Bonnie Prudden
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Prudden was a leading American rock climber in the 1940s and 1950s, with 30 documented first ascents to her credit in New York
's Shawangunks mountains. Along with Hans Kraus
, she was a pioneering advocate of physical fitness
and later developed a form of trigger point
therapy called Myotherapy
.
Prudden was a tomboy as a child. Her father had lost the family money in the Great Depression
. Her mother was an alcoholic, prone to going on weekend-long binges. Growing up, her escape was in physical adventure. She was a natural climber, and delighted in climbing trees, walls, houses. A favorite escapade was escaping the house by climbing out of her second story bedroom window and traversing a six inch ledge. The nun
s at her parochial school
disapproved of Prudden's activities, believing strenuous physical exercise and muscles to be inappropriate for a young lady.
Prudden was a professional dancer starting at age 10 (including a stint as a concert dancer on Broadway
), as well as a gymnast
, a competitive swimmer, diver
, and horseback rider
.
She married Dick Hirschland, a mountaineer
, in 1935. Their honeymoon ascent of the Matterhorn
in Switzerland
was her first introduction to climbing. She first climbed in the Gunks in 1936 with her husband along with Fritz Wiessner
and Hans Kraus
. In the winter of 1937, however, she badly fractured her pelvis
in a skiing
accident, which was followed by three months in traction
and a doctors' prediction: "You will always limp; no more skiing, climbing, dancing. And no children." Seven years and two children later, Prudden returned to the Gunks, partnering with good friend Hans Kraus.
In 1952, the pair were attempting a new climbing route
on the cliff known as The Trapps. After attempting the crux overhang, Kraus backed off, handing the lead to Prudden. She was able to find a piton
placement that had eluded Hans at the crux, and went on to claim the first ascent of "Bonnie's Roof". Since then, she has stated that she and Kraus always climbed as equal partners, always swapping leads. Bonnie Prudden would stop climbing in 1959 in the wake of her breakup with Hans Kraus.
Prudden began giving daily afternoon "conditioning" exercise classes for her two daughters and their friends in 1945 when she first realized how little physical activity the public schools were providing. Along with Kraus, she launched the first of many campaigns to improve the public’s awareness about good health.
Using a test devised by Drs. Hans Kraus and Sonja Weber of New York Presbyterian Hospital, Bonnie began testing children in Europe
, Central America
and the United States
. The Kraus-Weber test involved six simple movements and took 90 seconds to administer. In Italy
, Austria
and Switzerland
, the children tested exhibited an 8 percent failure rate. In Guatemala
, the failure rate rose to 21 percent. But it was in the United States, the richest country in the world, the failure rate was 58 percent.
Bonnie personally carried her test results to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
in Washington, D.C.
Prudden’s report was not only responsible for the President’s Council on Youth Fitness (now the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
, it also was the beginning of a radical change in American attitudes toward physical fitness.
Prudden has written 19 books on physical fitness, recorded six exercise albums, hosted the first regular exercise spots on national television, had a syndicated television show, and set up many exercise and fitness programs in schools, hospitals, camps, factories, prisons, mental institutions and social clubs.
In 1992, she moved to Tucson Arizona
, where she currently resides and runs the Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy Institute. She is currently working on her autobiography.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Shawangunks mountains. Along with Hans Kraus
Hans Kraus
Hans Kraus was a pioneer of modern rock climbing, as well as being one of the fathers of sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Kraus was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1974.-Career:...
, she was a pioneering advocate of physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
and later developed a form of trigger point
Trigger point
Trigger points, also known as trigger sites or muscle knots, are described as hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. Trigger point practitioners believe that palpable nodules are small contraction knots and a common cause of...
therapy called Myotherapy
Myotherapy
Myotherapy is a form of manual medicine focusing on the diagnosis, treatment and management of musculoskeletal pain.- Definition :Myotherapy is a branch of manual medicine which focuses on the treatment and management of musculoskeletal pain...
.
Prudden was a tomboy as a child. Her father had lost the family money in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Her mother was an alcoholic, prone to going on weekend-long binges. Growing up, her escape was in physical adventure. She was a natural climber, and delighted in climbing trees, walls, houses. A favorite escapade was escaping the house by climbing out of her second story bedroom window and traversing a six inch ledge. The nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s at her parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
disapproved of Prudden's activities, believing strenuous physical exercise and muscles to be inappropriate for a young lady.
Prudden was a professional dancer starting at age 10 (including a stint as a concert dancer on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
), as well as a gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
, a competitive swimmer, diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, and horseback rider
Rider
Rider may refer to:People:* Fremont Rider , American writer and librarian* H. Rider Haggard , British novelist* Rider Strong , American actor, director, producer and screenwriter...
.
She married Dick Hirschland, a mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, in 1935. Their honeymoon ascent of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
was her first introduction to climbing. She first climbed in the Gunks in 1936 with her husband along with Fritz Wiessner
Fritz Wiessner
Fritz Wiessner was a pioneer of free climbing. Born in Dresden, Germany, he emigrated to New York City in 1929. He became a U.S. citizen in 1935.-Early days:...
and Hans Kraus
Hans Kraus
Hans Kraus was a pioneer of modern rock climbing, as well as being one of the fathers of sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Kraus was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1974.-Career:...
. In the winter of 1937, however, she badly fractured her pelvis
Pelvic fracture
Pelvic fracture is a disruption of the bony structure of the pelvis, including the hip bone, sacrum and coccyx. The most common cause in elderly is a fall, but the most significant fractures involve high-energy forces such as a motor vehicle accident, cycling accidents, or a fall from significant...
in a skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
accident, which was followed by three months in traction
Traction (orthopedics)
In orthopedic medicine, traction refers to the set of mechanisms for straightening broken bones or relieving pressure on the spine and skeletal system.There are two types of traction: skin traction and skeletal traction....
and a doctors' prediction: "You will always limp; no more skiing, climbing, dancing. And no children." Seven years and two children later, Prudden returned to the Gunks, partnering with good friend Hans Kraus.
In 1952, the pair were attempting a new climbing route
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
on the cliff known as The Trapps. After attempting the crux overhang, Kraus backed off, handing the lead to Prudden. She was able to find a piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
placement that had eluded Hans at the crux, and went on to claim the first ascent of "Bonnie's Roof". Since then, she has stated that she and Kraus always climbed as equal partners, always swapping leads. Bonnie Prudden would stop climbing in 1959 in the wake of her breakup with Hans Kraus.
Prudden began giving daily afternoon "conditioning" exercise classes for her two daughters and their friends in 1945 when she first realized how little physical activity the public schools were providing. Along with Kraus, she launched the first of many campaigns to improve the public’s awareness about good health.
Using a test devised by Drs. Hans Kraus and Sonja Weber of New York Presbyterian Hospital, Bonnie began testing children in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Kraus-Weber test involved six simple movements and took 90 seconds to administer. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the children tested exhibited an 8 percent failure rate. In Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, the failure rate rose to 21 percent. But it was in the United States, the richest country in the world, the failure rate was 58 percent.
Bonnie personally carried her test results to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Prudden’s report was not only responsible for the President’s Council on Youth Fitness (now the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
The President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition , is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sport"...
, it also was the beginning of a radical change in American attitudes toward physical fitness.
Prudden has written 19 books on physical fitness, recorded six exercise albums, hosted the first regular exercise spots on national television, had a syndicated television show, and set up many exercise and fitness programs in schools, hospitals, camps, factories, prisons, mental institutions and social clubs.
In 1992, she moved to Tucson Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where she currently resides and runs the Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy Institute. She is currently working on her autobiography.