Don Gambril eBook Provides Comprehensive Look At Legendary Coach’s Life (Purchase Link Included)
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
February 7, 2023,
Don Gambril eBook Provides Comprehensive Look At Legendary Coach’s Life (Purchase Link Included)
After years of dedication and hard work, author Burt Kanner, in conjunction with the International Swimming Hall of Fame, has published a book about the life of legendary coach Don Gambril. The work takes an exhaustive look at the life of the Hall of Fame coach, who was a regular mentor in Olympic competition and has been enshrined as an inductee of ISHOF. The book is available in digital format by clicking on the link below. The cost is $10.
Additionally, here is an excerpt from Kanner on how and why the book came together. It is a must read!
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Photo Courtesy: Burt Kanner
In the bestselling book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” written by Stephen R. Covey, the second concept that Covey encouraged is to “Begin with the End in Mind.” So, with that goal set, this book seeks to honor and document the life of one of the world’s greatest swimming coaches, Don Gambril.
The title, “Don Gambril: A Coach with a Heart,” was chosen with a duality in mind. In 1981 coach Gambril underwent quintuple bypass surgery to save his life, while Gambril’s metaphorical heart consistently shows through in the way he connects with his swimmers. There is something very special in this coach’s being that cultivates swimmer’s talents to their potential. To understand Don Gambril, it is helpful to know of his formative years and his family. This is examined in two of the genesis chapters. His years in the U.S. Navy helped set his own course.
Don’s coaching arc was continually rising, as will be detailed in this biography. After success in building the swimming teams at Rosemead, Arcadia, City of Commerce, Pasadena City College; he went to Long Beach State College, elevating its program to national prominence. From Long Beach, it was off to the prestigious Harvard University. The trajectory reached its paramount at the University of Alabama.
Through his career he would develop many world record holders. Gambril would hold the responsibility of coaching 19 national teams. Included would be five United States Olympic teams going to Mexico City, Munich, Montreal, and China (replacing the boycotted Moscow Games in ’80). The ultimate experience would be as the teams Head Coach at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Along this journey, Don would train and develop an endless source of coaches who went on to develop their own careers. This will be explored in a chapter entitled “Gambril’s Mafia.”
The end in mind is to add a historical biography to the annuals of swimming, hoping to give insight into a coach who was treasured by his many swimmers. By delving into the story of a man who raised a wonderful family after a less than ideal youth, we’ll understand better the motivation that empowered him.
By knowing Don Gambril more fully, future coaches will better be able to “stand on the shoulders of giants.” Because of his involvement, Don made the world of swimming and individuals in it better. Hopefully, the book will motivate future swimmers and coaches alike.
Black History Month: We salute NATE CLARK
CLARK: A TRAILBLAZING FIGURE IN COMPETITIVE SWIMMING
Breaking Barriers In Competitive Swimming
As a new generation of Black swimmers make their mark in the competitive swimming arena, there are those who paved the way to make their achievements possible. Nate Clark is one of the pioneering figures who broke barriers in competitive swimming. His induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will be a historic win for Black and swimming communities.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1943 to Frank Clark Sr., the city’s first Black fire captain and a schoolteacher mother, Clark achieved many firsts in competitive swimming when Jim Crow and segregation dictated the trajectory of African Americans’ livelihoods. He was the first Black swimmer to place in an NCAA championship. He was also the first Black person to receive a full scholarship for swimming at a predominately white institution.
“Nate blazed a path for excellence in the pool and the classroom,” said Ronald B. Saunders, chairperson of the Nathaniel L. Clark Project. “To maintain that level of scholarship — to maintain that level of performance is excellence personified.”
Saunders is leading a campaign to induct Clark into the ISHOF. He is Clark’s childhood friend and a former teammate. Saunders witnessed Clark’s progression as a young star at their local YMCA to his glass-shattering collegiate career and professional pursuits. He was fully aware of Clark’s “prowess and intellectual curiosity” for the sport and in his life. At an early age, Clark and his peers learned that they should not tolerate mediocrity.
“It was stressed that you have to dominate,” Saunders reiterated. “Not only do you have to be good, but you also have to be better.”
Swimming Journey and Accomplishments
This mindset manifested at the Centre Avenue YMCA, where he honed his swimmer skills. Swim coaches Terrence Gorman and Walter Crocker transformed the Center “Y” into a proving ground for up-and-coming talent.
Nate Clark and his teammates practicing at the Centre Avenue YMCA. From left to right: Coach Walter Crocker, Morris Fountain, Ronald Saunders and Nate Clark. c. 1940s-1950s. Photo: Ronald B. Saunders
Clark shone, placing first in the 20-Yard freestyle and second in the 20-Yard backstroke at YMCA swimming meets. Additionally, he placed second once and third twice at AAU meeting events.
Moving to the Beltzhoover area in his early teens, Clark attended Knoxville Junior High and South Hills High School. He trained at the integrated Allegheny YMCA and the YMHA, also known as the Jewish “Y.” He was usually the only Black person on the team, a trend which continued throughout his adolescent and college journey. Clark remained focused on opportunities for advancement in the sport, and he was up for the challenge.
“Because of his excellence, they let him in. If he were just good, they wouldn’t have,” Saunders said.
In 1957, Clark received honors in the Pittsburgh City Junior High School Championship. He competed against his former teammates at Centre Avenue and Herron Hill Junior High. He won the 200-yard individual medley. In 1958, the South Hills student body chose him to represent the United States in three events at the International Swimming Meet between the U.S. and Canada. Therefore, leading him to make the Junior Olympic team. He won the 200-meter freestyle two years later at a Junior Olympic event in North Park, finishing in 2:18 seconds. That same year, he held the record for the 100-yard butterfly until 1973.
Nate Clark pictured with his swimming team at The Ohio State University. c. 1964. Photo: Print File Archival Preservers
A strong academic and athlete, Clark received many scholarship offers. He eventually decided to attend The Ohio State University because of its top engineering and swimming programs. Clark helped Ohio State take home the NCAA championship in 1962 as a sophomore. Receiving awards in two butterfly events, he was the first Black swimmer to achieve this honor, finishing in fifth place. With a time of 2:04.9 seconds, Clark scored in the championship a second time in 1963, placing fourth overall.
Honoring Clark’s Legacy
Unfortunately, his accomplishments received little or no fanfare in mainstream publications over the years. As a result, Saunders is committed to making a change. He made the commitment to make sure Clark gets the recognition he deserves in the sport of competitive swimming. Aquatics is not an anomaly for Black Americans but deeply ingrained in our culture throughout centuries.
Saunders sent a letter to Bruce Wigo in September to support Clark’s nomination. Newspaper clippings and pictures from Clark’s swimming career accompanied the letter. Wigo, who was the former CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and consultant of various aquatic-related organizations and museums, acknowledged the significance of Clark’s contributions and his impact on the racial history of America.
“There are so many issues, but Nate Clark addresses one of them,” Wigo emphasized. “It is symbolic that he came from a program that had a natural tradition in swimming within the Black community, and it was respected. He was respected and went on to become a world-class swimmer.”
Wigo forwarded the letter to several Black swimmers in hopes of gaining more support. Sabir Muhammad, an All-American and first Black American to win a medal at a major international swimming competition, is one of the individuals who received the letter. As a kid, he was a member of the City of Atlanta Dolphins, a predominately Black team with role models that guided them through the sport of aquatics, similar to Clark.
“I think he’s a significant historical person who should be immortalized in the sport via the Hall of Fame,” Muhammad said. “His story is great because of the context of where our country was when he was swimming.”
Jim Crow laws in the South and covert racism in the North limited African Americans’ access to recreational and competitive swimming. Attempts to stop them from using public pools ranged from unnecessary excuses and demands to physical assaults and chemical poisoning of swimming pools Black people swam in.
“The barriers for African Americans to swim in the United States were much, much greater,” Wigo explained. “In terms of facilities and training, it was totally unequal and unbalanced.”
“We had to navigate in a sea of white supremacy, segregation and Jim Crow,” Saunders added. “We weren’t necessarily offered the best pools and the best training grounds.”
Nate Clark’s accomplishments in the sport of swimming prepared the groundwork for others to achieve in a sport that remains predominantly white.
Graduating from Ohio State in 1966, Clark received a Masters and Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. He worked in venture capital in New York City and Boston. He eventually returned before returning to Pittsburgh, where he resided until his passing in 2010.
“I think it’s incumbent on us to recognize the trailblazers in our sports,” Muhammad expressed. “The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to acknowledge those people that improve our sport, and Nate Clark is an exemplar of that.”
Copied from “Black Kids Swim”. There is a group pushing to get Nate inducted into ISHOF in the Pioneer category. He definitely was a pioneer!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR MASTERS HONOREE JURGEN SCHMIDT WHO TURNS 100 TODAY !!!!
How many people can say they’ve been swimming for more than 80 years? Jurgen Schmidt of Southern California can! Schmidt never gave competitive swimming a thought, until he wanted to be a lifeguard at his high school pool and was told to take a Red Cross water safety course. The year was 1941 and in that class was 1936 Olympic gold medal backstroke champion, Adolph Kiefer. While serving as a Naval officer in the Korean War, Schmidt participated in and won various fleet competitions, and for the next 20 years he swam for the local YMCA to keep in shape.
Jurgen’s first introduction to Masters swimming came in 1973 when he saw an article in the Chicago Times announcing an upcoming National Long Course Masters Meet at the Chicago Circle Campus of the University of Illinois. Inspired, he joined the local Ryall Masters Team. Each morning he had to get up at 4:00 am to travel from his home in Arlington Heights to Wheaton for the 6:00 am workout. After workout, he would then continue to his job in Hillside. It was quite a commitment, but it was worth it. Schmidt placed in the top five in the 50-54 age group and even swam against Doc Counsilman in the 1500m freestyle. And he loved every minute of it! In fact, he loved it so much, that he decided to form Illinois Masters Swimming with the help of friends, Paul Huttinger, Bobbi Turcotte and Frank Havlicek. He says his biggest thrill in Masters Swimming though, was his breakthrough meet at the 1978 USMS Long Course Nationals, where he won four gold medals.
In 1989, Jurgen moved to Lompoc, California to take care of his aging parents who at that time were in their 90’s. During those years, he never stopped swimming or competing and began working out with fellow Masters Honoree, Frank Piemme. The two attended everything from local meets to National Championships together.
In 2013, He was a member of five, 360 plus year old relays that set FINA Masters Long Course World Records. In 2015, Speedo heard about Jurgen and featured an advertising campaign around him, called “Fueled by Water”. When Speedo created the ad campaign, he was 94 and still swimming 2,000 yards, 5-7 days a week. Jurgen figures he has swum over 25, 000 miles over the course of his lifetime.
Masters swimming has been a life saver for Jurgen Schmidt. The camaraderie and many lifelong friendships that he has made during his nearly 50 years in sport are something he will always cherish and never forget.
Jurgen’s tips for longevity are simple:
Eat Well
Sleep Well
Stay Active
Stay Engaged
Count your blessings
And as Schmidt says: “Always remember to breathe!
A very special Happy Birthday to Jurgen Schmidt from everyone at the International Swimming Hall of Fame and all the Masters swimmers around the World!
Thea de Wit, of the Netherlands, a pioneer in women’s water polo, passes away on February 1, 2023
Thea de Wit was inducted into ISHOF as a Contributor as part of the Class of 2005. She was from the Netherlands (Holland) and was a pioneer in women’s water polo. It was a sad day for all of water polo, as Thea died yesterday, January 31, 2023.
Thea de Wit has been the single most important individual responsible for the international acceptance of women’s water polo as an Olympic sport. Her tenacity and persistence in promoting water polo for women on an international level, lead to the formation of FINA and other committees which brought world-wide attention to the sport.
She learned to swim at age eight when World War II began and the German Army occupied the Netherlands. It was another five years until the end of the war when Thea became a member of Hall of Fame Coach Jan Stender’s team, Club ZV De Robben, in Hilversum, playing water polo and swimming. She swam breaststroke and freestyle, but specialized in long distance, swimming the three hour fifteen minute race in the sea at a temperature of 16 degrees celsius (62 degrees fahrenheit). Additionally a club water polo match was played each Saturday somewhere in the Netherlands and for many years her club was the best in the country.
Thea as a teenager, as a member of Coach Jan Stender’s team
Following high school, she trained as a children’s nanny, took courses in short hand and typing and qualified as a swimming teacher. In 1951, at age 18 she became a water polo referee officiating in tournaments throughout the country.
For the next two years, while living in Geneva to improve her language skills, she became the Swiss National Champion in the 100m and 400m freestyle. For another two years living in Ashford, England, she qualified as a nurse. Then it was back to Holland for marriage and the birth of her two daughters.
In 1961, she went back to ZV De Robben to teach children swimming and play water polo, becoming a member of the club Board. The European Cup for men’s water polo had just begun, so she organized her club’s participation. She and her husband had a big radio/TV business which helped raise money for the club, but she wanted to promote women’s water polo. So, in 1975, she became a member of the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (K.N.Z.B). She heard that the University of Quebec was looking for club teams to play in women’s water polo matches, so in February, 1977, she helped organize two teams from the Netherlands, one from the USA, Australia, Puerto Rico and Canada, create a tournament in Quebec. The tournament was played again, later in the year, in Commerce, CA (USA) with an added team from New Zealand.
Thea then formed a committee that made a proposal to FINA asking if they be allowed to perform a demonstration at the Berlin World Championships in 1978, with national teams from the USA, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Germany. Not only was it accepted, but the tournament attracted considerable attention. During the tournament, FINA Honorary Secretary Bob Helmick nominated Thea as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the Women’s Promoting Committee of FINA. Because women’s water polo was almost non-existent in Europe, it became the region of the biggest challenge. The K.N.Z.B. provided Thea with practical and financial support.
In 1979, FINA President Javier Ostos agreed to the first FINA Water Polo World Cup to be held in the United States, at Merced, California. For lack of participants, this took the form of a double competition. Thea fought to increase the awareness of women’s water polo in European countries by giving press conferences and TV interviews. She always put FINA to the forefront in all activities to convince them that this was a new and developing sport for women. In 1980, the World Cup was in the Netherlands, and in 1981 in Brisbane, Australia. At the 1981 European Championships in Split, FINA President Ante Lambassa, also President of LEN, was persuaded to hold a tournament during the World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador, which became known as the Lambassa Cup.
Thea spoke to the European Congress in Malta in 1982 and at every meeting of FINA as well, to promote women’s water polo and the Promoting Committee. She attended every FINA Technical Water Polo Committee meeting; Thea being the only woman in a room of men talking about the same sport with the only difference being physical strength of the players. Even international referees had difficulty adapting to the difference of men and women. Despite resistance, the World Cup for women was held every two years and in 1985 the first European Championships took place in Oslo as well as the qualifying tournament for the 1986 Madrid World Championships. FINA Treasurer and LEN President Klaas Van der Pol (NED), Jane Hale (USA) and Leanne Barnes (AUS) all gave great support.
FINA Technical Meeting and Press Conference
All the while, Thea was Manager of the Dutch National Team (until 1986) and a member (from 1986) of the Technical European Water Polo Committee. She traveled to all meetings and served as a delegate to evaluate tournament referees and organizers. In 1988, she was elected to the FINA Sub-Committee for Women’s Water Polo. FINA elected her to supervise all aquatic disciplines and organize competition press conferences at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It was another opportunity to promote women’s water polo.
Thea was instrumental in Russia’s and Greece’s emergence on the international scene. At the 1991 Perth World Championships women’s water polo made great strides, encouraging Thea and others to push the IOC for Olympic water polo competition. Thea was a deck official at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. She started the Junior World Championships in 1996. After a long campaign her dream came to fruition and the 2000 Sydney Olympics held the first Women’s Water Polo Olympic Competition.
Thea remained a member of the FINA Sub-Committee until 1992 receiving the FINA silver pin and the LEN Technical Water Polo Committee until 1995 receiving the gold medal. She has received the K.N.Z.B. highest distinction and is an Honorary Member of Club “De Robben” after having served as vice president for 20 years.
At present there are over 50 countries in the world which have a national women’s water polo championship and some countries, have semi-professional or professional players and leagues. Without Thea, this would not be the case. Thea De Wit, a pioneer in the sport of women’s water polo, will be missed but never forgotten.
Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center Celebrates Official Grand Opening in Style with Ribbon Cutting and Dive Challenge
Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center Celebrates Official Grand Opening In Style With Ribbon Cutting and Dive Challenge
Saturday marked the official Grand Opening of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, which showcased an exhibition by Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis diving from the highest tower in the United States. Olympians, honorees, city officials, media, and the public came out to be part of this memorable event. It has been 95 years since the Casino pool was first built on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Since that time, the city has hosted thousands of swim meets and many thrilling diving competitions featured on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, which made the city famous.
Photo Courtesy: John Parra/Getty Images
Approximately 500 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony that included welcoming remarks by Mayor Dean Trantalis, whose support was integral to the City’s $50 million investment. City Commissioner Steve Glassman spoke about how proud he was to have the state-of-the-art aquatic center and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Museum located in his district. Glassman emphasized that the aquatic center will not only serve the recreational pursuits of Fort Lauderdale residents but will be a destination for people from around the world who will compete or watch some of the worlds’ best at the new aquatic complex.
Donna de Varona, who set her first world record at the age of 13, and competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics and captured two gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Games reminded the audience of those swimming legends that graced the pool decks of the original Casino Pool, including Esther Williams, Buster Crabbe, Johnny Weissmuller and Eleanor Holm. Fondly recalling the history of ISHOF, de Varona credited Buck Dawson, the visionary who made ISHOF what it is and helped make the Fort Lauderdale aquatic facility a reality. Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder Cullen Jones recalled the many times that he trained and raced in the previous Hall of Fame pools and said that Fort Lauderdale “felt like home.”
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Museum was built in the mid-1960s and located adjacent to the Hall of Fame pool. In January, the Museum was demolished to make way for a future edition that will celebrate the achievements of swimmers and artistic swimmers, divers, water polo players, and lifesavers.
In conjunction with the ribbon cutting, ISHOF hosted a first of its kind Dive Challenge at the spectacular 27-meter dive tower. The City of Fort Lauderdale landmark is the only one in the western hemisphere. Another tower that is remotely similar and perhaps not nearly as grand is located in Zhao Qing, China. The city’s iconic structure is impressive when illuminated at night, but during the day it offers the only training facility in the western hemisphere where athletes can learn the skills of springboard, platform or high diving. Like the ISHOF Museum, the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center will attract athletes and visitors from throughout the world.
Photo Courtesy: John Parra/Getty Images
City officials welcomed an open-house crowd of residents and luminaries, many of whom had a long association with ISHOF and with one or both of the previous Casino and Hall of Fame Pools. Many Olympians turned out to tour the impressive aquatic center and to support ISHOF, including Fort Lauderdale resident Dara Torres. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the USA in five Olympic Games and at age 41, the oldest swimmer to earn a place on the US Olympic team. Torres, in her final Games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won a silver medal in three events.
World Aquatics Treasurer Dale Neuburger offered his congratulations on behalf of the international federation for aquatics that was previously known as FINA until December of 2022. Neuburger speculated that this new venue would be the host of many developmental and elite competitions in the very near future and was confident that the facilities, the city and the aquatic team were more than up to the task.
After the speeches and the ribbon cutting, the city’s longtime Aquatics Center Manager Laura Voet officially opened the new Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center and its signature high diving tower. The ISHOF Dive Challenge welcomed one of the most legendary divers in Olympic history who was the winner of three NCAA titles representing the University of Miami.
As a 16-year-old, Greg Louganis competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, earning a silver medal in the 10-meter platform. The US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics was a missed opportunity for Louganis. He won four Olympic gold medals, striking gold twice in the 3-meter springboard and again off the 10-meter platform at the 1984 Los Angeles and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. On Saturday, on the day before his 63rd birthday, Louganis impressed spectators with a flawless inward dive pike off the new 10-meter tower, proving that he’s still got it!
In addition to Louganis, 2016 Olympic silver medalist Sam Dorman demonstrated that his skills and flexibility hadn’t faded since his retirement. Dorman finished second in the Olympic 10-meter synchronized event in Rio seven years ago. On Saturday he decided to try his luck a bit higher, diving off the 15-meter tower, executing a beautiful dive as well. Other high divers in attendance were Ellie Smith, Maya Kelly, Ben Mattera, Braden Rumpit, and James Lichtenstein.
Other aquatic legends included:
Mary Ellen Clark, who dove and called the aquatic center home in the 1990s and won two bronze Olympic medals in 1992 and 1996
Wendy Boglioli, 1976 gold and bronze medalist, of the famous story, “The Last Gold”, and new Florida resident
Ron O’Brien, eight-time USA Olympic diving coach and former head coach of the Fort Lauderdale Diving Team. Olympians coached by O’Brien have won five gold, three silver and five bronze medals.
Tom Gompf, 1964 Olympic bronze medalist on the 10-meter platform, and the author of his memoir “A Life Aloft”.
Clark Koukurek, a professional high diver, was the “top” performer, diving off the 27-meter tower. Just like the end of every Fourth of July fireworks celebration, the best was saved for last. Koukurek was the signal caller from the highest point for the finale. Seven athletes completed a synchronized dive from five different platforms, simultaneously, impressing the crowd just a little bit more and convincing everyone that new pages in history were soon to be written.
ISHOF Calling for Paragon Award Nominations
The International Swimming Hall of Fame announces the call for nominations for the 2023 Paragon Awards to be presented at the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Honoree Induction Weekend September 29-30, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale. Sponsored by Pentair Aquatic Systems, the awards are presented each year for outstanding contributions and leadership in several swimming and aquatic-related categories.
Candidates may be nominated for the Paragon Awards in the following categories:
Competitive Swimming
Competitive Diving
Competitive Artistic Swimming
Competitive Water Polo
Aquatic Safety
Recreational Swimming
Kindly submit your nominees by March 1, 2023. Please include any relevant data to support your nomination, the aquatic category for nomination, as well as a brief biography of each individual and a high-resolution image. Also, please submit contact information for your nominee, including an e-mail and phone number. Nominations submitted without contact information will not be accepted.
Click here, to see information on the award and biographical information on the 2022 Award Winners: https://ishof.org/ishof-hosts-paragon-and-specialty-awards-during-induction-weekend/
Nominations may be sent to:
Meg Keller-MarvinInternational Swimming Hall of Fame1 Hall of Fame DriveFort Lauderdale, FL 33316Phone: 570.594.4367Fax: 954-525-4031Email: meg@ishof.org
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
About the International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Weekend:
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over two days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Make your plans now to attend the weekend of September 29-30, 2023! Information on purchasing tickets will be forthcoming this Spring! To see how much fun we had at the 2022 Induction, click here: https://ishof.org/highlights-from-the-international-swimming-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony/
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame Honorees will be announced in late winter. Keep checking back for the names of the 2023 Honorees. If you can’t make it but would like to donate to help our honorees, click here: https://internationalswimminghalloffame-bloom.kindful.com/
Or if you would like to become a member of the International Swimming Hall of fame, click here: https://ishof.org/membership/
1982 ISHOF Honoree & South African Olympian Joan Harrison Recovers Stolen Medal
by MATTHEW DE GEORGE – SENIOR WRITER
An international swimming medal belonging to Joan Harrison that had been feared stolen has been recovered by her family, according to social media posts.
Harrison – now Joan Breetzke – had been keeping a gold medal from the 1954 Commonwealth Games (then, the British Empire Games) at the house of her grandson, Craig Murray, in East London, South Africa. The house was burgled in December, and Murray feared the medal was among those taken. He posted to social media for help recovering the medal.
Tuesday, that medal and another from the same meet were recovered nearby by someone who had seen the post.
The story was first reported by Inside The Games.
“My gran could not stop smiling when we broke the news to her,” Murphy wrote. “She could not believe that it was recovered!”
Harrison, 87, won two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 1954 British Empire Games in Vancouver. (The silver medal is in the 3×100-yard medley relay, before butterfly became its own discipline). She also won gold in the 440-yard freestyle and bronze in the 110-yard free at the 1950 meet in Auckland. She was just 14 years old at the time.
Harrison became the first South African woman to win an Olympic swimming gold medal when the claimed the 100-meter backstroke at the 1952 Games in Helsinki. She retired from swimming at age 17 to focus on her field hockey career, but returned to win national titles in 1956, though she did not qualify for the Olympics that hear. Harrison was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982.
Joan Harrison at her 1982 ISHOF Induction in Fort Lauderdale
Save the Date! September 29 & 30, ISHOF’s 2023 Honoree Induction Weekend
Mark your calendars now! The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) has selected the dates for the 2023 Honoree Induction Ceremonies and the Paragon/Awards Weekend.
The 58th Annual ISHOF Honoree Induction weekend will be held Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Make your plans now to attend!
The Class of 2023 will be announced sometime in late winter. The Paragon and other award winners will be also honored on the Honoree weekend. Join our E-mail list or keep checking www.ishof.org or www.swimmingworld.com for more information or all the latest aquatic news!
The Induction weekend will begin Friday evening, September 29, 2023 and will celebrate the Paragon Award winners, which typically honor six stellar aquatic men /women from the following categories: competitive swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, recreational swimming and aquatic safety.
The other specialty awards honored on Friday evening include: The Buck Dawson Authors Award, The Virginia Hunt Newman Award, The John K. Williams Jr. Adaptive Aquatics Award, The Judge G. Harold Martin Award, The ISHOF Service Award, and others.
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, ISHOF will host, the 58th Annual Honoree Induction Ceremony and Dinner. The event will once again be hosted at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa, located one quarter mile south of ISHOF on beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach. The Class of 2023 will be announces sometime in the late winter, so keep checking back for any announcements.
The ISHOF Honoree Induction and Dinner will also host its annual silent auction. If you have anything you might want to donate to this year’s silent auction, please contact Meg at meg@ishof.org
*Ask about our Honoree weekend sponsorship opportunities, email anne@ishof.org for more information“.
December visitors to ISHOF……..
The Counsilman Family
Just recently, ISHOF had a very special visit from the daughter of one of our most noteable Honorees, Jill Counsilman Morris and her husband, Mike. They came to the museum to see dad, Dr. James E. “Doc” Counsilman’s display, artifacts and files. Doc Counsilman is one of the most prestigious coaches in swimming history, coaching at Indiana University, for over 30 years, 1957-1990, coaching some of the greatest of all time, including Mark Spitz, Gary Hall, Sr., Jim Montgomery, John Kinsella, Tom Stock, and many, many others. Jill and Mike really enjoyed looking through Doc’s files, seeing photos, some of which Jill had never seen before. Some even brought tears to her eyes, she said. “It’s days like this that make it all worth it”~ said Laurie Marchwinski, ISHOF COO. Laura Voet, former IU alum swimmer, former ISHOF employee and now Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Center Manager, also enjoyed spending time with the couple as well.
In addition to being one of the greatest coaches of all-time Doc Counsilman, was also the founding President of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, serving from 1965-1969. Doc was also known for his interest in kinesiology, the science dealing with the study of body mechanics and the prescription of exercises for developing specific muscle groups. Doc contributed to every phase competitive swimming. No phase of the sport escaped his attention and was not significantly improved by his influence. His ground-breaking research covered a wide field. In the area of exercise physiology, and conditioning, he published papers on a wide range of topics: interval training, strength training, isokinetic and bio-kinetic exercises, hypoxic training, altitude training, and so on and on.
We could go on and on about the impact Doc had on the sport of swimming, but instead, we will just let you read it in his bio that was written when he was inducted as an Honor Coach in 1976:
https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-dr-james-e-doc-counsilman/
More December Visitors to ISHOF……..
David Reider, Swimming World Magazine and Anne Schmidt, ISHOF CEO
ISHOF recently got a visit from Swimming World Magazine’s Senior Writer, David Reider. We were glad to welcome our fellow Swimming World employee to ISHOF, show him around and introduce him to our new CEO, Anne Schmidt!
New Jersey High School Swim Team makes special trip to ISHOF
The week before Christmas, a High School Swim Team from New Jersey was in South Florida on a winter training trip and made a special trip to Fort Lauderdale Beach just to visit the ISHOF museum. Even though most of our memorabilia is in storage, we still have things to see and all the Honoree panels to view. The team was very excited they came to visit! Thanks for coming by!!!!
We expect more teams to be training at at the Hall of Fame, as well other pools around town, and in South Florida, so we invite all of you to come visitus at ISHOF!
Demolition of Original Building Marks Step Toward New Era for International Swimming Hall of Fame
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
28 December 2022, 10:28am
Demolition Of Original Building Marks Step Toward New Era For International Swimming Hall of Fame
A major step toward a new era of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) took place on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale when demolition of the original building began. Opened in 1967, the original museum – for more than a half-century – featured and celebrated some of the most iconic artifacts and moments in the history of aquatic sports.
The Hall of Fame has long been the home to treasures such as Olympic medals, warmups and swimsuits worn by legends and biographical celebrations of the athletes who have been enshrined as Hall of Famers. More, the Hall of Fame has paid tribute to special moments in aquatic history, ranging from Gertrude Ederle’s crossing of the English Channel to the eight gold medals won by Michael Phelps at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1u7koHYzVckhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/1u7koHYzVck
Demolition of the original Hall of Fame building marks a move toward a grand future for the International Swimming Hall of Fame, as a new, state-of-the-art complex is planned. The new complex will house a fully updated and modern display of aquatics sports history; two event spaces with 360° views of the intracoastal, aquatic center and Atlantic Ocean; a café; a restaurant; a library; teaching pool; welcome center; meeting rooms and office space; and on-site parking.
Photo credit: Greg Eggert
Already, the adjacent Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center has undergone renovations. With the 27-meter high dive tower, new pools and spectator viewing, the facility will once again operate as a focal point of competitions and training.