CHILD DIVING WONDER

Evening Star, Issue 22143, 25 September 1935, Page 15

CHILD DIVING WONDER

11-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN CHAMPION ACCOMPLISHES MOST DIFFICULT DIVE America’s' supremacy has been strongly challenged in all branches of swimming, but in diving the competitors from United States still appear to he the world’s best, and little wonder when they start to produce champions at such an early age as they do. Mary Hoerger, 11-year-old _ Florida girl, turned in the aquatic miracle of the age by winning the low-board diving championship of the United States at Manhattan Beach, New York (says 1 Beach and Pool ’). It seems incredible, but it happened, happened against opposition afforded by such great competitors as Mrs Dorothy Poynton Hill, the Olympic titlist, Claudia Eckert, of Chicago, the indoor queen ,and others of renown throughout the country. _ . Picture a wisp of a girl, weighing 741 b, and rising about 3ft Sin from the ground trying a dive never achieved in women’s competition before, and you have the amazing story. She took a chance on a two and ahalf somersault, a high point dive difficult for a man, and she made it. Once she cleaved the waters in this remarkable attempt the score of the little Miami Beach entrant mounted. She finally triumphed with 128.59 points to the 127.80 of Janico Lit son, ol New York, in second place. Mrs Hill was third, with 125.93. At the ago of 11 months Mary Hoerger could swim 40ft. At six years she was diving beautifully. At eight she tried out tor the Olympics. Twice she has taken third in Nationals, and she now becomes the youngest champion in the history of swimming, if not in the historv of sports. Tiny blonde, Mrs Dorothy Lynton Hill, of Los Angeles, won the national high platform diving championship before a crowd of 10.000 at Steeplechase Pier, Coney Island, in the morning. Compiling the highly satisfactory total of 84.39 points, the + 'oot. hazel-eyed titleholder gained her fourth successive victory in this event. Another infant Hoerger, this time 12-year-old Ruth May, was Mrs Hill a leading opponent, but she was left seven points behind, although, she attempted a series of optionals which were two points higher in degree ol difficulty than the champions, lluth May Hoerger’s 11-year-old sister, Mary, was the amazing sprite who defeated Mrs Hill, the Olympic high platform champion, for the spring-board diving title on Thursday. .. Ruth May was voted not so abk as her little sister. A trifle taller, equally spindle-legged and just as daring, Ruth May barely made the grade for runner-up honours. She entered the water cleanly because of her lightness, and this gave her an. advantage. She heat out Ruth Nunm. of the Do? Angeles A.C., by a point and a-half for Second place. , , . , Mrs Poynton was not at ner best, but her compulsory swan dives and her handstand one and one-half somersault one of her four optionals. were executed sensationally. Nines flashed freely from the imWs cards after each one of these. Mrs Poynton s three other optionals were the forward running one and one-half, and the tunning half-gainer. She was consistently good not falling down once in the whole ■series.