5 year old girl + high dive + belly flop = crying 5 year old girl
As some of you know, Emily, our soon to be 6 year old girl, is taking diving lessons at Boston College. She loves it and is pretty fearless of heights and water.
So yesterday I was in the mezzanine with other parents and while not looking at the water, talking to another parent, I heard a SPLAT. I immediately saw two other adults, who were sitting in the bleachers and looking at the water, make a “that looked paaaaainfulllll” face.
I turned and saw the dive coach, a really great instructor and nice guy, walk to the immediate edge of the pool. I also saw the assistant dive coach, a girl who is on the BC dive team, and two other young ladies (instructors who are on the BC swim team and teach classes there on Sunday, and who were standing by the pool and know Emily), walk over quickly as well.
I then saw Emily, my daughter, pop up from the water and look at the dive coach. She swam to the edge and he kneeled down next to the water and put his hand on her head. He said something, I saw her bob her head up as affirming what he said, and she started to cry.
The other three girls standing there then did what most young ladies will do with a small child, and comforted her. She was still crying. One of the girls, the assistant dive coach, asked her something and she got out of the pool, wiped her face, which was red at this point, and walked to the smaller diving board. They all watched her as she got back on the horse, albeit a smaller horse, and jumped back in the water.
They all clapped.
Apparently she was on the high dive and jumped off wrong. Later she told me she tried to do a dive from the 9 meter board, but her coach thought she just leaned forward too much. She hit the water flat on her chest, stomach and face.
I went down and talked to her a minute or two later. She was fine but upset and kind of scared. She ended up going back on the high dive, which was good because the last thing I want is for her to have any kind of apprehension about it, she loves both the water and diving.
I talked to the other instructors and they said they have all done it, and from that height it feels like little pins sticking in your face and chest. They said when she first got to the side, she was crying but wanted to stay in the water.
Oh well, not a huge deal. And I am sure throughout all three of my kid’s lives there will be harder falls and bigger tears. Life goes on.