More flip flops than Mitt Romney!

I originally planned to go watch youth Mexican league soccer at that park on Adams and Hoover. It was a pretty good plan. I would sit and watch the world's game. I might by some Chiclets. Hell, I might even drink Horchata and wear a Raiders jersey. It was all part of my plan. That was, until.....them.

I'm walking back from school, minding my own business. Splash! What the hell is that? Splash! I look over to my left. A 15-year-old kid is standing on the 10 meter high dive at the USC McDonald Aquatic Center.

No way. He's not gonna jump, is he? He'll probably do a pencil dive. The kid runs to the edge of the platform and does a 3 1/2 reverse tuck dive. In layman's terms, he did a 3 1/2 somersault gainer....30 ft. above the water. How do I know this? I was the JV Diver of the Year in 2001. I was the Mark Spitz of the diving board.

Anyways, I can't just ignore this. This is way better than Chiclets and ice cream carts. I walk through the Lyon Center and take my spot in the stands. To the north, the USC women's water polo team is warming up for their game against a school with HWK on their warmups. I think that's Hartwick University. I think their nickname is the "Blowouts," and if it isn't, it likely will be after the game.

In front of me are 15-20 kids flinging their bodies off the diving boards. There is a 1-meter platform board, a 2-meter platform board, a 3-meter platform board, a 5-meter platform board, a 10-meter platform, and a 3-meter springboard. These divers appear to be between the ages of 4 and 16, and appear to be part of a club. This looks like practice.

A girl no older than 6 years old climbs the 3-meter springboard. She's probably 3 ft. tall. She bravely approaches the front of the board and flings herself off - perfectly executing a 1/2 reverse in pike position. Her splash is no bigger than when I drop my shampoo in the bathtub. I am going to call her Shorty.

Shorty skampers out of the water, talks to her coach for some advice, and runs over to the jacuzzi to wait for her next turn. As soon as she gets out of the pool, another 6-year-old is ready to take the plunge. On all 6 boards, bodies are flying everywhere. A flip here. A turn there. A hand stand over there. Had I not been a diver for 2 years, I probably wouldn't have the stomach for all this flipping. On Shorty's last inward dive, her head came narrowly close to making contact with the edge of the board. I wonder if her mother ever regrets putting her daughter in diving?


My eyes dart back up to the 10-meter board. A girl is up there, stretching out her legs. Looks like she is going in the pike position. (Pretend you are sitting on your butt on the ground, and your reaching to touch your toes. That is the pike position.) She jumps off and pulls off a 2 1/2 front somersault in the pike position. Uh oh....she pulled out late..SMACK! Her legs smacked pretty hard against the water. Everyone in the pool area heard it. She's gotta be in pain.

But like the true champ that she is, she walks back to the jacuzzi, calmly and plainly, and awaits her turn to conquer the platform again. See, in diving, it's all about conquering fear. Every time you try a new move, you know you can injure yourself - from smacking your back on the water to hitting your head on the board, diving is a risky sport. Just as Greg Louganis. He got HIV from diving. I'm telling you, it's dangerous.

It's been a while since I sat down, and the sun is starting to set. The kids are squeegee'ing themselves off and running to the locker room. I glance over at the water polo scoreboard. USC 4 - HWK 1. End of the first quarter. Do I go over and watch our girls blow out Hartwick University, or do I go home and watch the season premiere of "Lost" for the fourth time?



I'm sorry Matthew Fox...our date will have to wait.