Saturday, March 21, 2009

50 + Provincial Diving Masters Champion

Yes, I'm the Diving masters champion in the 50 and over division on the 3 meter board. But not without consequences!

On my last dive which was a back 1 1/2 with a half twist I pull my calf muscle on my left leg as I was taking off. It's the opposite same calf muscle I tore last year on my right leg. But it's not as bad, more of a pull then a tear this time, but it will put me out of commission for a week or so and not to mention I won't be diving tomorrow in the 1 meter competition.

My problem started this morning. We got up bright and early left for Toronto by 7am got to the pool by 8am where I found out I wasn't diving until 7:40 pm. So we watched the kids dive for a while then headed back home. When we got home I had time to do some practice diving at our pool during public swim. I went to the pool and the place was packed with kids. there was no way they would let me dive off the 3 meter board, they only had the 1 meter board open, so I did some dives for an hour then went home and has something to eat. Then Joanne and I left to go back to Toronto at 5:30.

We got to the pool just as they were letting The Men and women master group on the 3 meter for open practice as well as the Open men for the 1 meter competition until our time to compete.

I was in a rush to get Joanne set up with the camera so I could get on deck to get some practice diving in, then I get to the change room and can't find a locker that would work, so I changed and left my cloths in the open locker and I took my valuables with me to give to Joanne.

But wait! before that, when I was changing into my new bathing suit that I wore at my pool in Barrie earlier, I find my draw string is pulled through the eyelet, so I couldn't tie it. I try to fish it back out but couldn't, and my time was wasting away for practice. So I put on my running shorts that I normally wear to the pool over top of my swim shorts and tie it up, as I surly didn't want to have a wardrobe malfunction and loose my drawers in the pool as I dive in.

I finally get back out to the deck and give Joanne my valuables and get down to the boards.

I did my pleasantries with the coaches divers and judges and get off my list of dives just in time before we get started. Whew!

Now the meet starts and not thinking at the time, (as all this was going on while trying to make sure I got some dive practice in) I totally forgot about stretching!! SO I get off my first dive and it was horrible, next dive even worse! I knew enough to settle down, but everything was going wrong. My first 4 dives were the worst I ever done since I've been training. I know it's because I was rattled and rushing.

Ok I settle down and my next dive I do half decent, then my last dive they call out for me to do a Back somersault in layout??WTF! I changed that I said.!!

Apparently my dive wasn't changed in the computer? the dive I wanted to do was the back 1 1/2 with a half twist!?! and they announced my dive as a back somersault in layout. So anyway I did the back SS in layout to get marked with decent marks.

When I came up out of the water the judges told me to do one more dive, (the dive I wanted to do) for fun, so they could mark it but not for the record.

I get up on the 3 m board and ready myself for my dive, as I push off I feel my calf pull, I finish the dive in good form and come up feeling pain in my calf while the judges mark me.

They give me 10's across the board, Jokingly of course! as the dive didn't count for my score.

Well now I'm telling all the judges I just pull my calf. Fortunately the was a massage therapist there, she did some work on it until the awards ceremony.

In any case, I took fist in my age group, and needless to say I won't be diving the 1m tomorrow......Maybe?

BTW the pictures Joanne took were a total blurr as she didn't know how to use the camera properly, so the only pictures I have are these that I took before and after the meet.






Total score of 195.30..would have been over 200 if I did the last dive as the one I wanted!

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