By Cathleen Pruden, Swimming World College Intern
Candace Cooper was a standout swimmer from the very beginning. By the time she graduated high school she was as a multiple time North Carolina Independent Schools state champion, as well as a YMCA National Champion, and she would go on to become an ACC champion for UNC Chapel Hill.
While her numerous accomplishments set her apart from many of her peers, Cooper grew up knowing she was also different from most of her teammates and fellow competitors because of the color of her skin.
According to USA Swimming Foundation, 70 percent of African American and 60 percent of Latino children cannot swim, compared to 40 percent of Caucasian children. Not surprisingly, competitive swimming in the United States is a predominately white sport. USA Swimming has taken action to combat these figures through its Make A Splash program, but local grassroots efforts have supplemented that national initiative.
One particularly successful effort has been the National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet. Begun in 2003 by a group of African American parents of North Carolina swimmers (including Cooper’s), their mission is to promote swimming and prevent drowning. According to Cooper, they also sought to “provide an opportunity for more minority kids to have a chance to swim against competitors that look like them.”
The Meet
Photo Courtesy: Candace Cooper
The 2015 National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet was held at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, North Carolina on May 23-24. The 13th annual event featured over 900 swimmers representing 42 teams. Cooper, who has participated since the inaugural meet, has over the years transitioned into more administrative capacities, this year assisting the meet director, her mother.
“We can’t put on this event without the help of so many people who come from across the country every year. Each person who volunteers, officiates, or coaches does so because they love these kids. They know just how important exposing these kids to this level of swimming really is,” observed Cooper.
Olympians in Attendance
Photo Courtesy: Candace Cooper
Superstars also recognize the importance of giving back to the sport and including minority children in the swimming community. Olympians Cullen Jones and Maritza Correia McClendon were in attendance at this year’s meet. Jones and McClendon posed with swimmers for photos and signed autographs, and 14 lucky swimmers swam an exhibition 50 yard freestyle with Jones.
In a sport dominated by white athletes, this opportunity gave the swimmers in attendance direct access to some of the most successful racial minorities in swimming’s history. Cooper noted that the Olympians remind “these kids that they can be at the top level of this sport no matter what their skin color is.” At the same time, despite the meet’s title, it is an all-inclusive event.
Jones shared a photo to Instagram where he posed with three smiling swimmers who all completed a Black History Month project on him. His impact is clearly impressive. Jones’ swimming journey embodies the swim meet’s mission. Jones learned to swim after nearly drowning at a young age, and has ascended to international swimming success.
For the parents at the meet hoping to inspire their children to believe that anything is possible, Jones is the perfect example of what they can become.
Swimming Community
Photo Courtesy: Candace Cooper
While meeting the stars is special, the coaches and swimmers also have opportunities to form relationships with their peers that are renewed annually. The meet begins on Friday with a coaches’ dinner and welcoming ceremony, explained Cooper, and continues with racing on Saturday and a swimmers’ party at Marble’s Museum in downtown Raleigh before finishing with more racing on Sunday.
The meet organizers stress the importance of swimming as a life skill, but this meet also brings out the best in the sport through fun and friendships.
As a young swimmer, Cooper says she “was blessed with having two other black girls in my city who swam even though they were on different teams. We grew close because we shared a bond that no one else really understood.” Now, with opportunities like this one, more swimmers can form those bonds Cooper cherished.
Impact
Photo Courtesy: Candace Cooper
After spending 13 years at the heart of the event, Cooper believes “if just one kid’s life is effected positively because of our meet, we’ve done our job.”
Based on the smiling faces in photographs, it is clear that countless lives have been impacted and memories made that will last a lifetime.
“We want to expose the country to notions that minority kids can swim and do it well,” Cooper adds.”We want people to know that no matter what level you may be, we want you to know water safety.” From beginning swimmers to former NCAA championship qualifiers like Cooper, the National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet offers opportunities to appreciate community, enjoy the water, and dream big.