Lockdown 3: Stay at Home

The ongoing national lockdown means that all pool sessions continue to be suspended until further notice.

The message from the UK government is to stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.

When news filters through about lockdown restrictions easing, and Guildford Spectrum is allowed to reopen, we shall prepare for our programme to resume at the pool.

In the meantime, keep informed by following us on our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For national lockdown guidance click here. For more information about coronavirus click on the image above. Star Diving Club support Hands. Face. Space.

Divers of the Term

Every term the coaches meet and discuss nominations for diver of the term - one from our squads and one from our learn to dive lessons. Coaches are looking for divers who may have overcome a specific skill or fear or a diver who is consistently trying their best, is motivated every session and has great attendance.

This Term our Divers of the Term are Georgia and Alex! 

Georgia has impressed the coaches this term by overcoming her fear to dive off of the 3m board. Georgia had previously had lots of trouble with this and had even had 121s to try and conquer this fear. This term we have seen Georgia doing a number of different dives off of the 3m board and have noticed her confidence improve. Georgia is a perfect example of not giving up on something that you want to achieve, even if you are scared!

We have chosen to give this award to Alex for a number of reasons. Firstly Alex's attendance is near perfect, it is very rare he is late and he is always keen to volunteer to help out the club. Secondly, Alex consistently works hard in both the pool and dryland, especially this term where he has improved his strength and conditioning in dryland. Alex's diving as a whole has improved greatly this term and he is always trusting of his coach when he is asked to learn new dives. It is evident that Alex really loves the sport and it is lovely to see his hard work paying off. Keep up the good work Alex!

Surrey Schools, 1m Age Groups and 1m Championships

Five of our divers who attend county schools competed at this year's Surrey Schools Diving Championships at Guildford Spectrum. Two others, who go to schools outside of Surrey, also competed here as guests.

George won the primary boys by an impressive 20-point lead, while Mia claimed the junior girls' title by the same margin.

Finn, who competed a 3m list, won the junior boys' county title, Amy won the county intermediate girls and Johannes was the senior boys' county winner.

Alex claimed a guest silver medal in the junior boys, and Wilfred won a guest gold in the intermediate boys.

Star were the dominant county club in the Surrey County ASA 1m Age Groups, winning the Jimmy Aldous Trophy for accumulative team points.

In the C girls, Mia, Eva and Liberty came first, second and third respectively. In the C boys' county rankings, George, Finn and Felix were first, third and fourth respectively.

Amy was the B girls' county winner and Wilfred won the B boys. Johannes claimed the A boys' title.

Our two adult divers, Helen and Laura, came first and second respectively in the female group F event.

In the male 1m Championships, Johannes and Wilfred were first and second respectively in both the juniors and seniors.

In the female 1m Championships, Helen and Laura claimed gold and silver respectively in the county rankings.

The certificates and medals were presented by Surrey County ASA president Michael Holden.

The detailed results are available here.

Gavin Brown Love To Dive

Congratulations to our team of ten divers who braved Storm Dennis on Sunday, travelling to Southampton to compete at this year's Gavin Brown Love To Dive competition.

With medals up for grabs to the top six in each event, eight of the 10 divers made their way to the podium after their events to collect well-earned awards.

Harper was first to compete, finishing ninth in the 10/11 Girls - the biggest event of the day with 29 divers.

In the 10/11 Boys, Leo medalled in fifth.

Eva, Liberty and Rebecca dived well in the 12/13 Girls, placing first, second and seventh respectively.

In the 12/13 Boys, Finn claimed the gold while team-mate Isaac came fourth.

In the 14/18 Girls, Lexi and Becca placed fifth and sixth respectively, while Joel came sixth in the 14/18 Boys.

The detailed results are available here.

Surrey Skills

Well done to our team of nine divers who competed at this year's Surrey County ASA Diving Skills Competition at Guildford Spectrum.

All the divers put in great performances, some of whom were representing the club 'externally' for the first time.

We came away as Surrey's top diving club for another year. Friendly competition came from guest clubs Amersham, Crystal Palace, Maidstone and Luton.

Leo was first to compete, taking gold in the D Boys.

Liberty claimed gold and Eva silver in the C Girls.

In the C Boys, Isaac won and Finn was runner-up.

Lexi, Rebecca and Charlotte claimed gold, silver and bronze respectively in the B+ Girls. Topping it off, Joel won gold in the B+ Boys. Thanks to Surrey County ASA president Michael Holden for coming along and presenting the medals.

The detailed results are available here.

Santa Skills

Congratulations to our team of eleven divers who competed at this year's Santa Skills in Sheffield.

More than half the team here came in the top six of their prelims, making it through to the finals.

In the D Boys, George and Felix placed sixth and eighth respectively. George went on to finish sixth in the final.

In the C Girls, Liberty, Tessa and Carrie came first, second and fourth respectively in the prelim. Carrie went on to win the final, impressing with nines and a 9.5 for her forward fall from 3m. Liberty took silver and Tessa the bronze.

In the C Boys, Leo, Finn, Archie and Alex came 13th, seventh, fourth and third respectively in the prelim. In the final, Alex came sixth and Archie claimed the silver.

In the B+ Girls, Amy and Kotryna placed first and eighth respectively in the prelim. Amy came seventh in the final.

Of the twelve competing clubs, we came third equal in the team points at the end of the meet.

Big thanks to Gale and Cooky, our volunteer chaperones, for helping to make this team trip possible.

The detailed results are available here.

Peter Waterfield Novice Invitational

Well done to our team of 11 divers who competed at this year's Peter Waterfield Novice Invitational at the Quays in Southampton.

This circuit-style competition has the same conditions as the National Skills Finals, although it no longer serves as a national qualifier.

Felix was first to compete, finishing sixth in the D Boys.

In the C Girls, Rebecca came 26th, Tessa was 17th, Carrie 14th and Liberty won the gold.

In the C Boys, Alex, Finn and Leo placed fifth, 11th and 14th respectively.

In the B+ Girls, Amy was runner-up, Kotryna came fifth and Scarlett ninth.

The detailed results are available here.

Southampton Invitational

Congratulations to our team of eight divers who competed at the three-day Southampton Invitational at the Quays.
In the D Girls 1m prelim, Tegan was tenth, Mia 12th equal and Anabella 22nd. Mia also competed on 3m, coming 11th in the prelim.
In the C Girls 1m prelim, Lyra was second and Lily fourth. In the final, they finished fourth and sixth respectively.
In the 3m prelim, Lyra came third and Lily fifth. In the final, they ended fifth and third respectively.
In the platform prelim, Lyra placed 12th and Lily second. Lily went on to win the final by a 20-point margin.
In the C Boys 1m and 3m prelims, Archie came 14th and 18th respectively.
In the B Boys, Wilfred came 13th, ninth and eighth respectively on 1m, 3m and platform.
In the B Girls 3m prelim, Amy was 15th.

The detailed results are available here.

ESSA South East Division Trials

Well done to our team of seven divers who represented their schools at this year's ESSA South East Division Trials held at Tunbridge Wells.

Six of the seven divers at this divisional qualifier placed in the top three of their events, making South East Division team selection for the English Schools National Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in December.

Tegan and Annabella competed in the primary girls, coming first and sixth respectively. Tegan won by the narrowest of margins - just half a point between her and the runner-up.

In a hotly-contested junior girls' event, the largest of the meet, Caitlin won and Lyra came third. Amy and Wilfred were runners-up in the intermediate events. Johannes dived steadily in the senior boys, finishing third and securing his place to London too.

The detailed results are available here.

Bill Johnston Grand Prix – Leg 3

Congratulations to our team of 18 divers who competed as 'guests' in Amersham at the third leg of the Bill Johnston Grand Prix.

More than half the team here were competing externally for the first time. There were great performances from everyone, with almost half the team ending up on the podium.

In Group 4, Martha came sixth (7 & under), Abigail claimed the gold (8/9), Daisy came seventh (10/11) and Natalia claimed a silver (12/13).

In the boys' events, Leo and James finished runner-up and tenth respectively (8/9) while Pietro won gold (10/11).

In Group 3, Harper came fifth (8/9) and Rebecca, Amy and Lizzie placed fourth, ninth and tenth respectively (10/11). In the 12/13 category, Rebecca came fourth - missing out on bronze by just a point - Lexi was just behind her in fifth and Charlotte came ninth.

In the boys' events, Isaac won gold (10/11) and Joseph claimed a bronze (12/13).

In Group 2, it was a one-two for Alex and Joel in the 14/16 category.

The detailed results are available here.

Luton Novices

Well done to our team of 12 divers who competed at this year's Luton Novice Challenge at Inspire: Luton Sports Village.

The club returned with two golds, two silvers, a bronze and six other top-10s.

Tegan impressed with a win in the D - Girls, while team-mate Mia came fourth.

In the D Boys, Felix claimed a well-deserved silver and Isaac came sixth.

Liberty placed eighth in the C - GIrls and Carrie came 12th.

In the C Boys, Archie placed fifth, Finn came seventh and Alex was just behind him in eighth.

Amy won the B - Girls with Kotryna not far behind taking bronze.

Joel claimed the silver in the B - Boys.

The detailed results are available here.

National Skills Finals

Congratulations to our team of 10 divers who competed at this year's National Skills Finals, hosted by the South West Region, at the Plymouth Life Centre.

The club came away with two silvers and a gold - plus four other top 10s along with heaps of experience for those competing nationally at this level for the first time.

Oliver and Felix competed on the first day, coming 10th and 11th respectively in the D2 Boys. This was Oliver's second time competing at the National Skills Finals and Felix's first.

Annabella, Tegan and Mia were first to compete on day two. Annabella came fifth in the D1 Girls - and was one of only a handful of divers in the event to score more than 300 points. She should be very pleased with her performance given her limited diving training.

In the D2 Girls, one of the meet's largest events, Tegan dived sensationally to claim silver while team-mate Mia impressed in ninth. The rankings were particularly close in this event, with just 15 points separating tenth up to fourth. Tegan's dive sheet was littered with nines, 9.5s and even a ten for her forward jump piked from poolside.

Thomas and Archie competed next, both of whom have dived at past National Skills Finals. Thomas won the C1 Boys by a fair margin. His dive sheet also impressed, with a number of nines and two 10s for his forward tuck to pike roll from 3m. Archie, meanwhile, who narrowly missed out on a medal at last year's meet in Manchester, rose to the occasion here by securing silver in the C2 Boys.

In the B+ Girls, the other largest event of the meet, Kotryna, Amy and Scarlett came ninth, 11th and 16th respectively - all in the first half of the rankings.

Thanks to Jon and Karen, our volunteer chaperones over the weekend, for making it an enjoyable team trip for all concerned. The detailed results are available here.

Swim England National Age Groups

High five to our team of five divers who competed at this year's Swim England National Age Group Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

In the D/C Girls 1m synchro, Lyra paired with Baye from Luton to claim bronze, edging out Lily and Caitlin by a whisker, who came fourth.

In the B/A Boys 3m synchro, Johannes and Wilfred dived well enough to secure joint gold - something rarely seen in synchro.

In the C Girls 1m, Lily claimed bronze, Caitlin was sixth and Lyra finished around the middle of the pack in 15th. In the C Girls 3m, Lily won gold - even with a dropped inward double somersault. Lyra was fifteenth while Caitlin came 22nd. In the C Girls platform, Lily claimed her second bronze of the meet, Caitlin performed much better to finish sixth and Lyra was 17th.

In the B Boys 1m, Johannes won silver while Wilfred came 16th. In the B Boys 3m, Johannes claimed bronze and Wilfred finished 15th. In the B Boys platform, Wilfred made amends to his springboard performances by finishing fifth while Johannes came ninth. The detailed results are available here.

Swim England South East Region Skills

Congratulations to our team who competed at this year's South East Region Skills Competition at the K2 in Crawley.

This was the second skills qualifier we attended, giving divers more competition experience and another opportunity to qualify for the National Skills Finals in July.

All 12 divers impressed here with nine securing a place for the team trip to Plymouth in the summer.

In the D Boys 'closed' section, Oliver achieved his points and came fourth.

We dominated the podium in the D Girls 'closed' category with Annabella, Mia and Tegan coming first, second and third respectively. All three also made their qualification scores.

In the C Girls, the largest event of the meet, Carrie stepped up her performance with a marked improvement on London. As well as making her qualification points she was runner-up in the 'closed' section. Tessa dived well - but missed qualification by 10 points. Liberty, who was competing at her first-ever skills qualifier, enjoyed the experience.

In the C Boys 'open' and 'closed' sections, Thomas and Archie dived consistently throughout, securing qualification and finishing first and second respectively. Meanwhile Alex dived well but was 20 points short of the standard.

In the B+ Girls 'closed' section, Amy qualified in fourth and Scarlett was runner-up - even with a 'restart' on one of her dives.

The detailed results are available here.

Swim England London Region Skills

Well done to our team of nine divers who competed at this year's London Region Open Skills Competition at the London Aquatics Centre.

This was the first of two opportunities for our divers to qualify for the National Skills Finals to be held at the Plymouth Life Centre in July.

With seven divers achieving their qualification scores - and two not far off the mark - we came away with a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

Mia competed first in the D Girls, getting us off to a good start by making her qualification points and winning a bronze.

In the D Boys, Felix and George also qualified, finishing second and seventh respectively.

In the C Girls, the largest event of the competition, Carrie and Tessa came 11th and 14th respectively. Both were around 10 points short of qualification.

Thomas and Archie impressed in the C Boys, finishing first and fourth respectively.

In the B+ Girls, Amy qualified in sixth and Kotryna was runner-up.

The detailed results are available here.

G Star

Congratulations to our team of six divers who competed at this year's G Star at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds.

In the C Girls 1m prelim, Lily, Caitlin and Lyra placed third, fourth and thirteenth respectively. Then Lily and Caitlin went through to the six-diver final, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

In the 3m prelim, they came third, sixth and 14th respectively. Lily and Caitlin went on to finish third and fourth in the final.

In the platform prelim, they came fourth, sixth and eleventh respectively. Then in the final Lily took the bronze and Caitlin came fifth.

In the B Boys 1m and 3m, Johannes placed fifth in each prelim and finished sixth and fourth in their respective finals. Team-mate Wilfred came 11th in each prelim. In the platform, the boys placed seventh and ninth respectively in the prelim.

In the C Boys 1m and 3m prelims, Archie went for experience and came 14th and 13th respectively.

The detailed results are available here.