High School Diving Judges'/Referees' Guidelines

(taken from the 2007-2008 NFHS rulebook: editorial notes in parentheses)

1. There are five (5) things to consider in awarding points to a dive:
1. Starting position -- Forward:  good posture, eyes focused on end of board, arms straight in position of diver’s choice, Back:  upright head and body with arms straight in position of diver’s choice. (ed: posture, body alignment, symmetry.  Note the change in starting position description from ’06-’07 regarding arms)
2. Approach -- Forward: consists of at least 3 steps and a one-footed hurdle (ed: smoothness, confidence, coordination of movements)
3. Takeoff  -- Forward:  from both feet simultaneously, to an adequate height to perform the dive, Back:  stop oscillating board just before/after assuming starting position, not oscillate more than four times before moving arms, no crowhopping, and not allow an oscillation so large as to disrupt the tempo and smoothness of a dive (ed:  consider angle of takeoff, degree of extension prior to initiation of dive position)
4. Flight and positions -- Position of arms during flight is diver’s choice, but arms should be kept still until just before entry, when they shall be brought together overhead in line with body for head first entries and against the side of the body with straight elbows for feet first entries  (ed: consider dive trajectory parabola – ratio of height and distance; distance from board – too close/safe/comfortable/too far; flight pattern -- square with the board or not; positions clearly defined or not; transitions from takeoff into position and position to entry line cleanly performed or not)
5. Entry into the water -- As nearly vertical as possible with body straight and toes pointed; dive completed and scored when body has passed below the surface of the water (ed: consider angle of entry, amount of splash, twisting during entry, maintenance of form throughout entry)
6. (Further editorializing – not all 5 areas carry equal weight [i.e., just because a diver has a beautiful starting position and approach, and a clean, vertical entry, he or she should not get a minimum of a 6].  The dive is scored as a whole, with attention paid to each of these areas.)
2. Judging Scale
1. Exceptional:  9 - 10
2. Excellent:  7 ½ - 8 ½
3. Good:  6 – 7
4. Satisfactory:  4 ½ - 5 ½
5. Deficient:  2 ½ - 4
6. Unsatisfactory:  ½ - 2
7. Failed:  0

h.  (ed:  If you think a dive is failed even when the ref doesn’t, give it a 0!  Ditto if you see a violation the ref should, but doesn’t call.  Finally, let’s remember that this scale is to be used appropriately for the divers in the contest – if there are Olympic-caliber dives being done, that sets the scale for what is exceptional.  Think about what is exceptional for this group of divers, and adjust your internal judging accordingly.  And please remember to use the entire range of the scale and differentiate between the good and bad dives!)

3. Judges’ Individual Decisions:
1. Deficiency -- maximum 4

                                i.  One or both hands above shoulders on feet first entry (ed: change from                                     ’06-‘07)

                                ii.  One or both hands below shoulders on head first entry (ed: change from                                     ’06-‘07)

                                iii.  if you think a diver partially alters position

            b.  Deductions of ½ - 2 points from your award

                                                               i.      Excessive oscillation

                                                             ii.      Crowhopping:  foot/feet leaving board prior to back/inward takeoff

                                                            iii.      Split tucks (ed:  interpretation from USA and FINA – knees not further than shoulders, feet remain together is acceptable)

                                                           iv.      Not flying until body is parallel to water

                                                             v.      Diving to the side of the board

                                                           vi.      Twisting manifestly from the board

4. Ref’s decisions:

                                                               i.      Clearly wrong position

                                                             ii.      Hitting the board

                                                            iii.      No attempt to come out of a tuck or a pike position

                                                               i.      Executes dive other than that listed on score sheet

                                                             ii.      Does not assume a starting position

                                                            iii.      Falls into the water

                                                           iv.      Is assisted by another person, other than agitating water

                                                             v.      Does not execute pike prior to twist in dives 5111B and 5411B

                                                           vi.      Initially contacts water with anything other than head or hands on a head first dive/feet on a feet first dive

                                                          vii.      Shoulders are twisted greater or less than 90 degrees than the amount of twist listed on score sheet WHEN FEET/HANDS contact the water

                                                        viii.      Steps off the board after assuming a starting position

                                                           ix.      Performs a forward takeoff from a standing position

                                                             x.      Omits the dive number and position letter from score sheet

                                                           xi.      Balks twice

                                                          xii.      Does not perform the voluntary and optional dives as specified (ed: meaning that ref can fail any vols that put the cumulative DD over 9.0, or fail optionals not properly listed – also, if the TRUE DD of a dive position change would cause total DD of vols to exceed 9.0, and this change is not detected before the next dive(s) performed, a potential of a failed dive exists – change from ’06-’07)

                                                        xiii.      Performs a dive not listed in the diving table

                                                               i.      violation of forward approach -- fewer than 3 steps, two-footed takeoff into hurdle, one-footed takeoff from board

                                                             ii.      balk -- diver interrupts continuous execution of dive after assuming a starting position

Back to High School Diving Main Page