| Show aup DIVING SCARES HER I r (See Front Cover) Paula Myers our new champ isn't frightened by fractures and bruises — only by spectators e misfit Most girls who became stars determinagot there either by tion or because they were born talented Not Paula Jean "She has practically everything wrong with her" says Lyle Draves her coach "Can't get mad at the opposition Giggles when I give her a fight talk On top of that she's so thy in front of a crowd that it hurts" Logic can't explain it since divers as a group are extroverts — strutters who are judged on poise on the board as well as on mid-a- ir is actually one of technique "P our prettiest performers Probably her stage-frigcan be blamed on her youth In one meet she even refused to jump star audience Diving before a society-movat a Beverly Hills natatorium she needed only is perfect) seonhevent jackknife hLoota:ts big-tim- tooth-and-n- by Al Stump V Photographs by Fa Dort Omits J" that only the Rus- Paula Jean Myers At appreciated the Olympic Games last summer Soviet athletes remained generally aloof but Miss Myers 17 and the youngest entrant in the women's diving had a number of them following her around They pointed while it seemed ie - chattered unintelligibly and even went so far as to pat her head — practically Party rebellion "What are they trying to do?" she asked her team manager in alarm "Date p win - ctoti ' speed-lig- ht shot tears Eldiss Out IN FLORIDA recently she won the US title over defending champion Pat McCormick but meeting pigtails and give it to them for a souvenir" Paula Jean didn't sur- sportswriters afterward SHE'S 0 chomp at 17 render her braids any more made her nervous She hid out in a teammate's than she did her ambition to become the world's No I feminine diver hotel room until hauled forth by Draws It has been a long pull In the past six years dinner At a she has jumped off towers and springboards Joe E Brown invited Paula Jean to 150000 times traveled 300 miles through the introduce herself to the crowd She blushed air and another 550 miles under water stuttered couldn't get her name out Brown These are merely aggregate figures not wondered "What'll she do when a boy asks her for a date?" showing the troubles involved work is punishing when you are only Dates are necessarily few The girl got and weigh 126 pounds The take-of- f is where she is because she has pride a from 33 feet and you have 16 seconds to concoach and a schedule which would tort yourself into intricate patterns If you stagger the pverage man don't hit the water cleanly it is as divers She lives in Covina Calif with her widowed mother Blanche on a orange farm say like mocking head first into a mud-han- k Not at all tomboyish Paula Jean has Up daily at 630 she travels 12 miles to broken a hand chipped six front teeth and junior college hurries home at noon to catch gashed her head in bouncing off the pool bota bus to the athletic dubpool 30 miles away tom For five of the six years she also despaired and arrives at 230 She goes through as many of ever !tinning anythingimportant She was as 200 practice dives until 8 pm busses second in the Olympics second and third in home does her school work and hits the sack several dozen AAU meets at midnight And amateur Her family's not wealthy Ous Bast lot divers pay their own way When Paula Jean BUT even as critics were first began diving at 12 she hated to add her calling her an also-ra- n she came through last April with daztransportation expense to the family budget zling nips which won the national g arid arrived for workouts looking peaked championship at Daytona Beach Fla Coaches "What did you have for lunch?" she was asked now consider the slim youngster our best bet "Well — nothing" she confessed She'd to capture a gold medal at the '56 Olympics been skipping lunch at school and using the in Australia her money for fare Now Mrs Myers sends This is unusual since they also call her a Continued on page 31 ' aerie emit her complicated descent for photographer's !: ik 714' N'''s up?" "It's not that bad" he translated "They want you to cut off one of your IMMO tk kt She end of the plank later claimed she got dizzy Rushing down the ladder she broke into I me ' ail ic High-platfor- m slave-drivin- g 20-ac- re high-divin- PAULA dm 12 Ms surfoce at 50 mph reaches bottom fast Once she ICO'cl herself TA' |
