“On the first day of practice this year, I slipped on the [diving] board, and scraped up my back. I was underwater for a while. I thought I was done, I thought the season was over,” said Eva Miller, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Riverside University High School in Milwaukee.
But the season wasn’t over. Miller went on to excel all season, as she has in past seasons, in diving as well as in track and field. And for these efforts, she received the Jewish Teen Athlete Scholar Award on May 22 at the annual meeting of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
According to the JCC, “the award is given annually to a Jewish teenager whose outstanding athletic ability is matched by their academic performance and community service.” The winner also receives a $500 check to be used toward her education.
Miller, daughter of Barbara Wood and Wesley Miller, both of Milwaukee, won athletic honors throughout high school in both diving and track and field. In diving, she was Rookie of the Year in 1999, and made All Conference in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
When she was a freshman, Miller said, “There was a senior who did really well and went to [the] state [competition]. She brought me back a t-shirt … and it was my goal from then on to get there myself.” Miller’s efforts and perseverance were rewarded her senior year when she finished ninth in the state competition.
In track and field, she made City Conference in 2003, taking first place in the 300-meter hurdles and breaking her school’s record. She also took first place in the 400-meter and 800-meter relay. With her help, Riverside took first place in the 2003 City Conference and won the state competition in the 800-meter relay.
Although she excelled in running, Miller particularly enjoyed the high jump. But the competitions became a bit exhausting, she admitted. “It was so fun, but there’s only so far you can go with [high jump]. It’s hard to break your record.”
Academically, Miller also excelled. She graduated 24th in her class with a 3.69 grade point average. As a senior, she was student council president and a member of the National Honor Society. She was president of her junior class and vice president of her sophomore class.
Miller also made time to give back to the community by, among other activities, volunteering with the Special Olympics, the Gathering, Easter Seals, the Heifer Project, Box City and Thanksgiving Baskets for the Needy.
A day in Miller’s high school life was jam-packed, especially during the athletic seasons. After attending school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m., Miller would meet with the Student Council faculty adviser for as long as she could, usually about 15 minutes.
After that, she would run over to practice, either diving or track and field, and get dressed and warmed up by 3 p.m. Practice in both sports ran until 5:30 most days, but Miller always stayed after to talk and help clean up.
Dinner was next. “I always had a meal waiting for me at home,” Miller said. “It’s one of the reasons I think I did so well.”
From there, it was on to her homework, which she often finished early the next morning.
What’s more, she can’t wait to continue the hectic routine next fall as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she plans to compete in both diving and track and field. “[Balancing] college and college-athletics is going to be difficult,” said Miller, “but I’ve gotten used to it…. I like having something to do every minute.”
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