The First Competition| Competition Scoring | Taylor Made Divers Booster Club | Booster Club Hosted Events
Participation Commitments| Policies and Operating Procedures | Workout Rules and Regulations
This information has been put together in order to acquaint Taylor Made Diving participants with the guidelines of Taylor Made Diving, the Taylor Made team and Team Competition, and the Taylor Made Diving expectations.The direction and purpose of the Taylor Made Diving Team is to develop the kind of broad based, county-wide Novice and Junior Olympic program that will bring many new Southern California children into diving, thus insuring growth of the sport on a high school, college, Senior National and Olympic Level.
It is the specific goal of TMD to affect the development of values and personal habits during the formative years of young people. Values such as delayed gratification, discipline, friendship, gracious winning and losing, honesty, dependability, fairness and competitivenss are vital. Personal development such as budgeting time, dietary care, goal setting, self evalution, handling pressure, study practices and social skills are equally important.
TMD intends to produce the well rounded athlete; an athlete whose potentials and opportunities to compete nationally, within the SPA, and locally have been fully realized; whose educational and scholarship opportunities have been maximized and whose efforts have resulted in an enrichment of the person.
Taylor Made Divers are a Palomar College sponsored community involvement program for persons wishing to compete in the sport of springboard diving. It is designed to provide professional instruction and training to all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds. It is the genuine hope of the coaching staff that a participant's growth and achievement of excellence will cultivate a desire to avail themselves to competitive opportunities.
The Taylor Made Diving program consists of persons familiarizing themselves with springboard and platform diving, persons honing their diving skills, Taylor Made Team Competitors, and High School CIF Competitors.(CIF rules state that a CIF diver may not be concurrently competing with a private club).
Practice sessions are held for different skill and commitment levels. A diver's participation in these practice sessions ensures readiness, allows for coaching familiarity, and builds the confidence required to successfully compete in offered meets. The diver's skill is the key to determining the level at which he/she will be required to practice. It is the decision of the coach and the diver together to establish a program of two or more practice sessions a week.
Participants are strongly encouraged to advance to a competitive level in order to experience the camaraderie and diversity found at organized meets.
All Taylor Made Team members are strongly encouraged to avail themselves to every opportunity practice, develop, and refine their skills so that they are on the ripping edge of their talents.
Any participant, regardless of skill level, or level of involvement, must be a registered diver of U.S. Diving.
The Taylor Made Competitive Team consists of three levels of skill: Novice, Junior Olympic and Senior. Taylor Made Diving is sanctioned by the United States Diving Association (USDA), assigned to the Southern Pacific Association (SPA), Region 9, Zone D. These divisions become defined as a diver progresses through zone and regional competition to the National Championships.
Our team members attend as many of the SPA-sanctioned meets as possible throughout the competitive season. Our competitive divers have obtained collegiate scholarships and have made a favorable showing in collegiate competitions at the university level.
Our coaches and current team members strive to promote a supportive and congenial atmosphere both at practice and during competition. To achieve this atmosphere, there exists a set of team rules and regulations with which each diver is expected to conform. A copy of these rules are attached at the end of this handbook. A diver who joins the Taylor Made team, and his parent if the diver is a minor, will be given a copy of the rules and regulations prior to his beginning workouts. The goals of the coaches and team members are to perform their best during competition; to support and encourage other team members; to experience the thrill of travel, seeing new places, and meeting new people; and to share in the victories, the memories, and the friendships found in their common love for the sport of diving.
Team membership and registration is handled by the Taylor Made Booster Club, North County Divers Booster Club(NCDBC).
There are a number of responsibilities and expenses associated with a diver's participation in the Diving Program. The primary expense is the program fee that is payable monthly to TAYLOR MADE DIVING. These fees are payable every month on a year-round basis whether or not a diver takes a break due to injury, illness or between seasons. Payment will be considered late if not paid by the first day of each month.
All divers are required to become members of SPA for insurance purposes. SPA registration and fees are required when a new diver joins the TMD team. Fees will then be due annually on January 1st of each calender year.
In addition to the SPA fee, $100.00 will be due each January 1st to the NORTH COUNTY DIVERS BOOSTER CLUB. This fee covers the diver's registration on the TMD team. If a diver joins the team during the year, this fee will be pro-rated.
$50.00 semi-annually will be due to cover fundraising commitments. This fee can be paid in full or worked off through various projects.
10 hours of parent participation is due annually at the TMD sponsored dive meets. If a parent is unable to participate, they may opt to pay off their commitment at a rate of $5.00 per hour.
$10.00 per participating diver is due at the beginning of each meet to cover the cost of additional coaching fees. A member of the board will be on deck collecting these fees and distributing them to the coach.
Once the coach and the diver feel that a level of competence and proficiency necessary to compete has been achieved, participation in a sanctioned meet will be recommended. Before a diver is allowed to compete, team membership(sanctioned by USDA) is required. Competition is regulated by the rules of U.S. Diving (USDA) and is based on skill and age levels. Most meets offer competitions at each age level divisions are: 9 and under, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, 16-18. Divers 18 and above are considered Senior or Master.
The primary competitive diving season is from March through August. Normally, there are several additional meets outside of the traditional season.
All divers will be informed of upcoming competitions during the season. The travel, the introduction to and recognition by other coaches and divers will contribute to an athlete's desire to become a competitor.
The Taylor Made Diving Team expects that all of its representative divers will display appropriate sportsmanlike behavior, common courtesy, and respect to the hosts, judges, coaches, and other participants.
Although diving is an individually competitive sport, the support and unity of the team members is an important aspect to the success of our divers. Our divers share with each other the joys of a rip and the sorrows of a crash.
Although most divers have viewed a diving competition on television or prior to their competitive career, there is nothing like going to your FIRST MEET!
Generally, the diver's first stop is the registration table. It is at this point that any unpaid registration fees are paid The diver then looks for his coach, Once found, the coach typically assists in the completion of the diver's official diving form, listing the competitor's dives in order of performance, in duplicate. The dives are coded by numbers and letters that signify the type of dive and position of the dive.
When a diver arrives at a meet, another competition event may be in progress. Prior to each event, the boards are open for participants of the upcoming events to practice. It is in this warm up that the diver can become familiar with the boards, the water, and the general surroundings. After twenty minutes, the warm ups are "closed", or stopped and the order of divers is announced. The excitement is building! Typically, the order of diving is repeated by the announcer in the first round with the diver "up" and the diver "on deck".
The diver's name is announced followed by the numbers and letters written on the dive sheets at the registration table. The announcer will provide assistance by repeating the called dive (for example, "Front Jump Straight"). It is at this point that the diver first feels the thrill of completing his first dive in competition. Once the approach and hurdle have started, the nervousness usually disappears and the routine established during practice takes over.
As the competitor find the way to the surface, the announcer calls for judges' awards or marks. As they are announced, the diver exits the water and heads for the hot tubs, to eagerly await his next dive.
In its most simplistic form, scoring at meets consists of five judges. The high and low scores from these judges are thrown out. The sum of the remaining three scores is multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the dive performed to achieve the final score for that dive. Each judge's marks, individual dive totals, and running totals are recorded on the dive sheet. The higher the marks, the better the score. Scoring is from 0 to 10.
Each diver, according to the age group of competition, will have a specific number of required dives and a specific number of optionals. These are discussed with the diver at the time of completion of the diving sheet. Furthermore, each dive has a predetermined degree of difficulty.
The degree of difficulty (DD) for a particular dive is set by U.S. Diving and is further dependent upon the age of the competitor. For example, Novice divers 9 and under compete with a 1.0 degree of difficulty, regardless of the dive.
The specific scoring guidelines and rules are set by U.S. Diving. Periodically, one of the diving publications such as "RIP" will publish the current dive listings and the DD charts.
When the meet director has verified the final scores, he will call everyone to the awards stand for awards. Now the anxiety of the competition is over and the suspense of the placing is set. All the competitors gather around the awards stand. Awards are typically announced bottom up (last to first). Each diver will receive a copy of his diving scores, and the top scoring divers will receive medals or trophies.
See Competition Scoring Tables.
TAYLOR MADE DIVERS BOOSTER CLUB
The purpose of the Taylor Made divers booster club (North County Divers Booster Club) is to provide financial and personal support for Taylor Made Diving athletes who train with Taylor Made and who compete under the auspices of U.S. Diving. This support includes funding the purchase of practice equipment, certain aspects of equipment maintenance, and the hosting of various events. In addition to these major activities, the Booster Club arranges for team morale injections through the scheduling of various entertainment activites throughout the year.
The Booster Club welcomes anyone who wishes to support the sport of Springboard and Platform Diving in the San Diego area. General Booster Club members includes parents of competitive divers, guardians, or other relatives.
The Booster Club obtains its income from the hosting of competitions, fund raising, meet concession stands, sponsorships, donations, and annual membership fees. ALL TAYLOR MADE DIVING CLUB PARENTS ARE EXPECTED AND REQUIRED TO VOLUNTEER.
The Booster Club expenses include: meet sanctioning fees; transportation, lodging and meals for coaches; U.S. Diving registration; expenses occurred from hosted meets; and, as funds permit, equipment purchases and maintenance.
The Booster Club Board of Director shall consist of officers elected by a vote of the Booster Club parents (one vote per diver). Officals shall hold their office for a period of two years, with the elections to be held in December of every even numbered year. The voting positions on the board shall consist of:
HEAD COACHReturn to IndexThe head coach may appoint a representative to attend the Board meetings in his place and cast his vote. This representative can not be a sitting member of the board.
PRESIDENT
Responsible for chairing all meetings of the Booster Club and the Booster Club Board. Responsible for distribution of all meet information. Signatory on club checking account.
VICE PRESIDENT
Responsible for registration and orientation of new members. Signatory on club checking account.
SECRETARY
Responsible for maintaining minutes of all club meetings.
TREASURER
Responsible for maintaining checking account and reporting all financial information to the board. Signatory on club checking account.
The program fees provide only a portion of the expenses necessary to operate the TMD diving program. In order to provide a comprehensive, first-rate diving program with a well rounded complement of activities and opportunities for divers, we must raise additional revenue through fund raising activities and sponsors. Participaiton of divers and their parents in these fund raising activities is mandatory.
Volunteers are our most important resources. Volunteering is essential to the success of Taylor Made Diving, its program, and events. All TMD parents are expected and required to volunteer a specific number of hours to the club.
COMPETITIONS: In order to raise the necessary funds for the support of the program, the TMD Booster Club assists in the hosting of annual diving competitions. These competitions are the club's major fund raisers. In order to host thes events, numberous volunteers are needed. These volunteer jobs include: Registration; Awards and Ceremonies; Scoring Tables; Snack Bar and Hospitality; Set-up and Clean-up; Media and Public Relations. Specific committee responsibilities are prepared and disseminated prior to each meet by the coaching staff, the Meet Director, and the Booster Club Board.Return to IndexFUND RAISING: The second undertaking of the Booster Club is the participation of all members in various fund raising projects as slated throughout the year. There are many possible fund raising projects for which chairmen are always needed.
In order to keep the team financially sound, meet our financial commitments, continue to purchase the necessary training equipment, and meet coaching expenses at meets(i.e. travel, lodging,etc.), the following policy is necessary and will be enforced.
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- All TMD parents are required to participate in the following number of service hours:
10 hours per calendar year
The 10 hours may be met by participation in the TMD hosted diving meets. Failure to meet volunteer hour requirements will result in a financial billing of $5.00 per hour.
- All TMD parents are required to participate in fund raising efforts. It is required of a family to generate an amount equal to $100.00 per year. A fund raising charge of $50.00 will be assessed on a semi-annual period. The period is defined as January 1 to June 30 or July 1 to December 31 of any calendar year.
A parent can generate funds by participating in work related fund raisers or in various selling projects that the team may authorize. The diver will be credited with the profit margin generated by such fund raisers.
If a parent elects not to participate in such functions, they can be exempted by submitting a check in the amount of their fund raising commitment no later than 15 days into the semi-annual period.
POLICIES AND OPERATING PROCEDURES
It is important that we lay out the policies which have evolved as necessary to the operation of this team. Further, some of the operating procedures we shall utilize will be outlined.
POLICIES:
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- No diver will be allowed to continue participation in workout sessions once dues are more then 10 days past due.
- No family will be allowed to continue participation within the program without:
- $100.00 per year TMD Booster fund contribution per family
- participating in operation of two TMD diving meets
- participating in a level of fund raising as determined by the TMD Booster Club.
- Success of the team requires total team unity. The right to be a member of TMD requires a supportive public attitude.Continued team membership will be denied if inner-team griping and tension is proven to have been created by a parent or diver. Use of appropriate channels is mandatory. Appropriate channels, in order that they must be followed are: immediate coach, head coach, parent board.
- No interference in coach's training procedures will be tolerated. However, the concerned parent or diver has the right, and shall be given the opportunity, to discuss training with the head coach.
- Use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco or illegal drugs by divers, to and from or during team functions will result in disciplinary action.
Workouts are a time to share with friends the experience of striving for goals together. We want to maintain a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere at every practice. To do this, you must strive to do things right, to willingly comply with all team rules and regulations. Behavior problems detract from the performance of everyone so we will not tolerate them.
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- Be at the pool before a practice is scheduled to start.
- Workouts at the gym begin with warm-ups and all team rules apply the moment warm-ups begin.
- Plan to stay the entire workout unless you have discussed getting out early with your coach beforhand.
- Listen with an attentive and courteous ear to your coach. Try to lead by knowing exactly what the coach has said.
- A request by the coach to get out of the pool will be met with quiet and immediate compliance.
- When dismissied from a workout, proceed to get dressed and wait for the workout to end. No attempt to pursue the matter before the end of the workout should be made. Instead, there will be a meeting with the coach after the practice.
- You must pick up all equipment and help with lane lines, hose, hot tub, etc. before and after practice. No expections, unless arranged in advance.
- Horseplay in the confines of the pool area will not be tolerated.
- Profanity or negative, argumentative talk will mean removal from workout.
- Pool, platform, diving boards, dry boards, and trampolines are off limits when a diving coach is not present.
- We expect all divers to observe pool rules and respond without question to any requests from the coaches or lifeguards.
