00:00The girl suddenly realized that the swimming pool marked, for women only, was actually filled with men.
00:05Curious, she asked her father about it, but he sternly told her, women aren't allowed to swim, it's improper.
00:09To distract her, he tried giving her a nickel to go buy a hot dog, but her answer was firm and powerful.
00:15I don't want to buy it. I don't want to win it.
00:19I will swim!
00:21Back home, the girl pulled out her ukulele and started making noise day and night.
00:25She sang at home, sang at her father's butcher shop, loud enough to bring complaints from neighbors.
00:29Eventually, even her brother and sister couldn't take it anymore, but she showed no signs of stopping.
00:34Faced with her stubbornness, her father finally gave in.
00:36The girl's name was Trudy.
00:38Her determination to learn swimming came from a traumatic memory.
00:41During her illness, she had witnessed a cruise ship catch fire just 9 meters off the coast.
00:45All 847 women on board drowned because none of them knew how to swim.
00:49In 1914, America, women were forbidden from learning to swim.
00:53Even showing too much leg on the beach could get you arrested.
00:56Your legs are not allowed, ladies. Let's go.
00:58So young Trudy made a vow. She would learn how to swim.
01:01The next day, her father brought her to the beach.
01:03Worried she might be afraid, he tied a long rope around her waist.
01:06But to his surprise, Trudy dove right into the water.
01:09Years later, Trudy finally earned her hot dog.
01:12Fair and square.
01:14One day, the town hosted a men's swimming competition.
01:16While watching, Trudy noticed that the men weren't even faster than her sister.
01:20Meg, you should join the next race. They don't look that fast.
01:23You can win.
01:24But when the two girls casually pointed this out, a male coach overheard them and humiliated them with mocking remarks.
01:30I've seen a dog pat it.
01:31Maybe she could break the German shuffle.
01:33His words deeply hurt their mother.
01:35That night, their mother made a bold decision.
01:37She was going to put her daughters on a professional swim team.
01:40But their father laughed at the idea.
01:42Good girls.
01:43There's no such thing.
01:44At the time, there were no women's swim teams.
01:47After asking around, their mother finally found a secret underground women's swim team.
01:51When they arrived, the girls were shocked by what they saw.
01:53These female athletes were using the crawl stroke, a technique reserved for men.
01:57Even more surprising, they were being trained by a female coach.
02:00Her name was Abby.
02:01Her mission was to change society's prejudice against women by teaching girls how to swim.
02:05Because they lacked support and resources, the team practiced in a hidden boiler room.
02:09Conditions were rough, but it was the only women's swim team in existence.
02:12Due to their lack of training, the system was a good idea.
02:14The sisters only knew basic dog paddling.
02:16After observing them, the coach decided to keep only the older sister.
02:19But their mother knew how much Trudy loved swimming.
02:21After persistent pleading, the coach agreed to give Trudy a chance.
02:25But under one condition.
02:26She had to fire up the boiler every day for the team.
02:29If Trudy helped out, she could use the pool after regular training hours.
02:32Trudy will help with the hose.
02:33Without hesitation, their mother accepted the deal.
02:35From that day on, Trudy spent every free moment in the water, practicing tirelessly.
02:40One day, the coach secured an opportunity for the girls to compete against a world champion swim team.
02:44From Australia, Trudy was selected to represent the team.
02:47But at the starting dive, she slipped, immediately falling behind the other swimmers.
02:51Despite the setback, Trudy stayed calm.
02:53As the race progressed and other competitors began to lose stamina, something unexpected happened.
02:58On the final lap, the audience gasped.
03:00Trudy, once dead last, had surged into second place.
03:03Against all odds, the least favored swimmer came from behind and won the race.
03:07After that, Trudy's life completely changed.
03:09She collected trophy after trophy and even broke national swimming records.
03:13Soon, the head of the National Olympic Committee approached Trudy.
03:15He wanted her to represent the country in the eighth Olympic Games in Paris.
03:19But once she set out, Trudy once again faced gender discrimination.
03:22On the ship, training facilities were only available to the male athletes.
03:25Their coach even forbade the girls from exercising on deck and restricted their movements within the ship.
03:29When questioned, the coach insisted it was for their own safety.
03:32By the time competition day arrived, the girls hadn't touched water in three weeks.
03:37Unsurprisingly, Trudy couldn't perform at her best.
03:39She finished in third place.
03:40When they returned home, the crowd cheered wildly for the boys who had brought glory to the nation.
03:44But Trudy returned to her hometown alone, unnoticed.
03:47At home, her father boxed up all her trophies.
03:50Trudy knew her swimming career was over.
03:52To her shock, during the short month she had been away,
03:55her father had arranged for her sister to marry a man she had never even met.
03:59Trudy believed her sister shouldn't have given in.
04:01And she blamed herself for not winning the gold.
04:03If she had, maybe things would have turned out differently.
04:06But her sister's words snapped her back to reality.
04:08Do you think people around here care if you win or lose?
04:12Two girls from the butcher shop?
04:14We can't win.
04:16People, but...
04:18They don't want us to be heroes.
04:21They don't want us to be anything.
04:25I'm sorry, Trudy.
04:26Trudy began working at her father's butcher shop.
04:28Just as she was about to give up hope, three little girls ran over to greet her.
04:32Excuse me, miss?
04:33Are you Trudy?
04:35Yes.
04:36I just don't want to say that.
04:38Because of you, you'll let me sit.
04:44One day, I want to be just like you.
04:46In that moment, something inside Trudy was stirred.
04:49Her efforts hadn't been meaningless.
04:50A new fire lit inside her.
04:52And this time, she had a goal far greater than the Olympics.
04:55One day at the movie theater, Trudy saw a challenge the entire country was talking about.
04:59Swimming across the 21-mile English Channel.
05:02It was an incredibly difficult feat.
05:03Many had tried, but only five had succeeded.
05:06And all of them were men.
05:07To Trudy, this wasn't just a chance to prove herself.
05:09It was a chance to break the boundaries of gender.
05:11That night, Trudy announced a decision that would change the future of women in sports.
05:16I've decided to swim the English Channel.
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