Far Western Championship How the West Was Won

Since 1925 the Far Western largest heated salt-water pool. The pool Swimming Championship has measured 1000 feet in length by 160 feet provided one of the fastest and most across at the middle section and 100 feet prestigious venues for USA across at each end. It held 6,500,000 gallons Swimming. of filtered seawater pumped in from the Pacific Ocean. The pool maintained the In it’s tenth decade of competition, the Pacific constant 72 degrees required for A.A.U. Swimming Far Western Championship is (Amateur Athletic Union) Swim Meets. alive and well. Athletes from across the United States, Mexico and Canada travel to The Fleishhacker Municipal Swimming Pool the San Francisco bay area to compete in the opened on April 22, 1925, as host to this prestigious Spring short-course and Summer national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) long-course age group championship meets Swim Meet with five thousand attending the hosted by the second largest of the 59 local event to watch Johnny Weissmuller, the governing bodies of USA Swimming. world champion freestyle swimmer, swimming for the Illinois Athletic Club. The inaugural Far Western Championship Weissmuller was one of the world's best was held at one of the most unique swim swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic venues in the world. San Francisco’s Gold Medals and one Bronze Medal. He won Fleishhacker Municipal Swimming Pool fifty-two US National Championships and set rightfully claimed its status as the world's sixty-seven World Records. He is perhaps Courtesy of the SF History Center, SF Public Library more famous as an actor, starring as Tarzan of the Apes in 12 films (1932 – 48).

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

View of the pool in 1925, bordered by Ocean Beach Johnny Weissmuller at a swim meet. During the decade of Courtesy of the Library of Congress Hollywood’s Golden Age and the Great Depression (1930’s), Far Western Championships saw swimming greats like Helen Madison from the Washington Athletic Club. Madison competed in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle races. By this time, Madison was already the world record holder of all the freestyle events.

Courtesy of the Seattle Museum of History & Industry.

In the early 1940‘s the meet drew close to 15,000 fans.

Gerald Macedo, 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials Bronze medalist and retired coach of the 2012 host Almaden Swim & Racquet Club, recalls participating in the Far Western Championship during this era. Macedo said, “it was important to have a sleeping bag to cozy up in between races because it was so cold in and out of the water.” Coach Macedo also recalled how difficult it was to get out of the pool at Fleishhacker. Swimmers would have to make their way to the ladder to exit the pool because the start end of the pool had an elevated ledge which made it very difficult to exit the water. Back in those days swimmers were allowed 3 false starts before being disqualified. Helene Madison in her swimsuit displaying the Washington Athletic Club logo, at Fleishhacker After years of underfunding and poor maintenance, the pool was Pool in San on September 6 and 7, 1930. closed in 1971. The swimming pool itself was filled with rocks and gravel, with the space now serving as a parking lot for the San By the mid 1940’s the meet had Francisco Zoo. attracted a celebrity fan base that included former world’s Since moving from Fleishhacker, the Far Western Championship heavyweight champion Jack has been hosted at numerous Pacific Swimming venues. Olympic Dempsey, swimming legend and and World Champions, including Michael Phelps, , Tarzan movie great Johnny , Summer Sanders, and Missy Weissmuller, and Barney Ross, Franklin, all competed in this fast taper meet as age groupers. former world's welter weight champion and decorated World War II veteran know for his heroism against the Japanese at Guadalcanal. During the war, admission to the meet was gained Phelps Evans Morales Sanders Coughlin Franklin by War Bond purchase only and the meet drew close to 15,000 Only four of their Far Western records still stand which shows the fans. depth of talent at this championship: Coughlin [13-14 girls 200y back (1:59.43), in 1997] and [13-14 girls 1650y free (16:38.44), in The Far Western Championship 1997], Evans [10/un girls - 200m free (2:19.78), in 1982] and Phelps continued into the 1950’s and [10/un boys - 100m fly (1:10.48), in 1995]. 1960’s, where it saw the addition of the butterfly and individual medley events as well as the By Mark Scannell - 2009 - 2012 Meet Director formation of AAU age groups. Far Western Short Course Championship