Springboard Diving Training

Question
Hi, I'm a teenager and live in Gloucester Township, NJ. My school's swimming and diving program is only winter, so I don't have anywhere to go for spring or summer. Is there anywhere near here that can enroll in spring and summer for springboard diving lessons, dry land training, etc. that isn't too expensive? I'm not exactly a beginner, because I know how to swim and do a front flip and back dive (just not polished and perfect!) Thank you!

Answer
Hi Rhianna -

In looking where you live, you are going to find programs in Philly closer to you than other teams in Jersey. There are programs in your state, but they are further south so it looks like teams in PA are the ones to look into. There are teams for kids your age at Drexel and La Salle Universities. I would Google their athletic departments to find out how to get a hold of the diving coaches there. As far as costs go, I do not know how much they charge for new divers. All I can tell you is that club diving in general is not cheap because of the costs of equipment and pool rental that the coach provides.

Here are some websites to go to to help you in you search:

www.usadiving.org. Click on Join USA Diving and then Find A Club. Enter NJ or PA and a list of teams will come up.You may have to join this organization in order to start diving

www.aaudiving.org - Another site to find a team.Info on the home page.You also may have to join this group to start. You will not have to join both organizations (USA Diving/AAU Diving), only one, but I do not know which one they will require.

www.divemeets.com - Click on Find and then Pool. A list of pools will come up that have hosted big meets.Look for ones near you.Pools listed here means there is a coach at these pools with a team. Click on the pools name for more info. Also at Find, click on Teams and a huge list will come up. Click on the teams name under AAU or USA Diving or NCAA teams for more info. You can also click on Coaches and there they are listed alphabetically. For the Drexel coach, click on 'M' and look for Lawrence May.He is a successful coach.

www.diving.about.com - Site that explains the sport. Lots of good articles are found here to help you understand club diving better.

Good luck in your search.