Origins of U.S. women's swimming success Sept. 12, 2000
KALAMAZOO -- When Amy Van Dyken, Lindsay Benko, Kristi Kowal and
any of the other 21 members of the U.S. women's Olympic swimming
team dive in during competition, they have Charlotte Epstein to
thank for their being there. According to Dr. Linda J. Borish,
associate professor of history and women's studies at WMU,
Epstein, who died in 1938, was the force behind the formation
and acceptance of the first female swimmers to compete for
medals in an Olympic Games. Epstein, known as the "mother of
women's swimming in America," formed the Women's Swimming
Association in New York City in 1917 with the intention of
teaching women to swim and preparing them for competitive swim
events, which up until then didn't exist at national or Olympic
levels. She is the one who challenged the U.S. Olympic Committee
to allow women the opportunity to compete in the 1920 games in
Antwerp, Belgium. "Back then there was not a lot of support for
women in competition," Borish expl