Stouder, Sharon (1948—)

American swimmer, among the first of the California "water babies" who would win so many international swimming events. Name variations: Sharon Stouder Clark. Born Sharon Marie Stouder in Altadena, California, on November 9, 1948; daughter of Ruby (Shiling) Souder and Galen Stouder; married Kenyon Clark, on September 8, 1979; children: Kerry and James.

Won three gold medals and a silver medal in the Tokyo Summer Olympics (1964).

Many of America's greatest swimmers have come from California, where the sunny climate, beaches, and proliferation of pools make swimming a natural sport. Born in 1948 in Altadena, California, Sharon Stouder became one of California's first "water babies," the term applied to children who learned to swim as toddlers and went on to compete successfully. Stouder started swimming at three and began setting age-group records by eight. By 12, she was a veteran swimmer with 20 first-place wins in national age-group events. Although her specialty was the butterfly stroke, she won all national junior Olympic ratings for her age group.

In 1964, when the Olympic Games were held in Tokyo, 15-year-old Stouder won the 100-meter butterfly against Dutch recordholder Ada Kok , with a time of 1:4.7, breaking the previous 1:5.1 record. In the 4x100-meter freestyle, Souder and teammates Donna de Varona , Lillian Watson , and Kathleen Ellis won the gold in world record time. Stouder won another gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay with Ellis, Cathy Ferguson , and Cynthia Goyette with a world-record time of 4:33.9. She took silver in the 100-meter freestyle against Dawn Fraser , the Australian who had broken the one-minute barrier for 100 meters in 1962. Stouder finished four-tenths of a second behind Fraser.

sources:

Porter, David L., ed. Biographical Dictionary of American Sports. Basketball and Other Indoor Sports. NY: Greenwood, 1989.

Karin L. Haag , freelance writer, Athens, Georgia