Book pages 58 and 59
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Diving Life
Have you ever tried high diving?
It is a mode of diving where the diver uses nothing but a jumping board located at a scary high point above a pool, and for me, that is amazing.
My mum used to take me to her swimming sessions. It was when I learnt to swim. It was also the time when I fell in love with high diving.
At first, it looked scary and exciting; at the same time, but it was difficult for me to gather the courage to even stand at the boards. It was like a process, though. There were different levels; 1 metre, 2 metres, 3 metres, 5 metres, 8 metres, 10 metres, up to 25 metres and even 40.
By the time I was 16, I went from doing diving recreationally to doing it professionally. It is one of the most complicated things I’ve ever done! You know, facing and overcoming your fears all at once, but it’s all been positive! I mean, it’s not just my character building I’ve gotten, but also getting and keeping fit, which is great for anybody’s health!
A professional high diver moves from jumping into the pool and under surface swimming and coming out techniques to controlling how the body moves when diving from different jumping-off points.
After all these years of participating in professional events, I’ve decided to get certificated to train young divers, which will become the next step in my career.
Some of the courses I am planning to take are Basics of Diving and Height Considerations, Training Equipment and Body Care and Identifying and Coping with the Hazards of High Diving, among others.
From my experience, I can tell young divers that it is OK if they can’t do higher jumpings after some weeks or months of hard training. Most of the times, they think they can’t do it or don’t have the skills, but it is not true. It only means that they are not ready yet! They must keep in mind that high diving is not an easy thing to do, and for that reason, they must be well-prepared. Besides, there will always be a higher and more difficult jump to try, so be patient and go step by step.
