Sheffield (GBR) organisers take full advantage of hosting DWS - one of the most elite diving events

Tom Daley – a source of British pride
Diving has already become more popular with the British public with the advent of the prodigious Tom Daley (GBR), whose global success at the age of 13 is a source of pride for the country. Daley recently claimed a bronze medal in the 10m platform competition at the second leg of this year’s FINA DWS in China (March 27-28), achieving a best score of 540.70 smashing his previous record of 517.55.

Competing in Great Britain colours, Daley also defeated the reigning Olympic champion, Australia’s Matthew Mitcham. The event was won by China’s Luxin Zhou with 560.00 points in total, while the silver medal went to another Chinese diver Qui Bo, who finished with a 542.25.

Interest in the Sheffield leg of the FINA DWS is now intensifying as the world’s best prepare to go head-to-head in front of Daley’s enthusiastic British fans. Kim White from British Swimming says: “The Sheffield leg at Ponds Forge promises to be a classic showdown with both Matt and Tom having something to prove.”

“Expectations are now huge and this could be the last chance to see Tom compete in England for some time as he then goes to Mexico for the final FINA DWS leg and then back to training for the FINA World Championships in Rome this summer.”

Up and coming British twin diving stars Helen and Carol Galashan are also taking part, as is Olympic Champion Chen Ruolin (CHN), Kai Qin (CHN), and Canada’s Alexandre Despatie.

A tool for development - the DWS and Flip-N-Fun
At a local level, hundreds of Sheffield schoolchildren have signed up to an initiative to encourage more youngsters to start diving. Around 130 pupils, aged 8-12, from 15 primary schools in the local region are taking part in the first “Flip n Fun” programme organised by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).

Interest in the scheme has been tremendous as it is taking place just weeks before the world’s top divers come to Sheffield as part of the FINA DWS.

Flip-n-Fun is now part of the ASA FUN-damentals initiative developed to introduce children to the first steps into diving. It is designed to teach basic skills through a five-stage approach, with input from some of the UK’s leading diving experts.

Flip n Fun sessions will take place both on dry land and poolside, aimed at guiding and developing children’s confidence and ability to try new skills in a safe and rewarding environment. Sessions will take place in swimming pools across the City as no diving boards are required. Once children pass the awards they will then have the opportunity to progress to Ponds Forge to start work on the ASA Diving Awards Scheme.

Nikki Smith, Schools’ Legacy Officer for the Sheffield City Council says: “Flip-n-Fun has got off to a tremendous start and we have really capitalised on the interest in diving being generated by the FINA DWS coming to Sheffield.”

Of the 15 schools that start the programme, six finalists will be chosen to take part of a Flip-n-Fun Festival on Wednesday April 8 at Ponds Forge where they will get their chance to shine and show off their new found diving skills. All divers taking part will get certificates, with a first place trophy for the winning school as well as second and third places awarded. Programme Funding comes from a contribution from Kellogg’s as part of its Swim Active project.

Film making project for Sheffield schoolchildren
Also in conjunction with the DWS, budding young film makers across Sheffield have been invited to take part in a project aimed at celebrating and capturing all the action at the competition.

Schoolchildren were invited to come up with ideas and take photographs of what shows Sheffield and Ponds Forge at its sporting best. Finalists in the “News Splash!” competition will be invited as VIP’s to watch Olympic champions and medallists compete at the world-class competition while the winner will get to make their own splash-umentary of the two-day event.

The would-be Spielberg will be armed with their own camera and producer to capture the very best the international divers have to offer and then enjoy editing and producing the short film in a fully equipped editing suite. They also get to meet European and British champion Tom Daley (now 14 years of age) for a chat and photo opportunity. The final cut of their film will be showcased to the national media as well as posted on the British Swimming and FINA websites.

“We want to encourage as many youngsters as possible to enjoy diving and swimming, and to go along to watch the Diving World Series to get a taste of how exciting diving can be. We hope the “News Splash!” competition will help to capture the imaginations of schoolchildren across Sheffield and we can use their ideas and footage to showcase what makes this a world class place to live, play and enjoy sport!,” explains Katie Brazier, from British Swimming, event partners of the FINA DWS.

Thanks to the hosting of successful events at Ponds Forge over recent years, Sheffield is now considered one of the best competition venues in the world. The FINA DWS began two years ago as an opportunity to showcase the best international talent to a world-wide televised audience. The “News Splash!” competition was aimed at 7-12 year olds and is open to anyone attending school or living in the Sheffield area. Visit www.newssplash.co.uk for details.

Engaging local volunteers
Organisers engaged the local population further by appealing for volunteers to help out at the two day event, as diving and aquatic enthusiasts from all over the country will be arriving in the city to see the amazing competition.

British Swimming called for 20 volunteers to work in key roles ranging from providing athletes and coaches with information on the sports desk to administering accreditation, as well as offering help and advice using their local knowledge. At the same time, they will be able to see some of the world’s best divers in action, both in the individual and synchronised diving events. The DWS, also with legs in Qatar, China, Mexico, is billed as a showcase of the potential medal winners at the 2012 London Olympics.

“This is the third year we have hosted a leg of the FINA Diving World Series and the help we get from our volunteers is invaluable,” said Lucy Easters, Events Manager. “It is a fantastic day out as diving is the perfect spectator sport whether you are an expert or not. It is a fast-paced competition with constant thrills and unbelievable skills displayed by competitors from 14 nations, including the US, China, Australia and, of course, Team GB.”

International and national sports journalists will also descend on Sheffield to cover the event where the eventual winners take away large cash prizes; a huge bonus in this “amateur” or unpaid sport.

To attend
For the Sheffield leg, tickets are now on sales and are priced £10 for one day or £15 for both days for adults. Tickets for under-16s are £5 per day or £7.50 for both days. Family tickets are also available as well as group discounts. Tickets are available online at www.swimming.org or by telephoning 0800 220292.