Evening star., 1932-01-13
SWIMMING CHAMP
. A DYNAMO OF PEP
Seattle Girl, II, Likes Air.
planes, Swift Autos, but
Can't Dive a Lick.
BY FRANK GORRIE.


- EATTLE, Wash, January 13.
When motor cycle cops in
~ Seattle aren't leading pro-
- cession in honor Of Helene
Madison they are chasing her with
official tags.
A brilliant roadster came into
her life recently and since then
there has been no depression in
the traffic division Of the local
police department. She goes
everywhere with the top and the
accelerator down.
But speeding slips mean nothing to
this l7-year old girl, who ranks as one
of the greatest swimmers of all times
Fifty miles an hour through traffic on
the busiest street in town is Just a
breeze.
Speed fascinates her. In the water
she holds Is world records and 90 ca
the 81 American marks in the tree
style division. Travel to her is synony-
nous with sirplanes. She likes to play
POKER, DuJ size IOtcCo JliC Nai Ao
50 fast that there is nothing but misery
In the game for others.
Courts Film Fame.
Right now she is beset with all the
trenors and excitement Of II growing
I'm. Only in the past year has she
learned to dance. She wants to be
movie actress. Clark Gable is "w-o-o-n-
derf-u-u-ul."
She pretends to smoke at parties, likes
beer and thinks champagne is grand, par
ticularly when the bubbles get up your
nose. And club sandwiches.
Clothes have suddenly become tre-
mendously important. They used to be
the least Of her worries. An old red
sweater was her boon companion on her
first trip East two years ago. But now!
The absolute height of fashion, topped
by a Princess Eugene bonnet. Pretty.
Smart. And with a little white poodle
that resembles the business END OF a
new mop to add the final touch OF
tone.
A Boy and a Diamond.
Of course, there's boy. And dia-
mond.
Puppy love" says her coach, Ray
Daughters. She'll get over it."
But she turned down an amateur tour
of Europe last Summer because of this
and that.
Daughters says she is the hardest girl
to handle he ever met. She has so
much pep and vitality she eXhausts
every one around her on trip. But
one week away and she's homesick.
Helene has two superstitions about
her swimming and she Is very serious
indeed about them.
L. nTG l.1fI "a 40 al
WAYS accompanies her to the side of the
pool. The other is black silk bathing
suit, the one she broke her first rec
ord In.
The suit Is worn out now and wouldn't
pass the censors, but 1t must last until
her record breaking career is over. Her
compromise with the legal requirements
is another suit worn over the old black
one.
oiympics Frixhten Her.
The coming olympics in Los Angeles,
with the responsibility of carrying
Americas burden in the women's races,
frighten her. Particularly, she is ap-
prehensive of Magda Lemkey of Buda-
pest, who is reported to have swum 100
meters In l:o9 as. Helenes record is
1:os AS.
There is no off season in swimming
for her, even when she is busy selling
insurance She completes for II months
in the year and trains hard the other
30 days.
She lists more boys than girls among
her friends. She wishes she had more
time to compete in track, basket ball,
base ball. and hockey, but swimming
won't let her.
Most Of ALL she wishes she were
boy with q name like Jim" or Pete"
or Bill" Her middle name is Emma.
And for all her swimming ability, she
cannot dive a lick.