The Howard swim workforce was not too long ago the topic of an episode within the PBS docuseries, “We Are Right here”. This six-part sequence goals to focus on “Black excellence in underrepresented sports activities”, like swimming.
Howard College has spent the final two years making waves on the earth of swimming, and that affect has prolonged past the pool. In 2022, they hosted the primary “Battle on the Burr”. This twin meet with Georgetown began a revolution within the sport and essentially modified the best way faculties strategy their meets.
The primary inauguration of the occasion boasted 1200 attendees, a DJ, a dance troupe, and overflow seating within the gymnasium with one other DJ and huge screens displaying the occasions. Abruptly, groups and directors throughout the nation realized that swim meets didn’t should be boring. School soccer groups host tailgates, and college students camp exterior school basketball stadiums for days main as much as the primary sport… Why can’t swimming be the identical?
Since Howard reenergized twin meets, we now have seen different faculties comply with their lead. From beer gardens to mild reveals to cannonball contests, faculties are pulling out all of the stops to make swimming enjoyable for even essentially the most informal followers. In an period the place Olympic sports activities applications are getting lower everywhere in the nation, it’s changing into more and more necessary for swim groups to show that they’ll herald income, and Howard is answerable for displaying groups that.
Howard isn’t simply identified for his or her affect on the spectator facet of the game. They’re additionally the one HBCU with a varsity swimming program, and their head coach is certainly one of only a few black head coaches in school swimming.
Their 30-minute episode highlights their head coach Nicholas Askew and his mission to deliver swimming to everybody, no matter their race. Howard is reaching this objective by way of their swim camps centered on schooling for athletes and oldsters. Swimming is a life-saving ability, and Askew highlights the significance of everybody studying, and the affect of illustration on making this doable.
The episode and the remainder of the sequence can be found to observe on the PBS web site and on YouTube.
The Bison are again in motion Saturday the sixteenth vs Mount St. Mary’s at their house pool for his or her Fan Appreciation Day.
