The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-26

There were the Rawls sisters, of Fort Lauderdale = bobbed- haired Katherine, Evelyn, and the youngest and curly-haired Doro- thy.
 There were the Brooklyn sisters, Elizabeth and Erna Kompa; and the now famous Hoerger girls, of Miami, 11-year-old and 73-pound Mary, the youngest person ever to win national title of any kind; Ruth, and Helen.
 It perhaps is just as well for the mermaids of otherslands, that Le- nore Right of Homestead, Pa., hasn't sister who swims anywhere near as well as she does. For be- tween stocky Miss Right, the free style luminary who has succeeded the record d-wrecking Helene Madi- son, and the sister acts, women's swimming in America has been swept to it's topmost height. Rawls Is Rights Rival.
 Katherine Rawls, only slightly less formidable than Miss Right as an all-round star, won the 3O0- meter individual medley and the 220-yard breast stroke.
 The crop-haired, 1s-year-old miss has combined with her sisters to win 260 trophies. much to the delight of their father, w. J. Rawls. a wholesale produce man.
 Like Katherine, Dorothy Rawls, IA, and Evelyn, 16, are phenome- nal back stroke competitors. It was by defeating Eleanor Holm in the back stroke to win her first title that Katherine first attracted wide- spread attention.
 The three Rawls girls have been swimming since they can remem- Der. The gentleman in the bowler no doubt would have agreed that three was quite enough, but would have learned that another little Rawls miss, Peggy, 8, swan dives, as does Sonny. 10.
 Kompa Girls Great
 The gentleman in the bowler would have had trouble pronounce ing preference between the pret- ty Kompa sisters, and perhaps would have wished that one had remained at home to lessen his dif- ficulties.
 The Kompa girls are rising young opponents of the back stroke. They made the finish of the 220-yard back stroke strictly a family affair, with Elizabeth barely beating Erna. The latter only a few days pre- vious had claimed corner on back stroke fame by shattering a world 220-yard record as old as Mary Hoerger twice in as many days in New York invitational meet in which she also cracked two Amer ican marks.
 But withal it took tiny Mary Hoerger to capture the hearts of staid New Workers. The freckled and two-headed youngster bagged the three-meter springboard, beat ing no less than Mrs. Dorothy Poynton Hill, the Olympic cham pion.
 Close behind her in claiming div ing honors was her 12-year-old sis ter, Ruth, who took second to Mrs. Hill in the high board finals.
 The story of the Hoerger young sters is interesting, but before con- tinuing it, due credit should be giv- en comedy Miss Right, who swept to new heights.
 Night Succeeds Madison
 Miss Right claimed the national point title by winning the mile, 440, and SS0-yard free-style events.
 With a rhythmic stroke which is a pleasure to be seen, Miss Right has aptly succeeded Miss Madison as the nations aquatic queen in an almost overnight sweep.
 As pupil of Jack Scarry, coach of the Carnegie Library Club team of Homestead, she has overcome height handicap by consistent work.
 The sports world has seen sev- eral youngsters gain the supreme heights in fancy skating, but for the little Hoerger girl to sweep aside the astute standards of the most exacting of sports was a feat in which only seeing was believ- ing.
 Mary found 1t easier to learn to swim than walk in what supposedly is the most awkward age, and has attained stability of body envied by all fancy springboard artists. Mrs. Ruth Hoerger, mother of the diving prodigy and herself a cham pion swimmer, has taught the chill dren all they know about diving, which is plenty.
 Started Young
 Mary, an eighth grade pupil, fa- vors art and arithmetic. She won the title by executing a two-and- one-half forward somersault which Mrs. Hill said was too difficult for any woman diver.
 Mary started out to be a breast stroke exponent and continued that until she was years old. A year later she had changed over to div ing, mastering IA dives in a short space of time. Although there is no age limit in Olympic competi- tion Mrs. Hoerger's application for Mary was rejected in 1882, but la ter was accepted after a wrangle in which she had to engage law yer. Mary finished ninth in com peting against the best.
 Helen Hoerger also is an ac- complished diver.
 With Miss Right leading the pro- cession, and the sister acts, Amer ica appears we'll fortified in wo- mems swimming and diving for the Olympic Games next year.