Howard University may have been known as the “Harvard of HBCUs,” but we’ll take a moment to highlight another notable title: home to the nation’s only all-Black college swimming team we!
Swimming Coach Nic Askew Says ‘Nobody in America’ Can Offer What Howard Can
The Howard Swim Team gets special attention in Sports Illustrated earlier this month, and coach Nic Askew talked about how the groundbreaking team fosters a unique experience that “no one else [else] in the US can provide.”
“Nobody in America can deliver what we have on our team. Where else would you see this?
As the publication notes that less than 1.5% of the nation’s competitive swimmers are Black, Howard has been a major force in breaking down barriers in the sport—traditional.” prevent them from participating in this experience.”
“This is our mission as a university and the message we want to send as an HBCU. This is not a group of Negroes in a pool; it’s young black men and women who succeed in a sport that for many years has kept them from having this experience.”
In reality, Howard’s Swim Team currently in the process of competing in the Northeast Conference Championship (NEC). Additionally, the team will participate in the National Championships of the American College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) in March.
In a sport plagued by representation issues, Howard University coach Nic Askew doesn’t just build a strong swimming program.
He’s building something bigger: https://t.co/jNXA63aa2V pic.twitter.com/hmoWcj3jXS
– Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 1, 2023
The Importance of ‘Provide Representative’
Regarding the overarching mission of providing a supportive space for Black swimmers, Askew asked, “How many of these kids would have continued swimming in college without Howard? ?”
He also acknowledged the importance the school swimming team can have in attracting other young Black athletes interested in the sport, as it is difficult to get people interested in anything. That’s when “nobody is like them”.
“How can you attract a Black boy or girl interested in your sport when they don’t see a future for themselves, because no one else is like them?”
Nic Askew went on to add, “That gives no representation [or] expand this sport. It’s getting rid of an entire group of people.
Likewise, in a separate interview with NBC News“It’s bigger than what we do every day,” notes Howard University swimming coach. We have to be agents.”
In other words, while the team is dominating the sport, it’s not just about winning the prize—it’s changing the story.
Shout out to the illustrious Howard University and its hurdle swimming team!
