Off Topic Parent forum for divers?

[CuriousCate]

Well my older kiddo retired from gym a few weeks ago. She is 11 and heading into 6th grade. Friends, I'm still so sad about it...BUT she really did do this in the perfect way. She trained for level 8 and completed skills testing on a Friday, found out that she was good to go to compete level 8 this season. Then Saturday thought it through and decided that she really wasn't happy continuing. Told the coaches in a Zoom meeting Sunday. Went back to practice on Monday so I could actually see everything she'd worked on and get some videos (I never go in the gym so last I saw was a level 7 meet). It was completely on her terms and she hasn't looked back.

That said, she decided to try diving and seems to really enjoy it. I'm trying to get a better understanding of the sport and how meets go but can't find a resource like ChalkBucket for diving. A post I searched on here mentioned "The Diving Board" forum but I wasn't able to find it. Anyone here know of a good parent interactive forum to learn about diving?

Thank you! My little one is still in gym, so I'll stick around here too

 

[Uppity]

To the best of my knowledge there isn’t one. Which is why I’m here. Was a gymnastics coach who transitioned into diving but can’t really find any online chat. It’s a much smaller world.

happy to chat here .
Good luck to your daughter, diving can be a good transition after gymnastics but can also have some differences that make it trickier than you’d expect . 11 is a very good age to start though.

 

[txgymfan]

Lots of high level divers started off as gymnasts. I’m glad she retired on her own terms and that you got to see her new skills.

 

[CuriousCate]

To the best of my knowledge there isn’t one. Which is why I’m here. Was a gymnastics coach who transitioned into diving but can’t really find any online chat. It’s a much smaller world.

happy to chat here .
Good luck to your daughter, diving can be a good transition after gymnastics but can also have some differences that make it trickier than you’d expect . 11 is a very good age to start though.

Thank you so much! As she decides how "into" diving she wants to be, I'll likely be reaching out with questions!

 

[bookworm]

My daughter was a multi year level 10, headed to do D1 gymnastics on a full ride , until she tore her ACL ....multiple surgeries and 2 years of PT and it was never the same. She didn't feel like she could do her best events (beam ,vault & floor) , and she didn't feel that she was the athlete her college coach recruited , so a week before the NLI was to be signed , she relinquished her scholarship (the coach never pulled it ) and was done with gymnastics.

Sooo, she goes off to college and decided to "try diving" and did quite well . Competed all 4 years and broke the school record in her Sr year! We , as parents, didn't know much about diving...and still don't. We knew what a good score was , what a decent dive looked like , what the #s indicated but we mostly just sat there and were supportive.

The thing I found interesting in NCAA diving is that although the divers are technically part of the swim team , there is very little interaction between the groups ...they compete at opposite ends of the pool and there are way less divers , so way less fans ...and every "team meal function" at meets was during the swim break , and that's exactly when the divers compete , so we never went to any of those. It was less nerve wracking because we knew less .

 

[txgymfan]

Bookworm, I’m curious, did she dive at the school she was going to do gym for or did she switch to another school? Did she tryout to walk on before school started or did she try diving after getting there in the fall?

 

[B&M's mom]

My daughter was a multi year level 10, headed to do D1 gymnastics on a full ride , until she tore her ACL ....multiple surgeries and 2 years of PT and it was never the same. She didn't feel like she could do her best events (beam ,vault & floor) , and she didn't feel that she was the athlete her college coach recruited , so a week before the NLI was to be signed , she relinquished her scholarship (the coach never pulled it ) and was done with gymnastics.

Sooo, she goes off to college and decided to "try diving" and did quite well . Competed all 4 years and broke the school record in her Sr year! We , as parents, didn't know much about diving...and still don't. We knew what a good score was , what a decent dive looked like , what the #s indicated but we mostly just sat there and were supportive.

The thing I found interesting in NCAA diving is that although the divers are technically part of the swim team , there is very little interaction between the groups ...they compete at opposite ends of the pool and there are way less divers , so way less fans ...and every "team meal function" at meets was during the swim break , and that's exactly when the divers compete , so we never went to any of those. It was less nerve wracking because we knew less .

My daughter's dive journey is much the same. It's sometimes easier when you don't know as much. And my experience with the swim parents is the same. They are all very nice people but we didn't spend much time together.

 

[CuriousCate]

Thanks for the advice! I am looking forward to a sport that is not as all-consuming for us. My kid seems to enjoy it after the three weeks she's tried so far. It has been far from a full experience though since the university pools that they usually practice at are not allowing dryland work or any spectators, so no parent I can really ask questions of! @bookworm I love your daughter's story - what a testament to her drive and insight.

 

[bookworm]

Bookworm, I’m curious, did she dive at the school she was going to do gym for or did she switch to another school? Did she tryout to walk on before school started or did she try diving after getting there in the fall?

She didn't end up going to the same school she was going to do gymnastics at because in her words, "I don't want to watch what I can't do every day" & at that point, diving hadn't even come up. She decided she wanted to go to a school in a big city, so in November of her Sr year, we did a about face with more applications etc and she got into her 1st choice with that.

She didn't think she would be doing a sport upon arrival until a girl on her hall said she was a former gymnast who was now a diver there ... she emailed the coach to see if he would be interested in her trying out and he said "see you in the pool this afternoon" .. and the rest is history. She actually called us to tell us she was diving and we never thought she'd compete in her first year but 3 weeks after her first practice, she competed in a meet... didn't do great but she wasn't last so we thought "here we go again" . She only competed the 1 meter her first year but after that she competed both .

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I have no experience with diving, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad everything worked out so well with her gymnastics retirement and good luck to her with diving! I hope she loves it!

 

[CuriousCate]

I have no experience with diving, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad everything worked out so well with her gymnastics retirement and good luck to her with diving! I hope she loves it!

Thank you! I feel like you've been on this crazy journey with us and I appreciate all of your support along the way!