Burden Wins Mid-Atlantic Diving Crown After 38 Year Layoff

From the Newport News, Hampton, and York County/Poquoson Town square sections of the DAILY PRESS, December 19, 2013.


For Jim Burden, the decision to start competitive diving again was largely based on numbers.

“I turned 60,” he recently said with a matter of fact tone.

Jim Burden, 60, and Danita Fox

It didn’t matter that the former East Carolina standout had not competed in 38 years. In fact, Burden had entered his last competition, at the 1975 President’s Cup in Northern Virginia, on a dare.

“I was coaching at my diving school in Reston. Upon seeing an adult competition at the President’s Cup, the kids bet me that I wouldn’t dive, but I got sixth.”

Burden admits that he had a chance to “get on the boards” periodically. Even as his athletic career segued into a successful life in Virginia and Texas as a general contractor and later Production Manager for NV Ryan Homes, his veins still bled chlorine and pool water.

“I coached at Trinity High School starting in 1980 when I lived in Dallas, and worked out with SMU (Southern Methodist) diving a little bit.”

Still, almost thirty years had passed between Burden’s last serious diving workout and his 60^th birthday. Surely, there had to be another reason to start again.

“I started wondering how the Masters (competitions) were going. One day, I went out to the pool and started diving. Little by little, I found out that I could do a lot of the same dives.”

A revelation soon hit Burden.

“I wondered, who else my age could still do this stuff?”

On November 17^th, the Poquoson resident got his answer, which was no one. Traveling to Ewing, N.J., Burden won two gold medals at the Mid-Atlantic Masters Springboard Diving invitational. With the victory, Burden also qualified for the USA National Masters meet in San Antonio, Texas in May 2014 as well as the FINA World Masters Championships in Montreal next August.

The journey turned out to be more interesting than the meet.

It started with a visit to social media, specifically YouTube.

“I went and found some footage of the Master diving competitions from 2011 and 2012, and realized that they weren’t much better than me at that point.”

Armed with newfound confidence in his abilities, Burden went to find a pool. First he tried Christopher Newport University, only to learn that there were insurance issues involved with letting an outsider come in to dive.

The next stop was William and Mary. No diving team – no dice.

There was also Old Dominion, which had a program, but as Burden recalls, “I didn’t really want to drive through the tunnel every day to dive.”

With only two weeks to go until the Jersey meet, Burden remembered the words which the William and Mary swim coach had uttered.

“Have you ever been to the Midtown Aquatic Center?”

Burden had not, but he soon found his way to Newport News and made the acquaintance of aquatics director Danita Fox.

“She was really instrumental in my progress.”

However, the relationship got off to a rocky start.

Fox says, “He came in asking questions about the types of diving boards.”

She faced a similar issue with insurance. “We only allow diving access as long as a certified instructor is present.”

Adds Burden, “she made some calls.”

Over the next two weeks, they worked out seven times. Fox would film Burden’s dives, and as an aquatics coach, would offer feedback. But she was immediately impressed with his ability.

“He gets up on the (diving) board, and WOW! He obviously kept himself in shape.”

Burden attributes his current ability to extended time away from the sport.

“A lot of the older divers are beat up. Diving takes a toll on you. On my last college dive at ECU, we were competing against Johns Hopkins and I separated a rib and shoulder.”

“In fact, I have a heat pack on my neck right now!”

Burden’s initial work on the board started out rough.

“I looked like scrambled eggs – I was all over the place. But eventually it started coming together.”

Fox adds, “Jim said it’s like riding a bicycle. But it was a quick turnaround. Right before he went to New Jersey, he said that he could start to see and spot things as they’re going around, like everything was slowing down during the harder dives, the two and a halves and three and a halves.”

Just like in the old days, which brings Burden’s diving career to a full circle.

“Back in my most competitive days, the mid 1970’s, I used to tell my friends that I would have made the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.”

With a tongue placed firmly in cheek, he adds, “if it hadn’t been for the 200 or so divers that were better than me.”

Ironically, the 2014 World Master’s Diving Championships are in Montreal. Reminded of that fact, he wistfully concludes…

“I might make it there yet.”