Is your child tough enough to tackle two top fears (water and heights) head on? If so, maybe she'd be interested in the elegant, acrobatic sport of youth diving.
The basics: Divers compete in two kinds of events: springboard and platform diving. In each, the height of the diving board varies—either 1 or 3 meters for springboard, and 5, 7.5, or 10 meters for platform. There are six types of dives divers can perform.
Age kids can start: As soon as they are confident swimmers. Kids as young as 5 can compete in USA Diving Learn-to-Dive events.
Skills needed/used: Strength, flexibility, determination.
Best for kids who are: Disciplined and unafraid of water or heights!
Season/when played: Year-round, as long as an indoor pool is available. High school swimmers may compete in fall, winter, or spring (it varies by state). Diving is a summer Olympic sport, and divers who want to compete at high levels may attend summer diving camps.
Team or individual? Both. As members of a team, divers compete in individual events to score points for their team. In synchronized diving events, two divers compete together.
Levels: For USA Diving events, kids are grouped by age: 11 and under, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18. Middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities often have their own competitive diving teams. The most elite divers compete in the Olympic Games.
Appropriate for kids with special needs: While adaptive swimming programs are relatively easy to find, the same is not true for diving.
If your child is interested in diving, talk to therapists and coaches in your area to see if you can arrange for lessons.
Fitness factor: Medium. Diving does not burn as many calories as swimming does, but requires flexibility and strong leg, back, and core muscles (gained through both pool and dry-land training).
Equipment: Swimsuit and shammy (also called a chamois or aqua towel); accessories such as flip-flops and team gear (t-shirts, warm-up suits). As divers progress, they add dry-land workouts with weights and other equipment. Out of the pool, divers sometimes train on trampolines with harnesses.
Costs: Club/team memberships or lessons for beginners start at about $50 a month and rise from there, to $200/month or more for elite divers. Registration fees for meets, plus travel costs, are extra. Many clubs require parents to volunteer their time at meets, or else pay an additional fee.
Time commitment required: Diving lessons usually mean a commitment of a few hours a week at the most. For competitive youth diving, kids may practice three or four times a week and also participate in dry-land workouts. As they move up the ranks, divers' practice time increases (up to 15 hours a week for elite junior divers, and 20 or more hours for senior divers). Most meets last two days and most club teams will participate in 6 meets per season.
Potential for injury: Medium; risks result from the impact of hitting the water or from hitting the board itself. However, recreational diving is much riskier, with dangerous back or neck injuries caused from diving in shallow water. Drowning is also always a risk anytime a child is in the water. Reputable coaches, teams, and facilities will have rigorous safety procedures in place. As with any sport, overuse injuries, sprains and strains (in this case, to the back, neck, shoulders, and wrists) are possible.
How to find diving lessons, clubs, and teams:
Associations and governing bodies:
- USA Diving (sanctions meets across the country, as well as national and international events)
- Diving Plongeon Canada
If your child likes diving, also try:Gymnastics; other water sports such as swimming, water polo, kayaking or rowing.