MAC Dive Team

2009 Gateway Diving Schedule
Division 1
Saturday June 6
Cool Dell@MAC West
Crestwood @ River Bend

Saturday June 13
MAC @Crestwood
Cool Dell @River Bend

Saturday June 20
River Bend @ MAC West
Crestwood @ Cool Dell

Saturday June 27
MAC West @ Cool Dell
River Bend @ Crestwood

Conference Finals: Wednesday July 8


DIVING TEAM GUIDELINES

Practices
The MAC sponsors a COMPETITIVE dive team. The experience of the diver is not important. Novice divers are welcome and encouraged to join the team! Practices are held in the mornings and some afternoons (See Below). It is expected that all divers attend daily practice, and participate in a minimum of THREE dual meets AND conference. Private diving lessons are available for those who are unable or do not wish to participate in the meets.

Mornings 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 and over
9:30-10:30 a.m. 9/10 year olds
9:45-10:30 a.m. 8 & under

Practice procedure
In diving, progress is less easily measured. A diver’s meet performance is scored by judges, who sometimes differ. In general, however, an increase in the total points on a dive indicates improvement. Improvement, for the swimmer or the diver, is not easily achieved. Hard work and attention to instructions are required.
Parents should be aware that group practice precludes individual attention. The coach will make every effort to keep practice groups small, point out errors, give tips on improvement and teach new dives. However, quick reminders are not always enough to change a child’s technique. If your child is having some difficulty with a dive, feel free to discuss this with the coach. She/he may share some pointers with you or suggest lessons. Improvement comes with practice; regular attendance is beneficial to the child and the team. Please make every effort to have your child to practice on time. Repeating instructions several times for the benefit of the latecomers wastes coaching time.

Parent/coach contact
Most parents drop their children off for practice. You may certainly stay to watch if you wish, but please do not interrupt the workout. If your child misbehaves and the coach misses it, please wait until after practice is over to make your displeasure known. If you wish to discuss something with the coach, please wait until after practice to do so.

Dual Meets
The Gateway Conference groups the following ages in dual diving competition: 8 and under, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/17. Three boys and three girls compete separately by age group with the girls competing first. The five dive categories are: front, back, reverse, inward and twist. Divers perform the following dives:
8 & under: front (101) plus one optional dive
9/10,11/12,13/14: front (101) plus two optional dives — all three dives must be from at least two different categories
18 & under: front (101) plus three optional dives — all four dives must be from at least three categories

THE DIVING COMPETITION BEGINS ON SATURDAYS. THERE IS A 30-MINUTE PRACTICE PERIOD FOR EACH TEAM BEFORE THE COMPETITION BEGINS. During this time the coach will finalize each diver’s score sheet indicating the dives chosen, position (layout, tuck, pike) and degree of difficulty.

What to do if your child will miss a meet
ALL VACATIONS MUST BE MARKED IN THE VACATION BOOK. It is the responsibility of the diver to do this. If a child is ill the day of the meet, the coach must be notified by noon so that adjustments can be made. Remember, all dive team members are expected to participate in a minimum of three meets and conference.

Parents
All parents are required to work at least two meets depending on enrollment. This includes time trials, novice meets and technique meets. You will be required to work a conference meet if your child/children participate. This will be recorded and posted in order to show our appreciation for your help. If you have a swimmer/diver, a diving meet will meet your obligation.

IMPORTANT RULE FOR SWIM & DIVE SEASON 2009 . . .
Those parents not fulfilling a two meet commitment (conference if applicable) will be fined $100. The money will be used to buy new equipment for next year. If a parent signs up for a meet and does not attend or does not find his/her own sub, the child will not be allowed to participate in the following meet. You are asked to notify the parent representative as to who is going to be replacing you if you decide to get a sub. Note that the Gateway Swimming & Diving Conference prohibits any meet worker or parent representative
from drinking alcoholic beverages during any meeting including the Championship meet (prelims, finals, or a timed final meet) Such actions by any parent worker will force the team to automatically forfeit the meet. In the event that a swimmer/diver belongs to two clubs participating in the Gateway Conference, he/she may only swim/dive for ONE team for the entire season.

Meets
All parents are required to work at least two meets depending on enrollment. At Conference, all parents must work one age group session. It is not recommended that you sign up to work during your child’s diving time. (You would miss seeing your child’s dive). Meets are scheduled every Saturday morning beginning with the first Saturday after Memorial Day and ending Mid-.July

Job descriptions are as follows:
Bull pen worker - Keep divers quiet, organized and ready to dive
Recorder - Records diving scores
Slide Rule - Determines divers score
Ribbon Writer - Writes ribbons and totals all teams’ scores
Hospitality - Serves refreshments