Olympic Swimming History Question

Could she (or her grandfather) have been referring to the Olympic Trials? I believe they've been held in New York at least once (1964?).

Haven't been to the city in a very long while. But yes they have many OW events there. I'm not sure I'd want to venture into it. No matter how clean they say it is these days. Here's a trivia question...where did the name for the "Red Tide" Masters Swim Team come from? :) Ohhh, I know! I know! But it's a secret. Actually, Foster de Jesus, the coach who started the team around 1983, told me that it's a play on naming teams after predatory fish (sharks, barracuda) -- since red tides (the algae overgrowth) were in the news at the time, he thought it would be cool to name it after "predatory" algae. There are some other versions around, though. :dunno: By the way, I don't do the Hudson swims either, but mostly because they're all longer than 100 meters. I'm told by people who have done them that the water's really OK. :)

Thanks to those who responded so far. Maybe since he is from NY, he trained there and did some Hudson River competitions. But from my research, and your input, it is clear that in the history of the Olympic swimming events, all were held in POOLS, right? If she brings it up again, I'll ask what year he was on the Olympic team. I don't have his full name for verification purposes :D. The conversation occured because she was bragging about her 4yo daughter who is such an "amazing swimmer" that it "must be in the genes" because her grandfather was in the Olympics blah blah.

...in the history of the Olympic swimming events, all were held in POOLS, right? Depends on how you define the word pool. ...some notes from the Five Fast Facts column in the May/June SWIMMER: At the 1900 Olympics in Paris, events took place in the Seine and ran with the current. At the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, swimming took place in waters held within a man-made structure originally created as a network of boating lagoons for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The 1908 London Olympics featured a 100-meter pool inside a huge stadium used for other sports such as rugby and track and field.

I did a considerable amount of research on NYC swimming history when putting together a bid to operate a pool in Queens. In the early 1900's many swimmers did train in the Hudson and other bodies of water in the area, though not exclusively they also swam in pools--namely Olympians Charlie Daniels, David Bratton, and David Hesser. One of the more vexing items that I've seen re-printed many times is the stat that Gertrude Ederle broke 7 World Records in one afternoon in 1922 at Brighton Beach in one 500 meter swim. I have never found any back up to this and having been out there many times with my swimmers we are confounded on just what she did--swim buoy to buoy? It certainly isn't pier to pier that's a half mile. And what 7 records were broken during the same swim? 100, 200, 220, 400? Which leads to the assumption that they counted record swims in the open water (actually ocean). This may be something for Geochuck and Frank Thompson to decipher.

George may crossed paths with her...in the Channel. www.answers.com/.../gertrude-ederle

Haven't been to the city in a very long while. But yes they have many OW events there. I'm not sure I'd want to venture into it. No matter how clean they say it is these days. I've done some of these and I must say that I was surprised at how clean the water was. I'd much rather swim in the Hudson or East River than in the Chesapeake Bay. Now, the Harlem River is a slightly different story... -LBJ

I have come accross lots of stuff on her, there may be some items in an old book that I have at home. I have seen her named in this book. Her name is mentioned in Wind Waves and Sunburn also but it is not complete. I will check with Patty Thompson my coach's daughter also. Jimmy Thompson had books and articles about everyone and she has these books. He had records on Corky Kellam the first guy o swim the Mississippi and no one even knows about Corky. If you search out Easter Williams there may be something their as well. Sorry I am not at home and have no access to a bunch of stuff that I have. There may also be some stuff on the Solo Swim site. I did meet her at the Canadian National Exhibition they had her and Earnest Verkotter there.

One of the more vexing items that I've seen re-printed many times is the stat that Gertrude Ederle broke 7 World Records in one afternoon in 1922 at Brighton Beach in one 500 meter swim. I have never found any back up to this and having been out there many times with my swimmers we are confounded on just what she did--swim buoy to buoy? It certainly isn't pier to pier that's a half mile. And what 4 records were broken during the same swim? 100, 200, 220, 400? Which leads to the assumption that they counted record swims in the open water (actually ocean). Write to the ISHOF and ask them. www.ishof.org They've got an extensive library of old newspaper clippings and other swimming-related publications.

Don't say any one is fibbing, that person could have the facts wrong or it could be true. I have met a couple of people who told me they were Olympians. The one guy told me he won the 100m free in 1956, I was there and knew that was not true but I found out later he was a British Olympic Waterpolo Player who taught swimming and did a little tall talking. On the other hand I came into a conversation where a swimmer from my own swim club was telling everyone she was an Olympian in 1956, it was 3 years ago in Mexico at a bar. Her jaw dropped a mile when she found out who I was. I had not seen her for 50 years she sure got off the suject in a hurry. I was very nice and did not out her. Olympics are dreams that many have, they wish had happened and there mouths get in the way. I almost wish I was not an Olympian, a fellow worker of mine used to say he was me. He got a girl pregnant and she reported to my boss that I had done the deed until she met me and she said that's not George Park. As J Miller says DREAMS. My friend just announced that her grandfather swam in the Olympics, when the swimming competion was done in the Hudson River. She is 40. What does she mean by this? I don't think any Olympics were in NY, but could they have trained there? Or is she fibbing? :joker: Just curious...SmartSwimmeroftheDay award to the person who knows!