Alternatives for Diving
With the increasing cost of membership and the unnecessary certifications mandated by US Diving, there are many, who have become unwitting casualties in diving. The will to continue with USD and the reality of financial loss due to ever increasing fees and the extra time and expense of certifications are causing many to rethink their situations. It is truly unfortunate that many coaches see US Diving as their only alternative. They believe that USD is the only show in town. I have news for them. US Diving is not the only show in town. I have been writing in disagreement with the leadership for almost 5 years. I have not been a member for the last four. In those 4 years I have saved myself a chunk of change that would have otherwise gone to them and in all probability misspent by them (See articles under Grass Root topics). I am nearing the point of walking away from that crusade without regret.
Do I still want to coach diving? The answer is, "yes!" How can I do that and not be a member of US Diving? I coach girls and boys at the high school level. That takes me from August to March. From June through August I teach lessons and coach for a local organization, which is a park district (municipal pool). Because all fees go to them, I am employed by them and covered by their insurance, so I don't need to mess with US Diving. What about meets? If I choose to have meets, I can go to other similar organizations that have divers and set up meets. In my area there are many of these so there wouldn't be much of a problem getting something started. What about Regions, Zones and Nationals? Many kids in my area go to the Regions with a few making it to Zones and even fewer making it on to the Nationals. There are many more kids who don't have the skills or background to compete at that level. For the price and hassles, more local meets would be most beneficial to increase the number of divers in the area. Those few good kids can still sign up for USD meets and I will find a coach for them when and if they decide to go to those meets. Most kids pay these fees and are only able to attend 2 meets during the summer (Association and Region). Some pay this high monetary price only to be humiliated even though they are there for the experience. Those are the kids that need more local contests to help raise their performance to the next level. In the scenario above, I could conceivably have a meet a week all year round. These contests would be much less expensive for everyone involved. Travel will also be less because meets would be local (No overnight expenses).
I am in the process of exploring 2 other possibilities. One would continue to be more local with insurance that is much more affordable than US Diving. That would include programs that operate out of high school swimming pools and other private facilities that may demand insurance coverage in order to run a program. The other possibility has promise to eventually become a real alternative to US Diving. I will get involved with the one that yields the most promise for the athletes.