We are happy you are here! You have found the #1 Developmental Diving Club in the United States. On this page you will about the many opportunities that diving will bring to your child. Get ready to dive into in the most fun and exciting diving club in the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is diving safe?

Diving is very safe. Some of the things that make diving safe are:

Supervision – our highly trained coaches make sure that divers understand safe diving practices. We have a certified lifeguard on deck for all of our pool practices. Diving is performed over water and it is very rare to have a serious injury in the water. 

Design – The diving board is designed to move divers away from the diving board and into the water. The depth of the water is sufficiently deep that beginner children will rarely touch the bottom. The walls of the pool are a safe distance away from the diving board so it is very difficult for divers to come close to a wall after jumping.

Where do you teach diving lessons?

Most of our diving classes are taught at Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT has one of the safest, cleanest and most technically advanced diving wells in the Western New York.

How much does diving cost?

Our Learn to Dive classes start at $60 per month.

How long are diving classes?

The Learn to Dive classes are 45 minutes long. Intermediate classes are 1 ½ hours long and the advanced level divers are in practice for two hours.

How long do divers stay in the Learn to Dive Class?

Every diver is different. It usually takes about 3 months to one year for divers to complete the Learn to Dive class. 

How long does it take for divers to advance?

Divers will generally advance one group each year. There are six different groups of diving. Learn to dive, Novice, Sparks, Fire, Blaze, and Elite.

Do new divers have to compete?

No. New divers do not need to compete. Competition is available to divers when all three parties – diver, parents and coaches are in agreement that the diver is ready for competition. Children interested in competition will usually start competing in fun novice events.

When do divers start competition?

Divers start competition when the family is ready to try a competition for their diver. Upstate Diving has a recreational track that allows divers to go through the Learn to Dive program and then to the Lessons program where they continue to dive recreationally. Some divers may never feel ready for competition and they are still welcome to come to upstate diving lessons practices.

Are college scholarships available to divers?

Yes. Division I diving institutions offer scholarships to divers. The scholarship process is quite long and complicated. There is, of course, no guarantee that a diver will get a scholarship. But approximately 85% of Upstate divers who train on the competition team are offered an athletic scholarships. College scholarships are usually offered to club divers with extensive 1 m, 3 m and platform diving experience. High school diving does not have 3 m or platform and generally does not offer enough experience for divers to secure a scholarship.

How cold is the water?

The water at the RIT pool is kept at a consistent 80°. The air temperature is kept at 85°. This is a comfortable temperature for diving. It is not a sauna, but it is quite comfortable.

What is diving dryland training?

Dryland training is a series of training exercises that are done outside of the pool. These training exercises involve trampolines and diving boards that go into large foam pads. Dryland training allows divers to do about five times more skills than what they are able to accomplish at the pool. It eliminates the time of getting out of the water and waiting in line. The trampoline offers literally hundreds of skills to be accomplished in just a short time. This type of training keeps diving fun and keeps the divers moving. Upstate Diving has the only complete Dryland Facility in NY State.

What is the difference between Upstate Diving and other diving clubs?

The primary difference between Upstate Diving and other clubs is our focus on developing divers for long-term success. By starting divers with a safe and successful environment they are able to progress to reach their full potential. Upstate diving began in 2006 and is the largest club in Western New York. Upstate Diving has the most experienced coaches in the area with more youth and national experience than any other club in New York.

What is the difference between the Learn to Dive Group and the Lessons Group?

Learn to Dive is for children that have no diving experience. Children from ages 5 to 12 may start in the Learn to Dive program.

The Lessons group is for divers who have some experience and want to continue to dive recreationally. This group is for divers 12 and up.

How many divers are in each class?

Most diving classes have about 8 divers. 

What are dead-end dives?

Dead-end dives, when practiced regularly, will actually hurt your progress in the sport. These dives have been phased out of much of the diving world, but some inexperienced coaches continue to teach these detrimental skills. It is important to make sure that divers do not practice these dead-end dives and impede their progress in the sport. Upstate coaches do not teach these dives and have a progress plan that helps divers reach their highest potential.

How good of a swimmer does my child need to be to start diving?

Young children who would like to start diving do not need extensive swimming experience. Children need to be able to swim 20 yards without assistance in the deep end.

How high are the diving boads?

RIT has two levels of diving boards. The 1 m board is approximately 3 ½ feet high and the 3 m board is approximately 10 feet high. The University at Buffalo platforms (where we train our platform divers) has platform levels of 1 m, 5 m, 7.5 m and 10 m. The 10 m platform is approximately 33 feet high.

Do beginner divers have to go off of the high board?

No. New divers are not required to go off the high board (3 m diving board). If children are not comfortable doing a skill or going off the high board they should wait until they feel ready and safe going off of the high board. Our coaches are trained to know when it is the right time for divers to go up to the high board.

Diving Competition

There are many different types of competitions. They include League meets, AAU Meets, United States Diving Meets, and Masters Meets. The coaching staff will decide what the are the best meets for the divers. Upstate New York Diving Competition Team is available for all diving levels from Sparks to Elite. Some competitions require team members to pay the meet entry fees in advance. All Upstate divers competing in meets must wear competition team apparel that is in good condition. This includes a team suit and team warm up provided exclusively by The Deep End. Divers must be currently enrolled in the diving club and have their coach’s approval to attend a competition. See below for more on competitions. 

Travel Competitions

Travel meet costs and meet coaching costs are not covered by the Club. They must be raised by the fundraising or paid out of pocket by the divers. Divers will have to pay for all aspects of their own travel and entry fees if there is no fundraising by the divers. Divers will also have to pay all aspects of coaches’ travel, lodging transportation, parking, food and coaching fees for each meet if there is no fundraising. The more divers that attend each meet the more that they will be able to defray the cost per diver for the coaching expenses. The more divers are able to fundraise the less they will have to pay out of pocket. Because advanced and elite divers travel the most, they will get the most benefit from fundraising, and should be the leaders in promoting fundraising efforts. Advanced and elite divers will also get the most benefit from having large team participation in meets and should be the leaders in promoting meet attendance. Fundraising funds will first cover coaches’ expenses then Elite Divers then Advanced Divers then Intermediate Divers then Beginner Divers’ expenses. When at competitions or traveling to away meets, divers represent their amilies, Upstate New York Diving and themselves. Upstate Divers should maintain the highest standards of behavior, speech and attitude. This means that divers found doing anything not in keeping with the highest standards of behavior may face disciplinary action, removal from the competitive team, or removal from the Club. If an action merits removal from the team, no refunds for practice, meet fees, or equipment will be given. Inappropriate behaviors include, but are not limited to: 

o Tantrums or water splashing after a dive 

o Talking back to a coach – Any coach 

o Taunting or trash talking 

o Swearing 

o Any type of insubordination 

o Curfew violations 

o Skipping warm-ups 

o Tobacco, alcohol or illegal drug use

Team Gear

Please visit The Deep End for Team Equipment and The Athletic Outlet for your official Upstate Diving Team Equipment. Open the team locker room and order your suits, warm-ups, sammy towels, and much more! For the Upstate Diving Username and password, please contact [email protected].

Check out the Upstate Diving Spirit Wear!

For more Information Contact [email protected]

Alumni

Dhruv Tyagi 2009 – Stanford

Jenny Chiang 2009 – Notre Dame

Alyssa Menz 2010 – Columbia University

Ashley Broderick 2010- University of Pittsburg

Chris Iafrati 2010 – University at Buffalo

Devin Zdanowski 2011- Binghamton University

Rachel Eckert 2011 – Old Dominion University

Patrick Alverman 2012 – Bucknell University

Troy Birdsall 2013 – University at Buffalo

Scott Lazeroff 2014 – Auburn University

Emily Budziuskski 2014 – Case Western Reserve

Corey Neas 2015 – Monroe Community College (NJCAA Natl Champion)

Sean Riley 2015 – Louisville University

Ali House 2016 – The Ohio State University

David Petrison 2018 – Notre Dame

Red DiGaetano 2018 – Towson University

Koz Vincent 2018 – Cleveland State

Alice Diakova 2020- Columbia University

Daley Frasier 2022 – Pittsburgh University

Governing Bodies

USA DIVING

USA Diving is the governing body for competitive springboard and platform diving in the United States. Diving in the United States was originally organized under the AAU, and later broke off to become a separate entity known as USA Diving. USA Diving has the highest level of Junior, Senior and Masters diving in the USA.

USA Diving has a competitive system that runs in the spring and summer and allows advanced level divers to compete in regional, zone and national competition. Divers must have the necessary dives to be able to compete in these meets.

AAU DIVING

In 2004 the AAU again began to sponsor diving. Its ability to simply and affordably register divers made it grow larger than USA Diving in just one year. Now AAU Diving has 5 times as many divers than USA Diving and has many other benefits. AAU Diving offers better insurance, and the management of the national office is much more responsive to local clubs. Most importantly, the objectives of AAU Diving reflect the goals and objectives of Upstate New York Diving. Upstate New York

Niagara District Diving

Upstate Diving is located in the Niagara District of the AAU. www.niagaradiving.org. The District Championships are held locally each year in western NY each May and the National Championships are held in different locations around the country each year in late July. To attend the National Championships you must qualify in one of two ways: Achieve a National score in a FINA (See below) competition or finish in the top 3 at the Niagara District championships. The dive requirements for these meets are listed below.

Advanced (Blaze and Elite) divers who are chosen to compete in these competitions need purchase a USA Diving Membership in addition to the AAU Membership. This allows them to be able to compete in the Regional, Zone and National meets sanctioned by USA Diving. Typically these meets require substantial travel, and a large time commitment. The rewards for attending are equally substantial. These meets are attended by college coaches who have scholarship money available and recruit divers from this level. These competitions also provide the rigorous competition experience that gives Upstate Divers an edge when competing in other areas of their lives.

Upstate Diving Blog

Philosophy

Upstate New York Diving is committed to developing great athletes who are also great people. We strive to demonstrate and build the following attributes in each one of the divers we instruct. Our Upstate Diving principles are: Safety, Integrity, Courage, Commitment, Desire, Excellence, Teamwork, Strength, Speed, Power and Fun.  

Parents Manual

Vision

Upstate New York Diving will train over 200 divers in the Upstate New York Area.

Upstate Diving will be a top 10 National Team in the United States.

Hall of Fame

AAU Champions

Corey Neas – 4 Times

Scott Lazeroff – 5 Times

Ashley Broderick – 2 Times

Kiran Natarajan – 1 Time

Dhruv Tyagi – 3 Times

USA Diving Champions

Scott Lazeroff

USA Diving Regional Champions

Elina Natarajan

Dhruv Tyagi

Jamie Kotalik

Senior National Qualifiers

Jenny Chiang

Dhruv Tyagi

Scott Lazeroff

Rachel Eckert

Ali House

NYS HS Champions

Jenny Chiang

Ashley Broderick (2)

Dhruv Tyagi

Scott Lazeroff

Ali House

Hannah Butler

Alex Kenyon (2)

Alice Diakova

Daley Fraser