Having been involved in coaching for most of my life, I have witnessed a steady decline in the commitment, dedication and work ethic of athletes. This trend seems to occur for a multitude of reasons. It should be understood that none of my concerns are directed toward family obligations such as weddings, funerals, celebrations and even vacations. I consider the family influence an important factor in the development of athletes.

Many athletes want to become highly proficient in their sport but are not committed enough to achieve that goal. Some outside influence becomes the distraction such as boy/girl friend relationships and spending time with friends. Setting priorities and making small sacrifices seem to be out of the question for some. From a coaching perspective, I ask for only a couple of hours a day to practice. Inevitably there are some who miss those couple of hours because they have something else to do such as a doctor's appointment or shopping. Missing a practice has become common and interferes with the diver's goal of improvement.

Divers waste time during practice. They may lazily go through warm ups and do more socializing than diving. Balking is another waste of time that affects everyone using that diving board. The same is true for the diver that stands on the board for a long time before doing a dive. Disappearing into the locker room for lengthy periods does not improve one's diving ability. As practices progress, some divers intentionally skip dives or groups of dives. Sometimes it becomes a struggle for the coach to get these divers to complete their dives. Some divers seem to time their workout in such a way that they always run out of time before they can complete all of their practice dives.

I can remember times at some family gatherings when someone found out that I was a diver. After some questioning they would reminisce about their own experiences and then came the words "Gee, I wish I would've" pursued that activity when I was in school. I really enjoyed it and I might have been pretty good if I put more effort into it."

In my attempt to change this mentality, I have tried to get kids to focus on the immediate task at hand. Perfect the dives you have and learn new ones as your skills improve. I don't expect divers to spend more time in the pool but I do expect to see more effort in the time they already spend there. We are talking quality not quantity.

In order to avoid being a part of the Gee, I wish I would've generation one should consider the following.

This is a discussion on how to avoid the frustration of non-commitment. It seems that some divers have difficulty when trying new dives. They appear to want the new dive but something keeps them from attempting it. Each time they leave practice without doing that dive, frustration begins to surface. That frustration worsens the longer they go without doing it. Are they ready for this new dive? Physically yes but mentally the answer is no. As much as they want to believe that they are trying, they are not truly committed to making the complete attempt.

What the diver needs to know is that the success or failure of the attempt is not as important as the knowledge that an honest attempt has been made. Many divers do great timers for a dive but never get beyond that point. In their effort to achieve the new dive, they come out early and make it as far as the timer and in some cases a little further. They want to convince the coach and others that they are trying when they know they are not. Failure is a part of the learning experience but only if one learns from that failure. The observer can not visually discern a difference. If you aren�t satisfied with the results you are getting, then something has to change. Change is a good thing and is necessary for improved performance.

If one looks at the best athletes in the world, it would be noticed that they constantly challenge their skills and abilities. They never seem to be satisfied with their own performance. They want more than just a good performance. They are dedicated and committed to being the best in their own sport. Who are these guys? Basketball�s Michael Jordan, Hockey�s Wayne Gretsky, Soccer�s Pele and 3 time Olympic Diving Champion Greg Louganis. They all worked tirelessly on their skills, which enabled them to far surpass anyone else in their respective sport.

Divers make statements such as, "I�m scared" or "I�ll do it tomorrow". These 2 statements seem to be related. There is nothing wrong with being scared. In fact it�s normal to be scared when trying something new. However, divers allow this fear to dictate what they will or will not try. They allow fear to paralyze their efforts. Fear has a good by-product. It increases heart rate and pumps adrenaline into the system making one stronger. If the diver used the increased strength to aggressively start the new dive, it would guarantee the success of the attempt. Divers who have done this are almost always successful on the first attempt. However, when the second or third attempt is not as aggressive, they become unsuccessful.

Great teachers can not teach anyone anything if they are not willing to learn. I always ask those divers who say I�ll do it tomorrow, "What makes that day more special than any other day?" Is it the day you won�t be scared? Needless to say, it�s just a way to put off making the commitment of doing the new dive. A lot of those promised tomorrows have turned into a lot of uneventful yesterdays.

In conclusion, unless a change is made, these divers will eventually finish their athletic career and look back someday and say "Gee, I wish I would've."