Gymnast to HS diving in 11th grade

Question
Hi Tom, I am a HS junior and I left level 9 gymnastics due to wrist fractures. I am now on the varsity HS dive team scoring 140-170+ in 6-dive dual meets, and have up to 2.3 for DD. I placed 14th of 41 divers at the MN True Team State 11 dive meet for Section 5AA High Schools. We have not had State finals yet. I have 4 months of diving experience on 1 meter only, and I am beginning to look at colleges. So finally, here are my questions... I would like to do diving in college, 1m, maybe 3m if I get training. Do you think I have a chance at making a Div.III or II college team? What else should I do after the HS season to improve? Do I have time to compete SR year before I must get info to colleges to be considered? Thanks for your time and any advice you can give.

Answer
Ellen -

After reviewing your questions about college diving, here are some answers and suggestions:

NCAA Division III diving is not much harder than high school diving. This level consists of small schools that are more academically oriented than athletically. Division II diving is a little harder but not much. You could make a team at either of these levels but you would have to get a 3 meter list as I do not think the coaches would be interested in a diver who only competes 1 meter.

After the high school season is over, you need to join a USA Diving or AAU club team. There you can start to learn fundamental dives on 3 meter. The best program in Minnesota is at the University in Minneapolis - Twin City Divers, run by the college coach Jason Baumann. He has the best facility in your state. I do not know where you live so it may not be close to you. Go to www.usadiving.com and click on "Clubs". Then click on "Find A Club". Enter your state and a list of teams will come up. Also try www.aaudiving.org. Click on Diving Sport Contacts - when the map comes up, click on District numbers closest to where you live. Contact that person to find an AAU team.

For college recruiting you should contact schools you are interested in attending now and ask the diving coach by e-mail to send you info on their program. Since you are a junior, the coach cannot talk to you yet. College diving coaches can contact you starting July 1, 2009, when you officially are considered a senior in high school. Go to www.ncaa.com, click on Sports and then Women's swimming. Navigate your way to Division II & III and look up info on these levels.Also click on "Information for College Bound Student Athletes".

The summer of 2009 is the most important one to get the attention of college coaches. They are interested in how you do in club meets more than in high school. You need to be in diving meets next summer that are run through www.divemeets.com. This website is used by college coaches to look up potential recruits. They can see what meets you have been in , your list of dives and your placings and scores.Go to this website and look through it. Look up past meets and navigate your way to your age group (16-18)and look up the results of meets and the type of dives girls your age are doing.Diving your senior year on the high school team is important but not as important as the summer of 2009.

You should also consider going to a diving camp run at a college next summer. It would be a great experience for you.You could learn harder dives on 1 meter and start to learn optionals on 3 meter. One of the best is at Indiana University in Bloomington. Go the schools athletic department website and look up the head coach Jeff Huber. Send him an e-mail and ask to placed on a list to receive info on his 2009 summer camps. He is a highly accomplished college and Olympic coach.Register early as they fill up fast.

If you start diving 3 meter, since you have had wrist problems, make sure you wear wrist guards as you will be going head first at that height and not much feet first like 1 meter.

If you send me a follow up question with your personal e-mail I will forward an article entitled "Tips on College Recruiting for Divers". I am unable to forward you anything through this website.

Other websites about diving are:

www.flipnrip.com
www.usadiver.com
www.diving.about.com

Good luck with your searches.