Do I still have the CHANCE?

Question
Hi, Mr. Trapp.
As we all know that most of the divers are already starts diving since their early age. I always had a dream to become a professional diver and be able to compete at the Olympic one day. I always wanted to do diving but never did. I am 23 years old now. Am I consider too late? Is there any chance for me to become a professional diver? I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Diving is still a new sport to us. Is there any school or club that I can go to learn diving? What will you recommend for me to do next? Thank you. -jerry-

Answer
Jeremiah -

To be honest with you, starting diving at age 23 is quite late to begin to be a professional diver and compete at an elite level.You have to be prepared to devote all of your time for next 10 to 12 years diving all the time on a regular basis to achieve competing in the Olympics. It is possible but improbable because you would have to quit your regular job to train as much as Brian Nickeson, your fellow countryman, who just finished diving in London.

To find a diving club in your city, go to www.fina.org, click on 'Structure', then look down the left hand side of the page and click on 'National Federations'.On the next page click on Asia and then look for your country on page 2. There you will find the contact information of someone who can send you in the right direction.