October Update

Jenny and I have been extremely pleased with how our entire team—divers, parents, and staff—has responded to the changes we introduced in September. We appreciate your trust, patience, and willingness to work together as we continue building the Johansen Diving Academy.

We believe a strong, successful, and happy team is built around four C’s: Coaching, Curriculum, Consistency, and Communication. During September, we made significant progress in three of those areas, and October brings the next important step.

Coaching

We believe we have assembled one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. Drew, Jenny, Max, and Colette bring decades of experience at every level of the sport, while also staying connected to today’s athletes and the realities of navigating youth sports in America.

Our goal is not simply to teach dives. We want to develop athletes, teammates, and young people who enjoy coming to the pool and are proud of what they are learning and accomplishing.

Curriculum — Our Next Step

This month, we will begin implementing our team curriculum across the program.

At the center of that curriculum are the Essential Skills we believe every diver should understand, develop, and consistently train. Rather than simply progressing from dive to dive, we want our athletes to build the fundamental skills that support long-term development and more advanced diving.

You can learn more on our website about our Method and the Essential Skills we will be introducing throughout the team.

The national program described on our website has not yet officially launched. It will continue to be developed here at JDA, with our athletes helping us refine and demonstrate the program in practice. Your current JDA fees will include membership in this program when it launches.

Consistency — A Daily Pursuit

Consistency applies to much more than performing dives. It includes our schedule, calendar, coaching, attendance, attitude, work ethic, listening, preparation, and communication.

We had a very good first month. Now the challenge is to build on it.

Consistency does not mean everything will always be perfect. It means creating dependable habits and standards and communicating when something needs to change.

Communication — What Links It All Together

We are continuing to improve our communication methods and systems.

Please stay on top of team schedules and information, and whenever appropriate, encourage your children to communicate with their coaches themselves. Learning to ask questions, speak with adults, understand expectations, and advocate for themselves is an important part of their development.

At the same time, parents should never hesitate to communicate with us when needed. We can all continue getting better at this essential life skill.