1
00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,900
Gertrude Ederle's 
accomplishments were 
not only in the water,

2
00:00:05,833 --> 00:00:07,633
as an Olympic swimmer 
and the first woman to 
swim the English Channel,

3
00:00:09,033 --> 00:00:11,433
but she also had a huge impact 
on the American landscape.

4
00:00:27,833 --> 00:00:29,633
1924, Paris, France. 19-year-old

5
00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:37,000
Gertrude Ederle competed 
for the U.S. women's swim 
team at the Summer Olympics.

6
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,966
When the modern Olympics 
were founded in 1896,

7
00:00:42,166 --> 00:00:44,033
those games featured 
no women competitors.

8
00:00:45,533 --> 00:00:49,733
Then in 1900, you had five 
events for women: tennis,

9
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,500
golf, croquet, 
equestrianism, and sailing.

10
00:00:54,966 --> 00:00:59,133
1912 was the first time women 
were included in aquatic sports:

11
00:00:59,900 --> 00:01:00,133
swimming and diving.

12
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,433
She won the gold medal in 
the 4x100 relay freestyle,

13
00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:07,766
and also won two bronze medals.

14
00:01:10,266 --> 00:01:15,166
"The Olympic races? I 
had to swim like hell... 
When we're in the water,

15
00:01:16,033 --> 00:01:16,666
we're not in this world.".

16
00:01:20,333 --> 00:01:23,633
Gertrude Ederle was born 
in 1905 in New York City,

17
00:01:25,066 --> 00:01:26,733
to a German immigrant family 
that owned a butcher shop.

18
00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,466
Her father taught her to 
swim in a river when she 
was nine by tying a rope

19
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:33,500
around her waist.

20
00:01:34,766 --> 00:01:37,766
When Gertrude Ederle got 
measles as a youngster,

21
00:01:39,233 --> 00:01:42,500
she had complications that led 
to her being hard of hearing,

22
00:01:43,666 --> 00:01:45,500
and swimming did not 
help the hearing issue.

23
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,233
"The doctors told me my 
hearing would get worse 
if I continued swimming,

24
00:01:51,633 --> 00:01:53,766
but I loved the water so 
much, I just couldn't stop.".

25
00:01:56,233 --> 00:02:00,100
Ederle dropped out of 
school in her early teens 
to train as a swimmer

26
00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:00,933
year-round.

27
00:02:02,766 --> 00:02:05,566
I think the family 
support was tremendous, 
especially from the father.

28
00:02:06,966 --> 00:02:09,100
Most youngsters, if they 
dropped out of school,

29
00:02:11,066 --> 00:02:13,300
it was to work to help 
support the income of the 
families. Here she was,

30
00:02:14,166 --> 00:02:15,466
focusing singularly on swimming.

31
00:02:15,466 --> 00:02:19,766
Society viewed women 
as the weaker sex,

32
00:02:21,533 --> 00:02:24,466
that they were biologically 
less able to have 
physical courage and

33
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:26,400
withstand the rigors 
of competition.

34
00:02:28,133 --> 00:02:31,600
Some male doctors even called 
them "maternally-wounded 
women," that too

35
00:02:33,033 --> 00:02:35,533
much physical effort might harm 
women's roles of childbearing.

36
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,566
So there was a real 
limit to what women were 
encouraged to do in the area

37
00:02:41,166 --> 00:02:41,400
of sport.

38
00:02:44,233 --> 00:02:48,733
In 1918, Ederle joined 
a women's team and began 
to swim competitively.

39
00:02:50,733 --> 00:02:54,600
The Women's Swimming 
Association was founded by 
Charlotte Epstein in 1917,

40
00:02:56,533 --> 00:02:59,066
and it's really one of the 
first athletic organizations 
founded by women to

41
00:03:00,566 --> 00:03:03,633
promote women's competitive 
sport. They had a male coach,

42
00:03:04,733 --> 00:03:06,566
Louis de Breda Handley, 
a former Olympian,

43
00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,366
who believed that women 
could and should swim. And 
this led to competitions,

44
00:03:12,833 --> 00:03:16,200
once the amateur athletic union 
allowed women to compete in the

45
00:03:16,666 --> 00:03:17,033
1910s.

46
00:03:19,033 --> 00:03:23,333
"To me, the sea is like 
a person - like a child 
that I've known a long

47
00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,866
time. It sounds crazy, I 
know, but when I swim in 
the sea, I talk to it.

48
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:31,433
I never feel alone 
when I'm out there.".

49
00:03:35,033 --> 00:03:39,900
By the age of 20, Ederle 
had set 29 world records 
in women's freestyle,

50
00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:43,200
including a long distance race 
from New York to New Jersey.

51
00:03:44,766 --> 00:03:48,966
Gertrude Ederle swam the 22 
miles in 7 hours and 11 minutes.

52
00:03:50,566 --> 00:03:54,466
And that record stood 
for over 80 years. So 
she was short distance,

53
00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,100
long distance, all 
around champion swimmer.

54
00:03:58,666 --> 00:04:01,066
I can't think of anyone 
that would be able 
to do that right now.

55
00:04:02,166 --> 00:04:02,700
That's very unique. 
I'm Lia Neal,

56
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,266
and I'm a two-time Olympian. 
I joined a swim team

57
00:04:13,733 --> 00:04:17,000
when I was eight, and 
I've been swimming 
competitively since then.

58
00:04:19,233 --> 00:04:23,800
The national team changes 
every year with who's the 
fastest in the country right

59
00:04:24,666 --> 00:04:28,600
now. At the Olympics in 2012,

60
00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,300
in London,

61
00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:34,233
I became the first African 
American woman to swim on 
a finals on the 400 free

62
00:04:35,433 --> 00:04:37,333
relay. And making 
the 2016 Olympics,

63
00:04:39,233 --> 00:04:41,833
I also became the first 
African American woman to 
make two Olympics in swimming.

64
00:04:43,766 --> 00:04:46,566
I was just like tunnel 
vision, not really setting 
any limits on myself,

65
00:04:47,433 --> 00:04:48,833
constantly climbing the ladder.

66
00:04:51,500 --> 00:04:55,433
In 1925, with sponsorships 
from the Women's 
Swimming Association,

67
00:04:55,433 --> 00:04:58,166
Ederle set her sights on 
the ultimate endurance test,

68
00:04:58,166 --> 00:05:01,200
to swim across the 
English Channel.

69
00:05:03,066 --> 00:05:06,433
Men had been doing it, and 
five men had succeeded.

70
00:05:07,866 --> 00:05:10,466
Women had tried, but no one 
had done it successfully.

71
00:05:11,833 --> 00:05:14,000
"Five men have succeeded, 
why not a woman?

72
00:05:15,466 --> 00:05:18,366
Surely in the athletic club we 
are near equal in endurance!".

73
00:05:19,966 --> 00:05:24,033
We have to remember, 
women barely got the 
right to vote in 1920.

74
00:05:25,633 --> 00:05:28,233
And so Ederle was 
trying to demonstrate 
physical emancipation.

75
00:05:29,300 --> 00:05:31,833
But the risks involved 
were enormous.

76
00:05:33,233 --> 00:05:36,600
You had the huge waves, the 
cold temperature, the jellyfish,

77
00:05:38,033 --> 00:05:39,766
and often the winds would come 
up and blow you off course.

78
00:05:41,333 --> 00:05:45,233
So it was a huge 
physical endeavor that 
most thought men would

79
00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:47,533
barely survive, 
let alone a woman.

80
00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:53,300
Ederle set off from a beach 
in France, determined to 
conquer the 21-mile swim.

81
00:05:54,666 --> 00:05:56,933
"I'm all ready for it. 
Bring on your old channel.".

82
00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,466
She used the freestyle 
and most swimmers had 
used the breaststroke.

83
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:04,866
And so this was unusual.

84
00:06:06,233 --> 00:06:08,433
But she seemed to move through 
the water quite rapidly,

85
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,100
and initially seemed 
to be doing well.

86
00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:18,200
But a huge wave came 
up, and her coach, from 
the tugboat following,

87
00:06:19,566 --> 00:06:22,200
her said, "Gertrude, you should 
get out." He touched her,

88
00:06:22,933 --> 00:06:23,766
which was a violation.

89
00:06:25,733 --> 00:06:27,566
And so the swim stopped 
and she was furious because 
she could have kept going,

90
00:06:28,166 --> 00:06:28,533
she thought.

91
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,833
"My motto is, if at first you 
don't succeed, try, try again.

92
00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,933
I am going to attempt to 
swim the English Channel 
again next July.".

93
00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:38,833
Ederle

94
00:06:40,466 --> 00:06:44,600
hired a new coach and 
spent a year training at 
least four hours a day.

95
00:06:46,266 --> 00:06:50,000
She also designed her 
own goggles and a more 
aerodynamic swimsuit.

96
00:06:51,166 --> 00:06:53,433
In the late 19th, 
early 20th century,

97
00:06:54,833 --> 00:06:57,433
women at beaches and in 
pools were told to cover up.

98
00:06:59,333 --> 00:07:03,200
They needed to wear 
full-length skirts, often 
stockings or bloomers,

99
00:07:04,333 --> 00:07:06,433
and that limits mobility 
in the water. Ederle

100
00:07:07,966 --> 00:07:11,333
revolutionized swimming 
with her sporting costume.

101
00:07:12,833 --> 00:07:16,133
On August 6th, 1926, at 7 am,

102
00:07:16,133 --> 00:07:19,500
Ederle set off from the coast 
of France a second time.

103
00:07:21,466 --> 00:07:25,233
She slathered herself in 
grease to protect against 
the cold water and jellyfish

104
00:07:25,700 --> 00:07:26,066
stings.

105
00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,966
"Don't let anybody take 
me out of the water 
unless I ask. Promise me,

106
00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:32,866
England or bust.".

107
00:07:34,300 --> 00:07:38,500
Two tugboats kept pace - one 
carrying her family and fans,

108
00:07:40,100 --> 00:07:41,933
the other, reporters 
from a newspaper which 
sponsored the swim.

109
00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,666
When she was getting some food, 
she would rest on her back.

110
00:07:48,033 --> 00:07:50,833
She would have broth, 
sugar cubes, and chocolate.

111
00:07:52,133 --> 00:07:54,700
The people on the boat 
began singing to her.

112
00:08:04,633 --> 00:08:06,933
There was nothing that was 
going to stop her this time.

113
00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,833
14 Hours and 39 minutes later,

114
00:08:15,266 --> 00:08:17,433
20-year-old Gertrude Ederle 
arrived on the British shore.

115
00:08:18,833 --> 00:08:21,866
She was not only the first woman 
to swim the English Channel,

116
00:08:23,333 --> 00:08:25,533
but she beat the existing 
men's record by two hours.

117
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:28,966
"I'll bet all the women in the 
world will celebrate tonight.

118
00:08:30,133 --> 00:08:32,133
It's up with the women 
and down with the men.".

119
00:08:33,433 --> 00:08:35,233
When Ederle came back,

120
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,666
New York City gave her a 
huge ticker tape parade and 
there were over 2 million

121
00:08:41,066 --> 00:08:43,233
people who lined the streets 
and docks to be a part of this.

122
00:08:45,133 --> 00:08:47,733
She had nicknames like 
"Queen of the Waves" or 
"The Grease Smeared-Venus."

123
00:08:49,566 --> 00:08:52,433
She was one of the first women 
to visit the White House,

124
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,933
and President Calvin 
Coolidge, he referred her 
as "America's Best Girl."

125
00:08:58,966 --> 00:09:03,633
There was a short film 
made about Ederle and there 
were songs devoted to her.

126
00:09:08,100 --> 00:09:11,766
Ederle wiped out misconceptions 
about women being weak.

127
00:09:22,433 --> 00:09:25,100
Even though most Americans 
didn't swim before,

128
00:09:27,066 --> 00:09:30,333
Ederle's sudden fame 
inspired more than 60,000 
women in the U.S. to earn

129
00:09:31,666 --> 00:09:32,533
Red Cross swimming 
certificates in the 1920s.

130
00:09:34,133 --> 00:09:37,233
She toured the country 
on the vaudeville 
circuit for two years,

131
00:09:38,366 --> 00:09:39,933
demonstrating her skills 
in a portable tank.

132
00:09:42,433 --> 00:09:46,266
However, as a result of 
the overwhelming pressure 
of press attention,

133
00:09:47,866 --> 00:09:49,733
Ederle suffered what 
doctors then called a 
'nervous breakdown.'

134
00:09:51,333 --> 00:09:54,800
The Channel's swim 
had also significantly 
worsened her hearing.

135
00:09:56,166 --> 00:10:00,000
She retired from the 
sport in 1928, at age 22.

136
00:10:01,466 --> 00:10:04,833
"I finally got the shakes. I 
was just a bundle of nerves.

137
00:10:06,133 --> 00:10:08,266
I had to quit and 
I was stone-deaf.".

138
00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:12,166
In her fifties,

139
00:10:12,166 --> 00:10:15,600
Ederle taught swimming 
at a school for deaf 
children in New York

140
00:10:16,066 --> 00:10:16,433
City.

141
00:10:17,866 --> 00:10:21,233
It's amazing that she, being 
faced with becoming deaf,

142
00:10:22,566 --> 00:10:25,633
ultimately served other 
generations and shared her gift.

143
00:10:26,866 --> 00:10:28,833
There aren't very 
many women coaches.

144
00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:34,233
So I think it's up to us 
pioneers to give back to 
our communities that are

145
00:10:35,733 --> 00:10:38,866
less privileged, to let them 
know that this is an option.

146
00:10:40,766 --> 00:10:43,766
As long as you race your 
heart out and work hard 
enough for it, you'll get it.

147
00:10:46,700 --> 00:10:49,633
Elderle died in 2003, 
at the age of 98,

148
00:10:51,300 --> 00:10:53,433
after being inducted 
into the International 
Swimming Hall of Fame.

149
00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,800
Gertrude Ederle is part 
of this long legacy 
of pioneers in sport,

150
00:11:00,733 --> 00:11:03,000
where women compete and succeed.

151
00:11:04,433 --> 00:11:07,700
She certainly kicked down the 
doors for Olympic participation,

152
00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:10,633
by showing that women, 
given the opportunity,

153
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,500
can break down barriers 
and achieve sometimes 
even more than men.

154
00:11:15,666 --> 00:11:18,400
"When somebody tells me 
I cannot do something,

155
00:11:19,866 --> 00:11:22,433
that's when I do it. People said 
women couldn't swim the Channel,

156
00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:24,233
but I proved they could."