Routh Address
November 3rd 2025
America’s Girl: The Incredible Story of How Swimmer Gertrude Ederle Changed the Nation by Tim Dahlberg
As she neared the English coast, the fog began to lift, and the outline of Kingsdown slowly came into view. The small flotilla of boats that had followed her across the Channel erupted with shouts and horns. After more than fourteen hours in the cold, choppy water, Gertrude Ederle — a 20-year-old American from New York — was still swimming strongly, her powerful crawl carrying her closer to the pebbled shore. When she finally set foot on English soil, she had not only become the first woman ever to swim the English Channel, but she had shattered the men’s record by nearly two hours.
Crowds gathered on the beach as news spread, cheering the young woman who had done what so many had said was impossible. Reporters rushed forward, asking how she had managed such a feat. Ederle, wrapped in a blanket and beaming through exhaustion, simply said, “I knew I could do it.”
That quiet confidence captured the imagination of people around the world. Gertrude Ederle’s swim across the Channel stood as a symbol of courage, perseverance, and purpose — proof that determination and belief can carry us farther than anyone expects.
Good morning everyone — I hope you all had a really good half term break
Over the last few months, I’ve spent quite a bit of time on planes although I have to say that I’m not a good sleeper at 30,000 feet. So instead, I tend to use the time to work, write emails that all go whooshing out of my outbox the moment I reconnect to wi-fi… and, occasionally, to watch a film.
One I would recommend is the Young Woman and the Sea. It tells the true story of Trudy Ederle, an American swimmer born in 1905 who became the first woman ever to swim the English Channel and the extract that Ben read, comes from the book on which the film is based.
Trudy’s journey leading up to her briny crossing between France and England, was anything but easy. As a child, she caught measles, which left her partially deaf, and she was told she’d never be strong or healthy enough to swim. However, she refused to accept that advice because she was determined to swim just like her older brother and sister.
So, she persevered, and she fell in love with swimming — with the freedom it gave her and the sense that in the water she wasn’t defined by what others said she could or couldn’t do.
And that perseverance paid off and as a teenager, Trudy became an Olympic champion and set world records; but then she set her sights on something more. She wanted to swim the English Channel, but despite her huge success in the water, many still told her it was impossible — that women were simply too weak for such a challenge.
Trudy’s first attempt ended in disappointment. When the weather worsened, her trainer pulled her out of the water and into a support boat— which wasn’t what she wanted because though she was only a few miles from the coast. Instead of praising her courage, the newspapers of the time mocked her for even trying.
So, what did she do? She trained some more — hour after hour, mile after mile, in cold water and rough seas, year after year. Until, in 1926, as we have just heard, after fourteen hours and thirty-four minutes of battling waves, exhaustion, and disbelief, Trudy Ederle stepped onto the English beach — a world record holder, two hours faster than any man who had ever completed the swim.
Changing the subject slightly, I wonder what it is that really gets us out of bed in the morning? I don’t mean the alarm, or someone knocking on the door, or even the fear of being late. I mean I wonder what really motivates us. What do we care about so deeply that it makes us want to do more, to be better, to push beyond what’s comfortable — maybe even to achieve more than others believe we can?
That’s what we mean by passion and when that passion is lived out with direction, it becomes purpose.
Steve Jobs, who co-founded Apple and arguably revolutionized personal computing, smartphones, and much more, said: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Some 2,500 years earlier, Confucius, who lived in what is now China, said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” In other words: do what you love, and the hard work becomes part of the adventure.
What struck me most about Trudy Ederle wasn’t just her endurance or determination, it was her clarity of purpose. She knew why she was doing it — not for fame, not to silence the critics, but because she loved swimming. She loved the rhythm, the solitude, the challenge and that love gave her strength. Her purpose wasn’t handed to her; it wasn’t inherited or expected – quite the contrary. It was something she discovered for herself — through experience, persistence, and often failure.
Sometimes, school life can feel a bit like a long swim, against the current, especially when the days are shorter and the weather is colder: lessons, assessments, fixtures, rehearsals, responsibilities, deadlines. It’s easy to lose sight of why we do all that we do.
But purpose rarely appears fully formed. It’s something we discover gradually — by following what excites us, what challenges us, and what makes time fly. It’s that thing that makes our eyes light up when we talk about it, whether that’s sport, art, science, sustainability, music, working with others, or something else entirely.
Finding our passion matters — not just because it helps us achieve, but because it gives life shape and meaning.
So, as we set off into another busy half term, let’s throw ourselves into what lies ahead. Let’s look out for those things that absorb us so completely that we lose track of time — the things that make us want to keep going, even when it all feels so tough.
And, like Trudy Ederle, when we find that what matters most to us — and commit to it — we might be surprised at just how far we can swim.