By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Dr. Chelsea Ale.
Opinions in this op-ed don’t necessarily reflect the views of SwimSwam.
In the landscape of collegiate athletics, diving has long played the role of the quiet contributor. It’s present at conference championships. It adds critical points to team scores. It sends athletes to the NCAA and Olympic stage. And yet, it rarely gets the recognition, resources, or respect it deserves.
Diving is the only Olympic sport at the high school and college level that is consistently housed under the umbrella of another Olympic sport—swimming. And while the official label may say “swimming and diving,” the reality is often that diving exists within swimming’s structure, not alongside it. At every other level of sport—club, national, international, and Olympic—swimming and diving are treated as distinct disciplines, each with its own governing body, training pathways, and event structures. Being linked isn’t the problem. In fact, swimming and diving can be powerful allies when treated as true partners. But too often in collegiate athletics, that partnership is unbalanced. Swimming is given the leadership, the resources, and the direct line to decision-makers, while diving remains in the background, with less autonomy, less support, and less say in its own future. That’s not a partnership. That’s a hierarchy. And it’s costing us both.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a troubling trend: diving programs are quietly disappearing from NCAA rosters. Some cuts are public and dramatic; others happen more subtly—when coaches retire and aren’t replaced, when facilities stop supporting platforms, when scholarships vanish, and when diving simply fades from a team’s schedule.
But here’s what’s important to understand: this is not just a diving problem. Swimming, too, is being impacted by these roster cuts. Fewer roster spots, smaller teams, and reduced scholarships are hurting both sports. This isn’t swimming versus diving—this is swimming and diving versus elimination.
We are on the same side.
And yet, diving still faces an additional challenge: it lacks a formal voice of its own within athletic departments and the NCAA. Diving coaches are often labeled “head coaches,” but the title rarely comes with the authority it implies. In many cases, a “head diving coach” is still treated as an assistant to the swim coach, with no direct access to athletic directors, no representation in department meetings, and limited influence on decisions that affect their athletes.
This needs to change—not to create division, but to build strength.
Swim coaches are often some of diving’s biggest supporters, but they’re being asked to carry the weight of two Olympic sports under one role. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair to either sport. Diving needs dedicated leadership, clear lines of communication, and the institutional respect to function as a true partner, not an afterthought.
That begins with giving diving a seat at the table. It means honoring the role of head diving coaches as true leaders. It means ensuring that diving-specific needs, like facility upgrades, equipment, and scholarships, are addressed with intention, not as leftovers from swimming’s budget.
It also means giving diving coaches the authority to make decisions about diving events. Whether it’s dual meets, conference championships, or postseason competition, diving coaches—who know the sport best—should determine which events are included, whether that’s 1-meter, 3-meter, platform, synchronized diving, or team events. Just as swim coaches determine the swim lineup, diving coaches should have the autonomy to shape their portion of the competition. That’s how both sports thrive—by letting experts lead, while collaborating as a unified team.
It also means guaranteeing roster spots for both swimmers and divers. Roster cuts are harming both groups. By mandating roster minimums for divers and protecting roster depth for swimmers, we allow both sports to flourish. We can’t continue to pit survival against each other. We need policy changes that protect the pipeline for both disciplines.
And make no mistake—this is a pipeline issue. You cannot have Olympic diving success without collegiate diving. College programs provide training, scholarships, structured competition, and access to elite coaching. They also keep divers in the sport during a time when burnout, injury, or financial strain could easily force them to walk away. To cut collegiate diving is to cut the very bridge that leads to the Olympic podium.
But this isn’t just about medals. This is about opportunity, equity, and sustainability. Diving opens doors for student-athletes across the country. It helps schools meet Title IX requirements. It builds resilience, confidence, and discipline in athletes who go on to succeed far beyond sport.
Diving and swimming have always worked in tandem, but tandem shouldn’t mean invisible. Whether diving remains housed under swimming or becomes its own recognized entity, the goal is the same: to do what’s best for both sports—individually and together.
Diving has never asked to be the main show. But it deserves more than a lane on someone else’s roster. It deserves to be seen, supported, and valued—for what it is: a beautiful, demanding, and essential Olympic sport with a proud tradition and a future worth fighting for.
It’s time to ensure that diving not only survives, but thrives. And it’s time to make sure swimming does, too. Together—not in competition, but in collaboration.
ABOUT DR. CHELSEA ALE
Dr. Chelsea Ale is a professor of Sport Management at the University of Alabama, a former elite diving coach, and President of the U.S. Professional Diving Coaches Association. She holds a Ph.D. in Sport Management and has spent over 25 years in the sport as an athlete, coach, and researcher.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Not Just a Springboard: Why Diving Deserves a Seat at the Table in NCAA Athletics
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