In a sport plagued by issues of representation, Howard University coach Nic Askew isn’t just building a strong swimming program. He’s building something bigger:
In a sport plagued by issues of representation, Howard University coach Nic Askew isn’t just building a strong program; he’s building something bigger.Inside the Howard University pool, a couple dozen blocks from the U.S. Capitol, bouncy hip-hop blasts across six lanes of open water as hundreds of people begin to filter through the metal doors where they will witness a singular sight in college sports: an entirely Black swim team.
Askew is leaning against a wall, talking to Salim King, one of his assistants. Their men and women both lost the dual to Georgetown , but the coaches were impressed by the men’s team’s dominant relays and by the performance of Howard’s best swimmer, Miles Simon, a senior from Atlanta and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier whom they think will reach the NCAA championships in March.
Howard’s swimmers know that European conquerors in the 15th century found thriving swimming cultures in West African coastal villages, that chattel slavery in the New World slowly robbed an entire race of its connection to water, that the Jim Crow South—and racism in the North—later prevented Black access to pools across the U.S., and that Black Americans today are 5.5 times more likely to drown than white ones.
He thinks about the lost scholarship opportunities for young Black people who aren’t in this room, about lost chances to get into a good school and find a path to a great future. “How are you going to get a Black boy or girl interested in your sport when they don’t see a future for themselves, because no one looks like them?” the coach asks. “That’s not offering representation; that’s not expanding this sport. That’s shutting out an entire group of people.Simon qualified for the U.S.
The coach immediately began hitting up swimming alumni for donations. He bought some paint and hired professionals to get to work. Howard’s team was on a new track, and now Askew wanted to make the pool an attraction, one that extended beyond the cloistered swim community to the rest of D.C. The deck walls turned gleaming white. Seats were painted dark blue, except in a small section just above the starters blocks.
All the while, Askew has led a learn-to-swim program at the university pool. He also has joined with local organizations like D.C. Parks and Recreation and the local YMCA to offer swim clinics and helped push for regular meets against Georgetown, which Askew sees as a way to broaden swimming’s reach across the city. “You hear Nic talk about our sport, and his ideas for his program, and you immediately want to jump in and help,” says Jack Leavitt, Georgetown’s coach.
After he collected his award, Askew headed home. He got back to work. Over the summer, he drew up practice sets, scouted possible recruits and put the last touches on the 2022–23 swim schedule, which would start with the Potomac Relays, in D.C., and end with the conference championships, which begin Feb. 21.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Ron Howard Mourns 'American Graffiti' Co-Star Cindy Williams' DeathRon Howard is in shock over the death of his longtime co-star and friend, Cindy Williams.
Leer más »
Henry Winkler, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ron Howard Among Those Remembering Cindy Williams: “Talent Was Limitless”The 'Laverne & Shirley' actress died following a short illness, according to a statement from her children.
Leer más »
SEE IT: Ron Howard and others react to death of Laverne & Shirley actress Cindy WilliamsAfter Laverne & Shirley actress Cindy Williams's death was reported on Monday, condolences poured in from her past co-stars, as well as those whom she touched through her work.
Leer más »
Ron Howard wanted to direct Cindy Williams and feels 'a little sad' that he never did“I saw in Cindy a first glimpse of this new generation of a woman asserting herself and her potential to have creative control over the work that she was doing,” RealRonHoward told The Times about the late Cindy Williams.
Leer más »
Howard Levitt: Man who lost testicle from getting hit by supervisor awarded more than $295,000A case of a man subject to physical and verbal abuse at work is one of the worst cases of mistreatment these lawyers have ever seen. Read on.
Leer más »