She and her twin sister learned to swim in a pond in Uxbridge; Alice then later trained at the Olympic pool in nearby Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

At the age of twenty, she was chosen to represent the United States at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

When the sudden chance arose for her to participate, residents of her hometown raised funds to pay for her travel to Berlin, which she otherwise could not have afforded.

Immediately following her Olympic meet, it appeared that Bridges, who originally was a back-up contestant, had actually won her event.

Several hours later, however, the judges reversed their decision, and awarded the gold and silver medals to two women from the Netherlands, leaving the bronze for Bridges.