Jody_Alderson

Jody Alderson

Jody Alderson

American swimmer (1935–2021)

Joan Alderson (March 5, 1935 – February 14, 2021), later known by her married name Joan Braskamp, was an American competition swimmer and Olympic medalist. She received a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

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Alderson was born and grew up in Chicago.[1][2] Her father Edmund had been a collegiate swimmer at the University of Illinois, and she began swimming at the age of 5.[2] She first trained under coach Bill Moyle at the Beverly Country Club, and then under coach Walter Schlueter of the Chicago Town Club where her elite swimming potential was recognized.[2] Fellow Olympic swimmer Jackie LaVine, who also trained with the Chicago Town Club, served as her mentor.[2]

As a 17-year-old, Alderson represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.[1] She received a bronze medal as a member of the third-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Jackie LaVine, Marilee Stepan and Evelyn Kawamoto.[1][3] Individually, she also competed in the women's 100-meter freestyle and finished fifth in the event final with a time of 1:07.1, only three tenths of a second behind the winner, Hungarian Katalin Szőke.[1][4] According to the official event clock time of 1:07.1, Alderson finished in a third-place tie with Judit Temes of Hungary and Joan Harrison of South Africa, but the judges awarded her fifth place.[4]

In addition to her athletic prowess, Alderson's attractive physical appearance was noted by news publications, several of which called her "blonde," "statuesque," "a blue-eyed whiz"[2] with a "winning smile"[5] and "pretty enough to win beauty contests."[6]

After the Olympics, Alderson attended the University of Illinois, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.[7] She continued to swim competitively while attending college, set a world record in the 100-yard freestyle event in 1954, and was a member of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship relay teams in 1952 and 1953.[8] She married Lt. Bernard Braskamp, Jr., a U.S. Air Force officer in 1954, and retired from competitive swimming.[7][8]

Alderson died in Stuart, Florida, on February 14, 2021, at the age of 85.[9]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Jody Alderson Archived 2012-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  2. [2]
    David Condon (July 17, 1952). "Chicago Cheering Section Follows Jody to the Olympics". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  3. [3]
    Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games Archived 2012-11-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  4. [4]
    Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games, Women's 100 metres Freestyle Final Archived 2012-11-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  5. [5]
    "Uncle Sam Picks Olympic Team, Ten Classes Today". The Pittsburgh Press. July 5, 1952. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  6. [6]
    "H2 Ohhh Jody!". Collier's. 1953. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  7. [7]
    "Kappas make a big splash," The Key, vol. 71, no. 4, p. 191 (December 1954). Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  8. [8]
    United Press, "Sportrait," The Neosho Daily News, p. 4A (August 26, 1954). Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  9. [9]
    "Jody Braskamp". Echovita. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
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