Even a burst of summer-like weather isn’t enough to entice residents of Scarborough to come out and dive.
Diving is hardly a popular sport in the east end.
Scarborough Diving Club president Elise Tracey is surrounded by divers on a regular basis, but the only thing that keeps diving alive is the attention it gets from media coverage, she said.
“Anytime there is diving seen in the Olympics or World Games, where it becomes more talked about, then a lot of kids register because they want to try it,” Tracey said. “But it’s not really one of those sports like hockey and soccer you think about right away.”
[iframe: src=”http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102200510862770886340.000483c027adf328d69b5&ll=43.777291,-79.232025&spn=0.086762,0.145912&z=12&output=embed” width=”550″ height=”350″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″]Tracey and the diving club face many challenges outside of promoting the sport. Funding and financial support for the club is, at best, a satisfactory level. But it’s frustrating to maintain a sport with little to no support, Tracey said.
“It’s been hard. We’ve tried going to businesses and getting sponsors and it’s almost impossible. And even with our own fundraising, it’s hard to get help in that area.”
Not only does diving come under financial restraint, but the lack of proper facilities in Scarborough make it that much more difficult to attract locals to take part in the sport.
“We have the coaching staff here, certified coaches but we just don’t have the proper facilities,” said Tracey.
For now, Tracey’s hopes for the diving club will rest on the fate of the 2015 Pan American Games. With new world-class facilities, including an Olympic-sized pool, being built over the next five years in the area, Tracey said this will help local residents take an interest in the sport.
“Sports should be a huge part of a family’s life, but it’s a no-brainer that kids should have the opportunity to try sports, no matter what sport that is. I think we’ll see that in the years to come.”