Topic spans: 1928 - 2003
Fair Game: Pioneering Canadian Women in Sports
Throughout history, "ladies" were discouraged from participating in team sports because it was thought competition would lead to "manly" behaviours. But thanks to pioneering athletes such as Bobbie Rosenfeld, Nancy Greene and Hayley Wickenheiser, young women now have the freedom to participate and excel in any sport — be it track, skiing or hockey. These women not only excelled in their chosen fields but were instrumental in shattering stereotypes of the female athlete.
Topic image of Canada's 1924 women's Olympic basketball team reproduced with the permission of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
9 television clips
11 radio clips
Pint-sized teen becomes the first to swim Lake Ontario
Broadcast Date: Sept. 10, 1954
(poor audio) On Sept. 8, 1954, a 16-year-old named Marilyn Bell shocks the experts and throws the whole sporting world in a tizzy when she becomes the first person ever to swim across Lake Ontario. When asked about her record-breaking swim, Bell recalls the lake being very rough, cold and full of eels. But, Bell tells CBC Television, she was encouraged by supporters "pulling for her" in and out of the water.Her amazing success kicks off a renewed interest in Canada for long-distance swimming and a newfound respect for female marathon athletes.
Pint-sized teen becomes the first to swim Lake Ontario
• Marilyn Bell began her historical Lake Ontario swim at 11 p.m. on Sept. 8, 1954. By the time she finished her swim the next evening, about 100,000 people had gathered at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto to greet Bell.• Due to poor conditions, Bell veered off course and ended up swimming much further than the 51.5-kilometre (32-mile) route straight across Lake Ontario.
• Bell became the youngest person to swim across the English Channel on July 31, 1955.
• On Aug. 23, 1956, Bell became the first woman to conquer the Straits of Juan de Fuca.
• Bell was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame.
• Bell was born on Nov. 9, 1937, in Toronto, Ont.
Pint-sized teen becomes the first to swim Lake Ontario
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Television News
Broadcast Date: Sept. 10, 1954
Guest(s): Marilyn Bell
Duration: 3:12
This is the audio of a TV report for which video is unavailable.
Last updated:
May 29, 2009
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20 clips in this topic . page
Radio
3:06
Sept. 9, 1954
It's September 1954 and 16-year-old Marilyn Bell conquers Lake Ontario to emerge a celebrity.
Television
1:50
Sept. 23, 1992
Manon Rhéaume becomes the first woman to play in the NHL.
Pint-sized teen becomes the first to swim Lake Ontario.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: May 29, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 9, 2010.]