Frances Kaszubski
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Frances Theresa Kaszubski (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Gorn-Sobczak) (May 15, 1916
Donora, Pennsylvania Donora is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. Donora was incorporated in 1901. It got its name from a combination of William Donner and Nora Mellon, banker ...
- April 11, 2010
Berea, Ohio Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...
) was an American born, Polish track and field athlete known for her participation in weight throwing, discus and
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
. During World War II she officially represented Poland, but competed primarily in the United States. A contemporary on her Polish Women's Olympic Club at the time in Cleveland, was
Stanisława Walasiewicz Stanisława Walasiewicz (3 April 1911 – 4 December 1980), also known as Stefania Walasiewicz, and Stella Walsh, was a Polish-American track and field athlete, who became a women's Olympic champion in the 100 metres. Born in Poland and raised ...
who also represented Poland. After her marriage and after the war she chose to represent the United States, as did Walasiewicz, who changed her name to Stella Walsh. Standing , she was a giant of her sport. In 1943 under her maiden name, 1945, 1948, and 1950, Kaszubski was the National AAU champion in the
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
. and she was the Indoor Champion in 1948 and 1951. She was also the National Champion in the discus throw in 1943, 1945 and five time straight from 1947 to 1951. In all, she placed in 19 AAU championships. Kaszubski participated in AAU with the Westlake Athletic Club. She was ranked as All-American 13 times by the AAU. Representing the US, she won both events at the 1948 Olympic Trials, thus qualifying her to represent the US in the Olympics. In London, she finished in 11th place in the discus, in the
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
she didn't make it out of the qualifying round. In 1951, Kaszubski won bronze with discus and fourth with shot put in the
Pan-American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
, beaten in both events by two Argentine women named Ingeborg, Mello and Pfüller in Buenos Aires. Despite how well she did with track-and-field throwing events, Kaszubski considered basketball her best sport. She was named national AAU center in 1943. While playing AAU basketball, she was offered an athletic scholarship from a college in Canada. Kaszubski turned it down, she felt she needed to focus on supporting her family monetarily. In 1955, Kaszubski was inducted into the
Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...
Women's Hall of Fame. Kaszubski was the manager of the women's track team in 1959 for the Pan-Am Games where USA women won gold medals in all but two events. The following year, she managed the women's track team again, this time for the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
held in Rome. Kaszubski held the position of National AAU chair for women's track for 7 years. In 2020, she was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.Locally, she served as city recreation administrator for 22 years. The proclamation at her 1978 retirement read: In Kaszubski's obituary, people expressed their experiences with her. Maralyn West stated about Kaszubski, "She did everything she could for women’s sports and the kids." "She really took care us," said Eleanor Montgomery, who was a Pan-American gold medalist and studied under Kaszubski. "She told us to work hard. She told us we could do anything." "She was a go-to person," said John Herrick, who was the president of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 that Kaszubski served as trustee and was inducted three times for basketball, track and field, and service. "She had a storehouse of knowledge. I would always give her a call for advice." Kaszubski said she found a friendship with other athletes with whom she competed. "If the athletes of the world could influence the diplomats and politicians, there would be a far greater chance of lasting peace."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaszubski, Frances 1916 births 2010 deaths Track and field athletes from Cleveland American female discus throwers American female shot putters Polish female discus throwers Polish female shot putters Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States American people of Polish descent Athletes (track and field) at the 1951 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century American sportswomen