Gertrude+Ederle

Gertrude Ederle was born in 1906 in New York City. Her naturally German parents ran a small delicatessen and butcher shop. She was the third of six children. Gertrude started swimming at the age of nine at the New Jersey beaches on vacation. She and her sister soon became competitive swimmers and practiced at the Women’s Swimming Association, founded in 1917. Many women who went to the Olympics trained there. At age thirteen, Gertrude started serious training at the WSA under coach L.B. de Handley. At this point swimming was not a serious competitive sport, but it was emerging in its popularity. In 1924 Ederle had eighteen world records and had won three medals at the 1924 Olympics.

In 1925 Ederle tried her first attempt to swim the English Channel. Many men had done it before, and several women had tried, but not succeeded. She started to do it, but the waves made her seasick and she had to stop.

Her second attempt was on the morning of August 6, 1926. She started at 7:08 in the morning off the Cape Gris Nez. Her family followed in the small tugboat called the //Alsace//. Along with her family were her coach and several other swimmers. Another boat followed full of photographers and news reporters. This time she did not get seasick and she finished. She had a world record of 14 hours and 31 minutes. She beat all the men who had done it before. This was a big leap for the female revolution in the world. Gertrude saw this “individual triumph as a victory for her sex.” (Ware 180). Her victory also brought about some of the advantages women had with their bodies. Swimming for women is easier for men because of the lower center of gravity and a higher percentage of body fat. This makes them better fitted for cold-water swimming over along period of time. The idea that also was influenced by her victory and competitive women swimmers was the development of the one piece bathing suit. Before women had to wear layers consisting of stockings, bloomers, and blouses that made it impossible for women to actually swim and move around in the water. This one piece bathing suit freed female bodies from the unnecessary constraints of the layers they wore before. All these changes brought forth change to the stereotypical traditional female of the earlier 1900s. The world saw that women could participate in sports. This also made women more supportive of feminist movements. When Gertrude came back to America, there was a big parade in New York. A police officer noted that he had never seen such a large crowed of women supporting Gertrude’s individual achievement. media type="youtube" key="84fYnCEVfJI" height="344" width="425"