Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World
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22. What For?
The specific story of Trudy's crossing is created from her own statements both at the time and in later interviews, the stories of Julia Harpman, and accounts by other observers, including Alec Rutherford, Minott Saunders, Sydney Williams, and other wire service reporters. In some instances these reports are conflicting—only Harpman was aboard Trudy's vessel and had access to her—and I have tended to give her reports a bit more credence, all the while keeping in mind that they were ghostwritten and designed to present Trudy Ederle in the best possible light. Plotting her specific route across the Channel proved to be a particular challenge, as various bulletins and reports do not always coincide with one another, various observers were themselves not always well versed in the language of the sea, and many were seasick at the time.
Contemporary reports time Trudy's crossing as fourteen hours and thirty-one minutes. Subsequently, and for no reason I could determine, heir "official" time as maintained by the Channel Swimming Association has since been adjusted to fourteen hours thirty-nine minutes. I have chosen to use the earlier figure throughout.
23. Kingsdown
Although newsreel footage and photographs exist that purport to show Trudy reaching the beach at Kingsdown, no such documentations exists—most assuredly, Trudy Ederle reached shore at night.
24. Shore
Julia Harpman's reporting about the events of the first few days following Trudy's success and her return to American aboard the Berengaria were invaluable. The impromptu press conference at the hotel the morning after Trudy reached Kingsdown exists in the film Girl Conquers the Channel, as does her return to the water later that afternoon.
25. Swept Away
Whelan's biography, Mr. New York, cited above, provides a detailed, inside account of her reception in New York, supplementing the already detailed coverage that appeared in New York newspapers at the time.
Although Trudy shied away from the spotlight in her later years, she still gave the occasional interview or was the subject of a feature profile. The most valuable of these, as well as other notable articles that were particularly useful, are listed below:
Anderson, Kelli. "Young Woman and the Sea." Sports Illustrated, November 29, 1999.
Benjamin, Philip. "Then and Now," New York Times Magazine, August 6, 1961.
"Channel Swimmer Is 42 and Plump Now." Winnipeg Free Press, August 4, 1940.
"Channel Swimmer Outdid Men and Won Hearts." International Herald Tribune, December 2, 2003.
"Cohn-ing Tower." Oakland Tribune, May 12, 1940.
Cooper, Cynthia L. "Laughing with the First Woman to Swim the Channel." Women's eNews, December 5, 2003. Available at www.womensenews.org/article.cfin/dyn/aid/1628/context/ourdailylives%3E.
Deford, Frank. "America's Best Girl." Sports Illustrated, December 3, 2003. Available at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/frank_deford/12/03/viewpoint/index.html.
Denman, Elliot. "Gertrude Ederle, Pioneer Swimmer, Looks Back at Her Unforgettable Feat." New York Times, April 30, 2001.
Ederle, Gertrude. "The Swim of My Life." Lenten Guideposts, March 18, 1960.
"Ederle Celebrates Anniversary of Swim." CNN/SI, August 3, 2001. Available at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/2001/08/03/ederle_anniversary_ap/.
"Ederle Fan Meets Heroine." New York Times, August 4, 1976.
"Ederle, Now Near Deafness, Says It Wasn't Worthwhile." Associated Press, July 29, 1930.
"Ederle Swam the Long Course." Investor's Business Daily, September 22, 2003.
"Gertrude Ederle Dedicates Ederle Park." New York Times, August 15, 1975.
"Golden People: Gertrude Ederle." Washington Post, January 26, 1964.
"Greased Lightening." Guardian, October 16, 2006.
"Hard Moments for the Frailer Sex." Independent, January 8, 1927.
"How a Girl Beat Leander at the Hero Game." Literary Digest, August 21, 1926.
Kornheiser, Tony. "Gertrude Ederle Has Channeled Her Life toward Helping Others." Chicago Tribune, May 4, 1976.
Markey, Morris. "Presto! Fame!" The New Yorker, September 4, 1926.
"Miss Ederle Upsets Male Supremacy." Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1925.
Reddy, John. "The Girls Who Swam the Channel." Reader's Digest, September, 1958.
"The Roar of the Crowd." New York Daily News, March 24, 2000.
"She Was the Wave of the Future." Bergen Record, January 25, 2000.
Smith, Red. "Trudy Relives Channel Swim." New York Herald-Tribune, November 14, 1958.
"Swim It or Drown: Gertrude of America." New York Daily News, April 26, 1998.
Talese, Gay. "Memories Are Still Golden for Gertrude Ederle." New York Times, August 6, 1958.
"Trudy Ederle, First Girl to Swim Channel." Associated Press, September 7, 1958.
"Trudy Has Swum a Sea of Troubles." Washington Post, October 1, 1966.
"Trudy Remains Strong Swimming Fan." Associated Press, September 11, 1958.
Trumbull, Walter. "Queen of the Waters." St. Nicholas 53 (October 1926).
"Valiant Trudy Teaches Deaf to Swim." Associated Press, July 8, 1958.
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Index
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