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America's High Dive Sweetheart - 1928, 1932, &
1936
written by: Terri Wykoff
Dorothy Poynton,
was known as the "diving marvel" from Pasadena,
California -- who at age 14 not only was accepted as
a member of the 1928 USA Olympic team -- her
outstanding diving skills earned her a silver medal
at Amsterdam.. By the
time she turned 18 (1932), she developed her own
unique style -- not only on the diving board, but in
her mannerisms. Young Poynton was again
accepted as a member of the USA Olympic team.
After she won her first Olympic Gold Medal in the
High Dive competition at Los Angeles in 1932, she
refused to allow any photographer to capture her
image wearing the official USA Olympic swim
suit on.
She made reporters wait as she changed into her
glamorous self. She then appeared
before them featuring a fancy flowered bandana, a
white lined bathing suit adorned with a beautiful
corsage, and a pair of white strapped pumps.
By the time the 1936 Olympic try-outs rolled around,
Dorothy was 22 years old and also a married lady.
Fredrick Graham, who was the sports Columnist at the
Glendale Press implied in print that High Diving
1932 Olympic Gold Medalist, Dorothy Poynton
HILL -- was "over the hill" and had no chance of
making the 1936 U.S.A. Olympic Team. Of
course,
Graham had to publish a retraction after she
called him on the phone in a fury. She not only made
the U.S.A. Olympic team, she expected to win another
Gold Medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin -- and
successfully accomplished her goal to prove that she
was the best High Diver in the entire world..
Photo
Credits - Dorothy Poynton Hill 1932 - Los Angeles:
"Olympia 1932" publisher REEMTSMA
CIGARETTENFABRIKEN; Altona-Bahrenfeld.
Photo Credits -
Dorothy Poynton Hill (USA Gold); Velma Dunn (USA -
Silver); Kat Kohler (Germany - Bronze)
Page 76 - Olympia 1936;
Publisher: Cigaretten-Bilderdienst
Altona-Bahrenfeld.
Other Pages concerning Dorothy (Poynton)
Hill
HILL, Dorothy Poynton. (California - Diving):
1. Newspaper:
Olympic Athletes Presented Medals by Verdugo Breakfast Club Official 1928
2. Newspaper Photograph -
"They're All Winners."
1928
Olympics Homecoming features: Marbeth Wright - Personality
girl - standing left to right: Frank Wykoff, Dorothy Poynton
(Hill); and Charles Paddock.
(added 10-21-04)
2. Statistic
results of the 1932 Olympic tally of GOLD winners Plain & Fancy
High Dive.
3.
Dorothy Poynton Hill Was Not
Over The Hill -
Sports Columnist Editor, Frederick Graham published an
apology to Dorothy Hill for wrongly predicting that she
would not make the 1936 American Olympic Team.
(added 2-18-04)
4. Newspaper Photo:
Dorothy Poynton Hill -
Platform Diving Title (1936-Berlin).
5. 1936
Olympic Champions Honored
(added 2-12-04)
6. Dorothy Poynton Hill --
America's High Diving Sweetheart
(added 8-17-05)
7. 1956 Photo -
Frank Wykoff, Parry O'Brien, Dorothy Poynton Hill
and others join together to help collect funds
for the USA Olympic Team
(added 8-17-05) |
