USA Diving, the national governing body for the sport of diving, will conduct the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Diving, as the first part of the two-step process that will determine U.S. Olympic Team members.
The trials, which begin on June 18 in Indianapolis, will function as “Phase 1” of the selection process. The competition will consist of the individual diving events in the Olympic program. These events include men’s and women’s three-meter springboard, and men’s and women’s 10-meter platform. The winner of each of these events “will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to be a member of the team.”
In most competitions, the winner is determined by the diver who scores the most points. The winner of each trials event though, will be determined using a slightly different manner than the normal diving meet.
At the trials, divers who have done well in international competitions will begin their event with an advantage over the other competitors. This advantage is determined by their finish in two major international competitions: the world championships and world cup.
If a diver has a top-six finish in either the 2007 World Championships or 2008 World Cup, they earn what can be loosely termed, a “bonus” for that competition.
To make this easier to understand, let’s take David Boudia as an example. David finished third on platform at the 2008 FINA World Cup in February. Because of his top-six finish, he will begin the competition with a 65 point head start on the competition. Provided that David qualifies and competes in the finals, his point total and finish will be determined by the total points he scores in the preliminaries, semifinals and finals, plus the 65 points he earned from his World Cup finish. Listed below are the divers who will enter the trials with accumulated points.
- David Boudia: 65 Points (3rd – 2008 World Cup)
- Troy Dumais: 30 Points (4th – 2008 World Cup)
- Christina Loukas: 30 Points (4th – 2008 World Cup)
- Nancilea Foster: 15 Points (6th – 2007 World Championships)
- Laura Wilkinson: 25 Points (4th – 2007 World Championships)
Earned Olympic Trials Point Totals
The competition itself will consist of a preliminary round, a semifinal round, and a final round of dives. Each round of dives will consist of six dives (five for women), with no limit on the degree of difficulty.
Finally, the winner will receive a tentative Olympic berth. Tentative in the fact that the diver must attend the Olympic Team Selection Camp - "Phase 2" of the selection process, and prove competitive readiness.
Source: USADiving.org
