The Contestant. Stephanie Doyle

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 chatter in his headset as the production people gave the okay to cut to poolside. He was told that the on-the-spot guy was in position. He held up his hand and made the motion to the commentators that they needed to cut to him.

      “Susan, let’s see if we can talk to our correspondent, Chuck, who is down at the poolside now. Chuck, what is the situation down there?”

      The cameraman again took his eyes off the two in front of him to watch the monitor. Chuck’s face filled the screen. The camera guy downstairs was doing a good job of keeping the activity of the divers in the camera’s view without letting it get too distracting.

      “Well, John, Susan, I had it confirmed. On her fifth dive Talia did break two of her fingers, I believe the first two on her right hand, as well as dislocated the other two fingers at the knuckles. I got a quick glance at her hand before her coach covered it up with a towel and it’s already starting to swell pretty badly. They’re not letting reporters in the locker room, but I’ve been told they’re going to try to pop the two fingers back into place and wrap the other two with tape. I’m also told that she will be executing her final dive. I’ll let you know when I have more. Back to you, John.”

      Upon Chuck’s lead-in the cameraman quickly checked to see that the heads were centered in the monitor.

      “That’s amazing.”

      “Why do you say that, Susan?”

      “First that she had the will to dive in the first place knowing what it was going to feel like when she entered the water. And second that she was able to change the order of her hands, something that’s probably routine for her, without really blowing it. I’ve never seen a diver able to switch technique midcompetition and be successful. Like I said before, Talia is a gritty competitor and she is obviously not going to give up without a fight.”

      “Here is Chu Lau up on the platform now. She can secure the gold with a total score of eighty-four-point-two points.”

      “Which, given her difficulty level, means she’s looking for sevens and eights. But I do want to comment here, John. You can really see the difference in maturity between these two divers. Chu Lau is only fourteen compared to Talia, who is almost ten years older. She doesn’t walk with any real confidence. I would like to see those shoulders back a little more. But when it comes to diving there is no one more precise with her positioning. This dive is an inward twisting two-and-a-half tuck somersault. There she goes. Man, she’s quick in the air.”

      “Whoa. That’s going to be tough to beat, isn’t it, Susan?”

      “That’s