freewillie
Contributor
I'm going to start this with my experiences this year with my 7 year old and helping coach his little league team. Because I never really played baseball at any level and because I didn't want to give these kids incorrect advise/lessons I've been somewhat obsessed with learning proper baseball mechanics and drills. In the process of researching baseball and the bonding process of being part of my son's team I am now a die hard baseball fan. Never used to be, but I am now.
I have come to realize that there are subtle nuances to the game. I have become more aware of the complexeties of the strategy, how to evaluate a kid and their mechanics fielding, throwing, and batting. I have even studied up on the rules (you would be suprised at how many parents get confused on the rules!)and now have a much better understanding of the game in general. My appreciation for major league players and managers has grown, and I now watch the games with a more experienced eye.
That being said, it is still a simple game even kids can play. The kids didn't really care if they won or lost. They made plenty of errors, struck out, got caught off base, etc but still managed to have fun and enjoy the game. What they didn't like was the parents yelling at them when they made an error. They cried real tears when they made an error because a parent yelled at them. I had to do some damage control in the dugout with these kids sometimes, to encourage them, make them feel better and try and instill some confidence so the next time they were out there they would make the play.
Scuba diving and the threads here on SB have begun to look like the overzealous parents in the stands. I intentionally did not post or get involved in the "Somewhat sad conversation last night" thread because IMO the GUE/DIR core has a very defined set of ideals that they believe constitutes a good diver. They are also very vocal about sharing their opinions and how others should dive as well.
There is a lot of denegration to PADI in particular and a modular approach to diving. When my dive instructor and I talked about Scubaboard he said, "just be careful, you are going to hear a lot of opinions that if you don't dive this way you are going to die." He wanted me to stay mindful of differences in approaches to diving and that as long as I stayed within my own training I should be fine.
So I kept practicing my skills. I continued to dive locally as well as on vacation. I am accumulating my own gear. I don't dive with a BPW but do have a back inflate BC. I dive split fins. I'm not even sure what a helicoptor kick is, and rarely if ever swim with a frog kick. I don't bungee my octopus, and when I get my own regulator will go with a octo/inflator combo to streamline my hoses. And will add to that a wireless AI computer set up as well.
My friends are all vacation divers. They rent jacket BC's, all their dive gear, and use snorkels on their masks, and even fin and scull with their hands during the dive. They are smart enough to know they are not 'expert' divers and usually hire DM's and in a real sense are on 'trust me dives' since they couldn't dive without a more experienced diver. But, they are smart enough to know their limitations and book only easy DM led dives.
I know the prevailing wisdom regarding 'those' type of divers here on SB. Yes, our skills are not even close to the GUE/DIR group. But, we have just as much fun diving. We like to see all the beauty and wonder of the ocean, the exhilaration of breathing underwater and swimming with the fishes. My daughter still talks about our last dive together and keeps asking when we are going next. She can't wait for August and diving in Maui and Kona. I have promised her a manta ray night dive as well.
I know scuba can be potentially dangerous, and accidents do happen. I have been pursuing my own education as well to become a safer diver. I did the AOW training to improve my skills and plan on completing Rescue Diver certification hopefully by the end of this year.
But, I feel a little like those 7 year olds playing baseball. This isn't the World Series. We are having fun, keeping it simple, and as for scuba as safe as our training allows.
I have come to realize that there are subtle nuances to the game. I have become more aware of the complexeties of the strategy, how to evaluate a kid and their mechanics fielding, throwing, and batting. I have even studied up on the rules (you would be suprised at how many parents get confused on the rules!)and now have a much better understanding of the game in general. My appreciation for major league players and managers has grown, and I now watch the games with a more experienced eye.
That being said, it is still a simple game even kids can play. The kids didn't really care if they won or lost. They made plenty of errors, struck out, got caught off base, etc but still managed to have fun and enjoy the game. What they didn't like was the parents yelling at them when they made an error. They cried real tears when they made an error because a parent yelled at them. I had to do some damage control in the dugout with these kids sometimes, to encourage them, make them feel better and try and instill some confidence so the next time they were out there they would make the play.
Scuba diving and the threads here on SB have begun to look like the overzealous parents in the stands. I intentionally did not post or get involved in the "Somewhat sad conversation last night" thread because IMO the GUE/DIR core has a very defined set of ideals that they believe constitutes a good diver. They are also very vocal about sharing their opinions and how others should dive as well.
There is a lot of denegration to PADI in particular and a modular approach to diving. When my dive instructor and I talked about Scubaboard he said, "just be careful, you are going to hear a lot of opinions that if you don't dive this way you are going to die." He wanted me to stay mindful of differences in approaches to diving and that as long as I stayed within my own training I should be fine.
So I kept practicing my skills. I continued to dive locally as well as on vacation. I am accumulating my own gear. I don't dive with a BPW but do have a back inflate BC. I dive split fins. I'm not even sure what a helicoptor kick is, and rarely if ever swim with a frog kick. I don't bungee my octopus, and when I get my own regulator will go with a octo/inflator combo to streamline my hoses. And will add to that a wireless AI computer set up as well.
My friends are all vacation divers. They rent jacket BC's, all their dive gear, and use snorkels on their masks, and even fin and scull with their hands during the dive. They are smart enough to know they are not 'expert' divers and usually hire DM's and in a real sense are on 'trust me dives' since they couldn't dive without a more experienced diver. But, they are smart enough to know their limitations and book only easy DM led dives.
I know the prevailing wisdom regarding 'those' type of divers here on SB. Yes, our skills are not even close to the GUE/DIR group. But, we have just as much fun diving. We like to see all the beauty and wonder of the ocean, the exhilaration of breathing underwater and swimming with the fishes. My daughter still talks about our last dive together and keeps asking when we are going next. She can't wait for August and diving in Maui and Kona. I have promised her a manta ray night dive as well.
I know scuba can be potentially dangerous, and accidents do happen. I have been pursuing my own education as well to become a safer diver. I did the AOW training to improve my skills and plan on completing Rescue Diver certification hopefully by the end of this year.
But, I feel a little like those 7 year olds playing baseball. This isn't the World Series. We are having fun, keeping it simple, and as for scuba as safe as our training allows.
