The Contestant. Stephanie Doyle

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СКАЧАТЬ position with only fourteen-year-old Chu Lau from China in front of her. Given the rest of Talia’s dives, if she executes, she has the difficulty elements necessary possibly to overtake Chu Lau for first.”

      “Why don’t you break down this dive for us?”

      “It’s an arm-stand back double pike. It’s got a difficulty level of three point two. Talia will start this from a handstand position. She’ll fall back into two complete somersaults in the pike position before entering the water. It’s one of Talia’s favorites. It’s difficult, but it shows her gracefulness.”

      “Graceful seems to be the right word, Susan. Given her significant size over Chu Lau—probably six inches in height and at least twenty pounds—it’s amazing that Talia doesn’t create any more splash upon impact into the water.”

      “That’s all about technique, John. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are. If you’re not executing the dive correctly, you’re going to make a splash.”

      “It looks like Talia is next.”

      “And I love this part about her, as well. She’s completely still on the platform. She’s not shaking out muscles or doing anything that would detract from the overall impact of her long, slim body. She may not like being on stage, but she knows how to do it right to create an image of fluidness even before she goes into the dive. Remember this is a judged competition where every point counts.”

      Knowing the camera was steady on the heads, the cameraman tilted his neck toward the monitor on his right that was broadcasting the event. The production guys upstairs would know when to cut from the pool to the announcers and would in turn let him know. For now everything was focused on the girl on top of the sky-high platform.

      Man, she was something. He couldn’t help but admire the length of her body. Like one lean line wearing nothing more than a clingy blue tank suit. Her legs seemed to go on to forever and her broad shoulders suggested that she was just as strong in the water as she was flying through the air. Her hair was short and choppy and so icy blond that when it was dry it looked like a color only an angel might lay claim to. Certainly not a color any chemical could reproduce. And the way her nose curved up made her seem sweetly innocent despite the fact that she was a woman brave enough to fly thirty feet through the air.

      Yes, she was a tall drink of water, as his long-dead father would have said. And he was too damn old himself to be having such thoughts. But what the hell, a man could look, couldn’t he? Tearing his gaze away from the monitor he once again focused on the heads.

      “Look at that handstand in the air,” Susan noted. “Strong, straight, no shaking arms, she holds it, holds it, holds it, and there she goes.”

      Wow, the cameraman thought. Good dive.

      “Wow,” John said.

      “Wow is right, John. She ripped that one. Beautiful quick rotation and another smooth entry into the water. Given the difficulty I wouldn’t be surprised to see eights and nines on this…. And I’m right! Look at those scores. This is really exciting for Talia.”

      “Now wait a minute. What’s that? Do you see the way she’s holding her hand?”

      “Uh-oh, that’s her coach coming over.”

      This time there was more chatter in his headset. The production people were shouting quick orders to keep a camera on the girl and the coach no matter what. And the on-the-spot guy was being told to get into position.

      “He’s looking at it now, but she seems to be shaking her head at him. I can’t see anything in the replay that looks as though it might have caused an injury. But she’s moving away from her coach and heading for the whirlpool. I think she’s okay. Either way, she’s rinsing off and getting ready for the next dive.”

      “Did she even see those scores?”

      “If she didn’t someone is telling her now. Two more dives like that and Talia has a shot at the gold.”

      “While some of the other divers take their position on the platform, let’s talk about diving. Susan, I don’t think people realize how physically demanding this sport can be.”

      “Absolutely, John. Everyone remembers Greg Louganis smacking his head on the springboard, and falling almost lifelessly into the water. And that is a very real danger. Both on the springboard and the platform, the goal is to create height at the time of takeoff rather than distance from the board. As a result, divers’ heads can come perilously close to the edge. In addition to that is the fact that their bodies are hitting the water at speeds up to thirty-seven miles per hour. That’s a lot of pounding on a body over time. If you’re off position even slightly, you can easily break a bone, dislocate a shoulder, wrench a knee. And no one is perfect all of the time. So many of these divers have experienced injuries at least once, if not several times over the course of their careers. Pain becomes a constant companion in their lives.”

      “I can see Talia climbing the steps to the top of the platform and she is really favoring that hand.”

      “Yes, something is definitely wrong with her right hand, but whatever it is it’s not bad enough to keep her from these last dives apparently. Like I said, Talia is a tough competitor. She knows she’s close. She’s not going to let pain get in her way.”

      “What’s this next dive?”

      “It’s a forward twisting three-and-a-half pike somersault. Again with the difficulty level this could bring in a lot of points, but I have to say if there is something wrong with her hand, it is going to be very hard for her to enter the water cleanly. Obviously, it’s the hands that are first to make impact with the water. A diver’s hands are pushed flat at the last second which creates an entrance for them and helps to lessen water movement when their bodies follow.”

      “And if she broke some fingers on that last dive?”

      “I don’t even want to contemplate the pain involved at impact.”

      “She’s on the board now. Chu Lau made steady sevens on her last go-round.”

      “Again, still polished. Still very poised. John, if she’s in agony right now then she deserves an Oscar, as well as a gold medal, because she sure doesn’t look it. And here she goes… Excellent twisting motion, perfect turns… Oh no, look at that splash. Definitely not as clean as her others have been. I think, if I can see the replay, yes, John, she changed her hand position. She always does right hand down and grips with her left. This time she’s put the left hand first perhaps in an attempt to shield her injury.”

      “What will this do to her scores?”

      “We’ll have to see. There is no specific rule that relates to the size of the splash. This isn’t like figure skating where it’s a set deduction. The judges should be looking for how vertical her entry was. But this is a subjective sport and the truth is the judges really like to see as little water as possible. Here are her scores now.”

      “They’re not bad, Susan.”

      “They’re not bad at all, John. Seven-and-a-half and eights. It was a really good dive, perfect form in the air, very vertical entry with just a slight imperfection at the end. Depending on what Chu Lau does with her next dive, Talia could still have a chance.”

      The cameraman’s attention once again turned to the СКАЧАТЬ