ssc_marcomms posted on August 02, 2010 20:20
YOG coach Orla Gilmore, with the YOG divers (from left) Chloe Chan, Timothy Lee and Myra Lee in the background. (Photo: Singapore Swimming Association)
After only one year of training, Chloe Chan, Timothy Lee and Myra Lee are now one month away from representing Singapore in YOG 2010.
All former gymnasts, Chloe and Myra made the switch to diving in May 2009, while Timothy made his transition only in September. While there are many differences between the two sports, there are also similarities and the gymnasts came with good levels of flexibility and conditioning, and good spatial awareness. Even with these advantages, it has been a rush against the clock to get these young athletes ready to compete against the rest of the world.
The early focus was on the basics, with the athletes learning to master the techniques of taking off from the board and entry into the water. This was followed by learning increasingly difficult dives, to prepare them for their first international exposure at the qualifying competition held in Mexico. They learnt a lot at this event, as they battled cold weather, jet lag, and competition nerves to produce steady performances. They returned to Singapore inspired by their competitors, and determined to give their all in preparation for YOG itself.
In this month leading up to YOG, the divers are in their final preparations. They have learnt all of the dives that they will use in the competition, and are now working towards improving the consistency of their performance. The more consistent they are in training, the more likely they will be able to produce good dives under the pressure of competition.
Most of the hard work is already behind them, in terms of physical conditioning. They perform a lower volume of dives during their training sessions, but the intensity is still high as they are expected to do everything at a very high standard. In order to prepare specifically for competition, several sessions per week are dedicated to performing lists of dives. This means that they perform each dive once, in the order that they will be performed in the competition, and receive a score for each move.
At the end of their list, their final score is compared to the target they have been set, and then this is repeated either once or twice more. One of these sessions is a complete competition simulation, so they can practice performing under similar pressure.
They are all very excited about the event, and are now looking forward to moving into the Games Village for the final preparation week.
By: Orla Gilmore, National Youth Development Coach, YOG.