QUESTION: They took the diving board off of our local pool.
Why?
ANSWER: Diving going head first into water can be dangerous.
Diving is a leading cause of spinal cord injuries among athletic activities, causing about 1,300 spinal cord injuries per year.
Diving injuries also kill, but these deaths are classed as drownings and so their number is uncertain. There are several easy ways to reduce the chance of a diving injury. Most injuries occur during showing off, horseplay, or involve a dare.
Never dive into water you don't know.
In lakes or rivers, go into the water feet first to check how deep it is before diving.
In a pool, find out where the deep area ends or you may overshoot it and slam into the slope leading to the shallow part.
No above-ground pool is deep enough to dive into, so don't even think about it. The people who run your local pool decided to eliminate the risk of diving injuries by removing the diving board and they may have had good reason.
One possible factor may have been their inability to obtain insurance to cover anyone injured in a diving accident.
Whatever the reason, your actions are clear.
Play by the rules.
Don't dive in that pool.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
