“Hundreds Attend City Aquatic Meet” from the September 6, 1929 Door County Advocate
HUNDREDS ATTEND CITY AQUATIC MEET
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Event Marks Close of Season
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FAKE DROWNING SCARES CROWD
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Youth, Falling out of Boat, “Rescued” by Members of Life Saving Class
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Several hundred people gathered at the Sturgeon Bay bathing beach Saturday afternoon for the first annual city aquatic meet and enjoyed several hours of swimming races and diving. The Archie Lackshire post of the American Legion, the Chamber of Commerce, the Red Cross, the city council and the Lions club, which have supported the swimming instruction here this summer, donated the ribbons and medals.
The aquatic meet marked the official close of the swimming season at the beach, although the place will continue in use until cold weather. Frank Martin, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who has been in charge of the beach and has been engaged for the summer giving swimming and diving instruction both on the East side and at the Sawyer beach, did excellent work, as the events Saturday testified. Many children and adults, also, who were never able to swim before, are now “at home” in the water and are good swimmers as the result of his efforts. All who came in contact with him at the beaches hope that he will return next year but Mr. Martin is undecided, however, if he will be back since there is a probability of his entering the boys’ camp field.
In the meet Saturday, outstanding contestants were Harold Deutsch, who won 18 points in the Ages 8-10 division; James Nabel, who won 10 points in the Boys’ Ages 11-13 division, and Jane Spalsbury and Clare Acker, who each won 8 points in the same class for girls; and Harry Rose, who won 16 points in the Ages 14-16 division. In the senior division, diving was the only event that the short time permitted, and John Stedman easily placed first with 48 points.
Little 8-year-old Donna Stradling, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Stradling, in spite of this being her first year as a swimmer, surprised the audience by giving an exhibition of plain diving off the spring boards. She displayed almost perfect form off the low board and the high board alike. For her efforts, Donna was given a first-place medal.
Life Saving Exhibition
A life saving exhibition, so realistic that many still believe it was a true occurrence, was staged in the middle of the afternoon by Henry Olson and several others who have been engaged in Mr. Martin’s life saving class. Olson with his usual clothes on rowed out from shore in small boat and tipped over in a fake effort to change his oars. Those on shore let out a cry of alarm, and at the same time, John Stedman and Jack Martin swam to the rescue, the former from the raft used as the starting point for the races and the latter from shore. Martin was first on the spot and dragged Olson with a hair carry to shore where he was worked over for about fifteen minutes before he “came to.” All artificial resuscitation methods were demonstrated. To cap the show, Olson was walked around the beach on the shoulders of two life guards until he was himself again.
Another event of special interest at the meet was the junior diving contest. Raymond O’Boyle, handicapped by his lame leg in which he suffered infantile paralysis for years, placed third, only one and one-half points behind Harry Rose, the winner, and one point behind Mason Peterson, who took second place. He did all five of his dives from the high board on the Sawyer raft, almost 16 feet from the water. In order to get the proper spring, he had to tie his feet together with a cord. Ray not only took third in diving, but also took third in the free-style swimming race.
A summary of the results of the meet follows:
Boys and Girls, Ages 8, 9 and 10
Flutterboard Race— Harold Deutsch, first; John Nebel, second; Donald Lautenbach, third.
Holding Breath Under Water — Doris Draeb, first; Mary Walker, second; Donald Andregg, third.
Deadman’s Float — Doris Draeb, first; Harold Deutsch, second; Frank Martin, third.
Free-Style, 20 Yards — Harold Deutsch, first; James Hitt and Donald Lautenbach, tied for second; Donna Stradling, third.
Diving for Distance — Harold Deutsch, first; James Hitt, second; Donald Lautenbach, third.
High - Point Winners — Harold Deutsch, 18; Doris Draeb, 10; James Hitt, 4½; Donald Lautenbach, 3½.
Boys, Ages 11, 12 and 13
Side Stroke, 25 Yards — Jack Walker, first; Axel Swan, second; Charles Egeland, third.
Crawl Stroke, 25 Yards — James Nebel, first; Don Nelson, second; Moral Meverden, third.
Overhand Side Stroke, 25 Yards — James Nebel, first; Moral Meverden, second; Leslie Odbert, third.
Flutterboard Race (For girls and boys)—Ed Hunsader, first; George Peterson, second; Ernest Bridenhagen, third.
High-Point Winners — James Nebel, 10; Jack Walker, 5; Ed Hunsader, 5; Moral Meverden, 4.
Girls, Ages 11, 12 and 13
Side Stroke, 25 Yards — Jane Spalsbury, first; Clare Acker, second; Lenora Madden, third.
Overhand Side Stroke, 25 Yards — Clare Acker, first; Jane Spalsbury, second; Lenora Madden, third.
High Point Winners — Clare Acker, 8; Jane Spalsbury, 8; Lenora Madden, 2.
Boys, Ages 14, 15 and 16
Side Stroke, 25 Yards — Harry Rose, first; Mason Peterson, second; Virgil Starr, third.
Breast Stroke, 25 Yards — Mason Peterson, first Perry Swan, second; Sidney Damon, third.
Crawl Stroke, 25 Yards — Harry Rose, first; Wayne Leiberg, second; Mason Peterson, third.
Free-Style, 25 Yards — Sidney Damon, first; Harry Rose, second; Ray O’Boyle, third.
Diving (Plain, Swan, Jackknife, Back, Optional) — Virgil Starr, 26½ points; Harry Rose, 26 points; Ray O’Boyle, 25 points.
High-Point Winner — Harry Rose, 16; Mason Peterson, 9; Virgil Starr, 6; Sidney Damon, 6.
Seniors, Ages 17 and Up
Diving (Plain, Swan, Jackknife, Back, and Optional) — John Stedman, 48 points; Jack Martin, 43¼ points; Mason Peterson, 39 points.
Before closing the bathhouse Saturday night, an hour before he left for Cedar Rapids to resume his teaching profession, Mr. Martin made special mention of Moral Meverden, 13, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Meverden. In consideration of his assistance around the beach in which he frequently aided small children who had become scared when out of their depth, Moral will be given one of the first place medals as a special award. Moral competed in the meet Saturday, taking a second and a third.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Infantile paralysis is polio.]
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