North Star Diving is a local youth sports club that is designed and committed to introducing athletes to all aspects of the sport of Olympic diving (not be to confused with scuba diving), focusing primarily on springboard diving.  Our club is based on the principles of the American Development Model. The goal is to create positive experiences for athletes at every level, and help maximize potential and improve the health and well-being of all who participate. We embrace the athlete development principles that allow American youth to utilize sport as a path toward an active and healthy lifestyle, and create opportunities for athletes to maximize their full potential. These five key principles include providing: universal access to create opportunity for all athletes; developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize motor and foundational skills; environment that encourages multi-sport participation; fun, engaging and progressively challenging atmosphere; and quality coaching at all age levels.

Diving training can have outstanding physical benefits for participants including increased physical fitness, flexibility, body and spatial awareness and body control.  It can also have positive outcomes on the emotional and social development of participants. Through participation in the sport of diving, young athletes can learn great life skills and lessons including time management, problem solving, overcoming fear, and increased self-confidence and self-esteem to name a few. Our coaching philosophy is to create an environment where athletes can progress and develop. Trust, compassion, understanding and accountability are key areas that must be established, where the athlete’s development is the most important goal to be achieved.  Place finishes and results are an outcome of hard work, and willingness to put forth effort both in and out the pool to be better people.

The North Star Diving Club program options primarily focuses on the first three stages of the American Development Model:

• Stage One of Discover, Play and Learn is our Diving Fundamentals for Future Champions group. The purpose of this program is to learn basic diving rules and techniques, utilize both dryland and in-water training to help promote motor skill development.  The coaches’ emphasis will be on skill development, diving education and age appropriate play.  This group will focus on practice and may have regular assessments of skills and attend local competitions.  Divers in this program are encouraged to participate in other sports as well including gymnastics, swimming, etc.  Expected outcomes are that athletes have fun and determine their interest level in the sport of diving.
• Stage Two of Develop and Challenge is our 13 & Under Team group.  This group will have an increased focus on preparation of training and increasing the physical fitness gains in flexibility, power, and core strength.  Additionally, divers will continue to build on their fundamental diving skills and learn more complex dives. Practices and local competitions will still be the main focus, but divers may begin to participate in additional regional competitions.  During their time in this group, athletes are still encouraged to participate in multiple sports, with the goal of still being able to attend 2 to 3 diving practices per week.
• Stage Three of Train and Compete is our 14 & Over Team.  At this stage, divers become more focused on training and competing in primarily the sport of diving, but still are encouraged to play in other sports as to help promote general fitness and cross sport development. Divers should follow a more consistent and sport specific training schedule, building on a strong base of fundamental skill and high diving knowledge.  Divers should expect to compete in regional competitions.

Future Growth: North Star Diving Club plans to offer additional program groups in the future, focused more specifically on high performance diving. We also expect that as we continue to progress and develop that we will continue to add more coaches and mentors and/or a masters diving group for divers 21 years of age and over that would like to participate and train to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Training Approach

North Star Diving Club team members will have a systemized training plan to help promote the most effective development of diving skills and techniques.  Dryland training will include both physical readiness and skill/technique components.  The skill components will focus on establishing correct movement patterns on solid ground with multiple repetitions.  Divers will also perform skill work from the pool side, in an effort to continue to learn proper skill progressions.

Divers will then progress to skills on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. This methodology will result in better technique and ensure long term success. This also will promote a better understanding of the complex movement patterns that are required to become better divers. Coaches may also use video and video analysis software to show athletes the proper techniques for effective learning.