diving schoolsI

Question
I live near tampa and interested in diving for my gymnast who is getting a little tall for the sport and would like to try diving.  Any suggestions?  

Answer
Marisa -

There are several places you can try in the greater Tampa Bay Area. They are found in St. Pete, Largo and Brandon. For the first two, go to www.usadiving.org. Click on Clubs and then Find A Club. Enter FL and a list of teams will come up. There you will find the contact info for WFLA in Largo and for the team in St. Pete. The team in Brandon is called Jetstream Diving coached by Joe Greenwell. His program is run out of a sports and aquatic center in Brandon on Beverly Blvd.Go to www.mybsac.org and click on programs and navigate your way to diving. Of the 3 teams in your area, Joe is the most successful coach. You should evaluate all 3 teams and see which is the best fit for your daughter.

Most of club diving is comprised of girls age 12- 18 and most of them are ex-gymnasts so she should do just fine. This time of year is the end of the competitive season and meets will start up again later in the fall. Some teams go on a break in August but it is worth it to find out about the sport now.

Here are some other diving websites:

www.diving.about.com - Site that explains the sport.

www.usadiver.com

www.aaudiving.org

www.flipnrip.com - Site for divers/parents

Good luck in your search.