September 8-9, 1954:

Your arms churn through the frigid, black depths of Lake Ontario like a propeller, strong, efficient, and devoid of sensation. Your legs… you haven’t felt them for hours…You lift your head and search your surroundings … Where is everyone?… Ahead, a lone light appears, dimly illuminating your boat’s hull… There’s Coach Ryder… and quickly disappears behind a heightening liquid wall… Up, down… Your body rises and falls with each swell… You turn from the inky tumult to breathe, glimpsing a sky equally as dark… Another wave, a stronger one, sends you briefly airborne before tossing you down into the icy turbulence… Must keep going… You pull yourself to the surface, inhale, and again spot that light, which seems smaller now, farther from your exhausted body…  Coach tricked me… Anger sparks determination and you resume stroking forward though 5-meter swells while fighting blood-sucking lamprey eels. Night turns to day… when a flotilla of fans surrounds you, cheering you on. Fueled by corn syrup, baby cereal, and lemon water, you continue your quest… And the sun sets, again leaving you in an obsidian expanse of lake and sky.

…Where am I?… A wave lifts you for the thousandth time, and for the thousandth time you raise your eyes, expecting more of the same– night. But a line of light bisects the black. Not sunrise, but Sunnyside Amusement Park. Beaconed by the bright rides, and emboldened by its proximity, you power toward the shore.

You won’t recall the immediate aftermath of your history-making swim: the roaring crowd of 250,000 stretched along the lakefront, the innumerable flashing cameras of journalists and spectators as you stroke into the shallows and finally come to rest on the rocky jetty at Sunnyside.

But your country will remember. And you will remember your country, for when a reporter asks Why did you do this, you will answer I did it for Canada.

…Who am I? You are 16-year-old Marilyn Bell, the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. Starting in Youngstown, NY, you beat two seasoned distance swimmers, Winnie Roach, a fellow Canadian, and Florence Chadwick, an American, neither of whom completed the 51.2 km course. Due to currents, you actually covered a much greater distance during your 20 hour, 59 minute marathon swim. You also received a $10,000 prize from the Canadian National Exhibition, even though you hadn’t officially entered the competition. But most importantly, you captured the love of your nation, and the admiration of female athletes worldwide. 

Marshall, J. (1954). Swim to glory: The story of Marilyn Bell and the Lakeshore Swimming Club (pp. 80–81). photograph, Toronto, Ontario; McClelland & Stewart Limited. 
Toronto Star, P. Marily strokes falteringly as Ryder points through fog to goal, six miles away. 9/1/1955 date created by Norman James. [Photograph] Toronto Star Archive, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from Toronto Public Library, https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/objects/242631/marilyn-strokes-falteringly-as-ryder-points-through-fog-to-g?ctx=d0d6d6781c1576159250b94b1ad5136764550105&idx=21 Accessed 7/13/2025.

July 4, 2024:

Almost seventy years after Marilyn’s historic swim, I stood between pool and lake, gazing across the expanse of deceptively calm water and imagining her historic swim. Cyclists breezed by me on the lakeshore path, beach volleyball drama stirred up excitement and sand, and rowers moved in unison, all accompanied by the ever-present thrum of Toronto traffic. Long gone were the brightly lit rides that had guided Marilyn to triumph; Sunnyside Amusement Park was demolished in 1955 to make way for the Gardiner Expressway. 

Today, little is left of this former urban beach resort; only three structures survived the destruction of Toronto’s waterfront: the Palais Royale dance pavilion, Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion, and the Sunnyside Gus Ryder Pool. My husband, a former Toronto resident, calls them hidden treasures. Gems in a sliver of green between a concrete jungle and wild open water. 

FIN FACT: 
In 1980, Sunnyside Pool was renamed “Sunnyside Gus Ryder Pool” after Marilyn Bell’s coach, who established the Lakeshore Swim Club in Toronto and dedicated his life to aquatic community service. Gus Ryder (1899-1991) showed incredible athletic ability as a young man, and may have chosen a very different sport – hockey – if not for a profoundly meaningful experience. At age 18, when two players fell through the ice, Ryder plunged into action, saving both, while almost drowning in the process. 
At that point, he decided to learn and then teach all he could about swimming and lifesaving, and he donated his income from his customs brokerage business to support swimming lessons for disabled kids. 
Over 56 years of volunteer coaching and lifeguarding, Ryder saved 47 lives and, along with his instructors, taught thousands of young people to swim at Sunnyside, Toronto Hunt Memorial Pool, and in Lake Ontario. He once said “Champions come and go, but kids go on forever. I’d rather teach 500 youngsters to swim than to produce a champion.” But he did both, and on top of all this, he donated blood more than 100 times. It is no surprise that he was made a member of the Order of Canada, earned the Red Cross Badge of Service, and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Toronto Star, P. Marilyn Bell swimming–Action. 8/1/1955 date created by Norman James. [Photograph] Toronto Star Archive, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from Toronto Public Library, https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/objects/242628/bell-marilyn-swimming-action# Accessed 7/13/2025.

The Bathing Pavilion was built in 1921 to accommodate the throngs of Torontonians seeking summer respite in Lake Ontario. (The designer, Alfred Chapman, had also designed buildings at the Canadian National Exhibition.) In 1922, the Pavilion had more than 300,000 visitors! However, the chilly water temperature soon convinced the city to build an adjacent pool. Not just any pool. When built in 1925, Sunnyside was the largest outdoor pool in the world, accommodating 2,000 swimmers in its enormous 23-meter by 91-meter basin. No wonder locals called it “The Tank!” The oval oasis became so popular that the city dedicated a streetcar line for it. Families from all over the city would ride the “Bathing Car” to and from Sunnyside! 

With the “Bathing Car” no longer an option, we rode in “Stickers Two,” our trusty SUV, and promptly got ensnared on the Gardiner. 

We arrived at opening (11 a.m.), already too late to snag one of the four lanes with black lines and lane ropes. By the time we’d donned our caps, twenty-one lap swimmers had claimed their spots. Not to worry, there’s plenty of room in this crystal-clear oasis. Daughter and I plunged into the unlined deep end and began our 2,760-meter workout, occasionally lifting our heads to sight as we do in open water. 

Patrons of diverse backgrounds eagerly shared their love of this now 100-year-old treasure. A young woman who had immigrated to Canada from Poland as a child, recounted climbing the fence at night for starlit dips with friends. Others spoke of family picnics and swim team, while a long-time patron complained of changes. A lady who’d learned to swim here in the 1950s grumbled that the locker rooms weren’t as clean as they used to be, yet here she was, smiling as her grandchildren played Marco Polo. My son soon joined the splashy chaos, their happy shouts catching my ear even as I reached the opposite end. Generations have found joy, peace, and connection here.

So did we, and I longed to return…

July 4, 2025: 

Exactly one trip-around-the-sun later, we returned to Sunnyside Gus Ryder Pool during its 100th anniversary year. This time, we chased Marilyn Bell. Before plunging once more into its cold, clear water, we headed east on an urban hike, with me ready for that night’s Blue Jays game in the only blue (and red and yellow) outfit I’d packed: a Wonder Woman dress. Soon, just past the pool parking lots, I found what I’d missed a year prior – her finishing point. Nestled among flowers and rocks in Budapest Park is the placard that marked her arrival on the shore of Lake Ontario. Seventy-one years ago this September, an exhausted Marilyn had crawled onto the jetty that stretched in front of me, a true aquatic wonder woman.  

Then we walked a mile to the park named in her honor, past the Palais Royale (the newly-restored dance hall), the swanky Boulevard yacht and tennis club, and the similarly revered Argonaut Rowing Club. Finally, two miles from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds (Marilyn’s planned finish), we spotted her sign “Marilyn Bell Park” amidst trees and grass, with the lake to our right and runners, cyclists, games, and picnics all around.  

Back at the pool, like last year, we were doused by showers as we left the locker room. You can’t avoid them at Sunnyside Gus Ryder, which I appreciate; too few people here in North America bathe before swimming. (When lap swimming, I sometimes smell others’ cologne or deodorant before I see them!)

Again, after my all-too-brief, avoid-rush-hour swim, I chatted with several ladies who would have been babies when Marilyn Bell completed her historic swim. We bobbed, floated, and egg-beatered* as they shared their experiences and love of this special pool. One described it as “the best bargain in the city.” She enthused: “It’s free, and if you happen to get a locker that spits your quarter back at you, it’s SUPER free!” They also appreciate the space – a hot summer commodity in Canada’s most populous city – describing how they always have room to swim in the Tank, where lane ropes remain in place all day for lap swimmers like us.   

And that’s what Marilyn Bell Park and Sunnyside Gus Ryder Pool are: treasured and storied green and aquatic spaces. Their namesakes, a certain wonder woman and her beloved coach, would be pleased.  

*Artistic swimming term for kicking in a circular fashion while vertical. Try it while holding a 10-lb brick and smiling!

POOL STATS:
Opened: 1925
Water treatment: Chlorine
Length: 91 meters (100 yards)
Width: 23 meters (25 yards)
Depth: 3ft, 2in to 10ft, 2in
Handicap access: Yes. Ramp with beach entry at shallow end by steps.
Heated: Yes
Food: Yes, in the Bathing Pavilion. Gourmet pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and beverages await you after your swim. 
Cost: All city pools are free!! We paid a grand total of 50 cents (two lockers) for our three hours of summertime joy! 

POOL RULES:
No bags allowed on deck. Rent a locker for a quarter. You must have exact change. We had to ask other patrons because pool staff members don’t carry cash.
No photos or video allowed without first asking permission. Ask a guard, who may let you. We took photos sparingly and carefully to respect this rule. 

Location: 
1755 Lake Shore Blvd W
Toronto, ON M6S 5A3
Canada
416-392-7915
https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-recreation/places-spaces/parks-and-recreation-facilities/location/?id=433&title=Sunnyside-Gus-Ryder-Outdoor-Pool

References:
McAllister, R. (1954). Swim to glory; the story of Marilyn Bell and the Lakeshore Swimming Club. McClelland and Stewart. 
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bell-marilyn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0kB8OdMm5g
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-swimming-hero-relearns-how-to-swim-1455576353
https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports/marilyn-bell-has-no-recollection-of-her-historic-swim/article_a1fa4b93-26e5-5ed4-97d0-1d417c204ba8.html?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIU30s3yGpY
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.1673118
https://urbaneer.com/blog/dive_into_the_history_of_sunnyside_gus_ryder_pool_torontohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Royale#:~:text=Palais%20Royale%20is%20a%20dance,’big%20band’%20jazz%20bands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyside_Bathing_Pavilion
https://www.etobicokehistorical.com/new-torontorsquos-gus-ryder-and-his-lakeshore-swim-club-helped-more-than-200000-children-learn-to-swim.html
https://www.heritagetoronto.org/explore/toronto_harbour_waterfront_history/marilyn-bell-park-history/
https://halloffamers.sportshall.ca/#gus_ryder