The Washington times., 1922-08-04
COVERING
BES 7 FOR
STROLL|NC
English Girls Agree With New
Title-hoIder, Despite
British Customs.
By WILLENE TAYLOR
Cosmopolitan News s>ryioe.

. AH" 4SfsAy aug s. OHc-
piece bathing suits for women
and girls are not a pretty sight;
they should not be seen on the
beach," Gertrude Ederle, girl
champion long-distance swimmer,
said today. 81 do not approve of
them at all, except for use in
the water. For girls who stroll
upon the beaches or around the
pools, I suggest more covering"
Miss Ederie, who buffeted
choppy seas and won a three and
. half mile swim over interna-
tional contestants, is but 10
years old. Fresh from her VIC
tory over such record holders as
Helen wainwright, Aileen Riggin,
and Hilda James, the most fam
Gus British girl swimmer, thus
aired her views Of beach vamps
who. spend the entire summer
showing off a one-piece bathing
costume.
-- Miss James Agrees.
Miss James, seventeen-year-o old
English girl. who holds most every
continental and British swimming
record for women. and Is also the
worlds record holder for the 800 and
$40 yards. agrees with Miss Ederle
about the much debated "one-piec :"
Miss James said she was really glad
to get to America and see women on
the beaches, wearing modest swim
ming suits.
English women wear 'one-piece'
suits more than I have observed
here" she said. II like the way the
American women dress at beaches.
In England II is colder than It Is
on the beaches much. They take a
dip and go to their dressing van
right away. But nearly all wear the
suit you call ne-piece.' It's a Joy to
see women more fully dressed here.
Morally, It is much better to wear
more modest suits.
The English girl was probably un.
aware that the beaches she spoke OF
forced the girls to wear regulation
suits. Miss James looked like a lily
amidst brown orchids when standing
alongside American swimmers. Her
skin Is very fair. The American
girl champs" are almost as brown
and tanned as life guards.
American women are the great
est sportswomen in the world" Miss
James said both before and after her
defeat in the Joseph P. Day cup
race in which she came out third.
"England has no. place that can
compare to the American beaches.
English women do not think OF
coming to the beaches or entering
any sporting as enthusiastically as
the Americans. You go into athletics
with all your souls over here. l
know of no country that takes
sports as earnestly as American
women.
Admires u. s. Girls.
American girls have such splen-
did figures. too. The girls, even at
Q very early age, are big and strong
and well built. Their faces. too. are
bright and pretty and healthy look
ing"
The English swimming marvel is
dainty, hardly weighs a hundred
pound and looks more like an
eBtnetlC dancer IndH u SWlIlintTs
1t is observed that the girl en-
trants in the swimming competition
all wore a heavy two-piece suit over
their one.piece, discarding the for
mer when they leaped into the
water and donning 1t again upon get
ting out.
Miss Ederle's time, 81 minutes
IS 8-5 seconds, over a three-and.a-
halt-mile course, beat the records
made by Ethelda Bleibtrey, cham
pion woman swimmer Of the world,
but now a professional.
Fifteen Is the swimming age fer
girls, II statistics mean anything.
It was at fifteen that both Helen
Wainwright and Aileen Riggin won
their olympic records, Riggin in
fancy diving, and Wainwright in
all-round swimming. Gertrude
Ederle, dark horse" winner of
the Day cup race, Is now fifteen.
She says she has just been swim.
ming three years. Miss Hilda
James, now seventeen, won her
first spectacular record at fifteen.
Girls as young as ten are entering
swimming meets here, but haven't
the energy necessary to compete
with the blooming fifteen-year olds.