THE DIVELINE -

 

What an exciting season 2001-2002 was for diving in Alberta! 

As we move through the four-year cycle towards Athens 2004 we see new divers discovering the thrill of this sport, and new stars immerging from well-established programs.  Alberta Diving continues to excel!

 

Junior Provincial Team

 The Alberta competitive season began with the inaugural Junior Provincial Team travelling to Orlando Florida to participate in the Orlando All-Star Meet, February 10 - 12.   Athletes, through their performance at the trials during Winter Provincials, earned a position on the team.  A full team could consist of up to 16 athletes, 8 male and 8 female (2 for each age category) and 3 coaches.  The purpose of the team is to foster developing talent in Alberta, and to provide these athletes with an out-of-country competition to increase their competitive experiences.  Team members and their results are as follows:

 

Diver                                team        1M          3M           tower

     Girl’s A

Kelsey Patterson            ESP         2^nd          6^th                1^st

Tori Kennedy                  DC        10^th          5^th

Chantel Bobier                DC         33^rd          9^th                11^th

      Girls B

Taryn Zack                    ESP           7^th

 

 

Boy’s A

Eric Sehn                     EKDC              9^th                6^th            3^rd

^{David Ovelson                EKDC             8th                2nd}

Ben Starchuk                EKDC             7^th                 7^th

 

^{Boy’s B}

^{Josh O’Sullivan          Leth                18th                11th}

^{Cory Watson                ESP                8th                18th}

 

^{This trip was a wonderful experience for the divers and coaches, Barb Bush-Dauphinais and Scott Cranham.  The team was challenged by some top-notch international competition, with some events involving more than 50 divers in the age group!  A fun trip to Universal Studios topped off the trip, and divers returned motivated to train hard in order to make the team again!}

 

^Provincials

^{Each year Alberta clubs take turns hosting two provincial championships.  This year, Winter Provincials were hosted by Edmonton Springboard and Platform Diving Club (ESP) March 1-3rd.  This meet was part of the Western Canadian Grand Prix and saw a huge turnout of divers from all four western provinces and parts of Western Ontario.  The Summer Provincial meet, May 17th to 19th was hosted by Edmonton Kinsmen Diving Club (EKDC).} 

 

^{Alberta Winter Games}

 ^{The 2002 Alberta Winter Games were held in Medicine Hat this year. There were fifty-four divers from 6 out of the 8 designated Alberta Zones in attendance.  All zones represented had athletes who earned medals.  The athletes conducted themselves well, and everyone reports having a great time!  Stay tuned for the 2004 Alberta Winter Games, to be held in Peace River.}

 ^{Age Group Nationals}

 ^{This year divers who qualified for Age Group Nationals had the opportunity to try “diving on The Rock” in St. John’s Newfoundland during the second week in July.  Divers, and many parents, visited Cape Spear (the most easterly point in North America), went whale watching, climbed Signal Hill, saw puffins and seals and enjoyed delicious fish and chips.  In between activities they even managed a little diving!  Alberta was well represented in all age groups, with many personal bests and medalists to make us proud!  See the results section for full results.}

 ^{Junior World Championships}

 ^{Six divers and one coach from Alberta were named to represent Canada as part of the FINA Junior World Diving Championships, held this year in August, in Aachen, Germany.  Divers were selected based on their finish at Age Group Nationals.  Only divers in Group A and B can compete at Junior Worlds.  Congratulations to the following athletes for representing Alberta and Canada:}

          ^{Kelly McDonald (EKDC)}

          ^{Taryn Zack (ESP)}

          ^{Kelsey Patterson (ESP)}

          ^{Aimee Buoy (EKDC)}

          ^{Eric Sehn (EKDC)}

          ^{David Ovelson (EKDC)}

          ^{Herb Flewwelling – coach}

 ^{Alberta Diving Casino}

 ^{The executive would like to thank all members of the Alberta diving community who gave their time to help work the casino in Edmonton on July 12th and 13th.  The funds generated by the casino help to subsidize activities for all Alberta divers and your help is greatly appreciated.}

  ^{Special Awards}

  ^{Alberta Section hosted a Volunteer Recognition Reception to recognize volunteers, athletes and coaches in conjunction with Winter Provincials.  Congratulations to the following special award winners:}

 ^{John VanKruyssen (DC) – volunteer of the year}

^{Becky Shand (DC) – most improved female diver}

^{Mitchell Brostrom (ESP)- Misette Lahey Award}

^{Martha Dale (EKDC) and Robin Smyth (ESP) – Team leadership award}

 ^{Eryn’s In the Museum}

  ^{On May 24, 2002 Alberta’s two- time Olympic diver, Eryn Bulmer Barrett was inducted into the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame and Museum, in Red Deer.  Eryn treated the audience to an inspired presentation documenting her rise to the top of the Canadian and International diving scene.  Check out the Museum the next time you pass through Red Deer.  Congratulations, Eryn!}

 ^{Heading South}

  ^{Congratulations and best wishes to the following Alberta divers as they begin studies in the United States on NCAA Scholarships.}

 ^{Nichole Mclean – University of Nevada, Las Vegas}

^{Kelsey Patterson – Auburn University, Alabama}

^{Amie Buoy – University of Nebraska}

 ^{These athletes join 10 other Albertans who are currently on NCAA scholarships.  Good luck and good diving to all!}

 ^{Speaking of Scholarships}

  ^{Alberta Diving has introduced a scholarship for senior divers who wish to remain in Alberta and continue diving competitively while attending post-secondary schools.  Two $1500.00 awards are available each year; one to a diver in the Northern Alberta Zone and one to a diver in the Southern Zone.  Please see your coach or an Alberta Diving Executive member for more information.}

 Coming Up

  Edmonton Springboard and Platform Diving Club has been granted the hosting rights for the 2003 Winter Senior Championships, to be held the last weekend in February.  Be sure to keep that date free as all of Canada’s top senior divers are sure to arrive in Edmonton ready to put on quite a show!

 Shoulder Pain…It Won’t Go Away!!

By Kathryn Schneider, Physiotherapist

 You reached up for an entry and you weren’t quite fully locked out and bang, your shoulder started to hurt.  At first you ignored it, thinking that it would just go away, but it’s still there and now it’s getting worse!  Sound familiar?

 Many divers complain of shoulder pain that either came on gradually or started after a particularly bad entry.  When you enter the water, the shoulder absorbs a large amount of force when your hands come in contact with water.  If your arms are locked, the force is transmitted from the wrist, through the elbow and ends up at the shoulder.  In a dive where you are not fully extended, the shoulder may be pulled into a compromised position, resulting in pain.

 Why does this happen?  The shoulder joint is a very flexible joint that allows for a large amount of movement.  During movement, a large amount of stability of the shoulder comes from the small muscles surrounding it called the rotator cuff.  If these muscles are weak or overused they can no longer control and support the shoulder joint during normal movement.  This can result in a wide variety of injuries, such as rotator cuff impingement syndrome, bursitis, muscle strains and tears.  A diver is particularly prone to these injuries if the rotator cuff muscles are not strong since the arm has to move through a large amount of movement and must be able to absorb the force of the body hitting the water on entry.

 What should I do?  The first thing to do is ice the shoulder for about 15 minutes at a time, especially after any activity (especially diving!).  You should also make sure that you avoid the activities that make the pain worse (back and reverse dives involve more shoulder movement and often put the shoulder in a more painful position) as well as any overhead activities.  Rest the arm for a period of 3-10 days.  The pain is most likely caused by inflammation and the more you use the muscles and joint the longer the pain will persist.  Once the pain has decreased, regular strengthening exercise for the rotator cuff muscles to prevent re-injury and gain strength are indicated.

 Specific exercises will help to strengthen the muscles.  These exercises should be performed in sets of 10-15 and repeated 3 times each.  They should be done daily.  A piece of theraband can be used as resistance, but you should always make sure that there is minimal pain associated with the activity.  These exercises are good to do on a regular basis to prevent injury and keep the shoulder strong.  Theraband can be purchased at your local physiotherapy clinic and at some medical supply stores.  This is only one common type of  shoulder pain and you should have your physician or physiotherapist look at your shoulder if the pain persists or interferes with your diving.

 If you have questions or for more information, contact Katherine Schneider, Physical Therapy Consultant at Lindsay Park Sport Physiotherapy in Calgary 403-221-8340.