| Oakland Tribute Newspaper Article January 29, 2006 |
Oakland Tribune, The (CA)
January 29, 2006
Black swimmers make a splash
Author: Kamika Dunlap, STAFF WRITER
LAST year, Nkosazana Nkululeko flew from Oakland to Washington, D.C. and swam in a relay. Her
team could have finished in first place except its two swimmers were disqualified for not having
enough members in the four-person relay.
Next month the 13-year-old swimmer hopes to return to the East Coast, and this time the entire Black
Star Line All-Star Team will have her back.
She is a member of Oakland's first predominately African-American traveling swimming team, gearing
up for the 20th annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet in Washington, D.C., Feb. 18 and 19.
"I'm excited to be in a swim meet full of African-American swimmers," Nkosazana said. "I enjoy being
in that environment, and I can share my experiences with other people who are like me."
The Black Star Line All-Star swimmers, ages 7 to 17, are members of various teams from the Bay
Area. The traveling team was created last year with the purpose of encouraging African-American
youths to participate in the sport on a national level. Another objective was to teach at-risk youths
the importance of developing a competitive drive and setting goals.
In the history of the U.S. Olympic swimming teams, there have only been two black swimmers.
Anthony Irvin was the first African American to make the team. He captured a gold medal in the
50-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Maritza Correia became the first
African-American woman on a team, at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She also is the
first African American to set a U.S. swimming record, in the 50-yard freestyle.
"I don't want my daughter to think that swimming is only for certain ethnic groups," said Anyika
Nkululeko, founder of the Black Star Line All-Star Swim Team. "In California, most of the swimmers at
the meets are white, and children never have an opportunity to see folks who are African American
swim."
The team has about 30 swimmers, whose families attend the meets and actively participate in the
team's booster club. Many parents said the team provides a cultural experience and exposure for
their children.
But a dearth of recreational centers with pool facilities in some urban areas can make it difficult to
promote swimming, some added.
Alvin Cooper said the team is a positive influence on his 14-year-old son, Apollos, who also is a
member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Swim Team in San Francisco's Bay View Hunters Point
neighborhood.
"It teaches kids that life isn't all about fighting and drugs," he said. "We've got to break the chain
somewhere."
Currently, the team is organizing events to raise funds for the D.C. trip, which will cost about $1,000
per swimmer. Friday, the team held its swimathon at Lions Pool in Dimond Park. The team also is
writing letters of sponsorship to various businesses. So far, the 100 Black Men Bay Area chapter has
helped sponsor the team.
As part of their trip, team members are required to write an essay about a famous African-American
swimmer or about one of the cultural sites they will tour in D.C., such as the Smithsonian Institution or
the Benjamin Bannecker Historical Park and Museum.
Nkosazana Nkululeko began swimming as an infant. At age 9, she joined her first swimming team and
competed in a city championship, setting a record for 25-yard freestyle. She has been swimming
year-round as a member of the Oakland Undercurrents, a community-based team.
Her parents heard about the black swimming meet in D.C. three years ago and paid for her to
participate. They were so moved by their experience that they sent her two more times. This year,
they are raising money to start a tradition of sending more swimmers from the Bay Area to the East
Coast.
"We (parents) see the value of exposing our children to other swimming venues," said Nkululeko.
"We are taking baby steps to continue to make this happen."
Other national African-American competitions around the country include the Black Heritage
Championship Swim Meet in North Carolina and the Chris Silva Swim Meet in Atlanta. The late Silva
was the first African American to represent the United States in swimming.
Alison Terry, 32, a volunteer with the USA Swimming Diversity Outreach Task Force, offered to help
with the team's swimathon and organize a swimming clinic.
"Historically, blacks are underrepresented in all aquatic sports, but now it's become cultural," she
said. "When you grow up not doing something and parents don't do it, you don't know what you're
missing so you don't even know to demand it."
Terry grew up in San Diego, in an environment that fostered her interest in swimming.
In 1999, she won a gold medal at the World University Games, an international collegiate
competition. A year later, she missed the semifinals for the U.S. Olympic swimming team by only
tenths of a second.
"Swimming is a necessary life skill," said Terry. "You're not going to die if you can't play basketball."
Swimming also can open the door to career opportunities such as a marine diver, an ocean lifeguard
or an aquatic therapist, she added.
"We have to look deeper and beyond the myth that blacks don't swim," she said. "That's the only way
the sport will change."
Staff writer Kamika Dunlap can be reached at kdunlap@angnewspapers.com.
Caption:
Nia Assata (left), 9, and Sierra Harper, 11, have a laugh by the pool Friday before the swim-a-thon.
The team will be competing in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 16.
(c) 2006 The Oakland Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media
NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
Record Number: 3450023
January 29, 2006
Black swimmers make a splash
Author: Kamika Dunlap, STAFF WRITER
LAST year, Nkosazana Nkululeko flew from Oakland to Washington, D.C. and swam in a relay. Her
team could have finished in first place except its two swimmers were disqualified for not having
enough members in the four-person relay.
Next month the 13-year-old swimmer hopes to return to the East Coast, and this time the entire Black
Star Line All-Star Team will have her back.
She is a member of Oakland's first predominately African-American traveling swimming team, gearing
up for the 20th annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet in Washington, D.C., Feb. 18 and 19.
"I'm excited to be in a swim meet full of African-American swimmers," Nkosazana said. "I enjoy being
in that environment, and I can share my experiences with other people who are like me."
The Black Star Line All-Star swimmers, ages 7 to 17, are members of various teams from the Bay
Area. The traveling team was created last year with the purpose of encouraging African-American
youths to participate in the sport on a national level. Another objective was to teach at-risk youths
the importance of developing a competitive drive and setting goals.
In the history of the U.S. Olympic swimming teams, there have only been two black swimmers.
Anthony Irvin was the first African American to make the team. He captured a gold medal in the
50-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Maritza Correia became the first
African-American woman on a team, at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She also is the
first African American to set a U.S. swimming record, in the 50-yard freestyle.
"I don't want my daughter to think that swimming is only for certain ethnic groups," said Anyika
Nkululeko, founder of the Black Star Line All-Star Swim Team. "In California, most of the swimmers at
the meets are white, and children never have an opportunity to see folks who are African American
swim."
The team has about 30 swimmers, whose families attend the meets and actively participate in the
team's booster club. Many parents said the team provides a cultural experience and exposure for
their children.
But a dearth of recreational centers with pool facilities in some urban areas can make it difficult to
promote swimming, some added.
Alvin Cooper said the team is a positive influence on his 14-year-old son, Apollos, who also is a
member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Swim Team in San Francisco's Bay View Hunters Point
neighborhood.
"It teaches kids that life isn't all about fighting and drugs," he said. "We've got to break the chain
somewhere."
Currently, the team is organizing events to raise funds for the D.C. trip, which will cost about $1,000
per swimmer. Friday, the team held its swimathon at Lions Pool in Dimond Park. The team also is
writing letters of sponsorship to various businesses. So far, the 100 Black Men Bay Area chapter has
helped sponsor the team.
As part of their trip, team members are required to write an essay about a famous African-American
swimmer or about one of the cultural sites they will tour in D.C., such as the Smithsonian Institution or
the Benjamin Bannecker Historical Park and Museum.
Nkosazana Nkululeko began swimming as an infant. At age 9, she joined her first swimming team and
competed in a city championship, setting a record for 25-yard freestyle. She has been swimming
year-round as a member of the Oakland Undercurrents, a community-based team.
Her parents heard about the black swimming meet in D.C. three years ago and paid for her to
participate. They were so moved by their experience that they sent her two more times. This year,
they are raising money to start a tradition of sending more swimmers from the Bay Area to the East
Coast.
"We (parents) see the value of exposing our children to other swimming venues," said Nkululeko.
"We are taking baby steps to continue to make this happen."
Other national African-American competitions around the country include the Black Heritage
Championship Swim Meet in North Carolina and the Chris Silva Swim Meet in Atlanta. The late Silva
was the first African American to represent the United States in swimming.
Alison Terry, 32, a volunteer with the USA Swimming Diversity Outreach Task Force, offered to help
with the team's swimathon and organize a swimming clinic.
"Historically, blacks are underrepresented in all aquatic sports, but now it's become cultural," she
said. "When you grow up not doing something and parents don't do it, you don't know what you're
missing so you don't even know to demand it."
Terry grew up in San Diego, in an environment that fostered her interest in swimming.
In 1999, she won a gold medal at the World University Games, an international collegiate
competition. A year later, she missed the semifinals for the U.S. Olympic swimming team by only
tenths of a second.
"Swimming is a necessary life skill," said Terry. "You're not going to die if you can't play basketball."
Swimming also can open the door to career opportunities such as a marine diver, an ocean lifeguard
or an aquatic therapist, she added.
"We have to look deeper and beyond the myth that blacks don't swim," she said. "That's the only way
the sport will change."
Staff writer Kamika Dunlap can be reached at kdunlap@angnewspapers.com.
Caption:
Nia Assata (left), 9, and Sierra Harper, 11, have a laugh by the pool Friday before the swim-a-thon.
The team will be competing in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 16.
(c) 2006 The Oakland Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media
NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
Record Number: 3450023
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