The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-06-24
GIRL SWIMMER
 WILL MEET ALL
 AMERICAS BEST


 revived, to some extent, by the ar rival in this country of Miss Fanny Durack, Australia's famous woman swimmer The holder of almost all the worlds female aquatic records Miss Durack, after a short rest and training period. will proceed to meet the leading American women swim mers in series of races and exhi. bition matches which will undoubt. edly prove great stimulus for water sports and contests among the women of the country.
 No greater exponent of woman's ability to conquer the water and make it the stage for interesting exhibitions of skill, competition and pastime could be named than Miss Durack and no better site for her American debut selected than the open swimming courses and natator- iums of the Pacific coast. This will be the first visit to the United States of this undefeated swimmer who holds every woman's record cham pionship from 50 yards to one mile for which she has competed.
 It only is within recent years that girls and women have come into ,>rov,,;uouo oc ovi n, ,,,,o orc o~J %o tb;c coterie of natatorial stars California has contributed no small number. Aside from it's champions, there are scores of girls who are separated from these honors by a few seconds or fractions thereof. A few years ago the difficult swims across the Golden Gate, and around the Seal Rocks just outside the entrance to San Francisco harbor were consider ed feats which only men would dare to undertake. The announcement that girls are to make these swims creates at present no more than a ripple of interest, other than as 10 whether or not the existing time records may be broken.
 Much of this success is ascribed to the fact that the present day girl swimmer no longer is hampered by the heavy clinging skirt which the conventions of the past demand ed. AS far as the bathing beaches of California are concerned, the skirt has become the exception rath- CT than the rule.
 With the arrival of Miss Durack an unusual amount of interest at. taches as to the showing the Ameri- can girl swimmers will make against her in actual competition. While there are but few who believe that the product of this country will be able to prevail against the Austral- ian champion, it generally is recog- nized that the comparison of actual time figures on paper often are set at naught in the physical test. The fact that Miss Durack will be sub jected to long sea voyage and will swim in strange waters may mitigate against her, although the hope is ex- pressed that she will be at her best.
 The comparison does not afford much consolation to American swim. mers and swimming enthusiasts. It opens up unique possibility. that of Miss Durack bettering all these marks and returning to Australia with many, if not all of the Ameri- can records, for which she competes, to her credit This may be made possible by reason of the fact that the cities in which Miss Durack is to appear are applying to amateur unions for permission to hold the various races for the Ameri. can championship in those distances.
 Miss Durack, who is of French Irish parentage. is twenty-eight years old. AS small child she was near ly drowned on one occasion but the failed to inculcate in her the fear for water. and she soon was swimming in school champion ships.
 She has competed in more than am swimmers and has yet to experience defeat. She has toured England, Scotland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia.
 Besides being a worlds champion in the water, Miss Durack is one of the best all round women athletes in Australia. She plays an excellent game of tennis and. when at school, was captain of the basketball team. She is graceful dancer as well as being considered an authority on track and field sports.
 Miss Durack's record is an impos. ing one; especially when it is re. that they are all worlds records. They follow:
 50 yards-29 sec. made at Sydney, Australia. May, 1913.
 100 yards--1 min. sec. at Syd- ney, March 16. 1912.
 no yards-1 min. 1915 sec. at Sydney, March 25, 1914.