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On Friday, New York City’s outdoor public pools will open for the summer, offering splashy relief after days of scorching heat. But for those who can’t wait, it’s possible to take a dip year-round at the Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center, whose namesake was once one of the city’s most famous athletes.

In August, 1926, The New Yorker published a Profile of Ederle, who that month had become the first woman to swim across the English Channel. A butcher’s daughter from the Upper West Side, Ederle discovered swimming during a summer vacation in New Jersey, and balanced her early training with work at home and in her father’s store.
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Profiles
The First Woman to Swim the English Channel
When Gertrude Ederle, a butcher’s daughter from the Upper West Side, failed in her initial attempt, her determination only got stronger.

By Lurton Blassingame