New Free Course for Diving Officials Now Available on the NFHS Learning Center

A new sport-specific course for diving officials titled “Judging Springboard Diving” is now available at no cost on the NFHS Learning Center at www.NFHSLearn.com.

With the assistance of USA Diving, the NFHS produced this course that provides the basics of being a springboard diving judge. From the different categories of dives and different diving positions to the dive numbering system and how to avoid bias, “Judging Springboard Diving” offers all the necessary information to become a quality diving judge.

“This is the first course designed to specifically target high school diving officials and will help elevate the caliber of judging diving at the high school level,” said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and staff liaison for swimming and diving rules. “USA Diving’s President Lee Michaud, High Performance Manager Leslie Adams, Olympic Coach Jeff Huber, and many other elite level judges were integral in the development of this course. Lisa Werwinski, an Ohio High School Athletic Association official and coach, provided the content for the course as part of completing her final project for the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program, which is funded by Olympic Solidarity and sponsored by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the University of Delaware.”

The course provides an introduction to diving, including the five categories of dives, positions, overview of dive numbers, non-twisting dives, twisting dives, jumps and skills, and a statement of dives. The Fundamentals of Judging Diving section includes an introduction to overall impression, introduction to the five elements, elements to ignore, and the required deductions for high school diving.

Other sections of the course include the “Characteristics of an Exemplary Judge,” “Sources of Bias,” “Top Five Tips for Success in Judging Diving,” and “Dives to Judge.” In the last section of the course, participants have the opportunity to judge dives and receive feedback.

The NFHS Learning Center now offers more than 90 online education courses, including more than 60 that are offered at no cost. Judging Springboard Diving is the 15th sport-specific course for officials on the Learning Center – all of which are free courses.