Hi friends, here's my wrap-up on the CAFA Nationals competition this last wekend of May 24-26, 2002.
I flew in a week early to vancouver, to get 3 days training time in the depths of the Vancouver coast. I don't have anywhere to train in Alberta in the winter, and the short summers gave me a few 26 to 30 metrer lakes to train in last year, so it's important to get in the water and try to adapt to the pressure and rythms needed to get to depth.
The water was 14C at the surface, which allowed us 2.5 hours of diving before we got too cold....at 30 metres, the water is about 8C. The top 3 metres of water is very murky, but clears out nicely underneath, and while rec diving yesterday (after the dynamic comp), we could see the light at 70 metres from the 30 metre marker.
Friday night was the static competition, which was held in a small, warm, and heavily chlorinated pool. We opened the doors to get fresh air in, which helped a bit. I had done a dry 6:04 the day before on the 3rd hold, so I knew I was free of the problems I had had at the last comp due to my back injury
There were 12 competitors, and we had 6 !! disqualifications due to samba or BO, including my samba at 5:46
My friend Brent does solid 4 minute statics any day, but hit a great PB of 4:26 (or thereabouts).
I did my warm-ups : 3:45, 4 something , then 5:00. I went to the competition area, packed 15 times, then started my attempt. My first contraction was at 4:10, so I knew I could hit 5:30 no problem. I knew something was wrong when I came up at 5:46, gave the "OK", then realised I was sitting on Marten Stepanek's knee...he was my safety spotter.
I should have come up at 5:30, but wanted to close the point spread on Tom Lightfoot's CB dive that he was to do the next day, so I pushed a litle far. I know that what I need for the future is to train some static attempts in the water....up until now I have had no opportunity to do that, but I will in the future.
Mandy Rae won that round at a 5:30, or thereabouts, and Tom won the men's with a 5:05, coming up clean, with a smile on his face like a true veteran
Next day was the CB competition, a huge organisational undertaking involving many Tech divers, an 85' spectator boat, a 50' competitor boat, a few skiffs for the scuba guys and photographers, and a Coast Guard chase boat standing by to keep the area clear......all organised by the tireless Kirk Krack, delegating and cel-phoning ad infinitum! Thanks Kirk.
Deepest diver goes first, and Tom pulled off a beautiful 60 metre dive, looking cool and collected at the surface. All of us on the warm up lines cheed as Tom raised his hand in the air.
Damiano, from Italy, did a solid 50 metre with plastic bi-fins, pounding his fist in the air....I thought it was Umberto for a second! Viva Italia!
My good friend Brent was next up. He returned from his 48 metre dive in 1:28 or so, tag in hand, but unfortunately samba'd at the surface
i was next...I had posted 45 metres, which I had achieved for a PB on Wednesday. The countdown started, I smiled, packed 25 times, and started my descent, at my comfortable rate of 1 metre per second. I felt good and was enjoying myself, but my right ear was having some problems clearing, and at 35 metres, it was getting stuck. I turned right side up at 37.7 metres and tried to clear my ear for 8 seconds (I looked at my computer later), ducked again, looking at my tag and the scuba diver at 45 metres, waved "bye", and swam up. I came up clear, feling good, but losst points due to not reaching my tag, but I felt I had done the right thing in the circumstances. Fred Buyle, who was with us to teach an AIDA judging course, told me that he knows a guy who broke both eardrums in competition to get to his tag :head
Continued.....
I flew in a week early to vancouver, to get 3 days training time in the depths of the Vancouver coast. I don't have anywhere to train in Alberta in the winter, and the short summers gave me a few 26 to 30 metrer lakes to train in last year, so it's important to get in the water and try to adapt to the pressure and rythms needed to get to depth.
The water was 14C at the surface, which allowed us 2.5 hours of diving before we got too cold....at 30 metres, the water is about 8C. The top 3 metres of water is very murky, but clears out nicely underneath, and while rec diving yesterday (after the dynamic comp), we could see the light at 70 metres from the 30 metre marker.
Friday night was the static competition, which was held in a small, warm, and heavily chlorinated pool. We opened the doors to get fresh air in, which helped a bit. I had done a dry 6:04 the day before on the 3rd hold, so I knew I was free of the problems I had had at the last comp due to my back injury
There were 12 competitors, and we had 6 !! disqualifications due to samba or BO, including my samba at 5:46
My friend Brent does solid 4 minute statics any day, but hit a great PB of 4:26 (or thereabouts).
I did my warm-ups : 3:45, 4 something , then 5:00. I went to the competition area, packed 15 times, then started my attempt. My first contraction was at 4:10, so I knew I could hit 5:30 no problem. I knew something was wrong when I came up at 5:46, gave the "OK", then realised I was sitting on Marten Stepanek's knee...he was my safety spotter.
I should have come up at 5:30, but wanted to close the point spread on Tom Lightfoot's CB dive that he was to do the next day, so I pushed a litle far. I know that what I need for the future is to train some static attempts in the water....up until now I have had no opportunity to do that, but I will in the future.
Mandy Rae won that round at a 5:30, or thereabouts, and Tom won the men's with a 5:05, coming up clean, with a smile on his face like a true veteran
Next day was the CB competition, a huge organisational undertaking involving many Tech divers, an 85' spectator boat, a 50' competitor boat, a few skiffs for the scuba guys and photographers, and a Coast Guard chase boat standing by to keep the area clear......all organised by the tireless Kirk Krack, delegating and cel-phoning ad infinitum! Thanks Kirk.
Deepest diver goes first, and Tom pulled off a beautiful 60 metre dive, looking cool and collected at the surface. All of us on the warm up lines cheed as Tom raised his hand in the air.
Damiano, from Italy, did a solid 50 metre with plastic bi-fins, pounding his fist in the air....I thought it was Umberto for a second! Viva Italia!
My good friend Brent was next up. He returned from his 48 metre dive in 1:28 or so, tag in hand, but unfortunately samba'd at the surface
i was next...I had posted 45 metres, which I had achieved for a PB on Wednesday. The countdown started, I smiled, packed 25 times, and started my descent, at my comfortable rate of 1 metre per second. I felt good and was enjoying myself, but my right ear was having some problems clearing, and at 35 metres, it was getting stuck. I turned right side up at 37.7 metres and tried to clear my ear for 8 seconds (I looked at my computer later), ducked again, looking at my tag and the scuba diver at 45 metres, waved "bye", and swam up. I came up clear, feling good, but losst points due to not reaching my tag, but I felt I had done the right thing in the circumstances. Fred Buyle, who was with us to teach an AIDA judging course, told me that he knows a guy who broke both eardrums in competition to get to his tag :head
Continued.....
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