start diving, 28 years old

[thisweirdthing1985]

do you think , being 28 years old, is too late to star olympic diving. of course I'm not dreaming of being the best olympic diver or join the olympic team. just think that sport is too cool

[Byron]

28 is ten more than 18 but you are at your physical peak and Pete Waterfield has only just retired in his thirties. There was much nervousness amongst the celeb. participants in TD's Splash tv show - many well beyond 28 - but nevertheless expressing their exhiliration when getting their first dive right after coaching.
A bit like snow skiing I guess - you topple over day after day to begin with and then suddenly realise you have completed a run without a fall.

[Torchwatch]

Have you a background of gymnastics and or trampolining? If you have and you can swim and have no fear of heights then you can start this sport.
Just go to a swimming pool and start diving from the side, then move to the spring board and finally to the tower.
Don't expect to be a champion, just work on making good clean dives. Once you can do good clean dives off the top board it may be time to meet the diving coach. Your enthusiasm must inspire the coach to adopt you, he will naturally be looking for younger students.

[50 Free]

It's kind of a dead sport where I live, huge bummer. It's been decided that it's too dangerous, the old pools I remember have removed all diving boards low and high, and new pools don't have diving boards. Our local pool even forbids diving from the side, considers racing starts from the blocks as diving and forbids it, even if you are a masters swimmer, total card carrying member of USMS.
Competitive Diving was part of high school swimming when I was a kid, it was big, it was fun. All gone.

[Torchwatch]

Before attempting the high board you may need to see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_bX_jX9O8w

[Byron]

Know that pool well (I should say knew as it is demolished this year). A perfectly good public amenity for SWIMMING and the local authority now offers as an alternative a ridiculously small pool nearby as part of a new development of a "leisure centre" but which provides nothing more than a kids' paddling pool

Btw recognise the pool attendant with with Rowan Atkinson? (Nicholas Lyndhurst?)
PS: Pool also hired sometimes by BA for cabin crew training in emergency evacuation procedures.

[50 Free]

Locally we had a six lane 50 meter pool that had served well for forty years but was due for repair. It needed a lot of work, especially a liner. Somehow the City decided that a splash park was more what we needed, so millions of dollars later we had no long course competition venue within 110 miles but do have a lazy river, a water tube and a wet slide. Plus a four lane lap pool that's twenty yards long, designed odd just to make sure it wouldn't be of any use for swim team practice or swim meets.
And the old long course pool is a hockey rink now.
Sad, huh?

[Byron]

To follow Mr Bean here are two celebrities ( well-known comedian and footballer) diving from the 10m platform, after coaching - and being judged by Tom Daley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4aJArM67Fc

[Torchwatch]

The lifeguard in the Mr Bean Episode was Angus Deayton:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Deayton

There is even a reference to his part in the Wiki biography above.

You did at least recognise that you knew of him Brian. Have I Got News For You perhaps.

[Byron]

Thanks - I needed that research as I was not absolutely sure of an ID and could not get out of my mind Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses (height and facial appearance).
HIGNFY didn't occur to me but now I can say "of course!"

(difficult guy I imagine - BBC decided he had to go but 3/4 of viewers polled said he should stay - nevertheless I go with the subsequent idea of a weekly guest compere - a brilliant rethink to keep such a long-running series from going stale, even if it did mean putting up with the Boris Bufoon act)