Dive Terminology Defined
Approach (or Hurdle) – How a diver walks to the end of the board to build momentum.
“3 steps, knee up, jump to the end, arm circle & take off.”
Fall vs. Dive –
A fall is stepping off the board while keeping legs straight.
A dive is jumping off the board by bending your knees to push off.
Sammy – Slang term for chamois, a small absorbent towel. These can be purchased in fun colors and are even available tie-dyed.
2–3 purposes of sammies:
- Drying off to help grip legs for a tight position
- Placing on the board during a sitting, rolling dive off the high dive to make it more comfortable
- Looking like a pro by tossing it from the board to the deck before your dive
Pool Toe – Extremely painful (according to my kids!). This occurs when the top layers of skin rub off from scraping on the dive board.
Possible treatment: Apply Neosporin and bandages. Waterproof adhesive tape can help keep bandages in place. Divers may also wear socks during practice.
BINGO! – When all the judges’ scores match, divers excitedly shout “BINGO!”
Bounce – When the announcer tells a group of divers to “take a bounce,” it means they may take a quick warm-up turn on the board immediately before their group competes.
Baulk – Once a diver begins their approach, they must complete the dive. If the diver pauses, it is considered a baulk. The referee calls the baulk, and 2 points are deducted from each judge’s score. Judges still display their scores as normal, but the announcer subtracts 2 points from each score when announcing them.
“Thank you, diver.” – The announcer uses this phrase to indicate that the diver did not complete the announced dive. This results in a score of zero.
