Black History Month: Alick Wickham Opened Doors in Open-Water Swimming
By Alice Dearing & Ned Denison
At the start of Black History Month (observed in the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom), we celebrate the role that black swimmers played in the advancement of the art, pastime and sport of open water swimming. One pioneer was Alick Wickham. He is credited, in part, as the person who “introduced the crawl stroke to the sport in the western world.”
Early marathon swimmers used breaststroke and trudgen. These strokes would not have allowed today’s swimmers to have accomplished covering such amazing distances in incredible times.
Wickham was, therefore, the most influential coach who allowed the sport of open-water swimming to grow and progress toward the astonishing feats which swimmers have conquered and accomplished. Records for 10k and marathon swims start in the mid-1800s. It is well documented that swimmers from the First Nations in the Americas, Africans and Asiana Islanders excelled in open-water swimming long before these records.
Wickham was an all-around aquatic pioneer. He set the unofficial world record for the 50-yard freestyle in 1910 and was the inaugural Australasian dive champion in 1904 and from 1908-1912, he was the New South Wales state champion for both diving and swimming. He also set a world diving record, attracting 70,000 spectators in 1918 for a 62-meter swan dive into the Yarra River in Melbourne. To add to his impressive aquatic achievements, Wickham is also credited with the development of body surfing.
Pioneers like Wickham paved the way for swimmers around the world to advance and shape the sport we know and love today. Consequently, he is deserving as an Honoree in both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Celebrating the achievements of Wickham can help us understand the mission and work of organizations like the Black Swimming Association (BSA). Founded in 2020 in the United Kingdom, the BSA is seeking to raise the awareness of swimming as a life skill to Afro-Caribbean communities. Stereotypes of black people being unable to swim are harmful to millions of people, implying that learning such an important, potentially life-saving skill is out of their grasp.
The BSA is working with key strategic partners such as the RLNI to deliver water safety to everyone, focusing on Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities. Access to pools and safe water is also a key priority, making sure there is an equal chance for everyone to have safe experiences. To achieve these goals, the organization is working across the spectrum of the swimming world, from learn to swim to boardroom level to community groups. The BSA recognizes the need to take a holistic approach in order to attract everyone to learn to swim and enjoy the sport and lifelong opportunity.
Alice Dearing is the co-founder of the Black Swimming Association and first black marathon swimmer for Great Britain in the Olympics.
Ned Denison is the Chair of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.