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But it wasn’t that long ago that it was considered unusual for women to excel at sports. One of the first barrier-breakers was Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. Her time of 14 hours, 39 minutes smashed the previous (men’s) record by two hours and proved that women are not physically inferior to men in competitive athletics. “People said women couldn’t swim the Channel, but I proved they could,” Ederle said at the time. Not only did Ederle inspire thousands of women to learn how to swim, she also started a movement to advance the acceptance of women in sports. She went on to set 29 U.S. and world records, including a 22-mile swim from Manhattan to Sandy Hook, N.J., standing as a symbol for women and illustrating women’s potential in athletics. One woman influenced by Ederle’s success was Tammy van Wisse, a renowned Australian ultra-distance swimmer. In July, van Wisse will honor her childhood hero by freestyling the 22 miles from Manhattan to Sandy Hook in an attempt to break an 81-year-old swimming record that Ederle still holds. “I want to continue Gertrude’s legacy by encouraging a new generation of women to become physically active and by sharing my belief that the impossible can be turned into the possible if you work hard and believe in yourself,” says van Wisse, who has set 11 Australian and world records. In addition to hard work and dedication, van Wisse credits the Access Bar by Melaleuca for giving her sustained energy throughout the ultra-distance races. The bar converts a person’s stored fat cells into immediate energy, allowing her to maintain a high pace and reduce her recovery time. As she attempts to break the record set by her inspiration, van Wisse is grateful that Ederle was bold and daring enough to completely change the prevailing opinion that women didn’t belong in competitive sports. With Ederle’s record for the Battery Point to Sandy Hook swim set at 7 hours, 11 minutes, van Wisse will need every edge during this 22-mile swim. While van Wisse loves the challenge of attempting to break the record, inspiring and motivating girls to tap their inner strength as well as their physical prowess is the most important aspect of the swim for her. SIDEBAR Encourage Girls to be Active While much has changed since Gertrude Ederle proved to the world that women could accomplish great physical feats, there are still some attitudes about girls and physical fitness that keep girls from participating. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, here are some suggestions for encouraging girls to be active. * Take your daughter to women’s sports events. Many cities now have professional women’s basketball teams, or your can catch the action at your local college or university. * Talk about women athletes. Give your daughter a role model by finding a woman she can identify with in her sport of choice. * Keep it fun. Sports are a great way to learn teamwork and for girls to find out what it feels like to be competitive. But the main goal should be to get active and have fun. * Try different sports. Not every girl is good at every sport. Let your daughter experiment with different activities until she finds one that suits her skills and personality. |
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