USA Diving dove into the beginning of the new year with a lot of excitement as we look ahead to 2019 and beyond. In January, the National Office announced upcoming competitions for junior, senior, elite and Masters divers. The National Governing Body also celebrated the accomplishments of many throughout the diving community. Let’s reverse back into January!
For the first time in six years, the FINA Diving Grand Prix will return to the United States April 11-14, 2019 at the newly renovated Marguerite Aquatics Center in Mission Viejo, California. The FINA Diving Grand Prix invites international divers each year to compete in a series of nine meets and provides world-class competition in countries that have a strong tradition of diving. The United States last hosted a FINA Diving Grand Prix in May 2013 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatics Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A schedule and tickets for the United States FINA Diving Grand Prix are available now.
The 2019 USA Diving Rising Stars Championships will be added to the summer 2019 summer rotation, with two meets taking place July 12-14, 2019 in Buffalo, New York and Riverside, California. The meets will serve as an additional opportunity for junior divers who do not qualify to compete at the 2019 USA Diving Junior National Championships and for senior divers seeking additional summer competition opportunities.
USA Diving also released the schedule for the 2019 USA Diving Senior National Championships being held at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana. Competition will be held May 19-26, 2019, and the National Qualifier events will take place prior to the Senior National Championships on May 16-17,2019 at the IU Natatorium. The United States Olympic Committee announced that the Senior National Championships is part of the 2019 Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Xfinity.
US Masters Diving will host the 2019 Masters Diving Spring National Championships May 10-12, 2019 on the campus of the Naval Academy at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Maryland. Divers ages 21-91 are encouraged to compete, as the weekend will provide a fun atmosphere, a banquet and special entertainment for all who attend.
As USA Diving prepares for 2019, Tokyo 2020 and beyond, the National Governing Body announced that High Performance Director and three-time Olympic Coach Dan Laak has been secured through 2024. Laak, along with his High Performance staff will continue to develop strategies to prepare for the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris to enhance the growth of American divers competing both domestically and internationally in order to achieve world class success.
To wrap up the month, The International Swimming Hall of Fame announced that Bill Farrar has been named a 2019 Paragon Award Recipient for Competitive Diving. Farrar served the USA Diving Board of Director for 16 years as both Vice Chair of Administration and as Law and Legislation/Governance Chair. Farrar, along with his fellow recipients, will be honored at the ISHOF’s ceremony on Friday, May 17, 2019 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.