Frequent Q&A’s

Frequent Q&A’s

General Information

• How do we know when lessons and practices will be held?

  FCDC maintains a calendar of events on their webpage. Please check regularly as the pool will close on occasion due to holidays or special events.
  In the event of an unscheduled pool closure the coaches will do their best to inform you of the cancellation in a timely fashion. Please ensure that you have joined the appropriate WhatsApp group as information will also be shared through this.

• What swimming skills are required?

  The diver should be comfortable in deeper water and be able to easily swim back and forth from the middle of the pool to the edge.

• Who should I contact if I have a question?

  Feel free to talk to your child’s coach before or after diving practice (if they are available or to set up a time to meet). If you wish to contact the Board of Directors, you can:

  • Send an e-mail to [email protected]
  • Contact Us
  • Contact the Parent Liason, Dean Chamber at [email protected]
• How tall are those boards and towers?

  Springboards are 1m and 3m from the surface of the water. The platforms begin at 3m then progress to 5m, 7.5m and 10m or just over 3 stories tall.

• What should we bring to practice?

  Bring a swim suit, a dry towel, hair ties if you have long hair, and a swim cap if you like. Many divers use a small towel called a shammy to dry off. Goggles are not allowed during diving practice.

• What are the bubbles for?

  The Canada Games Aquatic Centre pool has a “bubbler”. This is a large air compressor and tank. Turned on, the bubbles rise to the surface and disturb the surface tension of the water, creating a softer landing while the athlete works on new dives. Interestingly it was invented by Canadian diving coach Herb Flewelling.

• What can parents do at home to help kids improve more quickly?

  The best parent athlete relationships are based on unconditional support. Let the coach motivate and discuss technique.
  Let the athlete dictate how much “homework” they want to do. Many kids work on flexibility and conditioning at home. Just make sure that you are being a parent and not a coach.

New To Diving

• What is a dive list?

  Before each competition, coaches must submit a “dive list” for each diver. No dive can be repeated. A dive list provides the details of all the dives and the order in which the diver will perform them. The list must comply with the competition requirements. The number of dives depends on the competition. In most competitions the total number of dives required is broken down into 2 parts:

  • Part 1: The total Degree of Difficulty (DD) allowed is limited and the diver must perform a dive from a list of eligible divers.
  • Part 2: Comprises dives with no limit in the DD and the diver must perform each dive from a different dive group.
• What do the dive numbers mean?

  Each dive is assigned 3 or 4 digits and a single letter. The digits define the type of dive with the letter at the end explaining the position of the diver.

  1st Digit	Direction of Dive	1 = Front 2 = Back 3 = Reverse 4 = Inward 5 = Twisting 6 = Armstand
  2nd Digit	Used for Direction of Dive if the first digit is a 5, otherwise 0
  3rd Digit	Number of HALF somersaults
  4th Digit	Number of HALF twists	If not a twister, this digit is not included
  5th Digit	Letter indicating position of dive	A – Straight B – Pike C – Tuck D – Free

  EXAMPLE:

  • 103B or Front 1.5 Pike – 1 is for the front direction, 3 is for 3 half somersaults (1.5 rotations), B indicates it will be done in a pike position.
  • 5233D or Back 1.5 with 1.5 twists – 5 is for a twister, 2 is for the back direction, 3 is for 3 half somersaults (1.5 rotations), 3 is for 3 half twists (1.5 twists), D indicates that it will be performed in the open position
• How are points awarded in diving?

  Individual dives are scored by a panel of judges (generally 5 judges) who recommend a score between 0 (failed dive) to 10 (excellent). The top and the bottom scores are discarded; the remaining three scores are added together and multiplied by the dive’s difficulty rating (ie – degree of difficulty) to produce a total score for the dive. The scores of all dives are added to together to determine overall placings.

Competitions

• When will my child be competing?

  At the beginning of each dive season, the coach will discuss with each diver and their parents a list of recommended competitions. These recommendations consider both your child’s current skills and the progress that they are anticipated to make during the year. The competition list will include dates and locations. Please speak to your child’s coach regarding their recommendation if you have any questions or concerns.

• What are they? Where are they? What will they cost?

  Dive meets are an opportunity for divers to demonstrate their skills by competing with divers from other clubs. Depending on your child’s level they may compete in 3 to 6 meets a year.
  Divers are responsible for their own transportation to and from the meet and hotel stays if required. Divers are also responsible for all meals at the meets. It is suggested that divers bring along a nutritious snacks to be eaten throughout the day. Some meets will have food that can be purchased or an option to purchase a meal plan when registering for the meet.
  Each meet has entry fees that are charged to each athlete (generally $150 or less). Out of town competitions also require the athletes to share in the travel costs of their coaches. Each athlete is asked to pay a deposit to cover the costs of the meet. After each competition, each athlete will be emailed the debt/credit status of their travel account.
  For junior divers, these meets are generally within a couple of hours drive of London (Windsor, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Burlington or Ottawa) and typically run on a Saturday and Sunday.
  For National level divers, these meets can occur in Ontario or other provinces (London, Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, Winnipeg, Victoria, etc.) and typically require a commitment of 4 days (travel and practice on Thursday, competition Friday – Sunday).

• What to expect at a dive meet?

  Dive competitions for the junior team typically run on Saturday and Sunday. You should generally plan on spending all day at the competition. Morning warm ups usually begin before 8am and your diver will compete at some point during the day. While schedules are published, a dive meet begins and then runs the events sequentially. They are not required to adhere to the schedule and events can run significantly ahead of time.
  A typical schedule for a dive meet has an open practice in the morning. This is a time that is available for all divers to practice. Then, prior to an event beginning there will be a “closed” practice, where a board is restricted to those divers who will be competing in the next event. During this closed practice, if there are other boards that are not closed, competitors may practice on those. For example during a closed practice for tower, athletes may practice on the 1m or 3m boards. During the actual competition, all boards (other than the competition boards) are closed.
  Depending on the number of entrants, two events may run at the same time. For example girls may compete on the 1m board, while boys compete on the 3m board.
  An announcer is used during the competition to announce the diver, the dive number and the judges’ scores. Sometimes a screen will be set up that shows the current standings of the event in real time for the audience.
  Typically awards to the top 6 athletes are handed out after each event concludes.

• Does my child have to compete?

  All divers in our competitive program are strongly encouraged to compete. When a coach suggests that a diver attend a competition this is based on their assessment of the athletes having a list of dives that meets the requirements of the competition. Competing will help the athlete build their confidence and improve their ability to deal with successes and disappointments.

• Diving Glossary and Useful Information

  Armstand
  Group of dives performed only on platform where the diver performs a handstand forwards or backwards. The diver can rotate their feet towards the platform (cut-thru) or towards the water (forward or backward)
  Backward
  Group of dives where the diver stands backwards on the end of the board and their head rotates away from the diving board.
  Balk
  A balk occurs when a diver starts their approach or takeoff and then stops before they have left the board. Frustrating in practice and penalized in competition.
  Bubbles
  Compressed air is electronically released under a diving board. The bubbles lessen the surface tension of the water thus “softening” it. Used when divers are learning a new dive or sometimes just for fun!
  D.D.
  The Degree of Difficulty is a weighted index to reward/recognize harder dives from easier ones. Judges scores reflect only the diver’s ability to perform a skill, not how hard it is. The judge’s score is multiplied by the D.D. to arrive at a point total for that particular dive.
  FINA
  The Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur is the international governing body for all aquatic sports – Synchro, Swimming, Water Polo, and Diving.
  Forward
  The group of dives where the diver leaves the board facing forward and their head rotates away from the board.
  Inward
  The group of dives where the diver stands backwards on the end of the board and their head rotates forward towards the diving board.
  Platform
  Rigid towers at 5, 7 1/2, and 10-meter levels.
  Reverse
  The group of dives where the diver leaves the board facing forward and their head rotates back towards the diving board.
  Rip
  Occurs when a diver enters the water with no splash. This is a good thing.
  Springboard
  A sixteen foot long piece of aluminum with a movable fulcrum. There are separate competitive events on the one and three meter levels.
  Click here to see the overview was provided by Plongeon Dive Canada.