As a child, Florence Chadwick wanted more than anything else to become a great swimmer. At the age of six she persuaded her parents to enter her in a 50-yard race. They did, and she came in last.  She practiced every day for a year and then entered the same contest. Again she lost, but this time by not so great a margin.  At the age of 11 she entered an endurance competition and completed a 6-mile course—a remarkable feat for her age.  As a teenager she competed for a spot on the Olympic team and failed to make the team.