The New York herald., 1922-08-27
DORIS 0'MARA Is
STAR AT THIRTEEN
New York Lassie One of the
Best Girl Swimmers Yet :
Developed.

No longer Is there any doubt that the
New York w. $. A. has developed one
Of the greatest young girl swimmers OF
al, time in Miss Doris O'Mara, a comely
lnssie of Is, recently crowned junior ma
tional champion at $50 yards.
When Doris captured the title tests
at Woodmere, L. l., last week she faced
unusually poor conditions. The fifty
FIVE yard course afforded no facilities for
pushing off at the turns and stiff cross
wind roughed the water and made X
very difficult to hold straight route.
Yet despite these handicaps the little
star covered the distance in IA minutes
43 seconds. One year ago, 1t may be
recalled, Miss Ethelda Bleibtrey, then in
ternational leader. won the senior ma
tional half mile fixture in IA minutes
81 3-5 seconds and defeated in the event
Miss Charlotte Boyle and Miss Helen
Wainwright These times speak for
themselves.
Doris was a green novice when she
joined the w. s. A. ten months ago. Her
stroke had to be remodeled completely.
But steady practice over gradually
lcngthening courses improved her form
rapidly and built UP her swimming
muscles. BY spring she was using the
six beat double trudgeon crawl almost
faultlessly. and no distance was too long
for her. Then she began to show her
speed.
In April she was sent to Buffalo for
her first important race--the junior ma
tional fifty yard dash--and she figured
in the awards A few days later, In
New York. she finished second In the
Junior national 500 yard fixture, herself
going the distance in the remarkable
time of minutes 40 2-5 seconds. This
exploit she followed shortly by taking
third place In the fifty yard metropolitan
classic for seniors.
Her next important achievement was
to fnish sixth in a field OF flfty-two in
the international three and a half mile
swim for the Day cups at Brighton
Beach. This feat was the more impress
sive in that she had never competed IN
a long distance race and her opponents
numbered among them several national
champions and worlds record holders.
But her greatest surprise she sprang in
the senior metropolitan 100 yard title
test at Manhattan Beach. In the alb
sence OF Miss Wainwright victory was
conceded to Miss Aileen Riggin. To
everyone's amazement, instead, Doris
assumed the lead at the start and never
lost 1t. She covered the straightaway
course in / minute IL seconds, a per-
formance which showed she had cut ner
century time by . seconds In as many
months. A couple OF weeks later she
swan 220 yards over a 11o yard stretch
in 3 minutes 4-5 seconds.
More recently she was contender In
the annual two and half mile swim for
women in the harbor of New Haven,
Conn, and she not only finished second
but she beat the time returned by the
winner or the mems race, held stimuli
taneously over the same route. She was
ciocked in hour 20 minutes 40 seconds,
while David Rubin OF New Haven, leader
In the male division, was caught In
hour 27 minutes 25 seconds.
For a girl OF 13 to develop In ten
months from novice into a swimmer
able to figure In championships. ranging
In distance from fifty yards to three and
half miles. Is record unparalleled IN
water sports. Unless all signs fail. lit
tie Miss O'Mara will be In line for the
highest honors before long.