Cullen Jones–He’s a Brotha’ and a Gold Medal Olympic Swimmer
By Triumphant Tuesday • Aug 20th, 2008 • Category: Triumphant Tuesday •
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I love seeing black folks do things that others think we cannot do. Take Cullen Jones…not only can he swim but he is only the second African-American to win a gold medal for swimming. But, I do have a could of questions, why do most black folks not swim and why are so many of us deadly afraid of water? I grew up in Florida and while my family did not push swimming for the girls…ALL of the boys learned to swim…hmmm and so did I. There was no way I was going to be surrounded by water and NOT know how to swim. Hair be dayum…if swimming was good enough for my brothers/male cousins it was good enough for me. So, while all the women were sitting on the bench looking cute, I was in the water horsing around with the guys and having a good time in the process. Oh and did I mention that as a kid it was great exercise. One summer, I swam every evening for two hours, five days a week, for six weeks and lost 20 pounds. Yeah that was when my metabolism used to be MUCH faster. LOL.
I admire Cullen Jones because after a scare at the age of five, when he almost drowned, he and his parents could have kept him away from water and he would have never realized his dream. He is a brother worth watching in more ways than one.
Per his Web site, in his spare time he gives back to the community through motivational speaking, youth clinics, and even private lessons. Working with USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Program, Cullen is dedicated to helping minorities learn how to swim. Specifically, he volunteers for a foundation called MAKE a Splash Foundation.
Cullen says, “I want more minority kids to go to a swimming pool and try to swim because of me. I know I’m nowhere near Tiger Woods. But I want to make a difference. I want kids to say, ‘Look a black swimmer. And he’s got a gold medal!’ And I want them to get in the water because of it.”
More than 60% of African-American and Latino children cannot swim. Research shows that it is not because of race, but because of non-swimming family members. MAKE a Splash Foundation hopes to change those statistics by helping African-American and Hispanic youth learn how to swim. For more information regarding MAKE a Splash and to learn how you can donate to this wonderful cause, CLICK HERE.
APOOO salutes Cullen Jones for his Olympic accomplishment and for his commitment to the Make a Splash Foundation.
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Triumphant Tuesday is how APOOO likes to recognize individuals who are making a difference in their community. Individuals who give generously of their time, not for public recognition, but for personal fulfillment that they gain by helping others. You can nominate yourself or others who volunteer their time to their community, charitable causes, or non-profit organizations that benefit or improve the quality of life for others. To nominate someone please forward the following information: Nominee’s Name; Brief Bio (include accomplishments) for Nominee; Photo; Location; Brief Statement (no more than 300 words) regarding why this person should be featured in the weekly Triumphant Tuesday spotlight.
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My mother doesn’t know how to swim but she always took us to the pool and my brother and I taught ourselves.
Uranie–I give your mom props for making sure you and your brother learned to swim. And thanks for stopping by…good seeing you ova here in the new digs!
xoxo
I don’t swim and my kids don’t either. I almost drowned as a child and that was all I need to stay away from a pool. If we go to the beach, we don’t go very far in the water. I wish they could swim, though I tried to let them take lessons and panicked when they had to go under the water. I’m a big sucka, I know…lol
Darnetta, please, please, please let your children take swimming lessons. Kids don’t usually drown because they can swim…they drown because they cannot…and boys tend to be more adventurous…I had a nephew who we didn NOT know could swim (because his mom was afraid of water)who was sneaking over to a neighbor’s house with friends…jumping in their pool when no one was around…well somewhere along the way my nephew taught himself to swim…but his friend who was more of the daredevil jumped in the deep end and could not swim to the side…fortunately my nephew went to get help…but no one could swim…so the other child died.
Well…after my niece made sure my nephew was fine…she spanked and grounded his butt for what she thought was the rest of the summer. Didn’t help…when she would go to work…he would sneak out and back into the neighbor’s pool…it got so bad that the neighbors decided to get a dog. Did that stop my nephew…nope….he just found another house with a pool. My niece was beside herself. Finally…I said drop the kid off at the neighborhood/recreation pool every day and let him hang out there at least he will be supervised. LOL. She took my suggestion and my nephew spend the rest of that summer and every summer until he graduated from HS at the pool during the summer. Not only did he become a good swimmer, but he also became a Jr. Lifeguard and later a lifeguard and since he goes to school in Cali…he now can be found hanging out at some beach on the Pacific Ocean almost year round…when he’s not playing college football, studying or teaching swimming lessons.
Every child needs to know how to swim and (we) parents should not hold our kids back because we never know when the life a child saves might be their own.
Alright I’m off my soapbox…but sign your kids up for some swimming lessons.
I think why so many Black and Latino children don’t know how to swim is basically due to environment and economics. A large portion of the Black and Latino population live in urban areas. Going to the beach depends upon how far the beach is. I know of children who have never been to the downtown area of our city let alone the beach. Very few have personal pools. And when it comes to the local YMCA, park district and youth/ recreational centers it all depends. It depends on money. Not all areas are treated the same. Many facilities in Black and Latino areas do not have swimming pools, swimming pools in good condition or qualified staff to teach and monitor the swimming pools. Even if a child of color knows how to swim, its difficult to find a program in urban areas where the kid can get into competitive swimming. In all of Chicago I can only think a three high schools where there are such programs. Other than that: its joining a club(and that truly depends on how willing they are to let you in and how costly it is), finding a private coach(again–money) or waiting until college. Living in a cities like Chicago, Boston, N.Y. etc, where we don’t have nice weather year round makes it that much more difficult for children to be exposed to the sport. I never learned to swim because as a kid there just were not a lot of chances to be exposed to it. We didn’t have a pool: the local facilities were not up to par(there was always a budget issue), the beach was far enough where we had to be driven, so as kids we only went when mom and dad thought it would be a nice outting, and the schools either didn’t have pools or we only used it one week a year during gym class. Also, the money isn’t in the sport like basketball or baseball. No Black or Latino child has ever heard of anyone swimming their way out of the ghetto, so its not looked upon as a “sport” that will bring fame and fortune.Maybe with all the hype surrounding Phelps that may change.. Here is something I have been thinking about since watching the swimming competitions in the Olympics: How come we don’t see Black folk from the island nations competiting in swimming? Is the sport too expensive to get into competitvely??
Raven you raised some excellent points…and I guess because I’m a swimmer and didn’t come from a rich family…I honestly don’t understand how folks will buy their kids designer clothes, name brand shoes, cell phones, i-pods, but cannot afford to find a way for their kids to learn how to swim. In the islands…folks do swim…but the reason you don’t see them in the Olympics is because they generally swim in the ocean (for free) vs. at a pool (for a fee) with a coach. And…what’s to keep adults who have made it out of the hood from learning how to swim? What keeps parents–who have made it out of the hood–from making sure their kids learn how to swim? While I understand some of the issues…not everyone lives in Chicago, Boston or NY…and with Make a Splash Foundation available, it doesn’t have to always be about money. And honestly…yeah lots of brothers are playing basketball or baseball…but how many of them are going to the NFL or MLB…less than 1%. We need to teach our kids to stop looking at sports as the be all/end all but rather a means to an end…swimming might not make you rich but if you’re good and have the grades…it can take you out of the hood. I know a couple of black folks who went to college on swimming scholarships and, while they never made it to the Olympics, they did get a college degree, later advanced degrees and today command strong six-figures for their services. Where there is a will…I believe there’s always a way…but truth be told I believe that many folks of color don’t swim because we don’t want to…many of us are afraid of water and pass that fear on to our kids…In FL folks don’t have to go to a pool and pay to learn to swim…we had tons of lakes, a bay, and the gulf where I lived and the stats quoted above are unfortunately the same for a state where most folks should want to know how to swim. So regardless of swimming for competition purposes…if I lived in a state or on an island surrounded by water…I can’t imagine not knowing how to swim. But, because I’m a swimmer, albeit not a very good one, but one nonetheless, I made sure that both of my kids learned to swim. And, when they have kids (hopefully 15 years from now…lol), if they don’t teach them how to swim, I will.
Oh and did I mention that my mother-in-law who is 73 years old, was raised in Pittsburgh, is a swimmer, actually she swims circles around me, I can only imagine how good she would have been if she could have swam competitively…now that I think about it I need to ask her how she learned to swim esp. since Pittsburgh doesn’t have any beaches.
I am a fish! My brothers idea of teaching me to swim was throwing me in the deep end! There is nothing, and I mean nothing more calming then floating in a pool all to yourself under the afternoon sun. I race my oldest in the pool once a week, and it’s getting harder to beat him.
I think it’s important to teach your kids to swim. My mother couldn’t swim so she took us to the Y. I am forever grateful.