The AT&T; 2009 National Diving Championships are being webcast LIVE all week on DiveMeets.com. (click here to watch)

The number of entries (127 in all) could be the reason the men’s and women’s 3-meter and 10-meter individual categories have been split into 4 rounds (prelim, quarterfinal, semifinal, final). But being Olympic events, whereas the 1-meter is not, the divers should also display a high level of consistency in order to final.

Kelci Bryant recently tweeted from the event: “Won one meter prelims with 292.05 – Finals tonight at 6 p.m.” (@Kelci_Bryant)

According to DiveMeets.com, she averaged 7 1/2 and 8′s on her list: 403B, 105B, 203B, 303B, 5333D.

USA Diving Communications Intern, Kelly Capehart, wrote a great article for USADiving.org about divers’ superstitions and rituals (link). The article includes comments from Olympians Mary Beth Dunnichay, Kelci Bryant, David Boudia, and Thomas Finchum, about their thoughts on rituals and some of the things they do to focus before a meet.

Divers are no exception to the many accounts of superstitions and rituals seen throughout sports, and these rituals vary even among divers. As Kelly reported, “Rituals certainly do vary from diver to diver, wavering between the mundane and the slightly more unusual.” However, she goes on to say that there is a distinction between superstitions and what can be thought of as simply a ritual focusing technique.

In an interview, Olympic coach John Wingfield of the National Training Center in Indianapolis told Kelly that routine can not only help you get into the zone for competition, but it can help to keep you there. You can hear all of Wingfield’s comments on the YouTube video now appearing on the USA Diving YouTube channel. Here is another clip that can be found on the USA Diving channel: it’s Olympian Kelci Bryant talking about her pre-meet rituals.

Of course my favorite parts of the article are the quotes from a former college diver (and current blogger):

Eric Teske, who dove for five years at Miami ( Ohio) University and plans to return to Masters diving, explained that “I have to dry myself off completely before I dive. It started off as a way to make sure I didn’t slip out of my tucks, but it’s really evolved into an obsession.”

But most athletes—cynics and believers alike—can agree that the benefits of a pre-dive ritual are the consistency they provide during high-stress moments. “There is a lot to be said for the use of a ritual or pre-game routine to help an athlete get in the right mind-set,” said Teske. “For example, a ritual of closing your eyes and visualizing the dive could be very beneficial.”

I am very aware of elephants–they’re so big! Olympic divers Kelci Bryant and Thomas Finchum are aware of elephants too, because they joined in the fun at the Indianapolis Zoo for Elephant Awareness Week. Check out the photo album from USADiving.org.

Although Elephant Awareness Week is over, you can still check out IndyZoo.com for more information on upcoming events. You should also become a fan of USA Diving on Facebook to get the inside scoop on diving.

Four divers will represent the United States at the FINA Diving World Series in Changzhou, China, on March 27-28.

2008 Olympians Kelci Bryant (Chatham, Ill./Indianapolis, Ind.) and Ariel Rittenhouse (Santa Cruz, Calif./Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) will compete in women’s synchronized 3-meter, and 2008 Olympian Thomas Finchum (Indianapolis, Ind.) will pair with Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C.) in both synchronized 3-meter and synchronized 10-meter.

The top finishers from the 2008 Olympic Games were invited to participate in the World Series. Bryant and Rittenhouse were fourth in 3-meter synchro at the 2008 Games. Finchum finished fifth in 10-meter synchro in Beijing with long-time partner David Boudia, who is now a freshman at Purdue University and unable to attend this leg of the World Series as it coincides with the NCAA Championships.

New USA Diving high performance director Steve Foley recommended Finchum pair with McCrory following a synchronized diving assessment camp in Columbus, Ohio, last month. Finchum and McCrory are among the top three platform divers in the country and have a similar list of dives.

The U.S. will also participate in World Series meets in Great Britain and Mexico next month.

Press Release by Jennifer Lowery of USA Diving via USOCPressBox.org

Featuring America’s best divers, USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup.