Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: ben kolina LPC Students and Chabot Diving Team members Chris Dunn (left) and Nick Sarracco (right) scope out the new pool on May 13. Dunn and Sarracco as plan on diving for LPC in the upcoming fall.

Swimming and Diving are sports that require a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication. In spite of this they rarely get their any attention paid to them unless they are being featured once every four years on a national stage in the Olympics.

The action in Diving is very different from the action in traditional team sports. But as far as what kind of action LPC students can expect to see at the new pool starting next year, LPC student and Chabot diving team member Linda Reitz says, "You'll either see something really amazing or really painful."

Although the sports will soon be coming to the Las Positas campus they've been a part of the Tri Valley community for many years, although until recently LPC has lacked the facilities to host such water sports. LPC student Nick Sarracco has been Diving since he was a student at Granada High School, but the previous lack of a pool at LPC forced him to commute to Chabot to practice and compete.

At this past year's California Community College Athletic Association Swim & Dive Championships in Long Beach, Ca. Sarracco finished 5th in the Men's three-meter dive. Sarracco is excited about the new facilities closer to home.

"It's a great pool," Sarracco said. "The boards are brand new, and they face north so there should be no wind issues."

There is some concern expressed about the wind at the top of campus affecting the divers since so much of what they do happens in the air above the water.

One would imagine that the new LPC facilities luring some of Chabot's better divers away would possibly build acrimony between the sister schools and part time rivals, but as of yet it seems there may be plans to merge the two teams and split practices between the two facilities.

"We have had joint use of facilities with volleyball in the past," said LPC athletic director Steve Navarro. "But eventually the goal is to have our own team."

There are currently tentative plans to add swimming coaches over the summer. With diving to be assessed beyond that, program needs and budget availability will be main factors.

"Diving and water polo would all be contingent on need at the time," said Navarro.

There are also plans being discussed amongst the LPC/Chabot divers to create a year round club program that would be available for High School and Community College divers in the area year round. LPC student and Chabot diver Chris Dunn explains the need for such a program.

"The really good divers are doing it year round, said Dunn. "Most are doing it three months out of the year."

Any students interested in trying the sport out can take part in a free diving clinic Chabot is holding the Springboard Diving Clinic starting June 15th and running Mondays and Wednsdays from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

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