Sinking fast

By Kory Norris

Lindblom Math and Science Academy

Minority children, especially those in poverty stricken neighborhoods, are less likely to learn how to swim before they reach adulthood, compared to many of their white counterparts, studies and reported tragedies show.

Why is it that many urban teenagers lack this skill? It is especially surprising considering those living in Chicago have access to city-run pools and beaches along Lake Michigan. Even more surprisingly, there are African-American role models to encourage them to learn to swim.

It may be because growing up in Chicago, teens spend less time focusing on leisure or recreational activities, such as swimming, hiking and camping, and put most of their attention on the negatives of urban life, such as drugs and violent crime. Also the lack of pools in some communities and social stigma may be contributing factors.

Chicago has many perils for teens; more than 20 public school students have been killed over the past three years and shooting deaths claim more than 300 lives a year. The RedEye, a Tribune publication aimed at young adults, had a recent story by Tracy Swartz that reported 217 homicides in the first half of 2010 -- 39 involved teenagers.

While preventing and avoiding violent crime is one aspect of urban life, teaching youth how to swim is equally important because it too is a matter of life and death, advocates contend.

“I think it’s vital and very important for children to learn how to swim. Not only do they need to learn it for everyday life, it’s also a form of exercise and a life-saving skill,” said Leakia Ellis, aquatic director of the South Side YMCA in Chicago.

In early August, six black teenagers in Shreveport, La., drowned during a family outing after one waded into unexpectedly deep water in the Red River and the others attempted rescues. None of the victims knew how to swim, according to news reports.

Such tragic stories are all too familiar.

Shabnam Mogharabi wrote a two-part series in 2005 for Aquatics International on the topic of why minorities, mainly the poor, comprised a disproportionately large number of drownings. Statistics from 2002 showed that black children between the ages of 5 and 19 are 2.6 times more likely to drown than their white counterparts.

“Not enough people are dying and not enough people are saying it’s a problem,” Gail H. Ito, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Chicago State University, said in the article.

USA Swimming, which governs aquatic competitions in this country, had the University of Memphis do a study on the matter and released the results in May. The research found that 70 percent of black children and 58 percent of Hispanic children had low or no swimming ability, compared with 40 percent for whites.

"It's a safety issue,” Sue Anderson, director of programs and services with the swimming association, said recently in an Associated Press story. “We say, you don't send your son out to play football without wearing a helmet, yet people go to the beach and they don't know how to swim."

She cited parental fear and lack of parental encouragement as the top reasons given for not taking swimming lessons. To counter that, her organization’s Make A Splash initiative has been developing partnerships to provide swimming and water safety lessons to children.

More programs are needed as further statistics bare out.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “there were 3,443 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging 10 deaths per day “ in 2007, the latest year for compiled statistics. The federal agency also reported that an additional 496 people died from drowning and other causes in boating-related accidents that year.

Among the other alarming findings from the CDC are that 20 percent of the fatal drowning victims nationwide are children 14 and younger, and that for every child who drowns, another four receive emergency medical care for “non-fatal submersion injuries.”

These revelations got this Columbia Links correspondent to think about the topic and to seek out someone to discuss the subject. It led me to a swimmer who could shed some light on the matter.

Jakobi McClellan is a 14-year-old freshman at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in suburban Chicago and a future Olympic swimming hopeful, who credits his mother, Victoria, for leading him into the sport. He talked about his passion as well as his awareness of the lack of swimming ability among urban youth.

In the exchange, McClellan mentioned Cullen Jones, an African-American 2008 Olympic medal winner in the men’s 400-meter freestyle relay. Jones’ mother had him take swimming lessons after he required cardiopulmonary resuscitation following an incident at a water park at the age of 5. Years later, his effort helped Michael Phelps win one of his record-breaking eight Olympic gold medals in swimming, surpassing Mark Spitz’s seven in 1972.

“I hope this exposure from the race today, a kid can see this and say, 'Wow, a black swimmer -- and he's got a gold medal,' " Jones, then 24, told reporters in bringing home gold for the U.S. team. "The stigma that black people don't swim ended today."

Here’s what Jakobi McClellan had to say:

What made you decide to be a swimmer, because, as for an African- American, the obvious sports would be basketball or football?
My mom. She thought it would be good for me to learn how to swim.

Are you aware of the recent deaths of children who die because of drowning?
Yes, and I think it’s sad. Parents should involve their children in a swimming camp like the one I went to in Indiana.

Swimming is not as popular as basketball among blacks. Did you get talked about because you were interested in something different?
Always! My friends call me “Shark” because I will always be in the water. And when people see me, they would say, “You look like a football player.”

Do you consider yourself a role model for your peers and younger individuals?
Nope, I’m just a regular guy.

Do you think you have what it takes to make it in the Olympics?
Well, yeah, but that’s not my goal right now. I’m focusing on getting through high school.

What is your training schedule like?
Two-a-day, two-a-day, two-a-day. I train at 5:30 a.m., then again at 3 p.m., and I do push-ups and sit-ups.

Who do you idolize in the Olympics?
Michael Phelps, of course, the all-time winning Olympic swimmer. But I also like Cullen Jones, an African-American swimmer with an amazing breaststroke.