Going from competing in high school to actually making it onto an NCAA Diving team is quite a leap. Before you do anything, you have to learn the rules for eligibility, and make sure you follow them to the T. This requires maintaining a GPA above 2.3, enrolling in an NCAA-mandated number of courses, and contacting the coaching staff before you get there (source).

So if you've met all those standards and feel confident that you can toe all those fine lines, you just have to find a way to actually catch the college diving coach's attention. Unlike other college sports, diving programs don't have a lot of resources devoted to them, so you have to go out of your way to get noticed (source).

Make a video of your competitions. Hone your skills. Visit the school. Add them on Facebook. Send them love letters. Okay, maybe just those first three (source). Even then, baking them cookies wouldn't hurt.

Competing on the high school team isn't always enough. You should also join as many local teams as you can to get experience and exposure, and you also have to audition. It's like American Idol, except without William Hung. Maybe.

You should also know how to do all the different types of dives in the competition to make a well-rounded, entertaining dive list (source). Give 'em the ol' razzle dazzle.

Beyond that, you have to know the different elements the judges look for in a dive, and how the scoring works. Dives aren't just judged as pretty or fun. Close attention is paid to the diver's starting position, approach, take-off, flight, and entry (source). Of course, doing all those things well will make the dive more pretty, but pretty isn't enough. It also has to have the proper format and technique. Yep, welcome to the real world.

If you've achieved all of those things and enjoy dealing with the pressure and scrutiny that comes with competing in a dive meet, jump on in—the water's great.