By Shelby Iava, Swimming World College Intern
There are always a few misconceptions when it comes to swimmers and divers. Yes, they compete for the same team, but their actions couldn’t be more different.
Swimmers focus on the technique of the stroke and the time you chase as you race toward the touchpad. Divers focus on mentally training their brain to not be afraid of constantly smacking the water from various heights.
Each athlete works equally as hard through passion and determination striving toward the same goal — to be the best you can be for your team. In order for the two to mesh, there needs to be a great amount of teamwork.
Here are 3 misconceptions every diver knows well:
1. You dive? Cool! So you swim too?
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
It’s actually not the same. Swimming and diving are quite opposite. Even though you’re a diver, lots of people just assume that you are a swimmer. ‘Oh, you’re on the swim team.’ You’re automatically dubbed a swimmer, even though you are a part of the swimming and diving team. Some people tend to forget about the diving portion of the team. It happens more than you know. Lots of schools actually don’t even have a diving side to their team. Teams that do are very lucky!
2. Divers have it easy.
Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch
It’s not that easy. Actually, sometimes, I wish I were a swimmer (even though I probably can’t even swim more than two laps). We all have those bad days that everyone goes through, but in the end we all put in an equal amount of work. We play in two very different, individual sports, where working hard is a must but in different areas.
Divers must train just as hard as swimmers, but in different areas — the mind, the body and with each other. Diving is all about your core strength and your mind. Believing in yourself is key, and if you don’t believe in yourself, then you are going to get on top of that board and just stare down at the water. Being a diver is often pretty scary and is not as easy as people say.
3. Swimmers and divers effortlessly bond.
Photo Courtesy: Matthew S. DeMaria
Having two different sports for one team can be difficult at times. Feeling secluded from the rest of the team may happen. When you’re with someone for a long period of time everyday you begin to share a certain bond with him or her. Your teammate is someone who is going through the same thing that you are; someone that you can struggle and rise with.
But, here it’s hard; it’s hard to share a connection between a swimmer and a diver, solely because you’re going through different struggles. A swimmer isn’t going to understand why a diver is afraid to do a dive, and a diver isn’t going to understand the fear swimmers have of underwaters. To avoid this obstacle doing little team activities together are important, where everyone is present. Something little like having dinner together in the dining hall can help create a cohesive group. Being together makes swimmers and divers more than just a team. It makes us family.
I always say that the similarity between swimmers and divers is that swimmers ‘dive’ off of blocks and divers ‘swim’ to the side – it begins and ends there.
Swimmers compete mostly IN the water, Divers compete mostly OUT of the water.