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and of your
     foot—the measurements I just took. And notice that the last step—the one that leads into the hurdle—should be longer than
     the first three steps, by about one third.”
    “Wow!”
Traci said, looking at the paper. “It has to be that exact?” She looked at Sophia, wondering if this precision might be a
     joke.
    Sophia didn’t smile. “Yes, it has to be that exact.” She pointed to a painted outline on the floor. “That’s the outline of
     a diving board. I’m going to tape off the four steps of your approach here so you can start practicing. You’ll need to make
     an outline like this somewhere at home and tape off the steps on it, using these measurements. Then you can practice that
     approach over and over, until you can do it in your sleep.”
    Traci watched Sophia measure and tape lines on the floor. “I never realized that it had to be so precise.”
    Sophia looked up at Traci. “Believe me, it does. Margo may seem picky to you right now, but that’s one reason she’s such a
     good coach. She insists on perfection. Did you ever hear the expression ‘Practice makes perfect’?”
    “Sure,” Traci replied. “That’s what Margo thinks, huh?”
    Sophia shook her head. “Margo’s version is a little different. She says,
‘Perfect
practice makes perfect.’ And she’s right. You can’t be casual in diving. Whatmay seem like tiny mistakes can lead to really bad results. So find a space, draw the outline, and measure the lines for the
     steps.
Exactly
like it is here. If you can do it where you can watch yourself in a mirror, that would be even better.”
    “Okay, I’ll do it tonight,” Traci said. She was beginning to understand the difference between what she’d been doing with
     Jeff and the demands of a coach like Margo.
    “The other thing you need to work on,” Sophia said, “is learning how to jump.”
    “I already know how to jump,” Traci protested. “Watch.”
    She bent her knees and jumped.
    “See?”
    Sophia sighed. “That’s what I mean. That’s not how divers jump. You swung your arms up as your legs pushed you up.”
    “That’s wrong?” asked Traci, startled.
    Sophia explained, “Divers swing their arms up
before
they push off on their legs. Try doing it.”
    Traci tried, but it took her three attempts to get the synchronization. “Wow,” she said. “That feels totally wrong.”
    Sophia grinned. “That’s why you have to work on it. You need to get to the point where it feels totally
right.
You have a few old habits to unlearn, and that’s one of them.”
    “I guess I do,” Traci admitted. “Sounds like I have a long way to go.”
    Sophia nodded. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. But you can do it. Other people have made the same transition from
     gymnastics to diving. You have the skill. The question is whether or not you have the
will.”
    Suddenly, Traci felt that she was on familiar ground. She was facing a challenge. She knew about challenges, and in the past
     she’d managed to meet them successfully. That was what competition was all about.
    She grinned back at Sophia. “I have that, too. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
    “I have a feeling you will,” Sophia agreed. “I think you should start drilling yourself on the approach, the hurdle, and the
     diver’s jump. Okay?”
    Traci took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said.

6
    W hen Traci arrived for the next workout, Sophia asked, “Have you been working on the approach and hurdle?”
    “I spent hours on it,” Traci said. “I may not do it in my sleep yet, but pretty nearly.”
    “I’m not surprised,” Sophia said. “And I have good news for you. After warm-ups in the exercise room, you’ll do some work
     in a pool.”
    “Really?” Traci beamed happily. “You mean I’ll be diving? Off a board?”
    Sophia held up a hand. “Not today. But you’ll need your swimsuit and chamois.”
    Traci tried to hide her disappointment. She didn’t want to admit that she