Happy Birthday Buck Dawson, October 31st!! ~ the reason we exist!
FOR THE RECORD: Founding Executive Director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1964); Known as the “Walking Encyclopedia of the Sport”.
He claims his family doesn’t allow him to swim in public! (Only at night when no one can see!) But Buck Dawson has done more for swimming than any non-swimmer in the world.
William Forrest Dawson — “Buck” is a historian, fundraiser, author, promoter, and of course, prankster.
Buck first got involved with swimming after his marriage to RoseMary Mann — daughter of the late Matt Mann. From then on, it went something like this: organizing the Ann Arbor Swim Club, co-directing Matt Mann swim camps in Canada each year (Camp Ak-O-Mak and Camp Chikopi), chairing Michigan women’s swim AAU for eight years, and serving three terms on the United States Olympic Swim Committee. He shares responsibility in starting the women’s national collegiates and reviving national women’s water polo.
Dawson likes to think of himself as a coach and still keeps his hand in training marathon swimmers and national long distance individual and team winners in US swimming. Besides his special gift with children, he has also made magic at the International Swimming Hall of Fame for the past twenty years. He was chosen as the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s first executive director in 1963 after helping Fort Lauderdale win the host city bid at the National AAU Convention in Detroit. With the help of Fort Lauderdale pioneer G. Harold Martin, who wrote the Hall’s Charter, Dawson made the Hall grow from an idea to a shoebox collection and ultimately a million dollar operation as the showcase and archives of swimming. A tireless, smiling, globetrotting ambassador of swimming, he can be credited with helping attract thousands of athletes, fans and press alike who flocked to Fort Lauderdale for sun, fun and swimming. Visiting college swim teams training at the Hall of Fame spread the word up North that resulted in Fort Lauderdale’s annual Spring Break.
It was Dawson who urged the YMCA in 1972 to bring their National Championships to Fort Lauderdale which is now is the largest annual National swimming event in numbers of athletes and spectators in the country. The FINA International Diving Grand Prix, nationally televised for most of the past 28 years, is a Dawson creation as is the 38th Annual Fort Lauderdale Rough Water Swim, formerly International Swimming Hall of Fame Ocean Mile and Galt Ocean Mile Swims, and now the longest-running ocean mile swim on the eastern coast of the United States. At one time or another, he brought the U.S. National Championships of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo to Fort Lauderdale. It was Dawson who gave the now Fort Lauderdale-based American Swimming Coaches Association roots in 1971 when he and Hall of Fame staff assumed administrative duties for ASCA. Dawson was a powerhouse not only in ASCA but also in the organization of another association – the National Swim and Recreation Association.
One of his many great successes at the Hall of Fame was his introduction of Swim-A-Thon to the United States, which increased the endowment of ISHOF and raised funds for individual swim clubs and teams. This tireless, smiling, globetrotting ambassador of swimming can also be credited for the thousands of athletes, fans and press alike who have flocked to Fort Lauderdale for sun, fun and swimming.
Dawson was the first president of the International Sports Heritage Association, now a 136 member organization of Sports Halls of Fame which he founded under the name of International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame. His first meeting in Fort Lauderdale in 1971 had only two other organizations in attendance—the Hockey Hall of Fame of Canada and the Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame. Under Dawson’s leadership, ISHOF became the world’s first “International” Hall of Fame when it was recognized by the 96 member FINA Congress (the world’s governing body of swimming) in 1968. ISHOF was also the first Hall of Fame to have the “field of play,” the swimming pool, on site.
Throughout the years, it has been Buck who traveled from meet to meet armed with Hall of Fame brochures, books and bumper stickers always spreading the word, always willing to talk and teach swimming to anyone who would listen. As swimming’s walking encyclopedia, he was respected in his field not only for his knowledge, but his zest for life, his search for new facts, memorabilia, new ways to teach children to swim and keep the sport alive and growing. Dawson was the link between the age group swimmers and swimming’s legends. He brought Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller to Fort Lauderdale for six years as ISHOF’s Chairman of the Board. Buster Crabbe, Eleanor Holm and Esther Williams were regulars. Dawson was the common denominator that tied the past to the present.
A day doesn’t go by without “Good Morning, America,” “USA Today,” “NBC Nightly News” or one of the nation’s top swim coaches calling to speak to Buck. He is respected in this field not only for his knowledge but his zest for life. . . his search for new facts, memorabilia. . . new ways to teach those children to swim and keep the sport alive and growing. Dawson is the link between our age group swimmers and our swimming legends. He is the common denominator that ties the past to the present.
Dawson’s specialties? Swimming, diving, synchro, water polo, water safety, bathing suits, bathing beauties. . .
Dawson eats, lives and breathes swimming. He has written numerous books and has been the recipient of many prestigious awards. Buck IS the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Who else would name an ISHOF mascot Mark the Spitz? Or snicker at the thought of a dog paddle derby?
Dawson is hype, show business — an idea and PR man. Throughout his life, he has always gotten his kicks out of promoting something or somebody else he believed in : in the war it was Generals Gavin and Ridgeway- the 82nd Airborne; later his alma mater, the University of Michigan; his family, swim camps and ultimately the Swimming Hall of Fame, swimming and swimmers.
What does this walking encyclopedia say about himself? “I wouldn’t say I’m a workaholic, but I think swimming has been my hobby. . . I have been sort of a little bit of everything. I feel this (the Swimming Hall of Fame) has been the culmination of my life.”
Born on Halloween in 1920, in the same hospital room that produced swimming greats Bill Simon (USOC and ISHOF President), Ginny Duenkel (Olympic Swimming Champion), and Fort Lauderdale’s Alice and Dick Kempthorne of ISHOF and US Swimming Fame, Buck was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Dawson of Easton, PA. His father was President of Dixie Cup Company (and later went on to head the “Keep America Beautiful” Campaign) while Buck attended prep school at Blair Academy (NJ) where he was an all-state track captain and a state champion halfback on Blair’s undefeated football team. His sports talent continued at the University of Michigan and included freshman football and running on the track team where his 880 yard relay team set an indoor world best time. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was elected to Michigauma, the senior honor society, and was managing editor of the Michigan Ensian Yearbook in 1948, his senior year. He completely re-organized the book from cover to cover and his writing career took off where in the next 55 years he wrote hundreds of short stories and authored or co-authored over 18 books on a full range of subjects from swimming, volcanoes and the environment, the American Civil War and World War II. He received Michigan’s prestigious Hopwood Prize for Writing.
Some of his books include A Civil War Artist From the Front (the work of Edwin Forbes, combat artist), When the Earth Explodes, Michigan Ensian (50 year history of Michigan Athletics), All About Dryland Exercises For Swimmers, Weissmuller to Spitz—An Era to Remember (Swimming Hall of Famers from 1965-1987), Age Group Swimming and Diving For Teacher and Pupil (with wife RoseMary), Million Dollar Mermaids—America’s Love Affair With Its First Women Swimmers, Gold Medal Pools (features the worlds most beautiful pools), We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts (a 500 page scrapbook of memories of Camps Chikopi and Ak-O-Mak) and Stand Up and Hook Up (his diary as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne).
Dawson was a combat platoon leader and glider trooper with Co. E, 235 GIR, Division Reconnaissance and Division Headquarters. He is a recipient of 17 decorations including the Bronze Star and French Medal of Honor. He landed at Nijmegen, Holland, on September 17, 1944, in Operations Market Garden, participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Siegfried Line, crossing the Elbe River and meeting the Russians at Grabow, Northern Germany. He also occupied Berlin, in charge of press relations for General James Gavin and the 82nd Division. Among his duties were to escort Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman through the city, to report the progress of the troops. In the process, he befriended Dietrich, serving as the liaison between her and her mother in occupied Berlin. He tried to impress Bergman by jumping off Hitler’s balcony when asked how Hitler may have escaped the raids.
After the New York Victory Parade down Broadway, he wrote the Saga of the All American, the official history of the 82nd Airborne, a task assigned to him in England by General Matthew Ridgeway. His previous service with the 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops had given experience to handle deep snow in Ardennes Patrol. He returned to service during the Korean War as the public information officer for Army Air Support Center, publicity officer for National Army and Air Force Recruiting. He was a writer for Admiral Carney’s NATO command of southern Europe and editor of the Jayhawk (newspaper) for General Gavin’s V Corps, Germany. He spent his last Army year in Walter Reed Hospital recovering from multiple injuries suffered in a jeep accident. He was discharged from the hospital wearing a black eye patch over his left eye, a patch which became his identification mark for the rest of his life. He was a special assistant to the Director of the Peace Corp in the early 1970’s.
After the war, Dawson returned to Ann Arbor to complete his BA under the GI Bill, focusing his energy on Michigan’s Ensign Yearbook. As yearbook editor in 1948, Dawson traveled with Michigan’s first football team since 1902 to compete in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Marlene Dietrich and director Billy Wilder were there to greet Dawson as he was hoping for a break into the movies, which because of the rise of television, never materialized. A $100 bet with Humphrey Bogart on a Dawson declared score of 50-0 horrified Dawson when Michigan only won by a 49-0 score. He wondered how he would come up with the money to pay movies’ toughest guy. On the set of Foreign Affair, Wilder was the one to say, “Don’t worry about it with only a one point difference.”
His 1955 marriage to RoseMary Mann Corson, a widow with three children, was his invitation to join the Mann family camps Ak-o-Mak (for girls) and Chikopi (for boys), the world’s first competitive swimming camps and located in Ontario, Canada, founded by RoseMary’s father, Michigan and Olympic swimming coach Matt Mann in 1920. Dawson was the campfire entertainment, sports teacher and instigator while RoseMary was the swimming coach, disciplinarian and philosopher—a perfect combination of talent. Dawson was all outdoorsman, a sportsman, the kind of guy you can get lost in the woods with and laugh your head off before he finds your way back. Campers still tell “Buck the Hero” stories.
Dawson’s interest in lake swimming led to his training swimmers for marathon swimming races and included Marty Sinn, Susie Thrasher, Jocelyn Muir and more, taking them on crossings of the English Channel, Lake Ontario and other bodies of water. The camp girls (and boys) competed in the U.S. Long Distance Championship Three and Four Mile Swims, each summer usually held in Huntington, Indiana. His competitive spirit flowed into all that Dawson did at Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi including the inter-camp softball and soccer competitions—boys against girls. In his later camp years, Dawson was a story teller, a cheerleader and biggest booster. With his PR mind, he took Matt Mann’s words and put them to work—”We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts,” meaning camp is all action, all activity.
With Rosemary, he helped organize the Ann Arbor, Michigan, Swim Club in the late 1950’s, one of the country’s first swimming clubs for women. He was Chair of Michigan Women’s AAU Swimming for eight years and served three terms on the United States Olympic Swimming Committee. He shared responsibility with RoseMary in starting National Collegiate Swimming for women and reviving National Women’s Water Polo in the early 1960’s.
Dawson followed RoseMary from Ann Arbor to London, Ontario in 1963, when she became the first women’s coach of any sport at the University of Western Ontario. Then it was RoseMary’s turn to follow Buck the next year to Fort Lauderdale when Buck opened the International Swimming Hall of Fame. By now they had four children, three daughters and one son. Connie was an outstanding women’s swim coach. Marilyn made two Canadian Olympic swim teams winning a bronze medal in 1968 (4x100m freestyle) and serving as team captain in 1972. She won four Pan American and two Commonwealth Games medals. Marci and Bruce were outstanding high school swimmers. Marci pre-deceased her parents.
Dawson is hype, show business, a collector, historian, dog trainer, fund raiser and ladies man. But most of all, he always got his kicks out of promoting somebody or something he believed in: General Ridgeway, General Gavin, the 82nd Airborne, Camps Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi, the University of Michigan, his wife, children, father-in-law, and ultimately the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
A 45 year resident of Fort Lauderdale, Dawson was honored as Fort Lauderdale Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 1987, for his many contributions to the City. Under his leadership, the ISHOF became the center of activity on the beach and the anchor for beach revitalization in the 1990’s. He received many honorary awards including the Wilbert E. Longfellow Commodore and Golden Whale for the promotion of water safety; the R. Max Ritter Award, the highest honor bestowed by U.S.A swimming; the W.R. “Bill” Schroeder Award, the most prestigious award from the International Sports Heritage Association; the Joseph G. Rogers Award, the National YMCA’s Grand Award; and the Davids/Wheeler Award for Meritorious Service to Long Distance Swimming. He was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as a coach/contributor and into his own International Swimming Hall of Fame as a contributor following retirement in 1986. The International Swimming Hall of Fame recently announced the Buck Dawson Annual Author’s Award presented to the author of an inspiring book related to swimming.
Lastly, thinking about Buck and his legacy, Buck was a pretty easy going guy. He truly loved certain things. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is his dogs. The dog went everywhere Buck went. Even if they were not allowed to, Buck still took them with him. Restaurants, the pool deck – (the City of Fort Lauderdale was NOT a fan of the dog:), hotels, meetings, black tie events, conventions. If Buck went, the dog went. The first dog I remember Buck having was “Mickey-Mac”, she was a blonde Cocker Spaniel, not the friendliest dog to children, but she loved Buck-that had to be the late 1960’s to the early to mid 1970’s. Then there was Midnight, who replaced Mickey Mac. Midnight, as the name suggests, was a Black Cocker Spaniel. Buck decided one day to teach Midnight to play tether ball. So, he set up a tetherball pole in front of the museum and anyone who visit ISHOF, Buck would have Midnight give them a show. Midnight didn’t last very long, and after he died, Buck discovered there was a breed of dog named “Spitz”. Yes, you guessed it, the next dog Buck got was a Spitz and Buck named him Mark. And he always introduced to people as, “Mark the Spitz”, to anyone who would listen, both inside and outside the museum. There were more dogs through the years, I can’t remember them all, (I do remember Frosty), but no one had a greater love for those dogs than Buck!
Happy Birthday Buck! Those of us who knew you, count ourselves among the lucky ones!!!
Future Hall of Famer, Ryan Murphy Celebrates Grand Opening of Goldfish Swim School Near Hometown in St. Johns, Florida
Photo Courtesy: Ryan Murphy
by Dan D’Addona — Swimming World Managing Editor
28 October 2024, 05:16am
As Ryan Murphy reached the pinnacle of his swimming career, he wanted to use that platform to help others.
After winning three Olympic gold medals in Rio in 2016, he partnered with Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, as a brand ambassador, helping to teach kids how to swim.
Now, he has his own school.
Murphy celebrated the grand opening of the Goldfish Swim School in St. Johns, Florida, close to where he grew up, last week.
“It has been a couple of years in the making,” Ryan Murphy told Swimming World. “My family and I decided a few years back that we wanted to open up a Goldfish Swim School in the greater Jacksonville area. We started the process, eventually found a plot of land and built it from the ground up. It is a buzzing area and a great location.
“After having a bit of success in Rio, I looked into philanthropy and looking at the statistics, I learned how dire of a situation drowning is in the U.S., and really across the world. It felt like a natural fit for me.”
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children 1-4, according to Goldfish Swim Schools, and learning to swim reduce the risk by nearly 88 percent.
“It is an epidemic,” said Murphy, a four-time NCAA champion in both backstroke events at Cal. “And we know what the cure is. We just need to make it more accessible.”
There are more than 170 Goldfish Swim Schools in the country that teach more than 200,000 kids to swim each week. But starting one from scratch was an experience that took time and patience.
“We really bought a dirt lot. We had to get everything from water to electrical set up. Goldfish does a great job setting a plan for what the building should look like, which helped. It is really beautiful. It is a really welcoming place for parents and children to feel comfortable and learn to swim,” Ryan Murphy said.
The St. Johns facility has two full-time staff members and 29 part-time staff members.
“I will be going back a good bit to Florida to make sure things are going well, and my parents still live in Florida and have been very hands on,” Ryan Murphy said. “We want this location to be a top-tier experience for everyone who walks through the door.
“The hope is to open up more locations.”
Earlier this month, ISHOF Awarded Chris and Jenny McCuiston, owners of the GoldFish Swim School Franchises, the ISHOF Aquatic Award, presented by AquaCal for Aquatic Safety.
USA Swimming Appoints ISHOF Honoree Brendan Hansen as National Junior Team Director
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
by Dan D’Addona — Swimming World Managing Editor
28 October 2024
USA Swimming, the National Governing Body of swimming in the United States, has announced the appointment of Brendan Hansen as its National Junior Team Program Director, effective November 4. Hansen will lead all aspects of the National Junior Team by developing and maintaining programs that serve as the pathway from elite-level age group swimmers to the Olympic Games.
Hansen brings decades of experience in the sport, most recently as Director of Team Services for USA Swimming. Since joining the USA Swimming staff in 2019, he has been integral in developing education and resources for coaches and clubs via a team of advisors dedicated to member service.
A three-time in-venue host at Olympic Trials and staff leader for multiple international competitions, Hansen is known for bringing excitement, energy, and passion to his roles. With Hansen at the helm for the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, the young Americans won the team award with an impressive 44 medals.
“Brendan offers unique experience to this role; he has been an athlete, a coach, and a staff member, so he understands the concerns and motivation of so many of our key stakeholders,” USA Swimming Chief Operating Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer Shana Ferguson said. “We are thrilled Brendan is moving to the National Team staff to help propel our National Junior Team program through the next quad.”
A six-time Olympic medalist and 25-time international medalist, Hansen captained three Olympic teams throughout his career. A respected leader among his peers, Hansen will now focus on developing the next generation of USA Swimming athletes. A former 100m and 200m breaststroke world record holder, 13-time NCAA champion, and 16-time All-American, the breaststroke specialist understands the opportunity LA 2028 offers and will be a critical part of athlete development ahead of a rare domestic Olympic Games.
“Once I made the National Junior Team in 1997, I had mentors guide me to the National Team andconsistent successes for 13 years across three quadrennium,” Hansen said. “I look forward to theopportunity to be that leader while connecting current athletes with my generation of National Junior Team and National Team alumni. It can truly be a life-changing moment for an athlete and coach to make the National Junior team roster, and I am excited to be part of the internal team that drives that experience for them.”
After retiring from swimming, Brendan started a USA Swimming Club program in Austin, TX – Austin Swim Club. As Head Coach, Hansen built a program of over 300 club swimmers and qualified as a USA Swimming Club Excellence Gold Medal Team. In 2016, Austin Swim Club qualified 10 swimmers for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming and finished as a top three team at both Winter and Junior National Championships.
A native of Haverford, Pa., Hansen earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from The University of Texas in 2005. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2024), The University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor (2015), the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame (2015), and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (2020).
USA Swimming’s National Team Division works to support USA Swimming’s best athletes and coaches in their pursuit of Olympic and international success. For more on the USA Swimming National Junior Team, click here.
Brendan Hansen was inducted into ISHOF in 2020 s an Honor Swimmer. To read his ISHOF bio, or to watch his ISHOF Induction video and hear his induction speech, click here: https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-brendan-hansen/
Happy Birthday Bobby Webster!
Country: USA
Honore Type: Diver
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1960 gold (platform); 1964 gold (platform); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1963 gold (platform); 1971 (U.S. Diving Coach); U.S. NATIONAL AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1960 through 1964 (won all tower diving contests); 1962 (1m springboard); BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1960 (3m springboard).
“From California to the New York harbor, from the redwood forests to the Gulfstream waters”, double Olympic champion Bob Webster’s diving career was coast to coast. He won his Olympic gold medals in Rome and Tokyo. He came out of California to college at Michigan and now coaches at Princeton.
Webster is primarily known as a tower diver, yet he was U.S. National AAU champion in 1 meter low board (1962) and Big Ten 3 meter high board champion (1960). Webster won his first Olympic title (10 meter platform) in Rome just three years after he took his first tower dive in competition. From that date (1960) until his retirement after winning the 1964 Olympic platform title in Tokyo, Webster never lost a tower diving contest.
He won his first collegiate title diving for Santa Ana Junior College, a school without a pool. He prepared for the Southern Section Junior College Championships training off a board in Olympic champion Sammy Lee’s back yard sand pit. From Santa Ana, Webster went to the University of Michigan where he was coached by Dick Kimball and by the late Bruce Harlan, himself an Olympic champion in 1948.
Following his retirement as a competitive diver, Webster took a Far East tour for the State Department and then began a coaching career at Minnesota and Princeton. Bob was appointed U.S. Diving Coach for the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. This trip stands as an honor richly deserved since Webster, in 1963 at Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the first U.S. diver to win 10 meter diving in the history of the Pan American Games.
ISHOF Hosts Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Circle, Trustee Plus, Trustee Reception
Last night, Wednesday, October 23, 2024, the International Swimming Hall of Fame hosted the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and its exclusive Chairman’s Circle, Trustee Plus and Trustee members for a reception with networking opportunity, showcasing ISHOF and the beautiful new Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Facility.
The group was welcomed by ISHOF Treasurer, Matt McKean, while Board Members Christine Yates and Mario Caprini made presentations about the exciting new changes that are in store for the Fort Lauderdale community with the new $218 million renovation to the ISHOF peninsula that just broke ground last week. ISHOF’s Every Child A Swimmer (ECAS) Program Director, Casey McGovern, spoke briefly about the life saving swim lesson scholarships our ECAS program provides to financially deserving families and the importance of learning how to swim.
Guests were treated to a special dive show by ISHOF Board Member, Ellie Smart, and some of her fellow high divers, who put on another fabulous show, and after the show ended, the divers came over to mingle with and speak to the guests, which is always a highlight!
All in all, it was a huge success for both ISHOF and the Chamber. It was a beautiful evening, with drinks, food, great entertainment, and as always, a beautiful South Florida sunset!
Thank you to all who made it possible, especially the Fort Lauderdale Chamber, Liz Soto and Jenny De Borga, and ISHOF Board Members, Matt McKean, Mario Caprini and Christine Yates.
To learn more about the ISHOF Project, click here:
#ISHOF #CityofFortLauderdale #ChamberofCommerce #EveryChildASwimmer #HighDiving
On this day in in 1905, one of the most famous women of her time, Gertrude Ederle was born
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1924 gold (4x100m freestyle relay), bronze (100m, 400m freestyle); WORLD and NATIONAL RECORDS: 29 (from 1921 to 1925 – in 1922 she set 7 world records in the course of one 500m swim); First woman to swim the English Channel, 1926 (beating all previous times by men); New Disney Film, “Young Women and the Sea” made about her life.
Gertrude Ederle was in the very first Class of Honorees inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, honored on that special day in late December, 1965. She was one of only three female swimmers selected in a class of 21 Honorees. The greatest of the greatest, the first 21 inducted into ISHOF. (The other two were Dawn Fraser (AUS) and Katherine Rawls (USA).
Gertrude Ederle’s two greatest days in swimming were at Brighton Beach in 1922 and in the English Channel in 1926, the first as an amateur, the second as a professional.
At Brighton Beach, Miss Ederle broke seven world records at various distances in the course of a single 500 meter swim. In England, she became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
Trudy’s great Channel swim was 51 years after Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the Channel, had achieved the impossible, and it completely captured the public imagination because such swimming immortals as Annette Kellerman had tried and failed, claiming the feat completely beyond the limits of a woman’s strength and endurance. Gertrude Ederle not only swam the Channel but swam it faster than any man before her.
She held 29 U.S. national and world records from 1921 until she turned professional after the 1925 season. Her amateur national championships were won at distances from 50 yards to the half mile and her great professional Channel effort was 20 miles. Olympian Ederle was tough at any distance at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
Gertrude Ederle was the female counterpart of Johnny Weissmuller in that they were discussed in every household as the two greatest swimming figures of the 1920s, idols of the “Golden Age of Sport”.
Happy Birthday Trudy! We are still celebrating your fabulous life more than 125 later!
World Aquatics competition schedule for the World Aquatics Championships & Masters Championships – Singapore 2025
Written by: Torin Koos, World Aquatics Communications Manager
World Aquatics and the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee have officially unveiled the competition schedule for the World Aquatics Championships. From 11 July to 3 August 2025, Singapore will host 75 medal events, displaying the talents of athletes across six aquatic sports: swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving.
Singapore will once again shine on the global stage as it welcomes elite aquatic athletes for the World Aquatics Championships in 2025. This prestigious event will see the island nation and dynamic city-state in Southeast Asia become a hub of aquatic sports excellence.
After extensive consultation with athletes, teams, broadcasters, and key stakeholders, World Aquatics and the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee have finalised the competition dates for each sport:
Water Polo: 11-24 July 2025
Open Water Swimming: 15-20 July 2025
Artistic Swimming: 18-25 July 2025
High Diving: 25-27 July 2025
Diving: 26 July – 3 August 2025
Swimming: 27 July – 3 August 2025
Masters: 26 July – 22 August 2025
The 22nd edition of the World Aquatics Championships is set to welcome over 2,500 athletes from 210 national member federations. Exhilarating event action will primarily take place at the iconic Singapore Sports Hub. Detailed venue information will be disclosed at the “One Year to Go” media event on 12 July 2024, marking the start of the official countdown to this world-class event.
Image Source: Aerial view of the Singapore Sports Hub (Singapore Tourism Board)
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam underscored the significance of unveiling the competition schedule, emphasising how it provides clarity for athletes and nations as they prepare for the championships.
“We are thrilled to announce the competition schedule for the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025,” President Al-Musallam stated. “This announcement marks a crucial milestone in our journey to deliver a premier event that enables our athletes to compete at their highest level and ignites inspiration among the future stars of aquatic sports. With our dedicated local organisers in Singapore, we are meticulously preparing to create an exceptional environment where athletic excellence can flourish.”
Mark Chay, President of Singapore Aquatics and co-chair of the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee, noted the excitement surrounding the revealing of the competition schedule for the highly anticipated World Aquatics Championships.
“The Singapore 2025 Organising Committee has been working tirelessly to plan an extraordinary experience that captures the dynamism and vibrancy of Singapore. With the unveiling of the competition schedule, we invite fans from the global aquatics community to book their calendars and get ready to witness the very best athletes perform here. Immerse in the pulsating energy of the Championships, and get ready to make a splash with us in Singapore. We cannot wait to welcome everyone to the Lion City.”
How an American Swimmer Melted the Ice of the Cold War – ISHOF Honoree Lynne Cox
In 1987, Lynne Cox convinced Mikhail Gorbachev to let her swim across the Bering Strait between the U.S.A. and the USSR. In doing so, she demonstrated to both superpowers how close their people really were, and helped to thaw Cold War relations.
The U.S. – Soviet Border
In the middle of the Bering Strait, the border between the Diomede Islands – Soviet Big Diomede and U.S. Little Diomede – was known as the “ice curtain”. This is the only border the U.S. shares with Russia. This border is also the International Date Line so Lynne’s swim was truly a journey in to the future.
Before a shift in Soviet and U.S. policy in 1948, indigenous Inupiat tribes had been hunting, fishing, and moving between these islands for thousands of years. But as Cold War tensions rose, native people were stripped of their lands, traditions, and the friendships they had made across the border, as Big Diomede was turned into a Soviet military reservation.
About Lynne Cox
In 1971, at the age of 14, Lynne Cox swam across the Catalina Channel, and at 15 and 16, she made record-breaking swims across the English Channel, each time breaking both men’s and women’s records for swimming from England to France. In 1975, Lynne became the first woman to cross the Cook Strait, between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The next year she became the first person to swim the Strait of Magellan, and the first to swim around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. It was after these swims that she envisioned swimming across the Bering Strait, from Little Diomede, Alaska, U.S.A. to Big Diomede, Siberia, USSR. But first, Lynne had to secure special permission from the Soviet government. Over the course of 11 years, she wrote to four different Soviet leaders: Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Her only response came from the latter. Approval from President Gorbachev was received only one day before Lynne was planning to swim.
The Swim
On August 7, 1987, thirty-year-old Lynne jumped into the icy water off Alaska’s Little Diomede wearing swimsuit, cap, and goggles, and swam toward the Soviet border. In addition to making athletic history, her swim was dedicated to scientific purposes – so that a research team could examine her body’s reaction to cold water.
At the midway point, a 20-foot Soviet vessel joined her escort boats. Although the distance was only 2.7 miles, due to the strong current Lynne had to swim over five miles for two hours and six minutes to reach the Soviet Union. Her hands turned grey and her limbs stiffened in the 38-degree water. Not only was she the first person to accomplish this daring feat, she also succeeded in bringing the Soviets and Americans closer together.
The Reception
When she reached shore, Lynne was warmly greeted by about 30 Russians including regional government officials, members of the KGB, and Soviet Olympic athletes. They escorted her to a platform where a picnic had been prepared, with samovars of tea and biscuits, and presented her with flowers and a pair of handmade slippers. As Lynne answered journalists’ questions she started cooling down and was about to go into hypothermia when a Soviet doctor, Rita Zakharova, led her into a charcoal-heated tent and covered her with hot water bottles and a sleeping bag. Then, remarkably, the doctor embraced Lynne to warm her. “To have this human contact,” said Lynne in an interview with the BBC, “after so many years growing up afraid of the Soviets – and here was this person basically warming me up to get me back to life again.” As a special surprise, the Soviets invited Inupiat natives to the gathering where they sang folk songs as Lynne recovered.
The Seal Skin Slippers
When Lynne was presented with the slippers, an interpreter explained that they were made from seal skins and had been hand sewn for her by an Inupiat woman whose family had lived on Big Diomede Island, USSR, until they were removed by the Soviets and relocated to the Siberian mainland. She had gone to the trouble to learn Lynne’s shoe size and they fit perfectly. “While the slippers were warm,” Lynne says, “they were extremely slippery, making it difficult to walk on the icy rocks and snow to the warming tent.”
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Four months after her historic feat, the U.S. and the USSR reached an agreement to eliminate their short and intermediate-range missiles. During the ceremony at the White House in Washington, Gorbachev led everybody in lifting their glasses for a toast:
“Last summer it took one brave American by the name of Lynne Cox just two hours to swim from one of our countries to the other. We saw on television how sincere and friendly the meeting was between our people and the Americans when she stepped onto Soviet shore. She proved by her courage how close to each other our peoples live.
World-renowned Swimmer Lynne Cox arrives at the 2003 Glamour “Women of the Year” Awards at the American Museum of Natural History, Nov. 10, 2003 in New York City. AFP
Not only is Lynne an accomplished open water swimmer, she is a New York Times bestselling author and highly-regarded motivational speaker. She has called her Bering Strait swim- “the most significant experience of her life.”
www.lynnecox.com
ISHOF Groundbreaking – Phase One has begun!
Big things are happening at the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in Fort Lauderdale!
On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) broke ground on Phase One of its $218 million renovation of the ISHOF complex on the Hall of Fame peninsula that has been home to the Hall of Fame Pool/Aquatic Center and the International Swimming Hall of Fame Museum, since the mid 1960’s.
The Swimming Hall of Fame was established in 1964, after the AAU awarded the City of Fort Lauderdale as its home. In 1967, the Museum first opened and in 1968, it was officially recognized by FINA as the “International” Swimming Hall of Fame, taking it global. In 1991, ISHOF expanded, featuring a uniquely wave-shaped building designed by the internationally renowned firm Arquitectonica. Through the years, age took its toll and technology advanced to the point where changes needed to be made.
The new $218 million ISHOF project will be an architecturally unique facility that will house a new Hall of Fame Museum, with fully updated modern displays and digital access to aquatics sports history, an amazing aquarium, event space, restaurants, teaching pool, theater, meeting rooms, office space, and on-site parking. It will be like no other attraction on the beach. Paired with one of the top aquatic facilities in the world, this destination will be like no other, anywhere on the planet!
The groundbreaking was attended by local and City officials, including Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Commissioner Steve Glassman, Commissioner John Herbst, and Aquatic Center Manager Laura Voet; ISHOF Board Members, Chairman Bill Kent, Mike Dooley, Mario Caprini, Steve Hasty, Matt McKean, Fundraising Chairwoman, Christine Tripp Yates; Construction Management Team, including Corey Olsen of Hensel Phelps, and many other invited guests, including John Whitehouse of Deep Blue Attractions and Rich Waltzer.
Wednesday’s ground breaking was only beginning, it marks Phase one of the ISHOF project, which will focus on infrastructure improvements, including the seawall around the peninsula and the Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Headquarters. The Improvements for the seawall will consist of driving new sheet pile along the length of the existing seawall and a new seawall cap that will be approximately two feet higher than the existing seawall cap. The Ocean Rescue will be getting a new two-story concrete structure approximately 10,000 SF with an elevator, to be located south of the Dive Tower and west of the new south locker room building. The first floor will serve as storage for Ocean Rescue equipment (Paddleboards, Jet Skis, etc.). The second floor will include offices for the Chief & Lieutenants, a Conference Room, Showers & Locker Rooms.
After the Ground Breaking Ceremony, guests were welcomed on to the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi, where they enjoyed at ride along the beautiful Intracoastal waterway, had hors d’oeuvres, as well as drinks, including a full bar, champagne or choice of beverage.
“Thanks to the inspirational leadership of the City of Fort Lauderdale, our on- of-a-kind International Swimming Hall of Fame is being reborn. The new facilities, including the aquarium, will be a new jewel in the crown of tourist destinations for all of Broward County.” Dr. Bill Kent, Chair of the Board.
Stay with us at www.ishof.org for more information on the redo and Phases 2, 3 and 4!!!! If you would like to donate to the project, click here: https://internationalswimminghalloffame-bloom.kindful.com/
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Every Child A Swimmer Update ~ October 2024
Transforming Communities, Shaping a Generation of Swimmers
At the heart of the Every Child a Swimmer program is a singular, powerful mission: to equip every child with the life-saving skill of swimming and prevent childhood drowning. Our work is driven by passion, and the impact is undeniable. Over the past year, we have partnered with 282 swim schools across the country, providing over 1,800 children with access to swim lessons that they might not have otherwise had. Each of these partnerships represents more than just a number; it is a step toward creating a safer future for our children, where swimming is not just a skill but a life-saving necessity.
Our commitment to change extends beyond the pool. We’ve successfully implemented Every Child a Swimmer legislation in Florida, Georgia, and Arkansas, impacting thousands of students by integrating water safety education into schools. These legislative victories are monumental—they aren’t just policy changes, but powerful pathways to prevent future tragedies. Every child that learns to swim represents one less life at risk, and with each new law, we move closer to a world where all children are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the water.
Nationally, our team has been active in spreading this message through our participation in key industry events like the Pool Nation Women’s Summit, the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Conference, and the United States Swim School Association. By engaging with leaders and advocates at both the state and national levels, we are working to create a ripple effect that ensures water safety education reaches every community, every family, and every child.
The impact of these initiatives is clear: we are building a future where swim skills are a standard, not a privilege. We remain hopeful that with our continued efforts, the number of drowning incidents will decline as we cultivate a generation of confident and capable swimmers. Behind every swim lesson, every legislative success, and every event is a child whose life has been impacted—each one a reminder of the life-saving power of our work.
Join Us in Building a Safer Future We invite you to be a part of this important mission. Stay connected with us on social media to follow our progress, learn more about success stories, and discover ways to get involved. Whether it’s raising awareness, participating in community events, or donating to provide a child with a learn-to-swim scholarship, your support makes a direct impact. Together, we can create a generation of swimmers, prevent future tragedies, and build safer communities.
Visit www.everychildaswimmer.org to learn more about how you can contribute, volunteer, or make a donation today.