The Most Awesome Feeling...

The pool of turquoise is below, as my eyes search the horizon. The view from here has always astonished me; I will never forget it. There is a separation between earth and sky that you feel a part of. Like the intimate feeling you receive from a favorite song. From a hawks view I can see the mountains and the town to where my temporary apartment lie’s. I can hear the speech bellowing from the microphone below, (I know it by heart, after eight years it has become redundant), as the last crowd waits in anticipation below.

My legs are cramped as I am now over 35 and retiring from my only true passion. I think about the places I have been and the experiences they have afforded me. The trials and tribulations I have had to overcome and the friends that I will always cherish as a result. The price I have paid to get here and what I have been blessed to be a part of. I do not believe I will ever know such a life again, as earlier I announced that this would be the last.

The announcer goes into a spiel about how long I have done this and that I am retiring. I'm not paying attention as I am trying to drink all of this in and paste it into my memory for eternity. I have never truly accepted the view; it is simply heart stirring to be 80 feet in the air perched on a platform barely large enough for your feet. The slight breeze that is blowing is not enough to rock the ladder, but I have dove in weather so bad that normal people would turn away as they feared the worst. I think about the 70 footer in Pennsylvania in the snow, the excruciating pain that rocketed up my legs as my feet met the surface, and the expression on that little girls face as she peered over her turtle neck….that made all the pain worthwhile.

I can hear the announcer getting to the end of his tirade on the audience, so I refocus on the task at hand. I see the friends I have made this summer gathered off to one side and most of the park employees. They have come to see the very last performance of my life. I am a bit emotional knowing that I am leaving something that will always be a part of me. Something that I thought I could never do, and not only did, but did well.

I think about that one crash that nearly ended my career, visions of blue, then sudden nothingness. To this day I cannot recall my body pounding the surface, as I awoke with a teammate standing over me and a searing pain in my back and ribs. It was awesome.
The announcer says my name and I hear a roar from below as I wave to the tiny little hands that are waving back. My teammates are lined up along the cat walk, they are sad, but know that I have made the right decision.

I turn and face the ladder with my feet half off that little piece of metal I’ve come to know so well. I concentrate on the ladder finding a focal point, a small grin forming across my face as I stretch out my arms, bend, and leap into the sky. There is a hesitation as the body stops for a brief moment in time, before plummeting into that soup bowl below. I cannot recall how many I have done, but it is that hesitation point that you feel free of everything, you are flying, you are in complete control. I see the ladder slowly disappear and tilt my head back to take one last look at that astonishing view.

There is nothing I can write to describe what it is like to be flying upside down, 80 feet in the air, traveling at almost 60 mph as you strike the water. All I can say is it is the most awesome feeling. I begin to gather speed and tuck to get my feet down. Cool water envelopes me as I pull hard not to hit the bottom that is a mere ten feet below. As I come to a rest on the bottom, I take a moment to gather myself. Flashes of past dives, good and bad, streak through my memory, I push off and surface to the cheers of children, adults and friends….. my career is over. In a matter of 4 seconds, I have done my last high dive.

Carpe Diem

The Path

Do not Follow where the path may lead,

Go instead where there is no path...

and leave a trail.

AAU Nationals

Orlando Florida was alive and kicking with over 600 divers and 1200 entries. As I entered the pool on Wednesday I thought I was attending a swimming meet. The magnitude of the event was just incredible. With five sometimes six events taking place at once, it was like controlled chaos.

The diving itself proved to be very competitive and of higher caliber than I anticipated. To make finals, kids simply could not miss a single dive in prelims, as a National Championship event should be. With 40,50, and sometimes 60 divers in one event the cut to 12 was often only separated by a mere .05 of a point.

The preliminary events were long and often dragged out due to technical difficulties from the wireless score pads being used. However; most these issues were resolved on day two and the rest of the week ran as smooth as one could expect from the amount of divers that attended the event.

Being there for recruiting purposes it was a joy to have all those divers in one place at one time. I had the opportunity to speak with several divers, parents, etc... about the opportunities that Dension had to offer them. Many were impressed that a small school like Denison would send a diving coach simply to watch and talk to prospective student athletes. Once the ball started rolling with the recruiting, it did not stop as I actually ran out of two different brochures.

All in all the trip was a success as many kids that had never even heard of Denison are now at least taking a look this way. Hopefully this is the start of many many good years to come here as the Big Red Diving team begins to truly grow as a team and program.

Carpe Diem