George Park's Bio

1952 - George trained to participate in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki Finland, but during his 1st heat (440 freestyle)which was his specialty event he lost consciousness after 200 yds and was pulled from the water. After this setback, George changed his specialty events to sprints only - 100 freestyle and butterfly. During this time, he also played waterpolo for the Hamilton Aquatic Club

1953. - After changing from mid-distance swimming to sprinting, he set new Canadian records in the 50 and 100 freestyle and butterfly

1954 - George set a new Canadian record for the 100 freestyle during the Canadian Championships and qualified to be a member of th 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He anchored two 2nd place finish relays and came 4th in the 100 freestyle - beaten by the top three swimmers in the world at that time from Australia.

March 1955 - The Hamilton Aquatic Club won the Canadian Waterpolo Championship with George swimming at centre.

April 1955 - Pan American Games in Mexico City. Placed 2nd to Clarke Scholes, the Olympic and World Champion for 100 mts.

July 1955 - Internation Meet in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio George placed 1st defeating the world champion, Clarke Scholes.

1956 - George set a new Canadian Records for the 50 yds and 100 mts freestyle, and qualified for the Olympic Games in Melbourne Australia. George was considered at the time to be within the top three sprinters in the world and his training indicated that he had a good chance to get on the podium. During the heats for the 100 mts freestyle, George was leading for the first 50 mts by a half body length then the unforseen happened... the turn marker in George's lane was three feet closer to the wall than it should have been??? When he went into his flip turn, he hit his head on the wall - was stunned, and came off the wall in 8th place. He caught everyone but the top three swimmers in the heat and finished fourth one tenth of a second behind the last qualifier.

1958 - George created new records for the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly and qualified for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff Wales. Again bad luck struck with George stepping into a pothole sustaining a green fracture in his right ankle. He still competed with his ankle wrapped in tensure bandages and contrubuted by helping the relay teams win medals.

George talks about the past.

When I was young, I swam every event and was considered a middle distance swimmer. In 1952, at age 19, I was sick (had mono). I was bed ridden for 6 weeks. I was out of bed for a couple of weeks and swam in the olympic trials. The first event I was entered in was the 440. At 200 yards, I went unconcious and was pulled out of the pool, that was it for the 1952 olympics and no more distance swimming for a long time. My work outs after that comprised of 500 yards twice a day plus waterpolo practice & games and swim meets on weekends.

I represented Canada in the 1954 Commonwealth games and swam the 110 yards placing 4th, and second in three relays. After the 54 games I retired from competition and only played water polo. In Feb 1955 my coach called me and told me I was selected to represent Canada in the Pan Am Games in Mexico, the selection was made on past preformances. I started training but was swimming very badly, I could not get my time below one min. for 100 yards (stinko). I decided not to go but the next day at a time trial I did a 51 second 100 time trial. I decided to go. It worked out fine I came second in the Pan Am games, just touched out by Clarke Scholes the 1952 Olympic Champion.

In 1956 Melbourne Olympic pool. When they constructed this pool they forgot to mark the bottom of the swim pool with the "T" to warn the approach of the turn. They took lead weighted black rubber pads and placed them on the bottom of the pool. My times were very good and I figured I would be in the top three, if not first.

Three days before the heats I was taken to the hospital with a temperature of 1:04 which stayed with me for two days. It was the first time I ever prayed for god to let me live. I got out of the hospital and went to the trials. I got on the starting block. When the gun went off I went to the front ahead of Gary Chapman from Australia. As I approached the turn I saw the marker on the bottom of the pool figuring two more strokes and turn. One stroke and I went head first into the wall (the rubber marker on my lane had been moved three feet closer than it should have been) I was dazed and came off the wall last behind Ron Roberts of Great Britain. I tried as hard as I could and I got back into 4th for the heat.

I was 1 tenth of a second behind the last qualifier. So did not make it past the heats. The day of the final I swam 110 meter swim in another pool and was faster than the winner.

Was it bad luck or did someone move the pad. Guess what that's the breaks. I have hated that pool eversince and was happy when it was torn down.

Jimmy Thompson wrote this about George.

(This article was written by George's coach, Jimmy Thompson, and published in the 1955 Hamilton Aquatic Club Christmas Carnival Program)

George Park, one of Canada's outstanding swimming stars who has, over the years, graduated step by step from the Hamilton Aquatic Club's Learn-to-Swim Club, into the file of international top bracket competition, and to-day is recognized as one who can carry Canada's name into the world's fastest competition.

This young stalwart of the fine Hamilton Police Department, is of exemplary character and fine sporting instincts and typifies the true meaning of Canadian youth, and his achievements in the swimming annals of Canada are ideals that the youth of our city look upon in admiration and pride.

George's career has not always been one of a champion. Many years of training and perseverance has brought about this rise to athletic prominence, and this past two years has seen him come into his just desserts.

In 1954 he won the 110 yards Dominion Freestyle title at Vancouver and established a new record, then came the British Empire Games and he was selected to carry Canada's colours. His performance in every event he participated in was an outstanding effort, winning points for Canada's swim team.

Next came George's biggest step into the field of world prominence as he was selected to represent Canada at the Pan-American Games in Mexico City in March, 1955. This young Canadian swimmer entered the final of the 100 metres Freestyle event and his performance was just surpassed by the United States star, Clark Scholes, who holds the world's Olympic Championship for this event. Park finished in second place and although beaten by the world's fastest swimmer, he felt that if given another opportunity he could overcome Schole's speed, and this he did upon the second meeting of these two swimming greats, and on July of this year, at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Championship meet, George Park defeated the champion over the 100 metres and created a new pool record for the event before a vast crowd of American spectators and swim authorities who had never seen Scholes beaten in international competition before. Park's other achievements in 1955 were the winning effort he displayed at Montreal to defeat the Americans in the Canadian Championships, and also the establishing of a new Canadian Record for the 100 yard Freestyle and also two new Butterfly records, and with him just now reaching his prime Hamilton can stand assured that maybe it will have a world's swimming title holder on its doorstep.

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My Coach Jimmy Thompson

The Hamilton Aquatic Club began as an informal group in the late 1920's and was officially formed in 1932. Its members strongly influenced the organization of the aquatic portion of the First British Empire Games held in Hamilton, Ontario in 1930. As an umbrella association that included water polo, diving, open water swimming and competitive swimming it's adopted policy was to ensure that all athletes have the opportunity to participate regardless of financial status.

Jimmy Thompson became the first coach of the Hamilton Aquatic Club in 1932. He devoted over 30 years of his life teaching over sixty thousand children how to swim. He was also credited for developing some of Canada's finest swimmers, divers and water polo players.

The strength of the Hamilton Aquatic Club was that it was always operated on a strong volunteer basis. The longest serving volunteer member was the Hall of Famer Jack McCormick. A founding member and athlete, Jack served the club later as a coach and administrator until when his health did not allow him to continue.

Among the achievements by the club's members are Canadian and World Records, Olympic athletes and coaches, and the only two Canadian starters at an Olympic Games. The club's success is well measured by the number of members who have been included into the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame, among them, Jimmy Thompson, Jack McCormick, George Larson, Robert Thompson, and David Hart. Other notable members are Irene MacDonald, Gerry Thomas, Patty Thompson, George Steplock, Dan Sherry, George Park, Tom Park, Thurlow Park and Margaret Park, just to name a few.


SPEEDO GREASE.... Jimmy Tompson my coach told me when I was ten years old all about SPEEDO GREASE.

We were at a swimming meet in Dundas a town 7 miles from our home town Hamilton, I was ten, my brother Thurlow was 12 and two other guys from our club were also 12. The team from Dundas were at the end of the age group for the under 14 relay and appeared to be giants.

Our team was very nervous. Our coach said "Don't worry boys we'll do fine we have SPEEDO GREASE". Jimmy then told us to meet him in the change room just before the race and he would put on the SPEEDO GREASE and we would just slip through the water. He also told us not to tell the other team about it, as he didn't want anyone to know about SPEEDO GREASE.

Guess what? We went up to the other team (the giants) and told them we were going to beat them, we felt great.

Just before the race we went to the dressing room, met the coach to get our SPEEDO GREASE on so we could win. He said "you don't need SPEEDO GREASE get in there and win", we did.