A Pair of Local Divers Take Their Shot at 1 Slot

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 8 -- Two local athletes born four months and 17 miles apart excelled in different sports in different places and with different coaches until meeting a common fate: Injuries shattered their Olympic dreams. At least that's wh at Amanda Miller of Centreville and Mary Yarrison of Springfield believed until just more than two years ago.

That's when Yarrison finally overcame a string of ailments that she thought had derailed a diving career that began, essentially, when she did her first flip into the water at age 5. And that's when Miller, forced to give u p high-level gymnastics at 16 because of repeated elbow surgeries, realized she could, despite her late and reluctant start, move into diving's elite.

Both are among the favorites to make the U.S. Olympic diving team that will compete in Beijing this August.

But this is where their comeback stories hit a snag: One might go to the Games, but not both.

Yarrison and Miller, who will compete at a star-studded grand prix that begins here Friday night, are among the nation's top synchronized divers, but they aren't partners. In early July, USA Diving officials will select only one two-woman synchronized team in their event, the three-meter springboard, for this year's Games.

Which means if Yarrison and partner Abby Johnston were to win the slot, Miller and teammate Christina Loukas would be out. And vice versa. The losers would then have to fight for a spot in an individual diving event -- an even more daunting challenge.

"I have no idea what's going to happen," said Miller, who turned 23 Wednesday.

"We've been doing well, but nothing's in the bag yet," said Yarrison, who turns 23 in September.

Nothing is in the bag except the certainty of high drama. Yarrison and Miller want to perform well at this event, the fifth stop in the 2008 FINA Diving Grand Prix, to stack their résumés in advance of the July 2-6 selection camp in Knoxville, Tenn.

Yarrison's and Miller's hopes could be snuffed out by U.S. teammates Ariel Rittenhouse and Kelci Bryant, who aren't competing here but have more international experience and are considered favorites by some. And there is the veteran team of Nancilea Foster and Cassidy Krug, a respected duo recently slowed by injuries.

"I think it's a toss-up," said Adam Soldati, Miller's coach. "You could call them all the favorites. They've all swapped places in various meets."

Though their summer plans remain uncertain, this is for sure: Miller and Yarrison, who have known each other since their high school days at Centreville and Lee High, respectively, are thrilled to be in the thick of the action. They describe themselves as friendly rivals, with the emphasis on friendly. Yarrison and Johnston won gold at the recent spring national championships in Indianapolis. Miller and Loukas finished second.