Thoughts On The LRP And The President's Recent Message

I realize that you don't want criticism of the LRP so I would like to add a few thoughts for consideration before the Plan is finalized and prior to the convention.

The Long Range Plan looks very different depending what rung of the coaching ladder you are on. I will agree with everything that is in the Plan and probably be its strongest advocate if I were an elite coach. It looks positive and very cohesive from bottom to top.

However I am not at the top of that ladder. I am at the very bottom. The Plan's goal is Olympic Gold Medals. If only 28 divers make it to the Trials and only 2 of them can represent their country for the opportunity to even compete for a medal, then the Plan should be for those divers and coaches only.

I deal with the age group kids. I have more immediate needs to fulfill rather than worry about a National Championship or an Olympic Gold Medal. I need divers who can dive in YMCA, park districts and high school with some looking to college. They may never be Gold Medal Bound but they can be very productive in the sport and enjoy being a part of it at any level. The Plan isn't flexible enough to allow the majority of divers to explore those choices. These kids are only part time US Divers. Almost all of them are not Olympic Medal bound.

In my 36 years of coaching at this level, I have had many kids performing very well for the YMCA's, local park districts and high schools. Over those years many went on to college and some were finalists in the NCAA. Over all of these years, I had one qualifier to the Senior National Finals and one go on to be an Olympic Medallist. He is not my Olympic Medallist. Others and I only had the opportunity to help him along that journey.

My suggestion to the Plan would be to separate the entire age group program from the Plan's intention. This part of US Diving has never had an Olympian and probably never will. Allow coaches at that level to do whatever they feel it takes to get kids involved sport. From my position I feel that I am being dragged along with the elite by the elite and expected to do everything the elite coaches do. Their goals and intentions are for the level they coach. I don't coach at their level and shouldn't be included in any discussion that affects their level, just as they shouldn't be included in discussions that affect my level. I am not an elite coach and rarely have the opportunity to coach an elite athlete. The Plan and the Position of US Diving does not reflect that fact and it should.

Wayne Oras 7/21/2000
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