The sun., 1919-02-16
LITTLE MERMAIDS
| NOW RIVAL ELDERS
Misses Riggin, Wainwright
and Ederle Are Real In
FAINT Prodigies.
NOT YET IN TEENS
Lassies Perform Water Feats
Many Mature Swimmers
Are Incapable OF.

Tho most remarkable and interesting
feature of the present swimming sea-
son Is the brilliant work displayed by
little mermaids still shy Of their teens.
tiny stars ranging in age from 10 TO IL
who have attained extraordinary skill In
all branches Of Workmanship and are
making their mark in open competition.
It only Is a few days ago that in a
meet held In this city three budding
champions from the New York Women's
8, A-Eileen Riggin- Helen VAIN
wright and Gertrude Ederle-- all young
sters Of ~. SWAN forty yards within
less than second OF each other In
20 rs seconds, winners time. thereby
attaining speed never before approached
by tiny tots OF their size and often UNI
equalled even in races for women.
Nor IL the ability OF these diminutive
prodisies confined to sprint swimming
All three are expert at the breast and
back stroke. While Eileen specialiZes
at distance swimming. a line of sport
at which she has defeated many able
full grown rivals up to two miles. Helen
devotes herself chiefly to high and fancy
diving. She has returned scores in open
contests which place her among the
foremost fair divers In America quite
irrespective OF age.
Wonderful "I<itty" Drown.
Another local water baby OF excep-
tienal skill Ii Katherine. ten-year-old
daughter of Commodore Alfred Brown,
the famous marathon swimmer. She does
fifty yards with the crawl around As sec
onds, is equally clever at the back stroke.
can execute a long string OF dives In ex-
cellent form and demonstrates rescue
and resuscitation like a veteran life
saver. To see her handle and tow a
200 pound subject in the water Is a
sight worth going a long way to see.
/ Cleveland, Ohio, has n wonder-diver
in Mary Porter. girl OF II. She
caused q sensation recently by winning
the city's springboard championship for
women from a large and representative
field. Efforts since have been made by
envious rivals to dispute her claim to
the title, but no less an authority than
Harry Stevens, who has developed
virtually every crack waterman and
maid In Cleveland. asserts that Mary
not only captured the crown fairly and
through superior work, but is beyond
question the greatest diver Of her sex
In the city.
In Philadelphia immature girls have
figured prominently all season, but the
one whose achievements stamp her as
peerless in her own section is twelve
year-old Mildred Seiple Of the Gymnas-
tic Society. Her performances indicate
she Is dangerous rival to the leading
New York stars Of her years
Little "Dot" O'Brien.
| Dorothy o'Brien, lassie Just en-
tering her teens is the pride OF Chicago.
She holds the city's 100 yard breast
stroke championship for women. and she
has covered this distance in I 37 time,
which in the very near past would have
meant national record brackets for her.
In many other cities. notably In
Pittsburg. Boston. Duluth. Detroit. Co
lumbus, Milwaukee, Los Angeles. San
Francisco and Seattle, the little nymphs
are vielng with their elders IN the
race for aquatic laurels, but those men
toned are deserving OF special attention
I because they must be classed as real
pTodigies
Particular interest attaches the bril-
liant performances OF the infant mer-
maids Just now. A water carnival
will be staged for them before long
In the winter pool at Brighton Beach
under the supervision OF the New
York women's S. A. Steps are be-
ing taken to secure for tho meet every
little star OF 10 or under who ha.
shown exceptional skill They will come
from IA number OF cities.
The fixture promises to be one OF the
most surprising of the year. for the
public at large has no idea of the amaz.
Ing ability developed by the child
dcvotees of water sports.