Traveling to swimming meets took me beyond my small-town existence, gave me a hint of the exciting world outside of my own home.

The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the sports pages.

By the time I got home at night, my eyes were so chlorinated I saw rings around every light.

Everything about my teenage life was almost ideal.

My training in Science of Mind had begun with my mother. She took me to a different church every Sunday, and she encouraged me to question the minister afterward.

Traveling to swimming meets took me beyond my small-town existence, gave me a hint of the exciting world outside of my own home.

Life magazine ran a page featuring me and three other girls that was clearly the precursor of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues