George Young (3 March 1909 – 6 August 1972) was a Canadian marathon swimmer who, on 15–16 January 1927, became the first person to swim the 22 mile channel between Catalina Island and the mainland of California. Though familiar to the Toronto swimming community, Young was only seventeen and a relative unknown in America, lacking the national recognition of a number of his competitors.Eggleston, Wilfred, The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, pg. 32, 19 August 1972 Around three thousand spectators on Catalina Island watched the race begin. Young's 22 mile swim began with the sound of a starter's pistol on the Northeastern edge of Catalina Island at the narrow point of the Harbor at Isthmus Cove at 11:21 AM on Saturday, January 15, 1927, and ended the next morning after 15 hours 44 minutes at 3:06 AM on the rocky shores of Point Vicente Lighthouse, in Rancho Palos Verdes, South of downtown Los Angeles."Young Conquers Catalina Crossing", Stockton Independent, Stockton, California, pg. 5, 17 January 1927
Early swimming achievements
Unknown to the California crowds that thronged to meet him as he finished the race at Point Vicente, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Young was already considered a stand-out among Canadian amateur swimmers, with two victories at the Toronto Across-the-Bay Swim (1.25 miles) from 1923-4,Lawrence, Edward, "George Young Tells Story of his Career", Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, pg. 26, 23 January 1927 and three at the Montreal Bridge-to-Bridge Swim. At five, he had taken up swimming at Ontario's Wawa Hotel Northeast of Muskoka, and 140 miles North of Toronto, where his mother worked summers as a domestic. Later, while swimming with the Toronto West End YMCA in his hometown, he set local records for the 200, 220, 440, and 880 yard marks. Young's Toronto coach Johnny Walker harbored the possibility of Olympic hopes for George. In 1924, Young completed an international mile swim championship in 23:41:30, matching his time in 1925."Mother Will Be Happy, Water Prodigy", Daily News, Los Angeles, California, pg. 3, 17 January 1927
Catalina swim training Young later claimed in a story he wrote for Regina's Leader-Post, he had once swum fifteen miles with rests at Muskoka, Ontario's WaWa Hotel in 1922. He completed several two-mile swims while remaining in the water for 2–3 hours in the cold Pacific, while watched by his coach Henry O'Byrne off Santa Monica in December 1926, a month prior to his Catalina Channel win. He trained for a little over two weeks with O'Bryne off Santa Monica Pier prior to the race to acclimate to the current and cold water, and night swims were included in his training.Young, George, "On His Trip Across Continent, Toronto Lad Sure He'd Finish", The Leader-Post, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, pg.1, January 27, 1927Young, George, "Night Swimming Enough to Test Stoutest Heart", The Leader-Post, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, pg. 1, 28 January 1927
Catalina channel swim
Young's 1927 Catalina swim took place as part of the William Wrigley Ocean Marathon, sponsored by chewing gum and sports magnate William Wrigley Jr. Wrigley owned a resort on Catalina Island centered on Avalon Harbor and wanted to advertise the beauty of the destination in the warm winter off season. As Wrigley anticipated, the Press wrote a great deal about the upcoming race, focusing on race strategies of swimming with the tides, rules, and the favorites, including Olympian Norman Ross. Young was the only person to complete the swim, which took him 15 hours and 44 minutes, in a field of around 102 swimmers, many well-known, with two having completed the English channel, Americans Henry Sullivan and Charles Toth.
Classified as a cold-water swim, the Catalina channel was only 54 F (13 C), at the start, with a fog and whitecaps, and though the average air temperature was in the low 60's, there was a cool evening breeze later that night. Within a few years, the race would be held closer to the summer when water temperatures in the mid to high 60's were common. Though he wore no wet suit, Young had graphite and a coating of grease originally close to a quarter inch think, under his bathing suit, as did many other competitors, though he wore no goggles by his own account. Rules forbid rubber suits, but allowed no suits at all if enough grease was applied. At least one female competitor, Charlotte Schoemmell, a New York swim champion, with the eventual rules committee's approval, vowed to wear several pounds of thick grease and nothing else to prevent the chafing from the uncomfortable swim suits common in 1927. The rules required each swimmer to have an escort boat clearly displaying the swimmer's number, and each escort boat had to be equipped with several days of food, water, gasoline and a first aid kit. Young was fed hot chocolate and chicken broth as needed, as suggested by race consultant Gertrude Ederle who had recently become the first woman to swim the English channel. All contestants had to remain in the water during feedings, however, and could have no support of any kind. Wrigley kept a few hospital boats stationed within reach in case of an emergency.McCabe, "Long Sad Tale of A Canadian Hero", The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, pg. 17, 26 August 1972
By 5:00 P.M., only thirty swimmers remained in the water of the original 102 starters, and eventually all of Young's competitors were pulled from the water exhausted before completing their swim, though a very few came very close to the California shore. At his Catalina marathon win, Young met fellow competitor Toronto native Shier Mendelson, a veteran open water swimmer who had won the Toronto Across the Bay 1.5-mile competition four times. Mendelson did not finish, but he trained some with George off the Santa Monica Pier and would later become one of Young’s managers and mentors and coach college swimmers as well.
Swam with tides
Young began his race swimming Northeast from the Santa Catalina's Isthmus Cove until a prevailing tide caught him and pushed him towards the finish at Point Vicente Lighthouse, in Palos Verdes, just South of Los Angeles on the California shore. According to his own account, he changed course during the swim to meet the opposition of the tides and to swim with the prevailing current at his back."George Young's Own Story of His Great Race", Santa Cruz Evening News, Santa Cruz, California, pg. 9, 17 January 1927 Young also recounted that seven miles from Catalina he swam through a heavy 200 yard oil slick where he was required to keep his head and eyes out of the water. An offshore current went against his final few miles once he approached the California shore, requiring patience, rest, and additional effort, and he became entangled at times in beds of kelp. At the finish, the recently constructed Point Vicente Lighthouse guided him in, and spectators flashed their car lights, lit bonfires, and cheered him on. George had removed his suit to prevent friction, and after reaching the shore quickly found the cover of his small escort boat.
Competition from Norman Ross
His winning Catalina swim earned him the name "The Catalina Kid" and a prize of $25,000, which he would see little of after paying debts and have to wait until he was 30 to collect. Only seventeen and untried in such a highly publicized competition, to the general public he was an unknown in the world of distance swimming, particularly in California. Race favorites included Charlotte Schoemmell, the third woman to swim around Manhattan Island, and Leo Purcell and Mark Wheeler, top California swimmers. Drawing public attention to the 1927 Catalina race, Young's closest competitor once the race began was 1920 triple Olympic gold medalist, American swimming star and West coast native Norman Ross who followed Young closely until near the final stretch. Ross was forced to quit the race from cramps and fatigue at 2:40 am on the early morning of January 16, with only around three miles left, having trailed Young closely at many points for the first nineteen miles."Canadian Boy Wins Coveted Catalina Swim", Santa Cruz Evening News, Santa Cruz, California, pg. 9, 17 January 1927 Two West coast women competitors, Margaret Hauser, and Martha Stager quit the race within two miles of shore and were to receive $2500 from Wrigley for their efforts."George Young Conquers Channel", Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, pg. 1, 17 January 1927
Public acclaim, with limited financial gain Young became the source of a great deal of publicity and acclaim in California and after returning to Canada after his Catalina Channel win. A crowd of 150,000 lined the streets to catch a glimpse of him in his home-town Toronto, and he was met with large crowds in subsequent tours of several Ontario cities. Press accounts noted that the City of Toronto presented George with a home in recognition of his win.The city gave George a home in Margaret Ravior to Marry Young", The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, pg. 1, 7 September 1932 Miscalculating her son's future earnings, and unknown to him, Young's mother Jane had signed an agreement with Toronto native Henry "Doc" O'Byrne, a coach and trainer, that gave O'Byrne $10,000 of Young's $25,000 Catalina Marathon winnings, a 40% stake, which was to include additional income related to the Catalina marathon. O'Byrne was in Young's escort boat during the race. Young made several well-paid appearances, staying on in California, but his earning from the swim and subsequent appearances may have been limited by his contract with and management by O'Byrne, according to a story in the Ontario Journal. A potential highly lucrative movie offer never came through, nor did a regular vaudeville stint as a result of O'Byrne's management. According to the Pasadena Post, Young did not receive his share of the Catalina Marathon winnings until 1940, as he was not to be paid until he reached 30, and the money was placed in a trust by Wrigley. As there were mounting debts in liens against his winnings, and a 40% share to Coach and Manager Henry O'Byrne, Young only received $400, of his $15,000 share in 1940, a considerably reduced sum. In an interview in January 1927, O'Byrne stated he would decline his 40% share, but it does not appear this occurred, and after debts, George still received little of his total winnings."George Young to Get Full Share Declares Byrne", The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, pg. 11, 19 January 1927Young only received $400 after debts, "Swimmer Tasted Fame But Riches Eluded Him", The Province, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, pg. 25, 7 August 1972
Inconsistent swimming career After his Catalina Channel win, his future attempts at a long distance swimming career were inconsistent, failing to complete the Lake Ontario swims each year from 1927-1930. His Lake Ontario marathons were all fifteen mile swims with the exception of the 1927 swim which was 21 miles. A single Lake Ontario win in 1931 earned Young $10,000 and a 1928 win in the 20 mile Montreal to Repentigney Marathon earned Young only $350.
1927, 21-Mile Lake Ontario swim He failed to finish several subsequent competitions, including a well-publicized 21-mile Canadian National Exhibition Marathon in Lake Ontario, the summer after his Catalina swim, which was won by German swimmer Ernst Vierkotter, also Vierkoetter, in August 1927, for a $30,000 prize. Young was pulled from the water after five miles."Greatest Swimmer of a Half Century Dies", Red Dear Advocate, Red Dear, Alberta, Canada, pg. 1, 8 August 1972 After he failed to complete several competitions, a few fickle members of the Press labeled him a quitter and public interest in Young began to wane.
1928, 15-Mile Lake Ontario swim