When you think of Black History Month, familiar names come to mind: Thurgood Marshall, Frederick Douglass and Jesse Owens. 10TV found a group of local black high school athletes who may be writing their own page of history.
Fifteen-year-old twins, Solomon and Kingston Hunt, 14-year-old Daylen Allen and 16-year-old Tristan Fountain make up a team of black relay swimmers for Eastmoor Academy. They made it all the way to the State District competition this year, as did a black swim team from Groveport Madison High School: Spencer and Trevor Keane, Carl Gidden and Jordan Murphy.
Their parents say these teens may be a first in the state for all-black swim teams. 10TV hasn’t been able to independently verify that yet with the Ohio High School Athletic Association, but it’s still quite an achievement, even if they’re not the first.
The Eastmoor Academy kids said they swim two hours a day, five days a week, working to be the fastest in the water — breaststrokes, backstrokes, butterflies and freestyle, as fast as they can go from one end of the pool to the other and back.
“It’s just a sport that connected with me,” said Kingston Hunt. Their parents started some of them out swimming at 4 and 5 years old.
“I was just taking swim lessons,” said Daylen Allen, “And they told me to join the swim team, so I did.”
The boys said competitive swimming isn't something many black youths are drawn to. Basketball and football are more favored sports. But Stephanie Hunt, mother of the twins on Eastmoor’s team, said, “I realized that swimming is a sport you can take into the rest of your life. I see 95-year-olds swimming and still in great shape and I wanted that for my sons.”
The kids see other potential benefits in being great swimmers like scholarship money for college if they continue to excel.
Latrisha Lawrence, Tristan’s mom, says the sport has also built her son’s confidence while providing good exercise and allowing him to make new friends.
Daylen’s mother, Taraja Shepherd-Allen, says competitive swimming is something her son wants to continue into college. He’s already earned a couple of merit badges from it on his journey to become an Eagle Scout.
The black swimmers from Groveport Madison High School have similar stories of achievement in the water. Spencer Keane was an individual qualifier for a District Championship Swim Meet and competed in the 100-meter freestyle and breast-stroke. He and his brother Trevor will also compete in tournaments in March.
Both of these teams have found a passion for a sport that may be helping them write a new chapter in local black history without even knowing it.