{"id":468243,"date":"2021-04-04T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T17:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=468243"},"modified":"2021-04-04T09:35:40","modified_gmt":"2021-04-04T16:35:40","slug":"swimming-world-presents-how-the-general-slocum-steamship-disaster-impacted-swimming-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-presents-how-the-general-slocum-steamship-disaster-impacted-swimming-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents – How The General Slocum Steamship Disaster Impacted Swimming History"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em><\/span>
\nis now available for download in the<\/span> Swimming World Vault<\/span><\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Non-Subscribers Can Download This Issue Here <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How The General Slocum Steamship Disaster Impacted Swimming History<\/span><\/h1>\n

By Bruce Wigo
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The General Slocum steamship disaster in 1904, the tragedy that changed swimming history, had an impact on two of the greatest swimming heroes of all time, Johnny Weissmuller and Charles Robert Drew.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All historians relish finding coincidences of seemingly unconnected events that explain historical outcomes. One of these coincidences occurred when two of swimming\u2019s greatest heroes were born on consecutive days in June of 1904.<\/p>\n

JOHNNY WEISSMULLER<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe first hero of this story is well known: Johann \u201cJohnny\u201d Peter Weissmuller. He was born on June 2, 1904, to German-speaking parents living in Romania. It was less than two weeks before the infamous General Slocum steamship disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people\u2014mostly women and children\u2014from a German-American church group in New York City\u2019s East River. The Slocum disaster made international news, especially in German-speaking regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.<\/p>\n

When the Weissmullers immigrated to America in 1907, his parents made a point to teach him swimming at Fullerton Beach on Lake Michigan. At the age of 11, he joined the Northside YMCA, where he showed promise not only as a swimmer, but in running and high jumping.<\/p>\n

But his future as an athlete appeared to end when his alcoholic father left the family. Forced to leave school after the eighth grade to support his little brother and mom, he went to work, delivering packages for a church supply company and hawking produce from a cart.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, your guts get so mad when you try to fight poverty,\u201d Weissmuller recalled. \u201cI told myself, \u2018I\u2019m going to get out of this neighborhood, if only because he\u2019s got a quarter and I haven\u2019t.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

But he still found time to swim, and it was while working as a bellhop and elevator operator at the Plaza Hotel in 1920 that Johnny\u2019s reputation as a young swimmer earned him a tryout with Bill Bachrach, the legendary coach of the Illinois Athletic Club. Bachrach took Johnny under his wing and became a surrogate father and trainer…and the rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CHARLES ROBERT DREW<\/strong><\/span>
\nOur second swimming hero was born on June 3, 1904, the day after Weissmuller was born. You probably never heard of Charles Robert Drew, but that\u2019s why we write history.<\/p>\n

Drew was born to African-American parents, living in Washington D.C., where he grew up in the largely middle-class and interracial neighborhood of Foggy Bottom. Like Weissmuller, the Slocum tragedy had a direct impact on Drew\u2019s childhood, since the event triggered a nationwide interest in the importance of learning to swim and also resulted in a swimming pool-building craze.<\/p>\n

It was in one of these pools, the segregated Howard Playground pool, where Charles Drew first learned to swim and show promise as a champion swimmer\u2014before attending Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Best known today for its legendary basketball teams, Dunbar was a \u201ccolored\u201d school named after one of the first African Americans to gain international acclaim as a poet and novelist. When the school first opened in 1916, it was considered one of the nation\u2019s finest secondary schools\u2014white or black\u2014and it has produced over the years an incredible list of distinguished alumni.<\/p>\n

It was also one of the few public high schools at the time with its own indoor pool. Drew not only excelled in the classroom, but won letters in four sports (swimming, football, basketball and track). He was voted \u201cbest athlete,\u201d \u201cmost popular student\u201d and \u201cthe student who has done the most for the school,\u201d and he earned a scholarship to attend Amherst College in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n


\nTo read more about swimming greats Johnny Weissmuller and Charles Robert Drew,
\nClick here to download the April 2021 issue of Swimming World now!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Swimming<\/a><\/p>\n

[PHOTO CREDIT: MINE KASAPOGLU\/ISL]<\/p>\n

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<\/h1>\n

Swimming World April 2021 Issue<\/span><\/h1>\n

FEATURES<\/p>\n

012 A PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVE FROM MASTERS SWIMMIN<\/span>G<\/strong>
\nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong>
\nMasters swimmers maintain a connection to the sport they love as well as to their team and community. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that connection has been missing the past year, but they are ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.<\/p>\n

017 DEATH, TAXES…AND INDIAN RIVER!<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Andy Ross<\/strong>
\nIndian River State College will be shooting for its 47th straight men\u2019s and 39th consecutive women\u2019s NJCAA team titles.<\/p>\n

018 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: SPRINT TSAR<\/strong><\/span>
\nby John Lohn<\/strong>
\nAs Swimming World continues its \u201cTakeoff to Tokyo\u201d series, the opportunity to examine the career of Russia\u2019s Alexander Popov\u2014accomplishments and approach\u2014is the chance to pay tribute to a man who might be the greatest sprinter the sport has ever seen.<\/p>\n

021 COUNT ON CHINA<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong>
\nBased on the results of the last eight Olympics\u2014and the most recent World Championships held two years ago\u2014China would be a good bet to once again dominate the diving competition, July 23-Aug. 8, at the 2021 Games in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

022 EVER THE COMPETITOR<\/strong><\/span>
\nby David Rieder<\/strong>
\nFive years after her public introduction to the world at the Rio Olympics, little has changed about Lilly King. She will still speak her mind, tell you how she really feels, and she\u2019s still a winner, a dominant force in sprint breaststroke.<\/p>\n

025 THE GREATEST OF THEIR GENERATION<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Bruce Wigo<\/strong>
\nThe General Slocum steamship disaster in 1904, the tragedy that changed swimming history, had an impact on two of the greatest swimming heroes of all time, Johnny Weissmuller and Charles Robert Drew.<\/p>\n

028 NUTRITION: FUELING FOR COMPETITION\u2014THE \u201cCHERRY ON TOP!\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Dawn Weatherwax<\/strong>
\nAthletes spend hours upon hours training. It is now time to put the sports nutrition piece all together when it matters most. A big part of the plan is to know what, when and how much to eat and drink before, during and after the event.<\/p>\n

COACHING<\/p>\n

014 FAST AND FURIOUS<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong>
\nCollege coaches Braden Holloway (NC State), Todd DeSorbo (Virginia), Matt Kredich (Tennessee) and Jessen Book (Kenyon) share their ideas on how they help their swimmers maximize turn speed.<\/p>\n

038 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: APPLYING MECHANICAL PRINCIPLES TO IMPROVE SWIMMING TECHNIQUE<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Rod Havriluk<\/strong>
\nMany swimmers attempt to swim faster by modeling the technique of the fastest swimmers. Using champions as models is an archaic approach of painstakingly slow, trial-and-error that risks adopting technique limitations. A far superior approach is to apply mechanical principles that eliminate uncertainty and accelerate the skill-learning process.<\/p>\n

043 Q&A WITH COACH MEGAN OESTING<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

044 HOW THEY TRAIN DIGGORY DILLINGHAM<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

TRAINING<\/p>\n

037 DRYSIDE TRAINING: PUSHING POWER<\/strong><\/span>
\nby J.R. Rosania<\/strong><\/p>\n

JUNIOR SWIMMER<\/p>\n

040 GOLDMINDS: LEARN HOW TO BE A RACER<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Wayne Goldsmith<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s important to learn how to swim your event in such a way that you can perform to your potential in every possible racing situation, including different strategies for heats, semifinals and finals.<\/p>\n

047 UP & COMERS: DANIEL DIEHL<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Shoshanna Rutemiller<\/strong><\/p>\n

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS<\/p>\n

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

011 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT THE STORY OF THE AUMAKUA?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

030 2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

046 DADS ON DECK: BRENT BILQUIST<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

048 GUTTERTALK<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

049 PARTING SHOT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n