The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-18

Ana now along comes johnny
Weismuller n l7-year-old Chicago
boy, making the old-time champions
look like mud turtles in the water.
Wherever Weismuller swims he
breaks records, He has been swim
ming for the Illinois A. c. only about
year, and he Is already the great
est swimmer of the century.
Back" Bachrack. the club coach,
thinks Weismuller the fastest swim
mer ever known in ancient or mod
ern times.
Before q race" says Back" "he
asks me what the record is for the
distance. / tell him"
"'Al right he says. ri break
Records don't mean anything tc
him. Although I've trained the boy
and taught him and watched him
wouldn't venture to guess what his
limits are in speed. No matter how
fast he swims he seems to be able
to break his own new record when
ever he wants to. He is the strong
est swimmer in the world in spite
OF his youth. and l expect to see
him lengthen his distances and go
right along breaking records as he
grows older"
Initiated Life Guard When Z Years
Johnny began swimming when he
was Z years old. lie saw "A life
guard at Fullerton beach, Chicago,
trudge through the water, and
jumping in, initiated the stroke so
skilfully that in a short time he
could easily outswim all the other
boys and win all the boys races.
After that he almost lived IN the
! water. He was quick as n flash at
| picking up new ideas about1wim-
ming, although a rather backward
youth In school. He has some
| trouble in explaining his success as
a swimmer, and when asked techni-
cal questions always refers the in
terviewer to Coach Bachrack,
weismuller comes from a section
notable for its swimmers. 1t may
seem odd that the inland should
/ furnish so many swimming cham
| pions. hut there IS plenty of fresh
water around Chicago. Water sports
are popular along the Great Lakes,
which may explain why so many
recruits for the navy were obtained
| In the middle-west In war times.
! Charlie Brickley of Harvard. after
season at Northwestern university,
| expressed surprise over the athletic
situation in that part Of the country.
Those birds out there" SAID
| Brickley. don't care much about
football Their hobby is swimming
and water polo. At Northwestern
! they refused TO talk about football
but never tired OF telling me about
their swimming prospects"
Tphnpu gUll11ar much TiE a
Charlie Daniels, the great old-time
champion, In build, being long and
slender. lie has graceful, easy
way OF gliding through the water,
During his early training, he made
a close study OF slipping along with
as little disturbance Of the water
as possible,
In boat racing boats are designed
and tested to move at high speeds
without throwing a wave or leaving
a tumbllng wake behind. Welsmul-
ler tried out his swimming positions
by holding his arms out ahead with
his hands resting on a pneumatic
tube, turning his head to watch the
effect OF his kicks and his body
movements through the water
Holds Most Worlds Records.
In this way he found the proper
arch Of the back that gave best
speed results, aud then developed
the slx-beat stroke that he uses at
all distances, When he stops swim
ming his body carries on through
the water. showing that he has cut
resistance to a minimum.
At l7--hel be Is next October
Weismuller holds more worlds rec
ords than any other swimmer I'm
America Last winter he startled
the swimming world by swimming
220 yards in . minutes, II AS sec
onds at the Great Lakes pool In De-
troit--iust seconds under Ted
Cams worlds record recognized 10y
The InternallOnaI Swimming ledero-