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Show awoi.'W' -- HS ! U.i ZD feb&iiKa -: ilVfX?,- s SMsp .i ' ' , ' ' , - v s -- ' Dedication Only Way To Become Champ , , J $ t 'y ,1 i r W vV:, By Anne Wilson Tribune Staff Writer ' f '- '!i COTTONWOOD - HEIGHTS It's a frustrat ing experience to work toward being an athlete There's the boredom, the temptation. It wasn't a prots lem with me because I had that tunnel vision. Bob Clotworthy knows literally the ups and downs of a professional athlete. He is an former Olympic diving champion, the wimier of a gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Australia. At 47, he hasn't given up the sport entirely. Since 1977, he has been coaching part-tim- e for the Granite School District and working with divers at the Cottonwood Heights Community Spa, East. ' ' i- vik - - s - -- ", ' "- ", - V ,?y - J Vf f iCV 3 - d v' - - ,' V f & m , T- - t? i it-- 45 'jsr,7'V-''1- &? JS :? tri y-r- ' , ' '- , 'iV t ?"4 - ' ':: ..,v ,5 7500-230- 0 Olympic Prospect Many of his hours there have been spent with a young diver whose talent will take her to the Olympics. he says, within the next five years. ' - Tribune Staff Photos by Tim Kellv His star pupil, Tristan Maker, a junior at East High School, last year won first place in the 15 to class at the tournament for the U.S. nationals. He is justifiably proud of her. When he first met Tristan, he said, he thought she was good, but not good enough to attend the qualifying meet of the National Amateur Athletic Union. Four weeks later, he took her to the U.S. nationals. Was Determination There? She made such dramatic improvement that I took her to a more important meet, he said. I knew I had a great talent in the summer of 77. But I didnt think I had her long enough to see if the determination was there, if she was going to be a great competitor. The ability to compete is the most important characteristic a diver must have, he said, because s M- f. 'ir -- S without it. all the talent in the world won't bring success. Bob Clotworthy is no stranger to competition. He began his diving career at age 9, in a YMCA pool in his New Jersey home town. From that point, talent and hard work carried him to the most prestigious competition in the world, the Olympic Games. In 1949, he joined the team at Ohio State University, at that time the best collegiate team in the country, where he was able to compete with national champions. He won the Big 10 Conference and the National Open. And he is an and champion. There was no place to go but up. My goal was the Olympics, Mr. Clotworthy recalled. I made it by hard work combined with talent. At that time in my life I had total tunnel vision. I narrowed in on diving to the See Page II-- 6 t t. n ' s, o st ....,4 j" .v A 4 &. ...S' , , . . : 81 fc; State swimming ' champion Tristan Baker works ' out for her coach Bob Clotworthy ' Tristan finishr list of ' competition dives. |