• Improved athletic and motor skills
• A positive self-image
• Improved social skills from interacting with teammates and coaches
• An ability to deal with success and disappointments
• Sportsmanship and leadership skills
• The opportunity to travel, visit new places and make new friends

• Make sure your diver is at practice on time and ready to dive. Siblings and career obligations often make this difficult. Carpools with teammates are often the best solution.
• Encourage your child without pressuring him/her. Always show interest and enthusiasm.
• Try not to coach your child. During practices and meets, allow the coaches to do their jobs.
• If your child misbehaves, a coach has some responsibility to discipline him/her, but the ultimate responsibility for discipline remains with the parents.
• Do not criticize coaches, officials or other divers infront of your child.
• Let your child know that you will be there for him/her, even if a practice or competition does not go as well as hoped or anticipated.

• Some meets offer competition at the Novice and Junior Olympic (JO) Levels. The coaching staff will communicate with you regarding your child's readiness to compete, and whether they will compete as Novice or JO.
• Competition levels are divided by age group (9 & Under, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18). A diver's age as of December 31 in the year of the meet will determine the child's competition level.
• The number and type of dives that a diver must perform during a meet is determined by the age and gender of the diver.
• Each dive is given a score by a panel of judges. The judge's scores, multiplied by the Degree of Difficulty (a number pre-assigned for each dive), is total score given for the dive. The scores for the individual dives are added to obtain the diver's total score and final placement in the competition.
• A book titled A Comprehensive View of Competitive Diving written by Hobie Billingsley, a five-time Olympic diving coach and two-time Olympic judge, is available for purchase. Contact information to purchase the book may be found at Billingsley's site, Hobie's Diving Academy.

Information about Communication, Fundraising and Meets may be found on the next page.