Greatest Moments in Women's Sports

Greatest Moments in Women's Sports — page 1
Gertrude 1 EDERLE SWIMS THE CHANNEL Gertrude Ederle stood on a beach in northern France in the early morning of August 6 1926 The water was cold but the seas were calm The English coast lay 21 miles 33 8 kilometers in the distance This time she was going to make it The 21-year-old New Yorker’s first attempt to swim across the English Channel ended in failure Her coach feared for her safety and made her quit after nearly nine hours in the water She fired that coach and hired one who had experience swimming the Channel himself Together a year later they would conquer it The English Channel is an incredibly difficult swim The water is cold even in the summer Strong winds often kick up waves several feet high Even for experienced swimmers it’s a major challenge At the time of Ederle’s swim only five people had ever made it across And all of them were men Gertrude Ederle gets greased up to protect her skin during her English Channel crossing 44 CHAPTER