A story that Starts with D

Diving, of course! When I was 11 I dove off the 3-meter springboard at the pool in my grandmother's town. Interestingly, the pool was (and still is, I think) the largest free municipal concrete pool in the world. The photo above is the actual pool in Garden City, Kansas. I mustered the courage to jump a few times and then decided the next logical step was to go headfirst.

I hit the water and was immediately certain I had split my head directly into two parts. Pain. Horrible pain! Never again, I decided. I'd reached my goal and I was happy with myself and my brief muster of courage.

I told my mother of the feat upon my return to the house and she was shocked. When we returned from the vacation in Kansas she signed me up for diving lessons at the U.S. Naval Academy. The rest is history!

That was in 1989 and I'm still involved in the sport to this day, in 2009. Twenty years in the sport! Thanks mom!