DIVING PARENT GUIDE

Welcome and congratulations on becoming the newest member of our diving family! We hope that you and your athlete enjoy your time with us both in and out of the pool. We are happy to have you! It is our goal at Team Rebel to not only produce champions on the boards, but in life as well. The Dryland Skills Testing program we utilize was developed over years of coaching and training athletes; this system was created based on what our coaches identified as the keys to success within our sport. It is designed to show the kids where they excel and where they need improvement, as well as motivate them to set goals for themselves. This approach to learning allows them to watch their progress as they grow both physically and mentally. It is our hope that these lessons will spill over into their everyday lives. Team Rebel is set up to reward hard work! The athletes will progress through the team levels as they complete the corresponding Skills Tests. This allows the kids to set their own pace!

GOALS

Our main goal here at Team Rebel is to teach the value of perseverance, and what it can help a person accomplish. Producing some talented divers along the way is just an added benefit! We hope that you, as parents, can adopt the same mindset. Being a “diving parent” can be challenging, so we ask you to take the time to openly communicate with your diver about their goals on a regular basis to ensure that you are both pushing in the same direction!

PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Try to make sure your athlete is on time for practice and shows up ready to dive! We know life, jobs, and other children can make this difficult at times—so we recommend getting to know other diving parents as carpooling can often be the easiest solution!
• When able, help out with our team or meet activities. Hosting a meet is a lot of work, and we truly appreciate any help. Also, involvement with an even can help you learn more about your athlete’s sport!
• If your child misbehaves at practice, coaches have some responsibility to discipline during practice, but keep in mind that ultimately it is your responsibility to speak with your diver about their behavior.
• Please show patience towards your diver as they learn and progress. We ask that you try to encourage your athlete without pressuring them. Interest and enthusiasm go a long way in motivation!
• DO NOT COACH YOUR CHILD. We ask that you trust your coaches and your child’s abilities. It is also an insurance and safety issue. If you cannot abide by this rule, you may be asked to sit further away during practices.
• Criticizing coaches, officials, or other divers in front of your child will not be tolerated.
• Help your athlete learn about and adopt proper nutritional practices. Fuel for a high level athlete matters just as much as practice!

COMMUNICATING

Any kind of coach can have a long-lasting impact on their athletes, and the goal is for that to be a positive impact. Many athletes have life-long relationships with their coaches. We hope that you as parents know that we are open to being approached with questions or concerns! Keep in mind that you and the coaches are working together to help your child reach their goals, and we hope that you can feel comfortable discussing your child with their coach.

The best time to approach you diver’s coach is prior to or at the conclusion of practice or a meet, not during. We hope that any misunderstandings or miscommunications can be addressed quickly before they cause a serious problem. Coaches are concerned not only with the happiness and safety of your athlete, but also with the best interests of each team member and the team as a whole—and we hope that by keeping different perspectives in mind and openly communicating, we can create a very positive atmosphere for everyone involved! Diving is a very mentally demanding sport, and it is very important to us as coaches that our athletes feel respected and safe while at practice, and open communication is a large part of that.

USA DIVING

Signing up for USA Diving is required by our club. Your athlete will need it not only for competing, but also as a secondary form of insurance in the case of an accident. An annual membership runs January 1^st through December 31^st, and has differing fees for different levels of athletes.

DIVEMEETS

Divemeets.com is the website used by almost all clubs and universities to run meets! If you athlete is planning to compete, we ask that you got to divemeets.com and create them a profile. If you need help or a guide, please contact your child’s coach!

ATTENDING A MEET

Every meet is divided into age groups: 9 & Under, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18/ A Diver’s age on the last day of the meet determines their age group. Depending on how much experience your athlete has, they may also be choosing between JO or Novice level events.

What to take to a meet:

• Suit or suits – one for warm up and one for competition.
• Sammy or chamois towel – allows divers to dry off between dives
• Towels
• Snacks/food
• Water bottle
• Dry clothes for after the meet
• Team warm-ups/jackets/etc
• Sunscreen (if outdoor pool)

Prior to a meet, we ask that parents try to make sure their athletes get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthful breakfast. You should have already received event schedules and an idea of when your athlete needs to be at the pool—try to make sure your diver is there on time or early to ensure they get their warm up time! At most meets, parents are not allowed to stay on deck with their athletes (officials/volunteers/coaches only on deck), so we ask that you make sure you diver knows where you will be seated.

When you arrive at a meet, please make sure you notify the coach so they know you and your athlete made it! Then, we ask that you find a registration table. If you already registered your athlete for the meet online, they will the diver to check their diving sheet/dives and check in. If your child did not pre-register, they will ask you to fill out the appropriate forms and pay the registration fee. Diving sheets show what dives they are signed up for and in what order you athlete will be performing those dives. Changes can be made to those dive sheets when you sign in if necessary. If you have any concerns or are confused, reach out to your coach or one of the table workers.

During the meet, there will be schedules, diver order, and warm up times posted. It is important for an athlete to find this information and listen carefully during their event so they do not miss their turn. The diver also needs to listen carefully when their dive is announced so that they do not perform the wrong dive.

Any questions/concerns about scores of judging, code of conduct during a meet, or meet results should be directed to your coach. The coach can take it from there.

After the event, make sure your athlete get dressed quickly and is available for awards if applicable. Please make sure to communicate with your athlete positively no matter how they performed. No athlete can give a top performance at every meet, and we hope that you can help them deal with and work through disappointment if they performed below expectations. Before leaving the meet, please touch base with your coach.

THANK YOU

Thank you for taking the time to read this! We hope this answered some of your questions. Please feel free to reach out to your coach with any additional questions!!