SW and Women’s History Month Presents “The General Slocum Disaster & the Right to Swim for Women”

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Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame

Tragedy to Triumph: The Story of the General Slocum Disaster and the Right to Swim for Women

The General Slocum disaster in 1904 was the greatest single catastrophe in New York City’s history until 9/11. More than a thousand passengers — mostly women and children — who tried to escape the fire aboard the excursion steamboat by jumping into the water, had drowned. Bodies of mothers, grandmothers, and girls washed up on the shorelines for days.

The catastrophe was the most impactful event in the history of swimming in America. Immediately, politicians and school administrators recognized swimming as an art essential to self-preservation and advocated teaching all children to swim. Despite the known benefits of learning to swim, it was an era where strenuous exercise was seen as harmful for girls’ health and, also, there was the issue of “modesty.”

As America sought to resolve these issues, schools began to teach girls how to swim without them having to learn in the water.

Change would not begin to take rise be until 1907 and the arrival of Australian Annette Kellerman. Once in America, Kellerman was appalled by the swimsuits that women were required to wear and staged a one-woman protest on Revere Beach near Boston, where she was arrested for “public nudity” while wearing a man’s suit. In court, she defended herself by famously stating,

“Don’t women have the right to save themselves from drowning when men aren’t around to protect them? Then how can we learn to swim wearing more material than you hang on a clothes line?”

Kellerman quickly became a symbol of hope and change for women in swimming and helped pave the way for the right to swim.

To read more about the General Slocum tragedy, Kellerman and women’s right to swim, check out the March issue, available now!

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[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]

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FEATURES

016 PRIMED FOR THE SEQUEL
by Dan D’Addona
Stanford’s performance last year in winning the women’s NCAA Division I Championships by nearly 200 points was a blockbuster hit. And this year’s team might even be better!

020 A REPEAT FOUR-PEAT?
by Dan D’Addona
Texas won four NCAA team titles in a row from 1988 through 1991. They’re on the verge of making that happen again in 2018, having already won three straight championships since 2015.

024 CAN’T GET ENOUGH
by Andy Ross and David Rieder
The swimming superpowers of NCAA Division II and III, NAIA and NJCAA will try to pick up where they left off last year and continue their dominance at their respective national championships.

027 INSPIRED
by David Rieder
Townley Haas’ story about his rapid rise to become an American record holder and an Olympic gold medalist is inspiring. What’s more inspiring to Haas, however, is the positive outlook on life shown by his sister, Emily. In 2007, she survived being shot in the head at the Virginia Tech massacre that killed 32 people and wounded 17.

030 COMING INTO HER OWN
by Annie Grevers
In 2017, Mallory Comerford tied freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky at NCAAs and collected five gold medals at the World Championships. Named USA Swimming’s “Breakout Swimmer of the Year,” the 20-year-old University of Louisville junior and team captain is more than ready to see what 2018 will bring.

034 TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH
by Bruce Wigo
To celebrate women’s history month, Swimming World looks back at one of history’s most awful tragedies—the General Slocum Disaster—and how it influenced the right to swim for women.

COACHING

010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: RON BALLATORE
by Michael J. Stott

014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: CAN KATIE LEDECKY SWIM FASTER? (Part 2)
by Rod Havriluk
Katie Ledecky absolutely has the potential to swim faster—much faster. She could make three important technique improvements regarding the head, arm coordination and pull phase.

037 COLLEGE SWIMMING: BEING YOUR BEST
by Michael J. Stott
Many college coaches believe that how they train their swimmers between the conference and national championships depends on each individual athlete. But the end result is the same for everyone: making sure their swimmers are able to perform their best.

048 Q&A WITH COACH BILL PILCZUK
by Michael J. Stott

050 HOW THEY TRAIN JOEL AX
by Michael J. Stott

JUNIOR SWIMMER

053 UP & COMERS: EMMA KERN
by Taylor Brien

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
013 BEYOND THE YARDS
036 THE OFFICIAL WORD
040 2018 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY
052 HASTY HIGH POINTERS
054 GUTTER TALK
056 PARTING SHOT

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