The Greatest Challenge

[Applause] The greatest drama. The memorable story of the great among us. Written by you, the people. [Applause] This chapter, the challenge, the story of swimming champion Florence Chadwick. [Music] The White Cliffs of Dover. There, long ago, the challenge began. Swim the English Channel if you want to prove your greatness as a swimmer. Many men and women have accepted the dare, pitted their strength and skill against the channels, cold waters and powerful tides. Only a few great swimmers have succeeded. And of them all, the greatest is an American. Her name Florence Chadwick, holder of the channel swimming speed record. Although she became famous, she didn't swim the channel for fame. Returning with her father and mother after her second record-breaking swim, she explained, "The first time I went over there mainly because it was a challenge. I was definitely interested to see what I could do with it. The second time I went back because I realized that no other woman in the world has ever swam the channel that direction and therefore again it was a challenge. San Diego, California, 1924. There as a child, Flo Chadwick learned early to meet challenges. Her courage and determination were already evident in kindergarten. She was 6 years old when her uncle taught her to swim. Little Flo had a natural aptitude for aquatics, but no one dreamed that she would become the outstanding swimmer of her time. There was a hint of her future greatness in 1928. No child ever had swam the San Diego Channel. Other kids splashed around for fun, but Flo decided to swim the channel. She practiced hard and made it when she was 10 years old. In high school, Flo was a good student, but her main interest was swimming. She wanted to win the annual ocean race at La Hoya. In 1937, she entered the race. Competing against the best swimmers on the West Coast. Victory would bring her national prominence as a swimmer, but Flo didn't care about that. The only thing that mattered was the challenge. She won the race. so exhausted that lifeguards had to carry her out of the water. But she was young, revived quickly, and claimed her victory cup. Then a disappointment, Flo became a stenographer. Her family couldn't afford to put her through college. But Flo didn't give up swimming. During the war, she directed aquatic shows. Her ambition now was to swim the English Channel. It seemed impossible. She had little money, and channel swimming attempts were expensive. [Music] An advertisement after the war gave Flo her chance. [Music] In Saudi Arabia, she worked in the office of a large American oil company. It was far from home and lonely, but she stuck it out because the pay was good. Saving her money to finance it, she trained for an effort to swim the English Channel. Every free moment was spent in the company pool and in the Persian Gulf. The hard routine went on for 2 years. Cape Gren, France, August 1950. Ready for the great attempt Flo Chadwick wanted to break Gertrude Edley's record set 24 years ago. It would not be easy. Eterly's mark of 14 and a half hours had been equal only by a few men, never by a woman. Eterly had fought her way clear of the powerful tides in the French coast. In mid channel, where others gave up, frozen and exhausted, Trudy went on. She stroked her way through the dreaded eb tides below the cliffs of Dober, reached the English coast, became the first woman ever to conquer the channel. An international heroine, Flo remembered Eterly in her moment of triumph, and she recalled Shirley May France. Last year, Shirley May had come to this spot, well-trained and ambitious, equally hopeful of breaking Gertrude Eterly's record. At dawn, with a crowd of well-wishers to see her off, she entered the channel. Her strong young body was well greased to protect her against the freezing water. But the surging currents and salty waves undermined her strength. With six more miles to go, Shirley May France had to admit failure. [Music] The escort boat brought Shirley May to shore. Another victim of the channel's savage tides. Float Tadwick told herself not to think of the girl who failed. Better to think of Eterly who succeeded. With a pat on the back from your father, you started for the water. The climax of years of preparation began with no fanfare. You were unknown, unpublicized. Only a few people watched from the shore. 19 miles to go. You set a fast pace at first to get away from the strong inshore currents. Hour after hour went on. The stinging waves cut the protective grease from your body. You had never known water could be so cold. Six miles from do, you met the obstacle most feared by channel swimmers, the eb tide. But you refused to give up. The greater the difficulty, the greater the challenge. Your strokes were arm dragging agony. But with England in sight, you struggled on and achieved your goal. Edly's 24year-old record was lowered by a full hour. You paid a heavy price for success. When you reached Dober Beach, you were too weak to remain standing. You carried the triumph modestly, recovering some strength. You said, "Hello, folks. I'm feeling fine after my big swim. It was a long, hard grind, and I'm glad it's over, but I'm very happy that I was successful." You had lowered the women's record. The men's record was a new challenge. Your struggles against the English Channel had only begun. 1951, Flo Chadwick returned to England. This time she planned to multiply the obstacles by swimming the channel in the reverse direction from England to France. Stormy weather set in before the attempt could be made. No swimmer could live in those seas. The start was postponed. One morning, Flo took advantage of calmer seas and entered the water. The prevailing tides were against her. The west to east crossing had never been done by a woman. That only made the challenge greater. 3 mi out, she became violently sick. Her attempt seemed doomed. Then the cause was discovered. Fumes from the motor of the escort boat. She recovered and went on near France. She lost her escort boat in a fog. Luckily, she was found. Some 16 hours after she left England, Flo Chadwick reached France. The first woman in all history to swim the English Channel from west to east. Your hometown San Diego received you with a claim. The local girl had made good. You rode in triumph through the streets at the head of a great parade. Cheered by thousands, showered with ticker tape and confetti. A few years ago, you had been an unknown stenographer. Now you were a heroine, famous the world over. Applause and recognition was wonderful. They even gave you a brand new car. But you were a swimmer. There were still challenges to be met. Already you were preparing a new test of your swimming ability. Catalina channel was 21 mi wide and treacherous. You tried hard but couldn't make it. Later explaining the cause of failure. You said a lot of people said, "What happened to that last smile?" Well, I can tell you what happened. It was the cold water. I really wasn't too tired. It was just cold, that's all. And uh well, you can't swim when you feel like an iceberg, that's for sure. The setback only made you more determined to succeed. You tried again, battling the numbing water and the tides, and this time you conquered Catalina, lowering the previous record. It was a terrible ordeal, as bad as the English Channel. [Music] But in 1953, Flo Chadwick was training hard for the greatest record-breaking attempt of her career. The tennis playing and calisthenics were in preparation for an effort to swim the English Channel in both directions in one single uninterrupted try. No swimmer, man or woman, had ever done it before. Storms lashed the channel when she reached England in 1953. Again, nerve-wracking postponements. She waited weeks for the gales to subside. Finally, her chance came. The first lap would be the most difficult because she was bucking the currents. By now, the cold, the stinging spray, and the arm weariness were all too familiar. But less than 15 hours after she started, watchers on the French mainland saw her approaching. She had broken the men's record back into the water, but Flo wasn't able to reach England. Injuries forced her to give up. The failure inspired her to reach new heights. She swam the Straits of Gibralar 3 weeks after the roundtrip channel attempt. A few days later, Flo Chadwick swam the historic Bosphorus between Europe and Asia, retracing the course of the legendary Leander. The Turkish Dardinels came next 2 days later. Flo made the roundtrip crossing in less than 2 hours. In 5 weeks, Flo had spanned four great channels, the English Channel, Gibralar, the Bosphorus, and the Dardinels. set a record that men swimmers might shoot at for generations. Pro Chadwick had met the challenge. Accepting the ancient dare, she conquered the channels and proved her greatness. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Be with us again next week at this time when the greatest drama, true film biographies of the great among us again comes your way. [Music]