April 22, 2024
“Women swimmers have navigated tensions between athletics and performance, sport and spectacle, for generations,” according to this comprehensive debut history. Valosik, a synchronized swimmer and Georgetown University writing instructor, traces how women’s involvement in aquatic activities has evolved alongside societal attitudes since the 18th century, when norms around female modesty required that women wear long, bulky swimming gowns that “made even the simple acts of moving or floating in the water impossible.” Increased demand for entertainment at the end of the 19th century presented an opening for some women to become “ornamental swimmers” who performed in glass tanks for paying audiences. This combination of art and exercise eventually transformed into synchronized swimming, whose evolution Valosik charts from its origins in water pageants developed by the Red Cross to promote swimming skills to the sport’s debut at the 1984 Olympic games. Profiles of notable swimmers highlight how women’s sports intersected with larger societal currents, as when Valosik suggests that 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle’s 1926 swim across the English Channel, during which she beat the fastest man’s record by over two hours, helped make the figure of the female swimmer a symbol of women’s burgeoning political freedom. An incisive marriage of sports and cultural history, this is well worth diving into. Photos. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management.
December 6, 2024
Writing instructor and masters synchronized swimmer Valosik takes a deep dive into the sport-cum-spectacle of synchronized swimming. From ancient Rome to the Renaissance, there was rarely a time when humans weren't fascinated by the scientific and social implications of swimming. The balance of physical prowess, pluck, and precision has long led to debates about whether synchronized swimmers should be considered athletes or entertainers. Valosik explores not only the history of synchronized swimming but also how it parallels women's history topics, such as safety, sex, suffrage, and show business. Her richly detailed debut is educational, thought-provoking, and engaging. Unfortunately, however, narrator Sarah Welborn's somewhat nasal, no-frills reading, when paired with the depth of information, yields a stuffy listening experience. Though listeners may be swept up by the significant stories within, they may also wish for a more expressive and dramatic delivery. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a scholarly sports nonfiction work that investigates how women have come together and found joy and power in the water. Recommended for fans of inspiring sports stories, such as Maggie Mertens's Better Faster Farther.--Lauren Hackert
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