Justin Wilcock - Official Website

Back Home! After traveling for 27 hours yesterday (we started at 3:30am Greece time and arrived home at 11pm Houston time) we finally made it back and got to sleep in our own beds last night. Everything worked out okay. We were a little worried about our bags once we got to Washington DC. Many of us were missing one or two bags. Turns out they sent a cart to the wrong bag claim. So we waited for about 45min. and they never came (we had to take them through customs). Finally the said to just go though and hopefully our bags would eventually make it home. They were there waiting for us when we got to Houston! That was a nice surprise. We also had another surprise when we got back. All of the junior divers from the team were there with signs and posters welcoming us home. We were all so tired, but it perked us right up, what a great homecoming!

The last few days in Greece were really nice. The 29th was closing ceremonies. I hope you all got to watch it, it was a great party! Lots of music, balloons and trading clothes. The Chinese delegation all wore 2008 hats and shirts, and then traded them with everyone on the field. I got a cool hat, great motivation for the next four years! The fireworks were also incredible, once again Greece really came through.

The 30th I spent shopping downtown getting last minute souvenirs and gifts. It was amazing how calm it was compared to the previous few days when I had gone down there. When the games are over, they are over! It made for some peacefull shopping though.

So, I guess this is the end of my Olympic journal. It has been a great experience, lots of highs and lows. There is a quote by Vince Lombardi that was given me by one of our support staff and I had it hanging on my wall in Greece. It says, Mans finest hour is the moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle- victorious.

I have worked very hard these past two years with one thing in mind, a gold medal. But even though I didnt come home with a medal I feel victorious because I am a better person than I was two years ago.

Please continue to visit my website. I will put my Olympic pictures up now that I am home and will try to keep updates of what is going on in my life and my training!

So, the Olympic pin trading. You may have heard about this aspect of the Olympics (especially those of you from Utah that got into it during the winter games). If you havent, one of the biggest side events of the Olympics is the pin trading. You can get pins from sponsors, athletes, or you can buy them. Then you find a trader (they are all over the streets, in the Olympic park, even in certain areas in the Olympic village), and you swap for the ones that you want. Athletes are at an advantage because we are given so many pins, from the USOC and from our sport.

One thing that I have tried to do is get a lot of country pins. All the other athletes have them as well, and so you trade for the countries you want. Some of the interesting ones that I got were from Trinidad and Tobago, Micronesia, South Africa, and Bermuda.

I am also trying to collect the official pins for diving. There are about 8 different pins, and I have about half of them (I want to trade for them and not have to buy them:). I am having a lot of fun with this and hope to come home with a nice collection that can gather dust in my closet!

We finished up our Olympic experience today with our men up on the 10M. Kyle and Ceasar both started out great, but werent able to finish well enough to make it to the next round. We are proud of them as we are with the whole team. This is the first time that the diving team has not taken home a medal, but we fought hard and can leave this meet feeling good about what we did. The field is tough. There is some incredible diving going on and we are right in the middle of it.

I can only ask what can we do better. I know that we have the talent and potential to do great things, I know that I am fired up for 2008. I am proud of this team, we really supported each other and each one of us learned lessons that will help us throughout our lives. This is the purpose of all of this anyway. Sure it is an honor to win a medal and it is what we are all going for, but the medal is not what makes us better, it is the process that we have gone through to win the medal that makes us great. A lot of people said that this could be the best team that we have had in twenty years. Well, we didnt come home with a single medal, but as far as I am concerned we lived up to the expectation. We came together as a team and supported each effort to go for gold, and had some great performances. We had some near misses, often only a dive away from a medal. We were dealt the unlucky injury card a few too many times. This is an obstacle that is difficult to overcome and can leave you wondering why, why at this time, why when we have worked so hard. The only answer that can be found is that there is a bigger victory to win, one that might not be gold, but is far more valuable.

I love my team! We had a great experience at the Olympics. We had fun together, we cried together, we were inspired together, and we made memories that will last the rest of our lives.

I will continue to write in my journal through the end of the Olympics, so please feel free to visit my website and I will fill you in on the fun things to do in Athens and at the Olympics. I have become quite the pin trader, maybe I will tell you about that tomorrow!

I have had a few wonderful days with Carrie and my parents. I got to go to the track and field events with them last night, and then stayed at their apartment (which is very nice, they definately lucked out finding that one on the internet). Today we went on a half day tour of Athens and then they came to the Village to check out my living situation for the last month. It was great to have them here, but most of all it was great to see them so much while they have been here. I didnt know if I would get to spend much time with them because of security and other events, but it has worked out.

Tomorrow they are leaving for Santorini (I am jealous), they should have a great time! I wont see them until I get home though so it was sad to see them go. I am starting to get a little homesick, it has almost been a whole month that we have been here! Tonight Rachelle Kunkel (go Utah) is diving in the finals for womens 3M. It should be a great contest.

Well, what do you say after a day like today! What an incredible rollercoaster ride it has been. This morning I was crying because I wasnt going to be able to dive and this evening I keep thinking, what was I thinking trying to compete. But in the end I wouldnt take back the opportunity that I had to compete in the Olympics.

I have dreamt of this opportunity since I was young. What more can I say, I lived my dream, and I lived the Olympic experience. It is interesting what life throws at us. A month and a half ago I had a wonderful Olympic Trials and was pumped up to compete against the best in the wold. Back pain settled in and I thought, I have experienced this before, it will bother me for a week and then go away, no problem. Well, that didnt happen and before I knew it I was in Athens and had been out of the water for four weeks. I thought hey, I have three weeks before I compete, no problem I will be ready to go when the time comes. I got to practice, but it didnt come back as easily as I thought it would. The time ticked closer to competition but I knew that I would be ready to go when the time came. Then came a second round of back pain. Unfortunately this came four days before I would compete, and made it so I couldnt do my dives. Not the preparation that I expected coming into the biggest competition of my life.

But again, I knew that I had done everything that I could have. I have sacrificed and worked hard this past two years with my eyes set on an Olympic Gold Medal. This dedication has given me the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics and compete in the games. I didnt want to miss this opportunity. It was a difficult decision of whether or not to compete, but in the end I knew I had to give it a shot. I would regret it if I didnt.

So I competed. I dont think I could ever have come up with a worst case scenario for how the competition could have gone. Not only did I have to miss all my dives and fail one, but to top it all off I hit my feet on my final dive. Talk about adding insult to injury! But I am okay with it, I have to be. What good is life if we cant laugh at ourselves. Best of all I can leave Athens knowing that I put it all on the line, not caring what anyone thought about me, and gave it my all. That is where the victory is for me.

I would like to thank all you who have offered prayers on my behalf. I have never felt so much support and I know that I couldnt have gotten through this without the strength that I have received from them. Our Heavenly Father is there for us and once again I have felt his love and his hand guiding me along. I know that I wouldnt have been able to stand up there and do my dives without Him strengthening me.

Great job Troy! What a great preliminary round that he had. He was consistent and did what he needed to do putting himself in a great position going into semis and then finals. Be sure and pray for him and the rest of the team (Rachelle and Kimiko on 3m and Kyle and Ceasar on 10m) who have yet to compete. Go USA!

Tonight is the big night for Laura and Sara, they are diving great and we are all looking forward for this competition. They will be wonderful. Sara was voted as the Kleenex Athlete of the Day yesterday for her great comeback performance! Congrats!

My back is steadily improving. I have done all I can and will continue to do so until the competition is over. I am excited for it to be here. I definately would not have imagined that my Olympic experience would have proceeded as it has, but I wouldnt take the experience back. It has been great so far and I intend on making it great for the duration of the games. I know that whatever happens tomorrow I have done my part, and I am at peace knowing this.

Rachelle Kunkel and I went to church this morning. It was fun attending church in Greek, and fortunately they had headphones with English translation for all the visitors. Even though it was in Greek and was miles away from home, it still had the same spirit. That is what I love about the church. I know that where ever I am in the world I can find that sanctuary and refuge. It made for a nice Sunday morning.

Wow, the time flies! Here we are on the 21st and I have missed a few days of the journal writing. The Olympics move forward and we have had some great victories. How about Carly Patterson! What a great job. We also have had a few great days in the pool. Sara and Laura made us proud after having a slow start in the preliminaries, but coming on strong in the semis and both qualifying for the finals! Way to go girls.

It has been an emotional few days for me. My parents and girlfriend arrived on the 19th, without many problems. However I didnt get to see them until tonight. I took a quick trip down to the plaka (the main shopping area) and we had a nice dinner at the Bank of Americas Hometown Heroes Center. It is something that they have set up for the athletes and their families. A nice place to get out of the heat and even have a nice free meal. It was great to see them and I am so glad that they are able to be here supporting me.

I have also had some ups and downs with my back. I was really doing well and had a minor setback a few nights ago. I guess I just pushed a little too hard. I had it checked out and it looks like it is just irritated and inflamed. I took a day off (it worked out that I was going to take a rest day anyway) and gave it some time to relax. As far as I am concerned, I will do everything I can to be ready for Mondays competition. I can only put it in the Lords hands now. This experience has really taught me this principle. I have worked hard, I have done every medical treatment that I can, and I have put my faith in God that it will work out for the best whatever that is.

I had a fun night last night. I got to hang out with Andy Roddick and many other athletes. They have an athletes lounge for the US athletes and a bunch of us were watching the events together. I didnt talk to him, but hey we were sitting and watching tv together! It was a cool experience that is definately going into the memory banks!

I have had so much support and I thank you all for your words of encourgement! I know none of this would be possible without the support and prayers of so many people. This is not just my experience, but that of so many and I am glad that I can share it with you all through this and other means. Thanks and keep praying!

We went to see the womens team final for gymnastics last night. It was awesome. Our girls did great, but the Romanians were incredible. It came down to floor exercise and they were on fire. Still, a silver from the womens team is great!

My Parents and girlfriend leave today! I cant wait to see them, they should be here Thursday afternoon.

An emotional night for the USA Diving team as our team came close to a gold medal, but in the end went home empty handed. But bravo to Sara and Cassandra and Troy and Justin. They fought hard and gave it their all. Again plagued by voluntaries (the first few round of dives), Sara and Cassandra had a rough start, but didnt give up. They fought to the end and we are proud of them for their efforts. Then, in what may be the craziest competition of the entire Olympic Games, Troy and Justin went from 7th place to 2nd after nailing their double outs. Well, at the begining of the round a crazy person from Canada jumped out of the stands, ran up the ladder to the three meter diving board and wearing a tutu he jumped into the pool. He then stayed there a few mintues until they finally fished him out. I dont think they showed that on television! So that was how the round began. Then China steps up and one of the duo got lost in the dive and smacked on his back, failing the dive. Then Russia gets up and Dmitri Sautin, one of the best ever, hits his feet on the board and drops them out of medal contention. Meanwhile Greece had been solid throughout the competition and were looking like they might take home a medal.

Then our boys got up. There is no way that you can comprehend the pressure they must have felt, the gold medal was basically in their hand, they needed a solid dive, one they have done many times over. Kenny said earlier today something that sums up what happened. That it was the Greeks time. Not even an afterthought for a chance at medaling. They won gold. Wow, what an amazing energy that went through the pool. Who would have thought, no one could have ever predicted that outcome. The USA Diving website usadiving.org has a great article about our boys and I would encourage you all to read it. That is what sport and competition is all about, the journey, and if it makes you a better person then you have won.

So it was an emotional night, and we have spent a lot of time reflecting on what happened. I was motivated to go out there and train hard up til I compete. As we see anything can happen, and the competition is not over until the last diver has entered the water. What an amazing rush, that is what makes sport so exciting.

My parents and girlfriend are preparing to leave. They will be heading out the 18th and will get here on the 19th. I am so excited, it will be great to see them.

I dont have much to write about, but wasnt sure that I would have time to update tonight. The Cassandra Cardinell and Sara Hildebrand start the evenings competition off with 10 M Syncro. They are looking great, and we are excited to cheer them on. Then our boys Troy and Justin Dumais compete in the 3M Syncro event. This one should be a tough one, but they are definately up to the challenge and are going to do awesome, you dont want to miss it!

After these events diving takes a few days off and then we resume competition on the 20th with Laura Wilkinson and Sara Hildebrand on the 10 M.

And the competition is underway. Our boys did a great job last night. They had some trouble with one dive, but they kept fighting until the end and had a very respectable finish. We are all proud of them, and are excited to continue that fighting spirit.

It is amazing how much is going on now. It is like a 20 ring circus. Each day there are so many events being held, so much emotion as Kimiko put it, highs and lows all throughout the village as people finish their events, and for some their careers. I had the opportunity to watch the men s gymanstics prelims yesterday. That was a great event. Our boys did so well, they were very consistent and had some great performances. I sat with the syncronized swimmers and they are a high spirited group. We ended up getting a little lost trying to find the bus back after the event was over and almost walked around the entire Olympic complex (so much for my rest day). It was fun to see another event though.

Today it is back to the training. The syncro diving teams are preparing for tomorrows events, and after that I think things will clear up in the pool a bit. A lot of teams will be leaving to training camps away from Athens. Also many divers will be finished competing.

It is less than ten days until I compete. My parents and girlfriend will be leaving in a few days to come over here. I am so glad that they are able to come. It will be so fun to have them here. My former coach Doug and his wife Kelli (a former teammate) will be here too, Rachelle and I are so happy that they are going to make it out here. He was such an influence in our careers, it is great that he will get to share in this experience with us.

I am really excited. This experience has been just what I imagined it would. I am getting closer to being ready each day, and I know that when the time comes I will be prepared to dive. It is amazing how if we let the Lord direct our paths he will do so, even if it is not in the way that we may have anticipated. I have truely felt his hand in my preparation and even though it is frustrating at times it is also comforting to know that all I need to do is trust in Him.

Well, it has begun! What an amazing opening ceremonies, the fireworks, the effects, wow. I missed the whole first part, but I did catch a glimps of the flame lighting the Olympic Rings in the water. That was awesome.

They had us all in a huge arena (the gymnastics venue) while we waited to march in. People were walking around trading pins, taking pictures, and meeting people from all over the world. What an experience. I got a picture with Rulon Gardner, and he told me that we should go boating after the games (he is moving to Welsville, just a few minutes from where my parents live).

After a while they had us line up and then the waiting began. We were probably standing in line for almost an hour, but it was worth it. As we got closer to the stadium the you could see the lights and hear the people cheering. As soon as we walked onto the track I was just overwhelmed with emotion (of course I didnt cry though because I dont cry!). We started walking around the track and seeing all the American Flags out in the crowd. It was such a neat experience. Seeing all the other countries walking in a circle, the cameras, the huge structure, words just cant describe the feeling. Then the coraled us into the center where we would wait some more. Because they were going by the Greek alphabet, we found ourselves at the beginning of the list, and I think there were just over two hundred countries. So we did a lot of waiting, but it was cool because all of the sudden we started seeing people from other countries walking through the see of blue that made up the US contigent. People started roaming and taking pictures with the other athletes and trading more pins.

Well, I hope you all had a chance to watch the ceremonies. Once the parade of athletes ended and the rest of the program began we were all right on the front row around the little stage, I got some great video!

It really was an amazing beginning to the games. It was a taxing one though, as we finally got back to the village at 1:30am and then went into the cafeteria for a little midnight snack, it was crazy, they were playing Greek music and people were dancing. It was a huge party!

So it has begun and with a bang! I am so excited for our boys, Kyle Prandi and Mark Ruiz, who dive tonight in the first diving event, mens 10 Meter Syncro. Cheer them on as they go for our first diving gold of the 2004 Olympic Games!

Also, my niece was born on August 12th at 3:30pm Pacific time. She was healthy and has a full head of brown hair. Congratulations Jason and Camille, I love you guys.

One day before the beginning of the Olympic Games. This didnt hit me until we were downtown and I saw one of the big billboards that count down the days until the Olympics, and there it was, the number 1.

Yesterday evening Kimiko and I participated in the nominations and election of the flag bearer for the US Delegation. I will not say who won, because it will be announced on the Today show, and we were sworn to secrecy (I think it has already been announced, but just to be safe I will let you find out on your own). It was so neat though. The diving team nominated Laura Wilkinson as she embodies what the Olympics are all about. A Champion on and off the playing field. There were so many neat stories though. Athletes who had overcome so much, and who had done so much for so many others. The top five were all amazing athletes who all deserved the honor of carrying the flag in the ceremonies. It was a tough decision.

Today we started our day off with a press conference. It was fun! I have had the opportunity to be a part of a few press conferences this year, but this was by far the coolest. We were on a stage with lights blaring on us, and there were actually reporters out in the audience. We had a question and answer session and then had a chance to do some one on one interviews. It was a great experience. You can look for stories in the local papers (Houston, and Salt Lake).

I cant believe that the events are starting in two days. Some of the other sports have already begun competition. The US Womens Soccer team played Greece last night. Archery also had their qualifying rounds this morning. It is pretty cool because our balcony looks right over the archery field, so we got to see some of it today.

Big day tomorrow. I may not write before the ceremonies, but I will definately let you all know everything about it afterwards.

Well, we are back in the air conditioned city of Athens, Greece. We had a great trip to Germany and got in a lot of good training. We were all excited to get back to the village though. It is funny how it has become our home for the next little while and we all couldnt wait to get back. The village is much busier now that we are approaching opening ceremonies. The airport was much more busy than when we first arrived, and there are many more athletes roaming the streets of the athlete village. I can only imagine what the cafeteria is like (havent made it there yet).

A few more days to opening ceremonies. I cant wait. It is going to be a great experience, hopefully we wont be on our feet too long. I have heard horror stories. Just to be there will be great though.

A nice quiet Sunday here in Germany. After a day off from training yesterday I was excited to get back into the water again. What an awesome talent that I have been blessed with, and I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been given through diving. I am so excited to compete in a few weeks against the best in the world.

We had a nice team dinner last night. We went to an authentic German restaurant and ate very authenic food. I had stuffed cabbage that was very good. Some of the other interesting foods were boiled pigs knuckle, lots of sauerkraut, and some meat jello type thing. We had a great time and of course, ate way too much.

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of my niece. I will be a first time uncle anytime now. My brother Jason and his wife Camille live up in Spokane, Washington, and should have a new little baby enter their lives any day. She is due today (I believe), but the doctor told her it might come next week some time. What an exciting time! I cant wait to be an uncle.

Today I have the day off from diving. I have worked hard since I arrived in Europe, and I figured I had better give my back a little break so that it continues to feel good. So Kimiko and I decided to take advantage of our break by doing a little site seeing in West Berlin. We are staying in East Berlin, and while it is nice, we heard that West Berlin is much nicer.

It is nicer on the other side of the wall. We saw the ruins of an old church that was bombed out during the war. They have left it in same condition and built a new church right next to it. What a powerful reminder of the affects of war! There were many great stores and Kimiko ended up buying a few things. I was very temped, but I was able to resist and came home empty handed. I will save my shopping for Athens!

Tonight we are going to eat at an authentic German restaurant. We went to one when we were here in February, and are very excited to go again. It should be a fun team experience. I will tell you how it is tomorrow!

Well, a few days gone by and we find ourselves in a different country. We are currently training in Berlin, Germany and have enjoyed our decision to get out of Athens for a few days. We have the pool to ourselves and are getting some great training in. The pool here is beautiful. It was built for the 2000 Olympic bid (it is a shame they didnt get it, but they sure got a nice pool from it) and has one of the best dryland rooms I have ever seen. It is like a playground for big kids! Our hotel is nice, and is located right across the train tracks from the pool, it could use an air conditioner though.

Each day my diving improves, I am feeling more comfortable on the boards, and am getting my timing back. It is taking some time, but is a good lesson in patience.

The team is doing great. It is fun to have a great team and we just feed off of each other. This morning Sara had a great workout and it just makes you want to do well. Not much else is going on, so I wont bore you with stories of my napping, and shopping for food. Thanks for your support!

The Olympic Village is starting to fill up now, but was very quiet for a while. The Greeks are hurrying to get ready for the games to start. The first few days we were here, the bus drivers didnt know where to drop us off to go to our training. They got us to the general site, but then we would have to wait up to about 45 min. until they found the spot where they could drop us off.

Our televisions just got delivered last night, and we are all getting cell phones, but we wont get them until after we get back from Germany. All this stuff will be smoothed out when we get back (I hope), but as I said, because we were here so early, we got to help them work everything out.

The venues are also struggling to finish construction. Many are still putting in the landscaping and finishing touches. People are scrambling, but for the most part it looks pretty nice. It is amazing what they were able to do in six months (since the last time that I was here). I doubt you will even know of their struggles on tv. The pool looks great though, and the stadium does too. I cant wait for opening ceremonies.

Many of the US teams are starting to check in as well. Last night the womens soccer team got here, they are staying in the same building as us. The Mens volleyball team also checked in. I am anxious to see them as two of their coaches and one player are from BYU. The cafeteria is getting more crowded as well. They can handle it though, it is so big! There are so many options to choose from, salads, fruit, different ethnic foods, and even a McDonalds. And the best part is that it is open 24hrs. a day and it is all free.

There is a lot of pin trading going on as well. They give us pins that we can use to trade, and I have collected a few cool ones.

We are getting ready to go to Germany tomorrow. I am excited to go there as it will give me a great chance to train hard and come back to Athens ready for competition (although I will have another week before I compete). My back is holding in there, and I am able to do my dives, which is a great blessing. Hopefully it will continue to hold up.

After four days of being in the village running around and training hard we had the afternoon off and got to enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the beach.

After a training session this morning (I am continually doing more dives and my back is still feeling pretty good!) we rushed back to our apartments so we could shed our USA outfitting (for security purposes) and go be tourists for a while. We boarded a bus that would drop us off at the sailing venue as we knew that would get us close to the water. From there we loaded onto one of the new trams that is running in the city (it was very nice) and a few stops down the road we had shopping, restaurants, and the beach.

After walking around a bit and not finding anything interesting to buy, we decided to head to the water. We found a nice spot with a little sand, and a lot of sun. Their beach is nothing compared with Galviston (HaHa), but it was nice. The best part was that I got to relax and read my book. We have been running since the day we arrived, and it felt great just to be lazy while listening to the waves of the Mediteranian crash into the sand. Sounds nice huh?!

On the bus ride home we got to go past some of the other venus. They looked great. Soccer, Volleyball and Beach Volleyball. I am getting excited. We even had a nice view of the Parthenon from the bus.

Another day of hard training tomorrow and then we head to Germany where we will have our final push until competition. The time is rapidly approaching!

After three days in Greece we are really starting to get settled in. The bus drivers finally know where they are going, and the jetlag is losing its effect. The village is starting to fill up with athletes as well. Last night the Canadian dive team as well as the Great Britain team got in, so the pool was a little more crowded this morning.

Training has been going well. My back is doing great and I am slowly working my way back to normal training. What a blessing it is to be training again, I love my sport and it is hard to have to sit back and watch not being able to participate. It is like they say, you dont know what you have until it is taken away.

Everyone on the team is diving great, lots of rips! We are getting close as a team, and this is so important. We are all staying in three apartments that are all right next to each other. The boys in one, the girls in one, and the coaches in the other. It is neat to see all the support to and from the team members. I have really noticed this with my injury. Everyone is always so concerned with how my back feels, and with the progress I am making. It has really helped me to get through what could have been a difficult four weeks. Thanks guys!

Hello from Greece! After about 24 hours of travel we finally made it to Athens. It was quite a journey, with a few bumps, but we are here in the village and enjoying the Olympic experience.

On our flight over from Chicago to Dulles we were delayed. Because of this we had to sprint through the airport just to make it to our flight to Munich, Germany with only 30 sec. to spare. And they werent nice about it either, they were yelling at us to get on the plane and sit down! Well, we just made it and had a nice flight overseas. It actually went rather quickly. I didnt sleep much though and was ready for bed when we finally arrived in Athens (at 3pm) so I forced myself to stay awake as we checked into the village and settled in (without our bags because while we made the flight, our bags did not). The village is awesome. There are not many other teams checked in yet, so it is a little quiet, but it is so cool, there are apartments everywhere, the dining hall is huge, and it is open 24hrs. Our rooms are nice, although a little bland. Lots of white walls. We are going to put up a few flags and posters to make them a little more exciting.

Today we went to the American College of Greece (where the USOC is based during the games) and did our official processing. We got rings from OC Tanner, and all of our clothes from Addidas and Roots. We got so much stuff, it was so fun. One of the ladies who helped us at OC Tanner actually went to Sky View (my high school). I know her brother really well. She also gave Rachelle and I a special gift from OC Tanner to the Utah Olympians. It is a 14k gold pin with a diamond in it. It is very nice.

After that we went to the pool to workout. It looked great. They had made a few adjustments and changes since we were here in Feb. and it looks really nice. I was also able to workout (doing more that I have in four weeks) and have virtually no pain. It is a little sore now, but it isnt bad. I am very pleased about that. It felt really good to be diving again!