Another ridiculously hot day, another day at the pool…. Having gotten a handle on the 3-meter board, I decided it was time to figure out what I was doing wrong on the one-meter board and why I was always hitting the water on my butt. Upon consultation with the kid who has been zen master to my grasshopper, I discovered that I was rotating too slowly, so speeding things up took care of the problem nicely and I went back to the 3-meter after a few successful splashes.
The problem, however, is that what is an ideal rotational speed off a one-meter board is somewhat excessive on the higher one, at least if you harbor a desire to enter the water feet-first. It must have looked like a cartoon or something, because I came flawlessly out of my tuck only to discover that there was way too much space to spare. So, thanks to my momentum, I continued to rotate and smacked into the water face-first. And yes, that will sting. Fortunately, there weren’t many people using the diving pool just then, but the lifeguard and the zen master got a pretty good laugh out of it. I have now learned that hearing “are you okay?” immediately upon surfacing is not a hallmark of the successful adventure in diving.
I did manage to get the rotational issue under control, finally, just in time to see that two of the younger guys had joined the party and were starting to do flips off the 5-meter platform. I was tempted to give it a try, but in the interest of maintaining structural integrity, I think I’ll make sure I can reliably control what part of my body hits the water first before giving it a whirl. I am not so determined to experience new sensations that I wish to discover what adding another two meters to that face-flop feels like.