
Qty. 4 -- Item #518 Fulcrum Slide Bearings
Qty. 2 -- Item #521 Fulcrum Roller Clamps
Qty. 4 -- Item #524 Fulcrum Roller Bearings
Qty. 2 -- Item 528 Anti Rattle Bolt and Nuts for Fulcrum Assembly
Qty 4 -- Item 526 Tie Plate Bolt, Nut and Washer
Qty 4 -- Item SF152 Lock-nut for Roller Clamp Stud
Qty 2 -- Item 533 Roller Clamp Stud with Lock-nut
Qty 2 -- Item C203 Hinge Pin
Qty 8 -- Item C209 Hinge Pin Nyliner ("Bushing")
Qty 8 -- Item C210 Hinge Pin "O" Ring
Qty 4 -- Item SF106 Hinge Attachment Bolts and Nuts
Qty 4 -- Item SF105 Guard Rail Arm Attachment Bolts and Nuts
Qty 4 -- Item C207 Stainless Steel Guard Rail Band Clamp
Qty 8 -- Item SF117, SF118, SF119 and SF 153 -- Two of each -- Guard Rail Attachment Bolts
Qty 1 -- Item SF122 SET of 2 Diving Board Carriage Bolts, Washers and Nuts with Anti-seize lubricant

OTHER ITEMS TO CONSIDER HAVING ON HAND:

Qty 1 -- Item MP112 Set of EIGHT Rubber Channels with Glue Kit for Underside of Board
Qty 2 -- Item C208A Fulcrum Slide Tracks with Installation Bolts

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND:

15/16" Box Wrench -- For Diving Board Attachment Bolts and Diving Stand Attachment to deck.
9/16" Combo Wrench -- For Hinge Bolts; Guard Rail Arm Bolts, Fulcrum Anti-Rattle Bolts
1/2" Combo Wrench -- For Roller Clamp Stud Lock-nuts, Tie Plate Bolts and Guard Rail Attachment Bolts.
3 in 1 Oil -- To lubricate hinges
Mystik JT6 Grease -- 3 Ounce Tube with Grease Gun
Can or WD-40 or similar lubricant spray for cleaning slide tracks, etc.
Rags, old towels etc. for cleanup

We wish you a very safe and successful diving season!

Common Problem Seen at Summer Swim Clubs

Look at the picture above and (hopefully) you will notice that the diving board does not line-up correctly with the diving stand. If the fulcrum is rolled forward, it will roll off the rubber channels causing an unsafe "metal on metal" situation which is the quickest way to crack your board -- a $3,500.00 problem! This commonly seen situation occurs when a pool upgrades their diving board from a 16' Duraflex Board to a 16' Modified Maxiflex Model B "Cheeseboard." The installation "foot print" for the diving stand is dependant on what model diving board is installed upon it.

Although the two boards look similar to the untrained eye -- they are in fact very different. The Cheeseboard is tapered at BOTH ends of the board whereas the 16' Duraflex Board is tapered only at the end over the water. The Cheeseboard has about 200 perforations in the tip end of the board but the 16' Duraflex Board has none. The placement of the rubber channels on the underside of each diving board occurs at a different location because each board is designed to bend at a different spot.

The quick fix for this situation is to simply purchase a six inch set of rubber channels and attach them to the underside of your diving board in front of the existing 30" rubber channels currently installed. However, the long term (and correct) fix for this situation is to re-install the stand with the correct dimensions between the two parts (the Ladder Assembly and the Main Support). In a nutshell -- they need to be 5.5 inches closer together. This can be accomplished by moving the Main Support BACK 5.5 inches closer to the Ladder Assembly OR moving the Ladder Assembly 5.5 inches FORWARD. You can get a factory installation template as well as engineered Spec. Sheets to help you do this or you can hire a competent contractor to do the work for you.

Please note that the Duraflex Factory makes five different height 1M Diving Stands to conform to the myriad of pool deck to water levels found around the country. Before placing your order for an installation template and spec. sheet -- you will need to get the "casting number" from both your Main Support and Ladder Assembly as well as your pool deck to water level.

DIVING GOODWILL CHINA TOUR!

Springboards and More along with some members of The Duraflex International Corporation; a former Olympic Gold Medalist and a Past President of USA Diving will spend nearly two weeks in China on a diving goodwill tour.

Their travels will take them to Beijing where they will see and tour the 2008 Olympic Venues including the "Water Cube" (pictured above). They will visit and tour the National Aquatic Training Center for Diving and watch some practices. They will also spend some time in Shanghai before heading to Guangzhou where they will get to watch some of the springboard competition at the 2010 Asian Games.

The hope and plan is to make daily blog posts about the trip right here so be sure to check back often!

THANK YOU!!

Springboards and More wants to say a BIG THANKS to all of our customers -- both new and returning -- for your business and continued patronage of our company. Our goal for 2010 will be the same as it has been since we started this endeavor in 1999 -- to provide to you or your diving team high quality products at reasonable prices with great customer service!

Our family and staff hopes you and your family enjoy a very Merry Christmas and we offer our best wishes for a safe and magical holiday season. May your team and the sport of springboard and platform diving continue to grow and prosper in 2010 and beyond.

LET'S DIVE!!


** Springboards and More will be closed from 12/24/2009 - 01/03/2010. Orders can still be placed online, by mail or by fax, but please be aware that your order may not ship until Monday 01/04/2010 when we re-open for business as we will have very limited staff coming in during this time.

NEVER Let Your Divers Use This!

One of the most important physical attributes for any successful diver is upper body strength. The ability to "throw" a dive and perhaps even more importantly, the ability to "hold an entry" (aka RIP a dive) especially when hitting the water at 35 miles per hour!!

One easy way to work on upper body strength with your divers on an almost daily basis is to have them CLIMB OUT OF THE POOL AFTER EACH DIVE. DO NOT LET THEM USE THE LADDER!! If your diver does 50 -75 dives per practice, this amounts to 50-75 "dips" or push-ups that they do at every practice and over time this does wonders for the biceps, wrists, tri-ceps, lats and shoulders.

It may be difficult at first -- but in the long run, it will make a big difference!

First Piano Recital / First Diving Meet

The other day, my wife, in-laws and I attended a piano recital in which our eight year old twins were first-time participants. There were about 15 students -- all were beginners or advanced beginners. For me, it was very interesting to observe the behaviors of the kids and the parents and I started thinking back to the old days of coaching. I started having flashbacks to my first diving meet as well as the first diving meets of my former divers.

It was like deja vu -- different arena; different participants; different activity -- SAME RESULT.

What do I mean? Well first, the parents (myself included) were more nervous than the kids. They wanted so badly for their child to do well and to have a positive experience. They all had video cameras to record the moment -- even at the expense of they themselves missing it "live" while they fumbled with their camcorders. As expected, most of the kids were nervous too as this would be the first time they performed in front of a crowd of people -- most of whom they had never met.

The order of performers was printed in a program -- much the same way a dive order is posted at a diving meet. I could tell my kids were getting more and more nervous (and excited) with each passing performance knowing that they would soon hear their name called and have to walk to the front, bow to the audience, and then take their seat on the freshly polished piano bench in front of the Baby Grand Piano to play their two 15 second songs.

A lump formed in my throat as I watched them sit motionless for a few seconds, then take a deep breath, and then play what they had practiced many times before. As with diving, when you practice your dives over and over again, all usually goes well and according to plan and this was their end result too!!

At the conclusion of their performances, they each closed their books, bowed to the crowd and with a huge smile on their face, excitedly walked back to where the family was sitting. We were all beaming with pride and joy. We gave them a hug and congratulated them on a job well done. Not surprisingly, each of them whispered in my ear -- "I was not nervous at all, Dad!" YEAH, RIGHT!

The Fastest Growing High School Sport in the USA!

The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that participation in high school sports never has been higher. In fact, the report they recently released shows that Swimming and Diving had the largest increase in the number of participants this year versus last year.

The highlight of the report (from a shameless diving promotion angle!!) was Swimming and Diving gained the most combined participants last school year. The combined sports had an increase of 29,967 students. Outdoor track and field had an additional 19,396 participants, followed by cross country with 18,193. Lacrosse had an additional 9,579 participants.

Read the complete article as written in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday 9/21/2009.

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!

High Cost Advertising -- FOR FREE!

Let's face it -- there are not too many (if any) diving programs in this great land of ours that can afford television or radio advertising. However, here is a simple way to get your Diving Program name on T.V. and Radio -- all at no cost!!

Now that Fall and Winter are upon us, there is a good chance that snow and ice will be prevalent in many areas of the country. When this happens, schools, churches and businesses are closed or delayed. Radio and TV stations announce this information all day long.

WHAT TO DO: Contact your local TV and Radio Stations NOW and ask them what their procedure is for submitting and announcing a closing or delay for a business or after school activity. Create a handy reference on your computer that gives you the contact number, e-mail or website of each station to do this.

When inclement weather strikes your area that causes many schools and businesses to close, the first thing you should do is send your diving program "closing information" to all the TV and radio stations in our area. Then sit back with a big smile on your face as you see your diving program name scrolling across the TV screen all day long and hear your diving program name read over and over again on the radio.

Warm Winter Greetings To All!!

Do The Opposite!

It has been my experience as a diving coach that when a diver has a continued problem with a dive, one way to solve the issue is to try and get your diver to do the OPPOSITE of the problem they are having.

EXAMPLES:

1. A diver who dives too close to the board, you try to get them to do the dive too far out from the board. (Start with jumps that are too far away from the board first)!
2. A diver who keeps diving to the right side of the board -- you try to get them to do the dive to the left side of the board.
3. A diver who is over twisting -- you try to get them to square out too early on the twist.
4. A diver who keeps going short on a dive -- you try to get them to "go over" on the dive.
5. A diver who keeps missing the end of the board on a hurdle -- you try to get the hurdle slightly past the end of the board (toes over the edge).
6. Etc. etc.

No matter what, continue to coach good form (legs straight, feet together, toes pointed) as well as vertical entries with little or no splash. REPETITION IS KEY!

2008 FINA Grand Prix Meet!

If you are in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area this week, be sure to stop by the Hall of Fame Aquatic Center located at the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Hall for the 2008 AT&T USA DIVING F.I.N.A. Grand Prix. This international diving competition will feature the best divers in the world in one of the last major competitions before the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Click here for a schedule of events.

While there, be sure to stop by the Springboards and More Booth (located on the 3M side of the pool) where you will find all kinds of diving related equipment, supplies and novelty items sure to please any diving enthusiast in your family.

The Springboards and More Booth will be open Wednesday May 7 - Saturday May 10 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. We hope to see you there!!

Diving Coach Research Project

Springboards and More is researching and compiling a listing of all the awards and honors that have been won by diving coaches over the past 100 years. We plan to upload all of this information to a website that will be available soon. The website will be a constantly growing database as we collect more and more information.

Not only are we compiling listings of the major diving coach award winners, but we are also looking to compile NCAA Coach of the Year Winners, US Diving Coaching honors, College Conference "Coach of the Year" winners, as well as High School and Geographic area diving coach award winners.

If you would like to assist in this project, please send a note to springboardsandmore@cinci.rr.com or if you have any awards or honors you would like to see added to our compilation, please send that information as well.

We appreciate your efforts towards this project and we hope that this new website will be a source of inspiration to future diving coaches and help to keep our sport moving forward!

Former PDCA President Keith Russell Named U.S. Olympic Diving Judge

Keith Russell, Diving Coach at Brigham Young University and former President of the United States Professional Diving Coaches Association, Inc. has been named Olympic Diving Judge for the United States. Springboards and More congratulates Keith and we know he will represent the United States and the Sport of Diving in a very positive light.

• Keith Russell Bio - Click Here

Sell Springboards And More Items At Your Next Diving Meet

Springboards And More offers consignment sales for many of our most popular items - Sammys & Aqua Towels, Meet Supplies, Wrist Grips, Books & Videos, Equipment Packages, and an assortment of diving related items. A great fundraising idea for your team! Visit our website at SpringboardsAndMore.com or contact us at (877) 348-3246 for more information.