Parents have long cringed while watching their children dive into water. The fear of kids jumping into shallow water or hitting their heads on a springboard is always there. Whether a child dives in a backyard pool or competitively, the activity seems filled with dangers.
Question is, should it be promoted as a sport for children in an era in which fewer neighborhood springboards exist?
Laura Waggoner, who has been a competitive Front Range diver and coach for 40 years, said competitive diving gets a bad rap because of amateur diving accidents, and that diving should be celebrated as a safer alternative to gymnastics if precautions are taken.
“They need a knowledgeable coach, a very good training facility, including dryland, which is huge, and teammates that support each other and their goals,” Waggoner said of young competitive divers.
Diving resembles gymnastics, and hence, many divers come from gymnastic backgrounds and feel safer diving headfirst into water than feet-first on a mat.
Former Ponderosa High School star Sarah Edwards — who was Sarah Law in 1997 when she set the Colorado high school state meet record for diving — grew up as a gymnast.
“A lot of divers are former gymnasts, and so the injury level you go from gymnastics to diving is so much less; it seems minuscule in the scheme of things,” she said.
Edwards never had a chance to compete in high diving while in high school. It is not sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association and is available only with club teams. CHSAA provides a 1-meter springboard (about 3.28 feet). NCAA and Olympic divers reach heights of 10 meters, including nonspringboard platforms.
Dryland practice required
The Mile High Dive Club is one of four Front Range organizations that cater to youngsters with NCAA and Olympic dreams. Run by Virginia native Jack Perkins, Mile High leases the Adrenaline Academy dryland gymnastics facility in Parker and four Front Range pools.
Perkins’ athletes train 50 percent of the time with dryland rigs and video replay and 50 percent at the pool. His client list fluctuates between 90 and 150 divers, whose monthly fees range from $60 (one day a week) to $250 (six days a week).
In one session, the dive club has a maximum student-coach ratio of 6-to-1, and all coaches must be certified in first aid, CPR and (water) life saving. Perkins, 32, said most of his athletes join his team from other sports.
“If you do it incorrectly, there certainly is danger associated with it, but if you learn the right technique from the get-go, the chances of injury are much, much lower than other sports,” Perkins said.
His most important teaching method is “skill progressions — teaching things in sequence — so that before you attempt a more difficult skill, you have the skill directly beneath it down,” he said. “And we use a lot of belt-spotting and hand-spotting, and teaching those actions in a dry environment, and then they try those actions here.
“So by the time somebody tries something on the board, they’ve already learned how to do it with a rig, and they come here and just apply what they know.”
Perkins said the ideal age to begin a competitive diving career is 8 or 9. However, he has seen many former gymnasts and wrestlers excel in diving after starting as teenagers.
Safer than gymnastics
Mile High diver Mady Ingmire, 13, used to be a competitive gymnast. She switched to diving after suffering serious knee and elbow injuries in gymnastics.
“She had been beaten up badly by gymnastics,” Perkins said of Ingmire. “This was something (where) she could use her skills and not get beaten up.”
“I just couldn’t handle gymnastics anymore,” added Ingmire, who will attend ThunderRidge High in Highlands Ranch. “I dislocated my kneecaps and had to regrow my bones in there.”
She has been diving for three years, and her worst injury was an abrasion.
“I landed completely flat and my suit cut me,” she said. “I hit the water so hard the seams broke and cut my skin. It hurt a lot, but it’s not like hitting your head.”
She has never hit her head, but admits that the fear is there.
“It’s really scary thinking about hitting your head and drowning, because you’re out cold,” she said. “You just have to suck it up and get over it. . . . But here, once you get away from the board, you don’t have to worry about landing on something hard.”
Ingmire’s mother, Keri, has noticed two major differences between gymnastics and diving. First, the potential for injury in diving is less. And second, the coaches are more patient and “don’t make the kids cry.”
“I’m a lot happier (with diving),” she said. “When they start doing tower stuff — 5 meter and 10 meter — it’s really scary, so the scariness is the same. But I’m not nearly as worried about injury as much as gymnastics.”
Mady Ingmire, who was often in tears in gymnastics, has yet to cry at the pool.
“The gymnastics coaches aren’t really nice,” she said. “They were harsh, forcing you to do stuff. With diving, they let you work up to it.
“And it’s a great sport to learn skills and hang out with your friends. We have a great time. Plenty to talk about, and at the meets, everybody is nice. You just talk and joke around.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
THE PRO’S VIEW
SEAN MOORE: WITH GOOD COACHING AND FACILITIES DIVING IS NOT DANGEROUS
On March 29, Englewood native and Ohio State freshman Sean Moore captured the 10-meter platform title at the men’s NCAA championships in Federal Way, Wash.
More recently, Moore — who grew up diving for the Mile High Dive Club and coach Jack Perkins — suffered one of the worst injuries he has had in the sport.
Just last week, he was climbing the platform stairs in Columbus, Ohio, and one of his feet slipped, causing his knee to slam against a stair. He required 13 stitches.
The only other serious injury he remembers at the pool is slipping on a pool deck, hitting his head and suffering a concussion. Both accidents had nothing to do with diving off a springboard or platform.
“When it’s done correctly and responsibly, with good coaching and a good facility, (diving) is minimally dangerous,” Moore said. “Many injuries I’ve had are the same injuries you get in any sport, like stress fractures and pulled muscles. When coaches are responsible with their divers, it really negates the danger of the sport.”
Moore is the son of five-time NCAA diving champion Tim Moore, who also attended Ohio State. Sean credits his development to his father and Perkins.
Sean was with the Mile High Dive Club for 10 years, from age 8 until he left for Ohio State.
“Great coaches,” Sean said of Perkins and his fellow coaches, “and in my opinion, the best program you can find in Colorado.”
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
THE EXPERT’S VIEW
USA DIVING DIRECTOR SAYS SPORT’S “BAD RAP” FROM SHALLOW WATER INCIDENTS
John Wingfield, director and associate head coach of the USA Diving National Training Center in Indianapolis, said recreational swimming accidentsincluding those from diving that have nothing to do with a springboard or platform — hurt participation numbers for his sport.
“Diving accidents are in shallow water, where they shouldn’t be,” he said. “Springboard and platform diving get a bad rap. Those are listed as diving board accidents, but they have nothing to do with proper diving board and platform diving. The specifications that USA Diving recommends are safe.”
Less than 10 percent of all swimming pool diving injuries involve a diving board, according to the Spinal Cord Injury Information Network and the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The study added: “a diving board can help clear you from the edge of the pool to ensure you will have plenty of room to dive into the deepest part of the water.”
To that end, Wingfield would like to see USA Diving devote more effort to marketing and public relations in an effort to pursue young athletes to try his sport.
“Getting athletes into our sport needs to be where we’re working the hardest,” he said. “We need to get younger athletes into the sport. . . . We have problems developing from (ages) 5 to 8. We seem to have an influx about 11-to-12 years of age, mostly those that come from other sports. But if they want the proper development and propensity, they should start younger.”
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
What they are saying
“I switched over (from gymnastics to diving) because of tendinitis in my elbows. You don’t really worry about injuries at the pool, unless it happens, or you come close and (the coaches) talk to you. It can be scary, but it’s just mental. It’s not like football, where you know someone is going to hit you. With repetition, you know how to deal with every dive.”
Douglas “Doogie” Cohen, 18, a Mile High Dive Club athlete who will attend the University of Hawaii on a diving scholarship
“Certainly hitting the board is the most dangerous part of diving. But also there’s the repetitive injuries of doing something over and over. The overuse injuries are to the shoulders, wrists and knees. When you mess up your dive, there’s always the risk of slapping your skin. But that’s usually just pain, with no injury, although it contributes to fear of the sport.”
Sarah (Law) Edwards, who set the Colorado high school state meet record for diving in 1997 while at Ponderosa
“At the high school level, diving gives gymnasts an alternative activity to compete in for their high school teams. There is not much gymnastics, per se, at (the Colorado High School Activities Association) because the elite gymnasts compete for their club teams. So this gives them a chance to compete in high school for something they’re familiar with.”
Nick Fraser Smith, Regis High girls swimming coach
“It’s as safe as it can be. There are inherent risks as far as accidents go. There really haven’t been diving accidents around here. There are times you hit the board with hands or feet.
“(Diving) is a coordinated sport, and if you have a good gymnast that’s usually a good twister, that’s what divers usually lack. There certainly is a connection.”
“Most of the injuries happen in too shallow water, and not diving, per se, off a board. Our divers dive into water 12 feet or more, some 10 feet. For the most part, in high school, there at least are people familiar with the basics.”
Maurice Ervin, Littleton High swimming and diving coach
“Diving is a fun summer activity for kids and adults while they enjoy the pool. However, it is important that all families focus on proper diving practices to ensure a safe summer for everyone. The Diving Board Safety Network looks to provide information on the proper diving techniques that will ensure the safe use of diving boards this summer. Our goal is to keep families safe while allowing them to still enjoy one of the great summer fun activities.”
Brett Fritts, vice president of S.R. Smith, founding partner Diving Board Safety Network
“Kids of all ages will have hours of fun diving at swimming pools this summer. However, safety should always be the focus of these activities for the responsible parents or adults. It’s important to remember that diving accidents are preventable with diligent supervision and proper precaution. The Diving Board Safety Network works to ensure this, that’s why we’re a partner.”
Carvin DiGiovanni, senior director of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals
