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Fourth-Place Medal, a Yahoo! Sports blog covering the Summer Olympics in Beijing

Fourth-Place Medal

Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:31 pm EDT

The mystery of the showering divers

By Chris Chase

Over the last three nights, NBC has led its primetime Olympic coverage with synchronized diving. According to the stacks of letters that have poured into the Fourth-Place Medal Investigative Unit Headquarters, you've all been watching but are baffled by one facet of the competition. In that case, you're in the right place. After successful forays into the cases of Cullen Jones' disappearance and the identity of the hot Paraguayan, Fourth-Place Medal will today tackle the mystery of the showering divers.

After completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards. Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms. Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this?

Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.

Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool. The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.

Mystery: solved. (Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open.The water cube cost over $200 million to build. They couldn't have put a privacy wall in?!)

If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, leave your question in the comments section. For regular mysteries consult your nearest library and head to the children's mystery section. The selection of Hardy Boys books will provide all the guidance you need.)

Photo via Getty Images

Related: Olympic Mystery Solved

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9423 Comments

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  1. Snuffy Smith
    1. Posted by Snuffy Smith Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:20 pm EDT

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    200 million for the water cube? How can that be justified?
  2. Mike W
    2. Posted by Mike W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

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    i have a question. what is michael phelps listening to on his ipod before each race???
  3. Cal
    3. Posted by Cal Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:42 pm EDT

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    Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open.
    For TV ratings.....
  4. David
    4. Posted by David Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    Zippy sounds like another person who's complaining about losing medals to people who appear little. Realize that Asians are genetically shorter than Caucasians. They also dive more perfectly. There's already a minimum age set and all those athletes go through extensive scrutiny for their age and also go through tests for illegal substances.
    Of course, I didn't hear the media complain about steroids when Marion Jones won golds in Sydney or when Floyd Landis won the Tour de France. Look where they are now.
    I can guarantee you that you won't be complaining about age if the American team was filled by young-looking athletes.
  5. Rickycardo
    5. Posted by Rickycardo Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    I have a question. Name the only (so far) American gold medal winner at these games whose name won't be mentioned? Now do a seach for Glenn Eller. It's too bad that medal winners will be forgotten simply because their sport is unpopular. Give up? He won a gold medal in trap shooting. I refuse to enter a gun argument here but at least give a medal winner (and world record breaking) his due.
  6. ahsxc
    6. Posted by ahsxc Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:47 pm EDT

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    I have a diving venue mystery that needs to be solved. Directly below the diving boards (which is visible as the platform divers exited the pool the last couple events) you can see jets of water shooting out into the pool. At every Olympics I can remember this is the case, what's the point of it?
  7. reno
    7. Posted by reno Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:50 pm EDT

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    @ the liist
    I don't know what media you have been paying attention to, but the media here was VERY critical of Jones and Landis when the truth came out... I also have lost all respect for them both, and anyone who doesn't follow the rules.
  8. Mickey D.
    8. Posted by Mickey D. Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:14 pm EDT

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    Biggest Olympic mystery of all: how is dressage scored, and why is it an olympic event?
    The world may never know.
  9. kuhlarrow
    9. Posted by kuhlarrow Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:54 pm EDT

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    Have you seen ALL the swimmers take a GULP of water from the pool then SPIT it back into the pool!!!!???!!!! Hell, I'd shower too if I had to dive into spit!!! Now you know the REST of the Story....
  10. Brian L
    10. Posted by Brian L Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:59 pm EDT

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    The water shooting at the surface of the water has a very important purpose. From high elavations you can not tell the difference between the surface of the water and the bottom of the pool. The jets of water provide a ripple effect on the water so the diver can tell where the surface is. Hope this helps.
  11. josh2
    11. Posted by josh2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

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    I would also like to know what Michael Phelps has on his ipod before his events.
  12. David
    12. Posted by David Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    That's what I was thinking, too, Slayer. Also, Slayer is a great band.
    Apparently Phelps listens to hip-hop
  13. jujubeez
    13. Posted by jujubeez Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

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    really?!?!? is this what the olympics is all about??? dumb stuff like, "why are the swimmers taking a shower after a dive?" maybe, i don't know or anything-you know i ain't no genius, it's the same reason why they have showers at pools and beaches??? even if i am wrong, who cares??? how do people cheat by taking a shower - in front of an audiance no less.................
  14. Kamatari
    14. Posted by Kamatari Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    Chris, have you watched, oh, the past four Olympics? The showers for the divers have always been out in the open -- this is not a new thing. Quite frankly, there is no need for privacy when divers are just rinsing off their muscles, and having showers out in the open allows them to check out their scores and scope out their competition as well.
  15. b.p.
    15. Posted by b.p. Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:02 pm EDT

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    How is it that baseball and softball are being removed from the olympics, while something so utterly gratuitous as "synchronized diving" remains? If you can make a competition out of two people diving at the same time, why stop there? What about synchronized pole vaulting, or synchronized hurdles?
  16. Rick T
    16. Posted by Rick T Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    Couldn't they just crank up the heat to 80degrees? :D
  17. islandlife1321
    17. Posted by islandlife1321 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

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    I think its HOT when they shower!!!
  18. Logan
    18. Posted by Logan Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:55 pm EDT

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    200 million what a steal
  19. Michael Vick s Mom
    19. Posted by Michael Vick's Mom Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:00 pm EDT

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    I love the comments with fractured synatx, from names like Bob or Jones or Megan or Jason, who are apologists for China and U.S. denigrators. They're on every www site relating to the Olympics. They're awfully defensive. Could the Chinese government or Olympic committee be paying these people?
  20. Erika
    20. Posted by Erika Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:53 pm EDT

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    who really cares
    seriously
    i cannot believe the little idiocyncracies people need to observe when there is REAL stuff to report reply & comment on during the olympics
    GET A LIFE PEOPLE!!!!!
  21. Pete M
    21. Posted by Pete M Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

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    "Divers keep their suits on, of course..." What a stupid thing to point out.
  22. Michael Vick s Mom
    22. Posted by Michael Vick's Mom Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:00 pm EDT

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    Aha, another one.
  23. Karen R
    23. Posted by Karen R Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    If the new swim suits are so awesome and allow record breaking times, why then do the men often only wear half a suit for competition?
  24. KJ
    24. Posted by KJ Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:11 pm EDT

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    Do Beach Volleyball woman HAVE to wear bikinis? As opposed to the men who wear shorts and t-shirts? Doesn't it seem a little sexist?
  25. daniel
    25. Posted by daniel Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:30 pm EDT

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    Seriously, Phelps listens to Lil Wayne-"I'm Me" he said it on the tonight show i think, go to hiphopdx.com they posted it

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