New-York tribune., 1903-07-13
HOW SHE LEARNED TO SWIM.
She's Only Sixteen, Yet Has an Unusual
Record IN Water Feats

7 was Just sitting on the dock with crowd Of
hoys and girls, and somebody pushed me of into
the water and began TO swim and I've sTun ever
since IS the way Mss Florence Anna Vest, the
sixteen-year-old E5rl who is going 10 teach swim
ming al the Board OF Educaton's bathing school
~ Fort Hamilton. explains the manner in which
she learned 70 swim
Miss West Is q pretty girl. who stands feet ~
inches n her stocking feet and weighs 1E12 pounds
Although she rides bicycle. plays gols and tennis
she says none o. these things compare with swim
ming. Swimming and diying-these. 70 Miss Flor
res mind. beat al other sports
Strangely enough, however. in z world where the
professional woman athlete Is forging 70 the front,
Mss Flo--ie intends to make her swimming &C
corrrLshuerts strictly secondary. In other words
E-c means 10 be & teacher OF mathematics.
IN swimming confidence counts for everything
says Mss West IL you have confidence, you can
keep Up any Old Wy Now my sister. who IS two
years older than 1, can swim al right as long as
she thinks she IS Tot over her depth. but the min
ute she finds out or you tel her, that the water is
deep 4 IS al ever with her. she drops dead in her
tracks. She gets parz-yzed- she can't lift hand
OF foot Shed drown Z We didn't look after her
IT'S ny opinion LLa- anybody can learn 70 swim
one hears women say: Oh IN too old 70 learn 10
swim. When one sets 10 thirty or past It's no use
trying 10 learn DO not believe II one Bit Ny
experience goes 10 show that the middle aged per
son learns swimming easily child Only he
OF she must really want 10 learn Sometimes you
woman kicking her feet around in the water
and pretending that she Is taking swimming les
she isn't She's only showing OF. her bathing
suit
Some teachers place great emphasis on land
drills do not believe in them. Ny theory IS that
swimming Is natural the human race-uot an
artificial and acquired accoupIsnueEt. II IS true,
walking and running. For Intellectual mastery Of
rts movements and muscular practice ia them on
dry land ! would substitute the feel q the water
and experience u Il
40. / don't f1d the regular bathing dress TOO
ue-t gets IN the way and IS slperiuoas generally.
Blk have better opinion Of LL than that Girls
learn 70 SWIM Is quickly as boys, w-ic1 tends 70
-s" mat L-e costume dlNsI e count Tor Inucn
either way. Three lessons OF thirty minutes each
ought 70 De enough Tor q grown woman 10 learn
te stroke IN, Tor one -1esI have 70 1e an expert
swimmer lL order 10 keep herself above water or
70 md pleasure - the Ie- f0rILaIce-
Then aside from the utesaviug aspect, swim
C-= may never be placed IN q position 70 save an
other from DEATH one may never DO placed II a
me run q the Thing and the satisfaction OF the
strong chest and shoulders that Il develops As q
y 49, --t,J-- --- es -
excel swimming ElaLes the tt-ln woman llll ana
etT-CsL u takes Of Supsr-uOUs flesh from the
y man VINO Is oFeroIr1eIed- ana IL aILords sunlu-
Although Miss West is so young IN years. she IS
Old 10 raLzrJ-lal experience She has YUM the
bong IN September. 1850. when - crowd Of folks
dared ne tC DO il" she swan IN company with
Lieutenant william Wilson. Of the Volunteer Life
has sa-U- the distance from Fort Hamilton &c
Staten Island nine tnes-a distance Of I'VE miles
Three times she has swu-n for the Life Saving
T.--s ALREADY Miss West has wo~ two medals
Ore IS silver medal offered BY the Volunteer Life
-..--G-f-5o- last summer Miss West was the FRS
arrive ~ the gOal-lndee1. she was the only one
0f rre contestants 10 complete the course or nFf
r-Eq medal offered hy the Wahconda athletic C-uf
its meet lasl summer The distance was ++
-ar5s and Miss West Won over seven other con