The Olympic team selection camp is what is considered “Phase 2” of the selection process for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Diving Team. This camp will take place from July 2-6 at the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, Tenn., and will select the remainder of the Olympic team not chosen during Phase 1 of the selection process - the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving.
The U.S. has qualified for the maximum number (12) of Olympic slots for competition in Beijing. This means that the U.S. will have two divers compete in each of the four individual events (eight divers), and one synchronized diving team in each of the four synchro diving events (eight divers). A maximum of 16 athletes may be sent to China, although several divers may compete in both individual and synchro events lowering that number.
Phase 1 of the selection process is the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving, that will take place in Indianapolis from June 18-22.
From Phase 1, the winners of four individual events will become members of the team, if they can show competitive readiness at the camp. What does competitive readiness mean? By definition, competitive readiness is stated as the ability of a diver to perform all the dives in a diver’s competitive diving list at least two times in one training session. In a nutshell, this means that the diver must be able to perform to the same level, at which they dived at the trails.
The basic idea behind the camp, and the two-step selection process, is to choose those divers that show a consistent ability to compete at a high level – a level high enough to compete and medal at the Olympics.
In the event of an injury or similar event, the selection committee has the ability to choose another diver if they feel the diver will not be in top form during the Olympic Games. Conversely, the committee may include an injured diver if they feel that they will reach competitive readiness by the time the Olympics take place.
During the camp, divers will be asked to perform in the eight events on the program of the 2008 Olympic Games: men’s and women’s three-meter springboard, men’s and women’s 10-meter platform, men’s and women’s synchronized three-meter springboard, and men’s and women’s 10-meter synchronized platform.
Each diver and synchro team participating will perform all dives in diving list format, four (4) times during the camp. These dives will be scored from these performances, and the final team will be selected based on these performances and other criteria such as success on an international level.
The camp and the selection process differ from previous years by promoting those divers who have consistently shown the ability to compete on an international level. This is not to say that a diver with less international experience will not make the team, but it will be more difficult than in previous years.
The bottom line is, the divers who are diving the best throughout both Phase 1 and Phase 2 will make the team.
Source: USADiving.org
