Why Me?
The purpose of writing this article is in response to some concerns that seem to be floating around in the minds of various people in US Diving. I would like to take the time here to make public my intentions with this four-year endeavor.
I have never claimed to be an expert in diving. None of the things that I have written will give my divers or me any advantage in competition over anyone else. I do not seek any position in the organization. I do not expect anything in return for all of this effort. All of my effort is directed toward the purity of the Sport and its continuation below the international level. I am a former grass root/junior coach who has been left in the wings to watch diving slowly disappear.
I am sure that the people who sculpted the direction US Diving has taken were well-intentioned individuals. Somewhere along the line they have lost sight of the ripple affect their ideas are having on the sport, the coaches and particularly the athletes. No one idea in itself was meritless. However, when ill-conceived ideas are added on top of them and suggestions for change are seemingly ignored, faith and trust begin to erode.
As a coach my sole purpose has been to find divers, develop them and watch them compete. Should they develop into quality divers, they will be passed on to the next level and continue their education in college. That process has been the history of diving in this country and much to the dismay of US Diving, it doesn’t look like it will change much in the near future.
The center of a sports program should be its athletes. Somewhere along the way we seem to have lost that focus. When an organization focuses its attention on the smallest segment of its athletes (the International Elite), something is wrong. When coaches recruit (steal) divers away from other coaches, something is definitely wrong. Yes, the divers are the center of attention but for what purpose? In many cases it's not for the diver's improvement but rather for the improvement of the coach's status. Egos are ruining the sport.
The ego problem is all over the sport and highly visible in the National Governing Board. It all starts at the top and filters down from there. Why are financial affairs clouded in secrecy? More money seems to be spent on the operations of US Diving than on its athletes. Where have all the big sponsors gone? Why do we need a CEO for US Diving? What benefits come from having a CEO? Where is the money going to come from to pay this CEO since the general feeling is that US Diving is going broke? The LRP is still alive and being touted as the solution, much to the dismay of many coaches. Various promises made to the divers are not being fulfilled. Certain members of the NGB have indicated that they only care about the Senior, Elite divers. There has been very little progress toward International success yet they continue to support the same old ideas.
Training sites were set up in order for the Senior divers to practice together. The divers themselves didn’t like that idea and didn’t participate. Juniors are left to travel to these sites but in most cases the distances they have to travel is the gauntlet that keeps them from going. These Training sites have actually turned into local grass roots programs supported by US Diving and competing against the rest of us. Along with that, programs that existed before the Training sites came to be are disappearing. There are a ton of other examples that demonstrate the notion being presented and the most noticeable to me is choking the Junior/grass roots with nonsense requirements and costly fees. By doing this Juniors will never have the opportunity to compete at a high level. Losing Junior divers and coaches has demonstrated the lack of success US Diving has had with these ideas. Continuing with the same old ideas will prolong progress toward future successes at the International level. The Atlanta Games first displayed our lack of success with all the new changes that took place prior to it and this has continued on to the present. From where I sit, diving will continue going downhill unless some major changes are made in the leadership of US Diving.
As a result of my disagreements, I and other grass root/junior coaches decided not to support US Diving by ending membership and cutting off financial support to them. If I couldn’t agree with them why should I support them? I have asked people in authority this question: "What is US Diving doing to entice coaches like myself to rejoin US Diving?" The answer thus far is "absolutely nothing". Coaches like myself were the foundation for the establishment of the AAU and then US Diving. I have been responsible for some of their Safety ideas and continue to give them more ideas but US Diving doesn’t want me as a member. They have yet to address the safety information presented to them almost 3 years ago.
Why did I take this challenge upon myself as a non-member? The reason was very simple. I saw problems in US Diving and didn’t agree with the solutions being presented. Mandates required for me as a coach are unjustified and unwarranted. US Diving’s certifications are not being accepted by various administrators. Many coaches still need lifeguards on duty for both practices and meets. Some require a Paramedic crew for all contests. As a non-member I thought someone would listen because I was not presenting anything that would directly benefit me since I am a non-member. What I did present affected the entire diving community. I felt the need to do something. That simple objective has sustained this project for almost 4 years now. Other coaches seem to just sit around complaining to each other and actually do nothing to affect change. Sitting with others and complaining does nothing. The problem is still there and the next time coaches gather they rerun the same conversations with the same results. Even if there is ultimately no change, I have the knowledge that at least I tried to do something…and that’s all that matters to me.