Howard University might currently be referred to as “the Harvard of HBCUs,” however we’re taking a minute to highlight another notable title: the house of our country’s only all-Black college swim group!
Swim Coach Nic Askew Says ‘Nobody In America’ Can Offer What Howard Can
The Howard swim group was significantly included in Sports Illustrated previously this month, and coach Nic Askew spoke on how the groundbreaking team promotes a special experience that “no one [else] in America can use.”
” Nobody in America can use what we have in our swimming pool. Where else are you visiting this?”
As the publication keeps in mind that less than about 1.5% of the country’s competitive swimmers are Black, Howard is a significant force in breaking down barriers within the sport– which has typically “shut them out of this experience.”
” This has to do with our objective as a university and the message we wish to send out as an HBCU. This isn’t a lot of Black individuals in a swimming pool; it’s young Black males and females being successful in a sport that, for many years, has actually shut them out of this experience.”
In truth, Howard’s swim group is presently in the middle of contending at the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championships. In addition, the group will strike up the College Swimming & & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Invitational Championships in March.
In a sport pestered by concerns of representation, Howard University coach Nic Askew isn’t simply constructing a strong swimming program.
He’s constructing something larger: https://t.co/jNXA63 aa2V pic.twitter.com/hmoWcj3jXS
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 1, 2023
The Importance Of ‘Offering Representation’
Regarding the overarching objective of offering a helpful area for Black swimmers, Askew concerns, “How numerous of these kids would have continued swimming in college if it weren’t for Howard?”
He likewise acknowledges the significance that the school’s swim group can have in getting other young Black professional athletes thinking about the sport, as it’s tough to get individuals thinking about something when “nobody appears like them.”
” How are you going to get a Black young boy or lady thinking about your sport when they do not see a future on their own, since nobody appears like them?”
Nic Askew goes on to include, “That’s not providing representation [or] broadening this sport. That’s locking out a whole group of individuals.”
Similarly, throughout a different interview with NBC News, the Howard University swim coach kept in mind, “It’s larger than simply what we do everyday. We need to be the agents.”
In other words, while the group is controling the sport, it’s about more than just amassing honors– it’s about altering the story.
Shoutout to THE renowned Howard University and its barrier-breaking swim group!
