EKDC Newsletter. September 2007
Edmonton Kinsmen Diving Club is looking forward to a great 2007 - 2008 season.
Our Learn To Dive program commences the week of September 17. Our Learn to Dive program co-ordinator is Ben Starchuk. Ben has been diving for 13 years and has been coaching for the past 4 years. Highlights of Ben’s diving career include the Olympic Trials in 2004 and FINA world cup events in Russia, China, USA and Canada as a member of the CADA National Traveling team. Ben brings both enthusiasm and proper technique to our LTD program. His divers will have lots of fun while learning basic diving and trampoline skills in a safe, controlled environment. The divers will be able to track their progress with report cards and will be able to show off their diving skills at a Fun Meet at the end of the session.
Divers in our Talent ID program will continue to develop their diving skills. Those divers who are interested in competing will work towards developing a diving list that will allow them to compete at provincial level meets. Some of our Talent ID divers in 2006-2007 season competed at the Alberta Winter and Summer Provincials in Calgary and some attended the Western Canadian Diving Championships in Regina. This season, we look forward to seeing our Talent ID divers compete in March 2008 at the Alberta Winter Provincials being hosted in Edmonton by EKDC. Our Talent ID program is coached by Jessica Leong. Jessica has been a diver for many years, competing both at the Junior National and Senior National levels. After a year away in 2005 - 2006, in ?, USA on a diving scholarship, Jessica returned to Edmonton and has turned her talents to coaching. Last year she coach both our Learn To Dive and Talent ID programs. In the 2006 - 2007 season, one of her divers, MacKinna Hauff, received the Most Improved Diver award from Alberta Diving.
Please come out and support EKDC's National Divers as they work toward making the World Junior Team.
EKDC also offers competitive training at the bronze, silver and gold level. These divers are working towards competition at the national and international level. Our competitive divers commenced training on September 3. Many of these divers will be competing for the first time this season in December at the CAMO Invitational in Montreal, Quebec. Several of our senior divers will be hoping to qualify to compete at the Olympic Trials in June, 2008.
In March of 2007 Lu Li accepted a position as Assistant Head Coach with EKDC. Li is currently coaching our Bronze and Silver group divers. Li is a former member of the Chinese National Diving Team. He brings to the club a wealth of coaching experience including Assistant Coach of the Guangzhou International Diving Training Centre (2000 - 2001), Head Coach of the Qing-Hwa University diving team (2001 - 2002), Chief Coach the Diving Team for Shangdong Province (2002-2004) and Chief Coach for the Chinese Tapei National Diving team (2004 - 2006).
Our head coach, Xu Jie (Jay) brings a wealth of experience to our club. He has been coaching since 1989 and was Assistant coach for the Chinese National Team (1992-1998), Head Coach with Jiangsu Provincial Diving Team (1998-2002) and Head Coach for the Malaysia National Diving Team (2002 - 2005). He has successfully coached many divers at Olympic, FINA World Cup and World Junior Events.
Highlights of the 2006 - 2007 season:
Despite the difficulties created by the closure of Kinsmen Pool for several months during the 2006-2007, our divers had a very successful year:
1 diver qualified for the Canadian Team for the Pan Am Games:
Kelly MacDonald: bronze medal on 3m synchro; 12th on 3m.
2 divers qualified for the Canadian Team for the Diving Grand Prix:
Kelly MacDonald: 4th on 3m in Russia; 6th on 3m in China, and 8th on 3m in Canada.
Ben Starchuk
7 divers qualified to compete at Senior Nationals:
Kelly MacDonald: 3rd on 3m (Sr. Winter Nationals)
Ben Starchuk: 3rd on 3m (Sr. Winter Nationals)
Kevin Leong: 10th on 3m (Sr. Summer Nationals)
Julien Cousineau
Aniesa Debaji
Tanis Chomyn
Kersten Merry
7 divers competed at Speedo Jr. Age Group Nationals in Montreal:
Girls A
Tanis Chomyn 3rd on 1m, 10th on 3m and 8th on tower
Aniesa Debaji 9th on 1m, 12th on 3m and 10th on tower
Kersten Merry 12th on 1m, 18th on 3m and 13th on tower
Boys A
Kevin Leong 6th on 1m, 15th on 3m
Julien Cousineau 9th on 1m, 14th on 3m
Girls D
Becky Deacon Bronze medal on 1m and on 3m and 5th on tower
MacKinna Hauff 11th on 1 m and 12th on 3m
Awards
Most improved diver award, 2007 from Dive Alberta: MacKinna Hauff.
Top Senior Diver, Western Canadian Diving Championships: Julien Cousineau
4 divers competed for Team Alberta at the Western Canadian Summer Games
Tanis Chomyn Gold medal on 1m and silver medal on 3m
Julien Cousineau 5th on 1 m and 8th on 3 m
Aniesa Debaji Gold medal on 3m and 6th on 1m
Kevin Leong Silver medal on 1m and bronze medal on 3m
Our divers also participated as a team in the Great Human Race in May, 2007.