Shouts From The Stands: Susan and Gretchen – Sisters in the Race to Excellence

SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send them to [email protected].

This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from John Klauder, a former age group swimmer in the 1970s and more recently, an age group coach in Oregon.

I had the privilege of meeting Susan Pitt (Anderson) once, some 20 years ago, when she worked for USA Swimming. She had a fascinating personal story about overcoming the difficulties faced by world-class female swimmers in the 1960s.

Susan set a butterfly world record and made the 1964 Olympic team as a teenager, but colleges offered no women’s swim programs so it appeared her career would be over before the next Olympiad. However, Susan enrolled at Rutgers and chose to swim with her youth coach, Frank Elm (also the RU coach.) Of course, with no collegiate woman’s swimming, she had to train as a member of the men’s team!

The plan paid off. Susan made the 1968 Olympic squad and was even voted a “team captain”.

This past November, Susan sadly passed away.

In December, swimming enthusiasts were treated to one of the greatest competitive performances of all time in the remarkable exploits of female collegiate swimmer Gretchen Walsh.

I thought to myself, “Wow, look at how far things have come. Look at the opportunities for women now and the prize money Gretchen walked away with. Things Susan Pitt Anderson would have never even dreamed of.”

But if athletes like Susan hadn’t been there in the trenches doing what they could, problem solving, not taking no for an answer; we would not have Gretchen Walshes to celebrate today.

We all know that Title IX in 1972 changed everything. It directed schools to fund women’s sports on par with men’s. It opened up truly new horizons for female athletes and it also became a double-edged sword, having the unintended consequence of causing the cutting of some men’s programs.

But in light of the historical marvel of female college swimmer Gretchen Walsh (also a butterfly world record holder), let’s count our blessings and appreciate the golden age we now enjoy and those determined pioneers who paved the way for it.

To Susan and Gretchen, Brava!

ABOUT JOHN KLAUDER

John Klauder is a retired Postal worker and aspiring screenwriter. He was an age group swimmer in New Jersey and also trained a bit with Frank Elm in the 1970s and Jim Wood’s fledgling Berkeley Aquatic Club.

John coached age group kids in Oregon for a decade and eventually combined his creative and athletic passions to birth his zany Capt’n Splash persona, singing silly songs with his young swimmers. See two of the songs below:

• Water Planet – Capt’n Splash – Welcome to Swimville
• The Crazy Capt’n Splash – Capt’n Splash – One Hero

John spends a lot of time with his seven grandchildren. He dreams of one day getting enough time, energy and money together to do another swim tour in beautiful Croatia.