After all of the writing and reading I have done over the last two years, I have given some serious thought to re-joining the organization. The more I thought about it the less I actually felt like re-joining. Let's see if I can explain why.

I believe that the membership expects more than the organization can actually deliver. Member expectations of US Diving are, but not limited to the following:

1. Save the sport from extinction.
2. Get diving boards back into pools.
3. Do something about gender equity on the college level.
4. Build training centers.
5. Make us a world contender again.
6. Find more qualified coaches.
7. Get more training time for our kids.

I was once naïve enough to think that they could do something in most of these areas. Unfortunately US Diving doesn't have control over the swimming pool industry, insurance companies, risk managers, pool owner/operators or program administrators. They really can only regulate our sport and nothing else.

In most of the instances above, we (Coaches) have as much input as US Diving. We can contact all of these people at our local levels all over the country. We have to do the things we are asking the National Governing Board to do for us. The National Governing Board is too far removed to do a whole lot at a local level. They may carry a little more weight with the Olympics coming up but what does a local pool operator care about that. Plus they don't see the direct results (An Olympian from their own little town or more divers beating down the doors for instruction).

At our local level, we have the power to make changes. We can deal with those people in our own facilities. We can influence kids, parents and communities. I have heard this happen to a couple of coaches. Coaches, who wanted some equipment installed in their facility, asked US Diving for help. That help came in a written letter to the facility owners and produced no results.

Many people in US Diving may give the impression they are Omnipotent but will not admit that there are certain things they have little or no control over. All you have to do is look at the number of salaried people in US Diving. How can those few people be expected to fulfill our wish lists by themselves? They can't, not without our help and involvement. Even the President is a part timer. He runs his own law office and fulfills the presidency in his spare time.

We (coaches) have become so complacent that we have come to expect US Diving to do a lot for us. They are not a union. They sometimes try to act like one but they are really suppose to act as facilitators for the membership. Maybe it has become a closed shop union but only because we have allowed that to happen.

Let me go back to the 8 items at the start of this article, save the sport from extinction. In May 1999 I completed some research on Diving Safety. I placed it on my web site after sending it to the National Safety Council, Consumer Products Safety Commission and NSPI. At the same time I sent it to US Diving. After waiting for about a year to see what US Diving was going to do with it, I decided to get involved with a Risk Management Association. As of this writing, that Risk Management Agency is allowing me to write an article covering that information to send out to their membership. US Diving is still 6 to 8 weeks away from putting out anything yet alone figuring out who to contact with that information.

Getting diving boards back in pools and increasing pool time for training are things that must be done at the local level. This is a swimming pool industry phenomenon. Making money has gotten to be the bottom line. We have to learn to deal with that mentality. Unfortunately too many diving programs are a money-losing proposition for facilities. Also the misconception that diving is unsafe may drive some owner/operators to make the decision to remove diving boards. Get out there and convince them to stop this from happening.

How can you get more coaches involved in the sport? The answer is twofold. Too many requirements by the organization will keep people away. If it's too long and complicated a process, the attitude will be "it's not worth it". The second prong is how coaches treat each other. Some are arrogant and self-righteous and some are so into their own programs or themselves that they don't have any interest in acting humane to fellow coaches. This is definitely not a good example to set for kids. It also drives new coaches away from the sport.

The University of Miami situation is a good example of a writing campaign with sort of a happy ending. Yes some officers of US Diving did write and urge the University not to drop its swimming and diving program. Eventually the University reinstated the sport for three more years. US Diving did not get them to change their mind. All of the letters from swimming and diving enthusiasts and alumni got them to reconsider.

Reclaiming our world dominance has been a recent topic of discussion. Wake up coaches! It's not all US Diving's fault. We are the coaches of these divers. We are United States Diving. We need to do something for our divers to reclaim that title. It will not happen by a US Diving directive.

I only hope that the reader sees that individuals make the organization. US Diving does not make the coaches or the divers. I may not be a member but at least I have taken the initiative to address the Safety Issues that face the sport. If I can affect what is going on then let that be an example to everyone. Get more involved in these issues before we lose the sport. Many of you express the same feelings except are afraid to do or say anything. Why? This is the sport you are coaching! Isn't it important to you? Stop talking about it and get out there and do something about it! We need action not words!