Gertrude Ederle

Competitive Swimmer

• Born: October 23, 1905
• Birthplace: New York, New York
• Died: November 30, 2003
• Place of death: Wyckoff, New Jersey

Sport: Swimming

Early Life

Gertrude Caroline Ederle was born on October 23, 1906, in New York, New York. Gertrude was the third of six children. Her parents, Henry and Gertrude, were German immigrants. Her father was a successful butcher, and his store was next to the Ederle home where Gertrude was born. Gertrude was active in the Women’s Swimming Association (WSA), but always found time to help her mother at home. She made her own clothes and sewed for her younger sisters. Gertrude began to swim at the age of eight. Her father taught her to swim at the family’s summer cottage in Highlands, New Jersey. Gertrude joined the WSA at the age of twelve.

The Road to Excellence

Gertrude’s coach was a swimming expert. Coach Louis de Brada Handley taught Gertrude the innovative eight-beat kick for the freestyle. Gertrude had great speed. She won her first race at the age of twelve. She was an unknown swimmer until August 1, 1922, when she entered the 3 1/2-mile international race for the Joseph P. Day Cup. More than fifty swimmers entered the race. Gertrude swam from Manhattan Beach to Brighton Beach in a record 1 hour, 1 minute, and 34.4 seconds. She won the race by a 50-yard margin. She had never raced more than 220 yards.

By the end of the 1922 American Athletic Association Outdoor Championships, Gertrude had established herself as a great WSA swimmer. She consistently won short- and long-distance events. On September 4, 1922, she established six world records in a single 500-meter race. The records ranged from 150 yards to 500 meters. In the 1920’s, it was a common practice for officials to time swimmers at multiple distances in the longer races.

From 1922 to 1925, Gertrude helped the WSA win national team titles in indoor and outdoor championships. By the end of 1924, she had won 250 races. In addition to races in the New York City area, she competed in cities from Boston to Miami and in Bermuda and the Hawaiian Islands.

The Emerging Champion

Because of her strength and speed, Gertrude established her reputation as a great swimmer soon after taking up the sport. She further distinguished herself, however, as an Olympian and an English Channel swimmer. She took her sport seriously soon after joining the WSA and was determined to succeed. An observer ridiculed her first attempts to learn the freestyle. She was determined to beat the girl who had made fun of her swimming and established a personal goal to become a champion. She was fortunate to live in New York City and have access to the WSA.

In 1924, Gertrude won a place on the U.S. Olympic team, the second such team for American women. The 1924 Olympics was in Paris. Gertrude won a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle. She had been favored to win the event. She was also favored to win the 400-meter freestyle, but finished third and collected her second bronze medal. Gertrude claimed her first gold medal in the 4 100-meter freestyle relay. She swam the first leg of the event and helped the U.S. team establish a new world record. Gertrude never offered any excuses for not winning three gold medals in Paris. Some of the New York City newspapers indicated that she had muscle soreness and that may have been the reason she did not win the 100- and 400-meter freestyle races. After the Olympics, Gertrude turned professional.

Gertrude first tried to swim the English Channel on August 18, 1925. She had to quit after nearly nine hours. Some observers thought she swam too fast. On August 6, 1926, Gertrude succeeded in swimming the English Channel—in the 1920’s, some people did not believe that a woman could accomplish the feat. She not only conquered the English Channel, but swam faster than any man had. She entered the water at Cape Gris-Nez, France, and walked out of the water at Kingsdown, England, 14 hours and 31 minutes later. The distance was 35 miles. Gertrude was welcomed home by large crowds, who turned out for a ticker-tape parade in her honor. President Calvin Coolidge sent a congratulatory message.

Gertrude received many offers to perform in vaudeville shows and films. She toured in vaudeville for two years and received $2,000 a week. She appeared in one movie and swam in exhibitions. She canceled her vaudeville tour in June, 1928, because of illness. She later worked at an amusement park in Rye, New York. In December, 1933, she slipped on some broken tiles on stairs. She severely injured her back and spent four years in casts. She was told that she would never walk again. Gertrude’s friend, Julia Lackwit, encouraged her and helped her to recover.

Continuing the Story

In 1939, Billy Rose, the entertainer, invited Gertrude to participate in his swimming shows. The shows were also performed during the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Rose’s invitation provided another incentive for Gertrude to recover. She had to swim the whole length of a pool and stay in time with the music.

In the early 1950’s, Gertrude went into semiretirement. She spent some of her time teaching children to swim. She also officiated at New York City Parks Department swimming meets. Gertrude experienced hearing loss when she was in her twenties. She helped others with hearing problems by teaching children at the Lexington School for the deaf. She also became an advisor to the aquatics team of the Flushing Young Men’s Christian Association.

Gertrude’s name was known by millions of Americans. Her swimming achievements helped to convince the public that strenuous physical activity was acceptable for women. She died in 2003, at the age of ninety-seven.

Summary

Gertrude Ederle won numerous national titles and broke nine world records. Her most widely recognized achievement occurred when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Bibliography

Adler, David A. America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle. San Diego, Calif.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 2000.

Kennedy, Kostya, and Mark Bechtel. “Channel Changer.” Sports Illustrated 99, no. 22 (December 8, 2003): 26-28.

Smith, Lissa, ed. Nike Is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports. New York: Grove Atlantic, 2001.

Ware, Susan, ed. Forgotten Heroes: Inspiring American Portraits from Our Leading Historians. Thorndike, Maine: G. K. Hall, 2000.

Wimmer, Dick, ed. The Women’s Game. Short Hills, N.J.: Burford Books, 2000.