Insurance and Certifications
In an "Open Letter To The Coaches and Instructors of United States Diving", Bill Walker explains the insurance issue and then asks for member input. Obviously this is an election year and the feeling may be that he should address an issue that concerns all members. The open letter was passed out at the National Championships but I have some misgivings with his letter and explanation.
Back in 1989 there may have been some pressure from the insurance industry to begin a Safety Certification program. At that time we were supposedly trying to make the distinction between shallow water diving accidents and competitive ones. To this day we haven't done a very good job with that distinction because at certain levels (NCAA) shallow water non-competitive diving accidents from that early era are still haunting us. US Diving has had all the information needed to aggressively clear up this false notion but didn't. They chose instead to focus on mandated items rather than clearing up that misinformation.
It was in 1998 not 1999 that First Aid and CPR were added to the certification process. As mentioned in other articles on this site, these requirements were already mandated in a July memo to everyone from Janet Gabriel months before the membership voted at the convention in late October of that year. In a conversation with Mr. Walker prior to the election, he believed that the interpretation that brought First Aid, CPR and deepwater back boarding into the certification process was intended for the pool owner/operators. Its design was to make them more responsible for programs held in their pools. Walker now states that "These programs have helped keep our overall insurance costs at affordable levels". How can he explain the fact that some individuals (in 1998) found more affordable insurance on their own if USD was doing everything in its power to secure affordable insurance? Those coaches didn't even need any certifications for that coverage and still don't! Why is US Diving's insurance more expensive than even the AAU? In case some are not aware the AAU offers lower rates ($12) for diving even though it hasn't instituted its own program yet. Why is US Diving's membership the most expensive of all the amateur sports?
I believe that the leadership is sincerely concerned about this issue. However that sincerity is from a perspective that it is losing both coaches and divers because of it. Many coaches across the country have found that they can acquire insurance and organize competitions outside US Diving much cheaper and without all of the mandates and other hassles of USD membership.
Why didn't US Diving pursued this issue back in 1998 when it began seeing its membership decrease? Simply put the leadership saw this as a way to advance the importance of their certification program and then began to emphasize other "opportunities" they felt were important for you to have. Some of those opportunities are offered in course sequences, which means you can't take one of the classes if you feel the need to… you have to take all three. That makes no sense to me. More coaches are finding that they must have an on duty lifeguard for both practices and meets. It goes back to Walker's original interpretation to make the facility owners responsible and not the coaches. This is how many are discovering the USD certifications are not being recognized. Why didn't Walker follow through on that interpretation back in 1998? Fortunately for all of us First Aid, CPR and the basic USD certification have no affect on the cost of insurance as already proven by those who have acquired their own coverage. If more coaches do this, USD will not be able to function with the remaining low enrollment. That's probably why the "Open Letter" was passed out.
To end this discussion you should understand that you have been given the truth as seen by the leadership. Unfortunately the real truth is a bit different. Did the leadership lie to you? No, they just didn't tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They gave you the truth as they wanted to see it. The real truth is that many "opportunities" were created as a way to make money for certain people. USD has also covered travel expenses for some that had no connection to actual US Diving business. Does that surprise you? Another point is why certain expenses are covered by accounts that have no relation to the expenses charged to it? It's no wonder that some who are supposed to know the financial picture are just as confused as the rest of us. This may explain why secrecy is so important to the leadership. If the membership is kept in the dark, then there is no one to question these practices. Since there is no accountability for the leadership, you can expect more of the same unless the principle of "full disclosure" is embraced. Is the leadership concerned about the entire sport or just a small segment of it? Is that the type of organization you want to be a part of? If not, get to the convention and vote!