O’Fallon Park Rec Center YMCA in Indianapolis experienced the excitement of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials and participated in a swim meet, giving a glimpse into their potential future as Olympic hopefuls.
Olympic dreams were planted last month as members of the Makos swim team at the O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex/YMCA witnessed what it takes to be world-class swimmers.
The Makos, the all-African American swim team, named after the Shortfin Mako Shark, known as the “fastest shark in the ocean” was in Indianapolis, June 14-16, to see first-hand top-notch swimmers from across the country compete for spots in the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26 – August 11 in Paris, France. Swimming is one of 32 sports in the games.
The young swimmers get a sense of what it takes to elevate their competitiveness to the next level.
“At first I didn’t want to go to the Olympic swim trials,” says Makos swim team member, 12-year-old Madison Weaver. “But now that I watched them, I want to see my name and face on the video screen.”
Madison, the breaststroke being her favorite, says she learned that to be an Olympic-level swimmer takes hard work, practice, physical fitness, mental preparedness, and commitment.
“Sometimes I get lazy,” she says, during a practice session following the team’s return home. “One of the men told us that what you have to do to be in the Olympics is to be in the water all the time. You have to do things outside of swimming, like working out. I was inspired to work out more.”
Fellow Makos team member, Tyrice Jones Robinson, 17, who was doing some stair climbing and stretching, concurred with Madison about what it takes to achieve the next level.
“I learned that you have to work harder to become one of the best,” Tyrice says, who likes the freestyle and butterfly strokes. “You have to hop in the water every day.”
A chartered bus loaded with 27 Mako swimmers and more than 30 parents made the round trip to Indy. Fundraisers and donations brought in enough money to keep the trip affordable enough to pay for the bus, the hotel, and the food for team members and family members, says parent Chevon Weaver, who in addition to Madison, has another daughter, Alaina, 7, also on the swim team.
Weaver says “it was exhilarating” for her to see Madison’s passion increase for swimming. “She could actually see herself trying out for the Olympics,” Mom adds.
While in Indy, Mako swimmers were participants in the 2024 Central Zone Multicultural Meet at Center Grove High School Natatorium in Greenwood, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis.
The event was formatted to celebrate diversity in coordination with the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials. The event was sponsored by the Indiana Swimming organization in conjunction with USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States.
This meet was significant in that except for a few exceptions, the Makos regularly are the only African American swimmers in competition in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and other locations in the Midwest. Makos swim coach Terea Goodwin is Chair of the Diversity Committee for Ozark Swimming and U.S.A. Swimming.
The level of competition in the multicultural event was an eye-opener for the Makos team members. “It showed them that we’ve got a lot more work to do,” Weaver says, adding that another significant sight for the team was to absorb the reality of other African American swimmers in the competition.
“The Detroit team was all black – and they were fast,” Weaver declared. “So, the kids were saying, ‘Oh, man, look at that.’
“It was so good to see more of us – people of color – in a swim meet. When we go to places like St. Peter’s, Edwardsville, Louisiana, MO, and Hannibal, the Makos are the only black team in the water. It’s usually just us and a few others.”
The main motivator of getting the Makos movin’ and groovin’ in the water is Coach Goodwin. Back in St. Louis, having exhaled, she says she as the coach, the youth as swimmers must elevate to the next level. Furthermore, she is buoyed by the fact of making waves with other African American swim teams and coaches in competition.
“At the multicultural meet, I was on deck with two African American male coaches and one female coach. It’s the first time I’ve ever been on the deck at a race when there’s more than just me and my assistant coach,” Goodwin explains. “I was amazed to see how magnificent Detroit swim team were, who are coached by Ja’Von Waters Sr.”
“Coach Waters said he was going to invite us to train with him. As a coach, I’m continuously learning and growing, especially in the world of USA Swimming,” she continues. “The YMCA level, I’ve got that down pat, but USA Swimming has different rules, and it is at a different level and we got to elevate – my team has to elevate, I have to elevate too.”
Being in the midst of the excitement and the splendor of the Olympic swim trials, the atmosphere was worth it for the Makos, parents, and supporters to feel.
“We’re going to another level,” Goodwin says. “I want the kids to go as far as they want to go. If they want to go to the Olympics, that’s awesome, too.”
For more information about the Makos Swim Team at the O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex/YMCA, 4343 West Florissant, St. Louis, MO, 63115, visit https://gwrymca.org/locations/ofallon-park-rec-complex.
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