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Diving practice inside the Crystal Palace
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A member of Crystal Palace diving club dives during a training session in London March 9, 2012. Standing in neat lines in a south London gym, a squad of hand-picked, tracksuited youngsters stretch their arms in unison, counting together in Mandarin.Taking the proverb 'if you can't beat them, join them' quite literally, Crystal Palace diving club has turned to Chinese expertise to foster Britain's future Olympic hopes. Picture taken March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS DIVING)STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
Crystal Palace Diving Club member Victoria Vincent practices during a training session in a dry diving gym in London March 9, 2012. Standing in neat lines in a south London gym, a squad of hand-picked, tracksuited youngsters stretch their arms in unison, counting together in Mandarin.Taking the proverb 'if you can't beat them, join them' quite literally, Crystal Palace diving club has turned to Chinese expertise to foster Britain's future Olympic hopes. Picture taken March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS DIVING)STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
Members of the Crystal Palace diving club stretch during a training session in a dry diving gym in London March 9, 2012. Standing in neat lines in a south London gym, a squad of hand-picked, tracksuited youngsters stretch their arms in unison, counting together in Mandarin.Taking the proverb 'if you can't beat them, join them' quite literally, Crystal Palace diving club has turned to Chinese expertise to foster Britain's future Olympic hopes. Picture taken March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS DIVING)STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
Members of the Crystal Palace diving club attend a training session in a dry diving gym in London March 9, 2012. Standing in neat lines in a south London gym, a squad of hand-picked, tracksuited youngsters stretch their arms in unison, counting together in Mandarin.Taking the proverb 'if you can't beat them, join them' quite literally, Crystal Palace diving club has turned to Chinese expertise to foster Britain's future Olympic hopes. Picture taken March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS DIVING)STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
A Crystal Palace diving club member wears a harness during a training session in a dry diving gym in London March 9.STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
The Crystal Palace Diving Club in London is taking the proverb, "'if you can't beat them, join them" literally by turning to Chinese expertise and techniques to foster Britain's Olympic hopefuls.
"We always had good divers. But I thought that if we wanted medals en masse then we would have to do what the Chinese did," club founder and former world champion Chris Snode said.
Snode made the decision to recruit Chinese coaches seven years ago when London won the bid to stage the 2012 Olympics, and now 15 of the approximately 460 children in the program are in the top England talent squad, with their eyes set on Rio 2016.
The squad is dominated by girls, who the coaches say are more likely to do activities such as gymnastics and dance that complement diving and build up early flexibility.
"It's harder to find boys," admits assistant coach Chen Yang, shouting advice to the practicing divers from the side of the pool. "They all play football."
That's not a problem China has, he adds, though the desire to perform to an audience and plethora of competitions that are a feature of British schoolchildren's lives are a rare advantage Westerners have over the Chinese.
A member of Crystal Palace diving club dives watched by head coach Chen Wen (R) during a training session in London March 9, 2012. Standing in neat lines in a south London gym, a squad of hand-picked, tracksuited youngsters stretch their arms in unison, counting together in Mandarin.Taking the proverb 'if you can't beat them, join them' quite literally, Crystal Palace diving club has turned to Chinese expertise to foster Britain's future Olympic hopes. Picture taken March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS DIVING)STEFAN WERMUTH / Reuters
