Can you recomend a coach in Washington State?

Question
Hello,

My daughter currently dives with Crown Valley Divers in Laguna Niguel, CA.  She is going to move to Grays Harbor County in Washington State.  Do you know of a club or coach in the region?

Answer
Hi Neil -

I live in Washington State so I am very familiar with what is happening in diving up here. I am also familiar with your daughters current team as I have known Curt Wilson for many years and have been to Crown Valley for meets in the past.

I wish I had better news for you about club diving up here but unfortunately, your daughter is moving to an area of Washington where there is no club diving. By club diving, I mean US Diving and AAU programs such as Crown Valley.

The only club team in the entire state is located at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. This city is in the south Puget Sound area about 25 miles south of Seattle. The pool is world class and has held many club meets including the 2000 Olympic Diving Team Trials. Next March, it will be the host of the Men's NCAA Division I Diving Champs.

The club team there is the Pacific Northwest diving team coached by my good friend Jim Southerland. The website for the pool is www.metrokc.gov/parks/kcac.

Diving is quite different up here compared to Southern California where there are many club teams. The problem up here is a lack of pools with deep water. There are only a few pools with 3 meter boards and the pool in Federal Way is the only one with platforms.There is a good pool with a 3 meter on Bainbridge Island that has a small recreational program but is very difficult to get to without going on a car ferry.

Grays Harbor County is about 80 miles from Federal Way so it will be geographically difficult for her to get to.
I do not know how old your daughter is but if she is in high school, there is high school diving in Aberdeen and Hoquim which are two major towns in Grays Harbor area. Girls high school diving runs from the third week of August to the middle of November. Other than that, there is some summer league diving, but only in the Seattle/Puget Sound metro area.

I wish I could steer you in a direction for a closer club diving program but it just does not exist where she is moving.

Tom Trapp
Everett, WA