Editing Marilyn Bell (section)

==Swimming career==
Bell first took up swimming lessons in 1946 at Oakwood Pool, joining the Dolphinette Club coached by Alex Duff.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=28}} In 1947, Bell entered her first long-distance race: a one-mile swim at the [[Canadian National Exhibition]] (CNE) in Lake Ontario.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=31}} It was at that first race that Bell first met her future coach Gus Ryder, who was coach of the Lakeshore Swimming Club. Bell soon joined the Lakeshore Club and started practising at the indoor pool of [[Humberside Collegiate Institute|Humberside Collegiate]] in Toronto.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=35}}

In July 1954, Bell swam in the Centennial Marathon at [[Atlantic City]], New Jersey. Bell finished first among the women's competitors, seventh overall, winning {{USD|1,150}}. Fellow Lakeshore Swimming Club members Tom Park and Cliff Lumsden finished first and second.{{sfn|McAllister|1954|pp=97–105}} The course was 26 miles around [[Absecon Island]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]].{{sfn|McAllister|1954|p=97}}

===1954 Lake Ontario swim===
[[File:Marilyn bell plaque 2015.jpg|thumb|Dedication plaque for Marilyn Bell Park]]
On September 8, 1954, at 11:07 pm, Bell started her swim across Lake Ontario from [[Youngstown, New York]],{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=13}} at virtually the same time as world-famous United States long-distance swimmer [[Florence Chadwick]]. The CNE had offered Chadwick {{CAD|10,000}} to swim the lake as a publicity effort for the annual exhibition.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=17}} The offer to Chadwick had disappointed Canadian swimmers, Bell included, who had expected the CNE to hold a marathon race. Because of the criticism, the CNE decided to allow other swimmers, at first as part of a relay race, but Bell decided to try the whole swim herself. According to Bell, she "did it for Canada."{{sfn|Tivy|2003|pp=17–18}} Bell took on the challenge without pay with the encouragement of [[Alexandrine Gibb]], a ''[[Toronto Star|Toronto Daily Star]]'' reporter. A third swimmer, Torontonian Winnie Roach, who had swum the English Channel, also decided to swim the lake.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|pp=18–19}}

After several hours, Chadwick was forced to give up with stomach pains and vomiting at 6 am.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|pp=69–70}} Roach quit at about three-quarters distance, due to cramps.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=90}} Bell swam for 20 hours and 59 minutes before she finally reached a breakwater near the Boulevard Club, west of the CNE grounds. The planned route straight across the lake was {{convert|51.5|km|mi}}, but she actually had to swim much further because of strong winds and the lack of modern navigation equipment. Waves that day were almost {{convert|5|m|ft}} high, water temperature was 21&nbsp;°C (70&nbsp;°F) and [[lamprey]] eels were attacking her legs and arms.

Bell kept up her strength with [[Pablum]], corn syrup, and lemon juice with water, along with heroic encouragement from her boat crew, including fellow swimmer Joan Cooke and her coach, Gus Ryder.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=96}} Radio stations broadcast hourly reports of her progress and rival newspapers published "extra" editions throughout the day. At the start, Bell was accompanied by two boats, but a flotilla of boats gathered around her by mid-day.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=100}} When she finally arrived at about 8:15&nbsp;p.m., a crowd estimated at over 250,000 was gathered to see her arrive.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=115}} CNE officials had hoped that Bell would arrive at the CNE waterfront, where a grandstand had been set up, but Ryder guided her to [[Sunnyside, Toronto|Sunnyside]] where the [[Sunnyside Amusement Park|amusement park]] was brightly lit to aid her navigation, and the waves were smaller.{{sfn|Tivy|2003|p=104}}

Bell was the first person to swim the {{convert|32|mi|km|adj=on}} distance. The CNE decided to give Bell the $10,000 prize, and she was later given numerous gifts, including a car, television, clothing, and furniture. Bell appeared on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''.<ref name="wsj016"/> In an article, Bell later thanked the Toronto community for the support, especially Alexandrine Gibb, the ''Toronto Star'' reporter.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thanks for Star Backing Voiced by Marilyn, Ryder |work=The Toronto Daily Star |date=September 16, 1954 |page=20}}</ref> Bell later recounted that she did not hear the crowds cheering when she arrived at the waterfront. Bell heard the cheering for the first time when she heard a recording made by a radio station a few days later.<ref name="pe2016"/>

Bell's swim was front-page news in Toronto. The ''[[Toronto Telegram]]'', ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' and the ''Toronto Daily Star'' all competed to get her interview. The ''Star'' had signed for an exclusive, providing boats to the swim team, but the ''Telegram'' tried to "scoop" the story by having a ''Telegram'' reporter pose as a nurse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lostswimming.com/2014/02/03/swimmer-marilyn-bell-recalls-historic-lake-ontario-crossing/ |title=Swimmer Marilyn Bell recalls historic Lake Ontario crossing |website=lostswimming.com |date= February 3, 2014 |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

===Other swims===
[[File:MarilynBellCairnDallsRdVictoriaBC.jpg|alt=Stone cairn with engraved stone plaque depicting Marilyn Bell's portrait with swimming cap and goggles and waves in the background and the following text: This cairn commemorates the feat of Miss Marilyn Bell who landed in this bay 23rd August 1956 to become the first woman and first Canadian to swim Juan de Ducat Strait from Port Angeles USA to Victoria Canada.|thumb|Cairn by Dallas Road Waterfront Trail (Victoria, BC, Canada) commemorating Marilyn Bell's historic swim across the Juan de Fuca Strait. ]]
Offered [[Canadian dollar|$]]15,000 by the ''Toronto Telegram'' newspaper to swim the [[English Channel]], Bell made the crossing in 14 hours, 36 minutes on July 31, 1955.<ref name="gm1955">{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |title=Marilyn Swims Channel |first=Ron |last=Evans |page=1 |date=August 1, 1955}}</ref> Her crossing started at [[Cap Gris-Nez]] and ended at Abbotscliff, between Dover and Folkestone.<ref name="gm1955"/>  At 17 years of age, she was the youngest swimmer to succeed in the crossing.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1502-e.html |title=ARCHIVED - Celebrating Women's Achievements |access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref> She was guided by her coach Gus Ryder and John (Pop) Boswell.<ref name="gm1955"/> She did not beat the existing record for the crossing, hitting a strong current which took her past Dover Harbour.<ref name="gm1955"/> Bell returned to Toronto for a ticker tape parade along Bay Street to City Hall, attended by a crowd of 100,000 on August 19.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |page=3 |title=Crowds Vie for Space to Acclaim Swim Queen |date=August 20, 1955}}</ref>

On August 23, 1956, she swam the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] off the Pacific coast, swimming from [[Port Angeles, Washington]], to [[Victoria, British Columbia]].<ref name="gm2012">{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/canadas-sweetheart-marilyn-bell-the-great-strait-swimmer/article4494132/ |title='Canada's sweetheart': Marilyn Bell, the great strait swimmer |date=August 22, 2012 |access-date=June 24, 2019 |first=Tom |last=Hawthorn }}</ref> It was her second attempt, after giving up after eight kilometres on her first attempt.<ref name="gm2012"/> A cairn by Dallas Road Waterfront Trail, below Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, overlooks the bay where she completed her swim.  
<!--unsupported: Bell retired from marathon swimming in December 2003 after completing her personal 'Triple Crown'. -->