Occasionally, following a passion leads to the creation of an unusual and wildly successful enterprise in an unexpected location. Case in point, the nonprofit organization Moss Farms Diving that was founded in Moultrie, Georgia.

After serving his country in World War II as one of a select group of pilots to fly the legendary shark-toothed P-40 fighter planes, the late Robert C. “Moose” Moss returned to his home in Colquitt County. Twenty years later, he and his wife, Janie, resurrected the Flying Tigers’ name, tweaking it to Diving Tigers to denote the team he coached at the diving well on his farm northwest of Moultrie.

Though he’d been a competitive gymnast and admired diving as a sport, Moss had never been a diver. He didn’t let that stop him, and he set out to learn from the best diving coaches in the country to hone his own coaching skills. As his reputation spread, athletes began to trickle in to South Georgia to perfect their diving under his leadership. The unlikely sight, in small rural south Georgia, is home to the Moss Farms Diving Tigers perhaps the country’s most improbable diving powerhouse. This program is often compared to the build-it-and-they-will-come theme from “Field of Dreams”… soon the Moss Farms Diving Tigers were a force to be reckoned with….a force that still stands today!

The small farm diving pool was traded for a world-class facility in 1993, with the dedication of the Moose Moss Aquatic Center in downtown Moultrie. Little did anyone know, but it would become a training site for six Olympic teams, a Can-Am-Mex Championship site, has entertained multiple Regional and Zone Championship meets, and has hosted several national diving championships, including Junior and Senior National Championships. The facility features multiple boards at the diving pool as well as a 6,000-square-foot dry-land gymnasium for additional training. During 2020-2021 season, the Moss Farms Diving facility underwent major renovations. Among the improvements to the facility is an expanded deck area, a relocated hot tub, a new judges podium, new short board stands, four new boards, new gutters around the pool, a new sparger system (which releases compressed air to make bubbles that allow for softer landings for divers), new marcite (the pool coating), an updated video analysis system, new electric infrastructure, a new technology network and new fencing. These renovations allowed our local diving well to continue to stand as one of the top diving facilities in the country.

Moss Farms Diving had a wonderful 2023 competitive season! Many accomplishments were added to the already long list of honors. The Diving Tigers team had a fabulous overall 2023 USA Diving Junior Nationals held in Mission Viejo, CA last July. Moss Farms claimed 3 individual junior national championship titles with ElliReese Niday sweeping the 11 & under girl’s platform, 3 meter, and 1 meter events. Also, Selah Huante, Beck and Amelia Gregory, and Bo Bridges all made finals at Junior Nationals. At the 2023 YMCA National Championships, Moss Farms divers brought home several gold medals. ElliReese Niday swept all three events in the 11 and under event and Luke Hernandez sweeping all the 16-18 men’s events. In the 12-13 age bracket, Austin Leigh Taylor won the tower event while Ruth Anne McCrainie captured the 3 meter 16-18 women’s event.

The 2024 diving season is off to a stellar start in the Moss Farms Diving Tigers early competitive season. Moss Farms claimed the state middle school championship by Austin Leigh Taylor winning the girls and Beck Gregory winning the boys. In the boys and girls 5A High School State championship, Tuck Gregory took the men’s state title in late February. Adding to these accolades, the head coach, Tom Gimm and ElliReese Niday, were named as members of the Junior Olympic Pan AM Championship Team that competed in Lima, Peru in August 2023. While there, ElliReese Niday swept all three events in the 11 & Under age bracket with Tom Gimm as her coach. ElliReese Niday has been named to USA Diving’s 2024 High Performance Tier 3 Junior Squad.

The Moss Farms Diving Tigers was thrilled to host the annual Moose Moss Invitational that draws in nationally ranked competitors from across the country. The Diving Tigers, also, look forward to hosting the upcoming 2024 Zone Meet in Moultrie, Georgia, attracting over 150 divers from 15 different dive teams. Spectators are welcome to attend both events.

Between the reputation of Moss Farms Diving facility and the caliber of divers coming through this program, the Moss Farms Diving Center continues to stand as a beautiful reminder of the American Dream that was cultivated in this small town.