Diving: Coach Vicki aims to reach great heights

Vicki TOMLINSON believes diving can go from strength to strength in the Capital over the coming months.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Nov 2010, 13:37 BST
Updated 3rd Nov 2010, 11:54 BST

The 26-year-old Edinburgh Diving Club coach was last week named Coach of the Year at the Edinburgh Sports Awards at Broughton High School and, while she was pleased to receive personal recognition, she was even more delighted that diving was put in the spotlight.

"Diving in general is really on a high at the moment and is growing in popularity following the Commonwealth Games and we have to keep that going. The award is a nice thing for me personally, but I just really enjoy what I do and the enthusiasm all of the divers show really spurs me on."

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For 19 years, Tomlinson has been involved in springboard and platform diving and she now coaches over 70 divers under a programme set out by Edinburgh Leisure alongside the experienced Mary Sless.

She played a big part in the relocation of Edinburgh Diving Club to Newbattle Pool in Midlothian last summer after the Commonwealth Pool was closed for refurbishment.

At that time the momentum that the club had built up over time could have been lost, but due to the enthusiasm of both Tomlinson and the divers the club has in fact thrived even more in the last year and a half.

"Edinburgh Diving Club divers are competing at various levels throughout the UK on a regular basis and have had quite a bit of success of late."

"Everyone is always striving to do better and I think it is an exciting club to be involved in at the moment."

Of course that general club success was topped off by the selection of 14-year-old Grace Reid for the recent Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

And having seen her compete admirably against older and more experienced divers to finish sixth in the three metre springboard event in India there are a number of Edinburgh Diving Club team mates looking to put themselves in the frame for places in the team when Glasgow 2014 comes around. "I think all the other youngsters look up to Grace and the way she carried herself and did in Delhi was really good," added Tomlinson

"When the other divers can see their friend on television it makes them believe they can make that level too and we will be working hard with them to help them all continue to improve."