Helen Preece

Helen Preece Chipchase Smith (1897 - 1990) was a British equestrian who also rode in America.[1] She was the only woman briefly entered in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Helen Preece
Helen Preece circa 1913
Personal information
NationalityBritish
BornNovember 11, 1895
DiedJuly 2, 1990
Sport
SportEquestrian
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals1912 (Rejected)

Biography

She was the daughter of Ambrose Preese, of Fulham road, London.[2] Her mother was considered a "noted horsewoman" in England.[3] In June 1910, she did well in the Olympia Horse Show.[4] In the next Olympia Horse Show, in June 1911, she was considered a "favorite" and was personally congratulated by Queen Alexandra afterward.[5][6] In November 1911, she won the gold cup at the Madison Square National Horse Show in New York City.[7][8] At the show, she rode the horses, Sapelio, owned by George Chipchase and the winning Sceptre, owned by James Dunn.[8]

In 1912, while still in school, she attempted to enter the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympic Games.[9] For a short time, she was the only woman slated to compete at the games.[10][11] She was ultimately not allowed to compete because she was a female.[9] The response from the Olympic committee to her request to enter was "hostile."[12]

In 1914, she placed second in Ladies' saddle horse riding and first in Park and road hacks, riding on Sceptre.[13]

On March 20, 1915, she married George H. Chipchase in New York.[14] A few months later, his former wife sued Preese in a Massachusetts court for using the Chipchase name and also claiming that there had been no divorce.[14]

In December 1934, she was married again in Boston to John Leslie Smith, a riding instructor.[15]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helen Preece.
  1. "Girl to enter Olympic Games". Louisville Courier-Journal. 7 July 1912. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2008. Englishwomen are expecting Miss Helen Preece, a 15-year-old horsewoman, to accomplish great things at the Olympic games at Stockholm this month. Miss Preece, who will be the only female representative at the games, has won fame here as an expert horsewoman and athlete generally, and her abilities are not [un]known in the United States. At New York in November last, at the Madison Square Garden Horse Show, Miss Preece won outright the $1,000 gold cup, open to the world for riding, in addition to many other "blues."
  2. "Fifteen year old prodigy at Olympiad". The Evening Independent. 9 July 1912. Retrieved 23 December 2008. She is Helen Preece, a daughter of Mr. Ambrose Preese, of Fulham road, London.
  3. "Newport Social Figure Wed to a Second Riding Master". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 18 December 1934. p. 2. Retrieved 10 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Women's Horses and Horsemanship at Olympia". The Times. 18 June 1910. p. 6. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Helen Preece to Ride Here". The New York Times. 5 November 1911. p. 33. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Helen Preece To Ride Here. 14-Year-Old Girl, Honored by Queen Alexandra, Coming to Horse Show". New York Times. 5 November 1911. Retrieved 23 December 2008. Among the passengers in the Minnewaska, which sailed to-day, is Helen Preece, a 14 year-old girl who as an equestrienne has no equal in this country. ...
  7. "Young Horsewoman After Great Honors". The Washington Herald. 7 July 1912. p. 13. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Throngs Thrilled at the Horse Show". The New York Times. 22 November 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Hynes, Tina (7 August 2008). "'An Olympiad with females would be impractical, uninteresting , unaesthetic and improper.' - Baron Pierre de Coubertin". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  10. "Only Female in Olympic". Daily Press. 20 June 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Girl of 15 is Only Woman Entrant in Olympic Games". Democrat and Chronicle. 7 July 1912. p. 28. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Gori, Gigliola; Mangan, J. A. (23 March 2016). Sport and the Emancipation of European Women: The Struggle for Self-fulfilment. Routledge. ISBN 9781134932498.
  13. "Take 4 Blue Ribbons". The Washington Post. 1 October 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Sues to Have Girl Cease Using Her Name". The Tampa Times. 13 July 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Newport Social Figure Wed to a Second Riding Master". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 18 December 1934. p. 2. Retrieved 10 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
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