A year ago, West High's Rachel RoseFigura suffered from two growth-crippling ailments and the junior varsity diver was so small she had trouble getting enough bounce off the board.
Twelve months later she's winning some varsity meets as a sophomore and she's enjoying the success.
More importantly, she has grown three inches and gained close to 10 pounds. That's a big leap for a girl who suffered through a brain tumor and a disease diagnosed two years ago that had frozen her at the size of a 9-year-old for about five years.
RoseFigura still has Celiac disease, which prevents her from eating foods that contain gluten. But changing her diet, undergoing surgery on a rare tumor in her brain that suppressed natural growth hormones and starting hormone therapy has triggered a small, but steady, gain.
If her body's growth could only match her improvement in her sport, she'd be one happy diver.
"I'm not 5-2 yet, but I'll give it time," RoseFigura said during a recent practice at West High.
At 4-foot-9 and weighing in the "high 60s," she is the smallest diver in the state. She is also seven inches shorter and roughly half the weight of the average 15-year-old girl, according to growth charts from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But now it's a little easier to control her body and move the diving board, something she couldn't do well as a freshman last season.
"It's been nice, very nice," RoseFigura said. "I've learned a lot of new dives. I have more confidence. (I am) relaxing, learning and having fun.
And her teammates and competitors have taken notice.
"Everyone sees it," said first-year diving coach Emery Taylor. "She can control her body better. She's not flailing as much. She's cleaner in entries and takeoffs."
That's translated in meet scores that range from 123.95 to 141.30 this season, a win against Eagle River and three second-place finishes.
"She's just healthier," said West head swim coach Melinda Greig Walker. "And she's a little bigger, so her muscles are stronger. She's really matured."
Encouraged by her growth, doctors have upped RoseFigura's dose of human growth hormone, or HGH, from 1 ounce to 1.6 ounces, with the hope that she will someday break five feet.
"Other than that," RoseFigura said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I'm all good."
Swimming and diving bests
Through Saturday
Girls
200-yard medley relay -- 1) Juneau-Douglas 1:53.83; 2) East 1:54.12; 3) South 1:54.91.
200 freestyle -- 1) Laura Miller, Ket, 1:55.04; 2) Megan Cavanaugh, Eas, 1:57.57; 3) Melissa Bogert, JD, 2:00.91.
200 individual medley -- 1) Laura Miller, Ket, 2:11.83; 2) Megan Cavanaugh, Eas, 2:12.94; 3) Kristin Jones, JD, 2:13.23.
50 freestyle -- 1) Laura Miller, Ket, 24.20; 2) Jenni Rinker, Ser, 24.77; 3) Taylor Walker, Eas, 25.22.
1-meter diving -- 1) Emily Whitstine, Col, 224.65; 2) Megan Morton, Dim, 223.55; 3) Melissa Wood, Lat, 219.60.
100 butterfly -- 1) Megan Cavanaugh, Eas, 57.88; 2) Melissa Bogert, JD, 58.91; 3) Laura Miller, Ket, 59.98.
100 freestyle -- 1) Laura Miller, Ket, 52.61; 2) Megan Cavanaugh, Eas, 54.11; 3) Jenni Rinker, Ser, 54.17.
500 freestyle -- 1) Laura Miller, Ket, 5:06.18; 2) Kristin Jones, JD, 5:06.30; 3) Megan Cavaungh, Eas, 5:14.29.
200 freestyle relay -- 1) Juneau-Douglas 1:41.47; 2) Service 1:42.43; 3) South 1:44.86.
100 backstroke -- 1) Yana Garvey, Dim, 59.82; 2) Laura Miller, Ket, 1:00.04; 3) Jenni Rinker, Ser, 1:00.83.
100 breast stroke -- 1) Elizabeth Jagusch, Ket, 1:07.86; 2) Meridith Uldrich, Sou, 1:09.66; 3) Ilaura Reeves, Lat, 1:10.49.
400 freestyle relay -- 1) Service 3:40.33; 2) Juneau-Douglas 3:41.50; 3) East 3:49.89; 4) Ketchikan 3:50.15.
Boys
200 medley relay -- 1) Juneau-Douglas 1:41.75; 2) Sitka 1:42.02; 3) Service 1:46.77; 4) Wasilla 1:47.68.
200 freestyle -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 1:45.72; 2) Caleb Severns, Lat, 1:47.89; 3) Josh Yoo, Sou, 1:48.48.
200 individual medley -- 1) Caleb Severns, Lat, 1:59.12; 2) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 1:59.62; 3) Josh Yoo, Sou, 2:00.80; 4) Kwan-Jin Bloomfield, Dim, 2:04.39.
50 freestyle -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 22.30; 2) Ben Adams, Sit, 22.45; 3) Caleb Severns, Lat, 23.00.
1-meter diving -- 1) Sam White, NP, 258.30; 2) Brandon Baker, Eas, 239.80; 3) James McDonald, Ser, 222.35; 4) Ryan Hogan, Was 201.90,
100 butterfly -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 54.22; 2) Cody Brunette, JD, 54.78; 3) David Henry, Chu, 55.23.
100 freestyle -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 48.65; 2) Josh Yoo, Sou, 49.45; 3) Ben Adams, Sit, 49.70.
500 freestyle -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 4:51.72; 2) Caleb Severns, Lat, 4:57.44; 3) Josh Yoo, Sou, 5:00.52.
200 freestyle relay -- 1) Sitka 1:32.71; 2) Juneau-Douglas 1:34.35; 3) West 1:35.12; 4) West Valley 1:36.33.
100 backstroke -- 1) Kyle O'Brien, JD, 53.99; 2) Caleb Severns, Lat, 54.73; 3) Cody Brunette, JD, 56.16; 4) Wil Fernandez, Was, 56.97; 5) Kelsey Knoble, Eas, 57.77; 6) Andy Otos, Ket, 58.80.
100 breast stroke -- 1) Josh Yoo, Sou, 1:01.88; 2) Ben Campen, Sit, 1:03.10; 3) Kwan-Jin Bloomfield, Dim, 1:03.70; 4) Caleb Severns, Lat, 1:04.10.
400 freestyle relay -- 1) Sitka 3:27.93; 2) Dimond 3:28.59; 3) Juneau-Douglas 3:30.00; 4) Service 3:30.80; 5) East 3:31.74; 6) Kodiak 3:34.75.
