Fifty Years Later, Princeton’s First Swimmers and Divers Are Still Making Waves. Literally.

Cece Herron Waters was one of the first four Princeton women athletes, back in the 1970-71 academic year. A diver, she and her swimmer teammate Jane Fremon competed together in March of 1971 at the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships, forming Princeton's introduction to the sport of women's swimming and diving, which has had an enormously successful run ever since. The early Princeton women's swimmers and divers were a very close-knit group, and they've stayed that way in the time since. Waters has written this piece about a trip that five Tigers from the 1970s made to Greece this past fall:

Just add water. That's all Princeton swimmers and divers seem to need, to find camaraderie, friendship, good times and success (albeit in perhaps a different form).

Such was the case this past October, when five female Tiger swimmers and divers from the classes of '74 through '77 (Carol Brown and Jane Fremon '75, Deb Deffaa '76, Patricia Freeman '77 and me '74) converged on the stunning island of Symi, Greece for six days of two-a-day swims in the Aegean Sea.

What began as an exercise in disciplined physical training morphed very quickly into something much more profound. On the other side of the world from our original shared "home" in Dillon Pool, our week in the Aegean provided a framework to reconnect with teammates we had put down roots with 50 years ago. To embrace new challenges – physical and mental – that most of us had never even dreamed about. And to successfully stare down the cruel impositions of age, lack of mobility and doubt.

As luck would have it, the trip coincided with the 50-year anniversary of the formation of the Princeton University Women's Swimming and Diving varsity program.

And – no luck factor here – the same swimmer who pioneered the creation of that illustrious program in 1971-72 was the driving force behind our 2022 saga in Symi. Carol Brown. A true water-lover (a dedicated swimmer since her youth plus a 3-time Olympian and bronze medalist in rowing), Carol recalls, "I had done three trips with Strel Swimming Adventures (who offers open-water swim tours worldwide), and I was looking for fun friends with whom to share another trip."

Although none of us knew it at the time, the initial catalyst for Symi may have been an unplanned get-together of early women swimmers and divers in February 2018, when Princeton hosted the men's Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships. The Friends of Princeton Swimming and Diving had invited ALL swimmers and divers from the '70s to come to DeNunzio Pool for the four-day event. One morning, about 10 women attendees decided to meet on-campus and share what we'd been up to for the past half-century. "It was such a pleasure to be around smart, funny, articulate women with whom we'd really only had a thread in common during the decades prior," Deb recalls. "I felt at home. After years of competing in the real world, running a business and raising kids, what a treat it was to sit with these women with no forethought, malice, agenda, and seemingly, no deadline. I wanted more of it. Enough time had passed that it was not really about reminiscence. The tip of the iceberg for me was the re-discovery of these amazing ladies and the thought that it would be really fun to do something together and continue the stories. That weekend carried me for months and warmly renewed my love of Princeton and of being on a team, a swim team."

A second catalyst, also unexpected but numbingly tragic, came in February 2021, with the very sudden passing of swimmer Liz Osborn, '76. "It was a wake-up call," notes Deb. "I had had such a great conversation with Liz at Reunions and thought, 'We need to continue this.' Then she was gone."

By this time, Deb, Carol and Jane had been floating the possibility of a swim trip together. In November 2021, Carol emailed about 10 swimmers and divers from the early Princeton teams. And by May 2022, four of us – along with fellow diver Patricia Freeman '77 – had committed to going.

Make no mistake, this was no slam-dunk commitment (except for Carol, perhaps). Jane had had a hip replacement two weeks before Carol's email invite went out. Six weeks before the trip, Deb smashed a finger moving into a new house, and couldn't get in the water for that last training push. And for divers Patricia and me – well, we were in a different category altogether. We travel vertically in the water, not horizontally. "Swimming?" Patricia remembers thinking to herself after reading Carol's email. "In the ocean? With these paragons of confidence and accomplishment I was afraid to approach 50 years ago?" Neither of us had ever even done an actual swim workout, much less swum 2-3 miles a day. We both deleted the invitation immediately.

But we weren't going to get off that easy. "Deb called me," recalls Patricia. "She said, 'You should come. It's a chance to spend a week with smart, funny, interesting, articulate women. Besides, the food in Greece is great! With all the exercise we'll be getting, we can eat as much as we want to!' Good points. I thought about how Princeton had emboldened me to take chances. I bought a punch card for the community pool. A week later I called Deb and said, 'Okay I'll do it!'"

Patricia's decision to go meant that my "fullproof" excuse ("I don't do horizontal in the water; only vertical") no longer held water (sorry, couldn't resist). And then I thought back to that phenomenal weekend in 2018. Like Deb, I wanted more of that. "When will I ever have an opportunity like this again?" I wondered. "The upside totally outweighs any downside. Let's do it!"

Fast forward to Saturday, October 8. Pedi Beach on the island of Symi. Fifteen excited swimmers – the Princeton Five, seven swimmer friends whom they'd invited, and three water-lovers from Australia, Germany and Scotland. All toting swimsuits, goggles, caps, fins, wetsuits, Vaseline (for the chafing that often occurs when swimming in salt water; who knew??!!), sunscreen, water shoes and a healthy dose of nervous anticipation. Thirteen experienced swimmers, ages 40-70. Plus two nervous-novice, divers-wannabe-swimmers.

Our experienced Strel guides – Toby from Belgium and Aoife (EE-fah) from Ireland – placed us into three groups, based on a short swim on Day 1 to assess our pace. With 15 swimmers representing different ages, fitness and swim abilities, grouping us by pace would help ensure that we'd stay somewhat clustered as we swam.

Every morning, 18 of us (including the Strel guides and our boat driver) would climb onboard our modest double-decker water taxi and motor 15-20 minutes to our first destination. The island's many bays and coves made it the ideal venue to explore a new route each day. Maps in hand, the guides would review the plan for the day. Typically we'd hug the shoreline for 1-1.5 miles, heading for the farthest point we could see, or wherever the boat would eventually move to. Toby and Aoife would take off in small, motorized skiffs, with one of them tracking the lead swimmers, and the other bringing up the rear. We'd reconnect with the main boat, dock for lunch at a local taverna or on the boat, and then "rinse and repeat" in the afternoon.

The dramatic outcroppings of volcanic rock, together with the midnight-blue beauty of the water and ever-present warmth of the sun, made for spectacular experiences day after day. While the Aegean isn't known for abundant marine and plant life underwater (we did see a couple of turtles one day!), on terra firma we were never far away from animal creatures. Specifically, goats. They were everywhere – even on the menu! We found them friendly, non-aggressive, but unappealing as an entrée order.

Speaking of food, the cuisine in Greece was incredible. Deb's early prediction to Patricia proved to be spot on: two swims a day earned us all the Tzatziki, pita, souvlaki, gyros, gelatos, wine and ouzo our hearts desired. Between the leisurely meals and hours of shared time on the boat, friendships deepened. I began to notice, for example, that during a swim, if anyone fell behind the rest of their group, at least one other swimmer in that group noticed and went back to make sure they were OK. The support and appreciation became palpable.

By the end of the trip, we were family. We'd each taken our own individual risk, and we'd succeeded. Together, we celebrated a shared joy in achievement that was profoundly satisfying.

"We can (still) do anything!" Go Tiger.

Reflections on a Teammate Swim, 50 Years Later
Jane Fremon '75: "I'm no longer in my twenties, or even in my sixties! Coming to embrace this truth through the challenge of the experience was hard, but transformative. Swimming only half the charted distance some days, relying on fins, kayaking for a portion of some days instead of swimming – accepting and owning all of these accommodations was an enormous learning that I trust will serve me well in the years ahead. It was a blessing to be among old friends who together could embrace our diminishments with a hearty sense of humor."

Carol Brown '75: "The trip was a living reminder of the power of lifelong friendships. We shared so many challenges being the pioneers of PU Swimming and Diving, and the bond of those years is powerful – even 50 years later! We need to do more gatherings and adventures with other teammates and rebuild these important friendships and connections. People who were special in the 1970s remain special even decades later. The tapestry that is our collective Princeton Swimming and Diving collage is now richer and even more meaningful."

Deb Deffaa '76: "I look back and think about how we changed all the rules and had no clue about the impact or legacy. I look at Princeton over the years and think, 'I'd never get in now.' Then I think about the women I spent a week with in Symi and how remarkable each and every one is. Princeton was as lucky to have us as we were to go there. We have done our alma mater proud."

Patricia Freeman '77: "A truly unforgettable experience. I came away from this trip filled with gratitude and optimism. To reconnect with this group of strong women after a half-century was rewarding enough; to see how open and wise and kind they are gave me hope for the world. If anyone has the chance to reconnect with the people you appreciated at Princeton, do it! You will find that your esteem was well-placed."

Cece Herron Waters '74: "The mental shift from 'No way am I doing this!' to 'I can do his, and oh, by the way, it'll be fun!' was huge. My hope was to not finish miles behind everyone else each day. While I was part of the slowest-pace group (which included four of the five Tigers and required a humility that doesn't always come easy to over-achieving Princetonians), we all felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and joy that continues to inspire me."

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