by Jayson on January 20, 2012
From TEAMUSA.org, By Maura Gladys:
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| Ervin at the 2012 Austin Grand Prix |
Anthony Ervin squirms at the word “comeback.”
“It’s not a comeback,” he says. “I’m just swimming again. I’m just enjoying what I’m doing and the environment that I’m in.”
But when Anthony Ervin’s hand touched the wall at the end of the men’s 50-meter freestyle at this weekend’s USA Swimming Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the anonymity that Ervin had ensconced himself in for the past 12 years was over, and the growing buzz about Ervin grew even louder.
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by Jayson on January 16, 2012
From USASwimming.org, By Mike Gustafson:
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a swimming coach in Compton, California named Louis Pecot. His complaint as a coach for over 30+ years in the area was that, despite earlier claims from someone featured on this website, there was swimming in Compton – at least when he was growing up. I interviewed him about his background growing up in South Central LA, as well as future challenges he foresees in the area. Here is Part Two of our interview.
What are some obstacles getting minorities into competitive swimming?
They don’t start swimming young enough. If you visit here during recreational swimming, you’ll see a sea of black kids. But you’re not going to see a 6 or 8-year-old swimming by themselves. The kids that come for recreational swim are 11 years old. Before that, they have to come with a big brother or a parent. But the best time to learn to swim is when they’re 6, 7 or 8. If you want to get black folks in, you have to look at swim lessons. And you have to get them in the pool before they turn 9. If you can educate parents to get them swimming at 6, 7 and 8, then you got something to work with.
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