It definitely wouldn't have received a 'perfect 10' from the judges, but Darren Taylor's dive, which looked like more of a belly flop, was worthy of a one award ...a Guinness World Record.
Taylor, 47, more commonly known as Professor Splash, challenged and beat his own world record by diving 35 feet 5 inches into 12 inches of water at Water World, 1850 W. 89th Ave., in Federal Heights June 26.
"Bringing the record back to my home crowd is spectacular," said the Denver-native, whose previous records were from dives performed overseas.
The home crowd got quite a show as they temporarily forgot about water slides and wave pools, gathering almost an hour in advance to watch the festivities.
Entertained by performers from Five Star Talent, the spectators looked-on as the set was painstakingly prepared.
A radio tower more than three stories high with a platform only big enough for a pair of feet, overlooked the crowd. More than 35 feet below, a bed of high-density foam laid beneath a children's blow-up pool, complete with smiling dolphins and killer whales, filled with 12 inches of water and 200 pounds of melting ice.
"When I hit, I want hard water," Taylor said about the freezing water temperature, comparing the logistics of the jump to a knife going through warm versus cold butter.
As the moment of truth drew nearer, Taylor slinked slightly behind the scenes to stretch and prepare."You're the best in the world, there's a reason for that," he muttered to himself. "Chin up," he said, going through the motions of the dive.
As 11:30 a.m. drew near, the crowd shielded their eyes from the bright sun and tracked Taylor's ascent up the tower ladder.
As he stood poised to make the leap, Taylor thought about his form and making sure to get enough separation from the ladder.
"You have to jump into position," Taylor said. "I never look at that pool, ever."
As the crowd went silent, Taylor leaped from the tower, accelerating to 38 mph before slamming horizontally into the water, creating a mini-tsunami that crashed over the edges of the small pool.
The crowd cheered as Taylor emerged from the water, his arms raised victoriously.
"It was amazing, I've never seen anyone break a record before," Corbin Fitzgerald, 12, of Broomfield said.
Amidst the cheers, were also sighs of relief.
"You anticipate it to work perfectly, but there are no guarantees," said Paul Borrillo, the master of ceremonies.
Taylor has been diving since he was four years old and sharpened his skills by diving at Casa Bonita restaurant and Elitch Gardens. He set his first world record in 2005, diving at 33 feet 10 inches. Taylor's longtime-friend and former diving team partner Scott Stanley, helps set up for many of Taylor's local dives.
"He's a born a high diver," Stanley said.
Besides setting a new record, Taylor's dive also signified the opening of a new Water World park section, The Big Top Family Fun Zone. In an inventive 'ribbon-splashing' ceremony, a red ribbon stretched across Taylor's pool, was broken as Professor Splash hit the water. The Big Top is an 8,600 square feet circus-themed area.
"It was a big dive for The Big Top," Taylor said.
Shortly after the dive, despite a very red chest and having felt his skeleton move upon impact, Taylor said he couldn't feel any pain at the moment.
"Right now, I have the Guinness glow," he said.
