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Magic happens when kids and adults learn to swim. Tragedy can strike if they don't.

At a swim meet just outside St. Louis, heads turned when a team of young swimmers walked through the rec center with their parents in tow. A supportive mom kept her eye on the clock while the Makos Swim Team athletes tucked their natural curls, braids, and locs into yellow swimming caps. In the bleachers, […]

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Magic happens when kids and adults learn to swim. Tragedy can strike if they don't.

At a swim meet just outside St. Louis, heads turned when a team of young swimmers walked through the rec center with their parents in tow.

A supportive mom kept her eye on the clock while the Makos Swim Team athletes tucked their natural curls, braids, and locs into yellow swimming caps. In the bleachers, spectators whispered about the team’s presence at the pool in Centralia, Illinois — as they do at almost every competition.

“They don’t know that we’re listening,” Randella Randell, a swimmer’s mom, later said. “But we’re here to stay. We’re here to represent. We’re going to show you that Black kids know how to swim. We swim, too.”

Randell’s son, Elijah Gilliam, 14, is a member of the Makos’ competitive YMCA and USA Swimming program based in North St. Louis. Almost 40 athletes, ages 4 to 19, swim on the squad, which encourages Black and multiracial kids to participate in the sport. Coached by Terea Goodwin and Torrie Preciado, the team also spreads the word about water safety in their community.

“If we can get everybody to learn how to swim, just that little bit, it would save so many lives,” said Goodwin, a kitchen and bathroom designer by day who is known as Coach T at the pool. “Swimming is life.”

But just like mako sharks, such teams of Black swimmers are rare. Detroit has the Razor Aquatics, Howard University in Washington, D.C., has a team that’s made headlines for winning championships, and some alums from North Carolina A&T’s former swim team created a group to offer water safety classes.

In the past, Black Americans were barred from many public swimming pools. When racial segregation was officially banned, white Americans established private swim clubs that required members to pay a fee that wasn’t always affordable. As a result, swimming remained effectively segregated, and many Black Americans stayed away from pools.

The impact is still felt. More than a third of Black adults report they do not know how to swim, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, more than twice the rate for adults overall.

Seeing a need in their community, the parents of the Makos swimmers formed the Black Swimmers Alliance at the end of 2023 with a goal of “bridging the gap in aquatic skills,” according to its website. But the group, which offers swim lessons to families of color, is concerned about the flow of grant money dwindling because of the recent federal backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Even so, they are fundraising directly on their own, because lives are being lost.

In late January, a 6-year-old died at a hotel pool in St. Louis. A boy the same age drowned while taking swim lessons at a St. Louis County pool in 2022. And across the river in Hamel, Illinois, a 3-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool last summer.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 4, according to the CDC. Black children and Black adults drown far more often than their white peers.

Members of the Black Swimmers Alliance discussed those statistics before their advocacy work began. They also had to address another issue — many of the adult volunteers and parents with children on the Makos team didn’t know how to swim. Even though their children were swimming competitively, the fear of drowning and the repercussions of history had kept the parents out of the pool.

The Makos athletes also noticed that their parents were timid around water. That’s when their roles reversed. The children started to look out for the grown-ups.

Joseph Johnson, now 14, called out his mom, Connie Johnson, when she tried to give him a few tips about how to improve his performance.

“He was like, ‘Mom, you have no idea,'” the now-55-year-old recalled. “At first, I was offended, but he was absolutely right. I didn’t know how to swim.”

She signed up for lessons with Coach T.

Najma Nasiruddin-Crump and her husband, Joshua Crump, signed up, too. His daughter Kaia Collins-Crump, now 14, had told them she wanted to join the Makos team the first time she saw it. But among the three of them, no one knew how to swim.

Joshua Crump, 38, said he initially felt silly at the lessons, then started to get the hang of it.

“I don’t swim well enough to beat any of the children in a race,” he said with a chuckle.

Nasiruddin-Crump, 33, said she was terrified the first time she jumped in the deep end. “It is the only moment in my life outside of birthing my children that I’ve been afraid of something,” she said. “But once you do it, it’s freedom. It’s pure freedom.”

Mahoganny Richardson, whose daughter Ava is on the team, volunteered to teach more Makos parents how to swim.

She said the work starts outside the pool with a conversation about a person’s experiences with water. She has heard stories about adults who were pushed into pools, then told to sink or swim. Black women were often told to stay out of the water to maintain hairstyles that would swell if their hair got wet.

Bradlin Jacob-Simms, 47, decided to learn how to swim almost 20 years after her family survived Hurricane Katrina. She evacuated the day before the storm hit but said one of her friends survived only because that woman’s brother was able to swim to find help.

“If it wasn’t for him, they would have died,” she said, noting that hundreds did drown.

“That’s the reason why swimming is important to me,” she said. “A lot of times, us as African Americans, we shy away from it. It’s not really in our schools. It’s not really pushed.”

Makos swimmer Rocket McDonald, 13, encouraged his mom, Jamie McDonald, to get back into the water and stick with it. When she was a child, her parents had signed her up for swim lessons, but she never got the hang of it. Her dad was always leery of the water. McDonald didn’t understand why until she read about a race riot at a pool not far from where her dad grew up that happened after St. Louis desegregated public pools in 1949.

“It was a full-circle moment,” McDonald said. “It all makes sense now.”

Now, at 42, McDonald is learning to swim again.

Safety is always a priority for the Makos team. Coach T makes the athletes practice swimming in full clothing as a survival skill.

Years ago, as a lifeguard in Kansas City, Missouri, Coach T pulled dozens of children out of recreational swimming pools who were drowning. Most of them, she said, were Black children who came to cool off but didn’t know how to swim.

“I was literally jumping in daily, probably hourly, getting kids out of every section,” Goodwin said. After repeated rescues, too many to count, she decided to offer lessons.

Swim lessons can be costly. The Black Swimmers Alliance aimed to fund 1,000 free swim lessons by the end of 2025. It had already funded 150 lessons in St. Louis. But when the group looked for grants, the alliance scaled back its goal to 500 lessons, out of caution about what funding would be available.

It’s still committed to helping Black athletes swim competitively throughout their school years and in college.

Most of the time, the Makos swimmers practice in a YMCA pool that doesn’t have starting blocks. Backstroke flags are held in place with fishing wire, and the assistant coach’s husband, José Preciado, used his 3-D printer to make red, regulation 15-meter markers for the team. Once a week, parents drive the team to a different YMCA pool that has starting blocks. That pool is about 5 degrees warmer for its senior patrons’ comfort. Sometimes the young swimmers fuss about the heat, but practicing there helps them prepare for meets.

Parents said white officials have frequently disqualified Makos swimmers. So some of the team parents studied the rules of the sport, and eventually four became officials to diversify the ranks and ensure all swimmers are treated fairly. Still, parents said, that hasn’t stopped occasional racist comments from bystanders and other swimmers at meets.

“Some didn’t think we’d make it this far, not because of who we are but where we’re from,” Goodwin has taught the Makos swimmers to recite. “So we have to show them.”

And this spring, Richardson is offering lessons for Makos parents while their children practice.

“It’s not just about swimming,” Richardson said. “It’s about overcoming something that once felt impossible.”

Kaiser Health NewsThis article was reprinted from khn.org, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF – the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

KFF Health News

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Julien Alfred Details Painful Start to NCAA Track and Field Career: ‘I Wanted to Go Home’

Before stepping onto the track for the 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic, Julien Alfred took a pause—this time not on the blocks, but behind the mic at the pre-meet press conference. Scheduled to compete in the women’s 100m on July 5, the St. Lucian star used the moment to reflect—not just on her preparations, […]

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Before stepping onto the track for the 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic, Julien Alfred took a pause—this time not on the blocks, but behind the mic at the pre-meet press conference. Scheduled to compete in the women’s 100m on July 5, the St. Lucian star used the moment to reflect—not just on her preparations, but on a place that has shaped her journey in more ways than one: Hayward Field. When asked about her memories at the iconic stadium—home to the University of Oregon and a centerpiece of the Eugene Diamond League—Julien didn’t hold back. Her answer wasn’t just nostalgic; it was revealing.

 “I won my first NCAA title here,” Alfred said with a proud smile. “But then, later on, a few months after that, my first World Championship, I false-started here as well. So I mean, it’s a love-hate relationship with Hayward Field.” In that brief, candid reflection, Julien wove together the highs and lows that have defined her path. Her NCAA breakthrough wasn’t just a trophy moment—it was the launchpad that catapulted her onto the global stage.

Behind every medal and misstep is a deeper story—and for Julien Alfred, the NCAA circuit was as much about building grit as chasing glory. The road wasn’t smooth. It was filled with challenges—new country, new system, fierce competition—but it was in those demanding college years that she forged the steel needed to stand among the world’s best.

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In a recent chat with Athletics Weekly, Olympic champion Julien Alfred opened up about some formative experiences from her collegiate track career. Coming from the small island nation of Saint Lucia, adapting to life and athletics in the U.S. wasn’t instant. She trained with the Texas Longhorns under the guidance of renowned coach Edrick Floreal—a setup that might sound like a dream for any young sprinter. But for Alfred, the reality was far more challenging.

Recalling her early days, she shared, “I remember my first workout when we did 6 x 200m. For the first two, I was flying, and then, the last four, I could have barely make it to the line. That’s just how hard it was, and I had to get used to that programme.” There was no alternative but to adapt—and she did just that. Still, the road didn’t smooth out completely. After settling into the rigorous training, Alfred faced a new wave of challenges that tested her even further.

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via Reuters

Sharing more about those early struggles, Julien Alfred admitted, “I had not really lifted weights much, and in US I lift twice a week. Having to adjust to a whole new programme, a new coach, new environment, new team-mates was definitely something that took some time. And I would sometimes just cry. I wanted to go home because it was just so hard.”

Leaving her home in Saint Lucia at a young age, Julien had set her sights on competing in the highly competitive world of American track and field. It wasn’t a simple transition, but she was determined. Training under Edrick Floreal had been a major goal, and she knew the path wouldn’t be smooth. Still, she was willing to endure the hardships for the sake of her dream. In the end, those sacrifices weren’t in vain. Through the difficulties, Julien gained far more than just physical strength—she developed resilience, discipline, and a foundation that would eventually carry her to global success.

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Julien Alfred earns many things as a result of her struggle 

Julien Alfred’s rise has been nothing short of relentless—each season building on the last, with no signs of slowing down. Her back-to-back NCAA 100m titles in 2022 and 2023 laid the foundation, followed by a statement victory at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where she claimed the 60m crown in March 2024. Then came the defining breakthrough: Olympic gold in the 100m. And now, in 2025, she’s showing the world she’s not done leveling up.

Though she opted not to defend her World Indoor 60m title this March, Julien hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, she’s started this season faster than ever before. On April 18 in Gainesville, she scorched the track with a 21.88 in the 200m—her second-fastest time ever, just shy of her 21.86 personal best from July last year. Her 100m performances this year? Equally dominant. A smooth 10.89 in Oslo on June 12 was followed just three days later by a blistering 10.75 (+0.9 m/s) in Stockholm—her second-best mark behind only the 10.72 that won her Olympic gold.

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So when Julien arrived at the 50th Prefontaine Classic, all eyes were on her. She was the woman to beat—the favorite. And while she didn’t walk away with the win this time, her 10.77 seconds (-1.5 m/s) for second place in less-than-ideal wind conditions was still a performance worthy of a champion. So, in a field packed with elite sprinters, Julien Alfred continues to prove that she belongs at the top—and she’s only just getting started.



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Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Brianne Wojciakowski joined Florida Atlantic University’s staff in 2019 as a student-athletic services coordinator. While Wojciakowski was new to the program, she is a veteran of the university with four years of dedication as a student-athlete on the volleyball team and two years as a graduate student.   Along with her role as a student-athlete […]

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Brianne Wojciakowski joined Florida Atlantic University’s staff in 2019 as a student-athletic services coordinator. While Wojciakowski was new to the program, she is a veteran of the university with four years of dedication as a student-athlete on the volleyball team and two years as a graduate student.

 

Along with her role as a student-athlete service coordinator, Wojciakowski also works as an assistant director of student-athlete development, a SAAC advisor, a tutor coordinator and handles HR duties, as well as managing the student-athletes’ textbooks and coordinating community service events.

 

Wojciakowski obtained her MBA in Sports Management, a world-renowned program, in 2019. While studying for her degree, Wojciakowski worked for the Miami Dolphins on the game day/event staff, as well as having a stint in the FAU ticket office prior to joining the academic team.

 

As an FAU volleyball player, Wojciakowski played in 92 career matches. She tallied 399 kills along with 33 solo blocks and 137 block assists. In unprecedented fashion, Wajciakowski served as team captain each of four seasons with the Owls.

 



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Petunia Festival serves up fun at fishing derby, volleyball tourney, dog parade – Shaw Local

Kenzi and Chris Sarver enjoy sharing time fishing at the Elks Fishing Derby. It was an event of the 61st annual Dixon Petunia Fest on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (Brian Hurley) Brian Hurley for Shaw Local From Jersey…..Moved to Illinois in 1974 B.S (Journalism) NIU, started at The Sterling Gazette as News Photog, then Pre-press, […]

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Brian Hurley

Brian Hurley for Shaw Local

From Jersey…..Moved to Illinois in 1974
B.S (Journalism) NIU, started at The Sterling Gazette as News Photog, then Pre-press, then Pressman, then Corporate Software Trainer (Shaw Media), then IT Specialist (Shaw Media), then ……..



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CBS Sports: 25 worst college football coaching hires since 2000

July 6, 2025 By John Talty, CBS Sports: Every school dreams of hiring the next Nick Saban who can transform its football program into a national champion. CBS Sports recently championed the 25 best coaching hires of this century, headlined by Alabama hiring Saban in 2006. Over 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, Saban dominated the sport, winning six national […]

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July 6, 2025

By John Talty, CBS Sports: Every school dreams of hiring the next Nick Saban who can transform its football program into a national champion.

CBS Sports recently championed the 25 best coaching hires of this century, headlined by Alabama hiring Saban in 2006. Over 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, Saban dominated the sport, winning six national championships and nine SEC championships.

Read the full story…

From Chad Morris to Charlie Strong: College football's top 25 worst coaching hires this century

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Des Moines East High School graduate turns from failing grades to promising future

Des Moines East High School graduate turns from failing grades to promising future ON THE DAY. DES MOINES EAST HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATED 387 STUDENTS THIS YEAR. NOW THAT MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT THERE WERE 525 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE 2025 CLASS. THE GRADUATION RATE WAS JUST 73%. EAST HIGH’S TOP SHOT PUTTER DIDN’T […]

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Des Moines East High School graduate turns from failing grades to promising future

ON THE DAY. DES MOINES EAST HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATED 387 STUDENTS THIS YEAR. NOW THAT MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT THERE WERE 525 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE 2025 CLASS. THE GRADUATION RATE WAS JUST 73%. EAST HIGH’S TOP SHOT PUTTER DIDN’T SEE AN END TO HIGH SCHOOL WHEN HE FIRST STARTED. YOUNGER ME DIDN’T REALLY THINK I’D MAKE IT PAST THE AGE OF 18 WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON FOR MANY A DORM. FRESHMAN YEAR WENT LIKE THIS I AVERAGED 8.5 OF 4.0 SCALE. I SHOWED UP, I’D SKIPPED, I’D GO DO DUMB STUFF. I’D BE EVERYWHERE ELSE, BUT NOT BE AT SCHOOL. THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP HIT HIM HARD. THERE WAS A REALLY LOW POINT IN MY LIFE. SOPHOMORE YEAR, A LOT OF THINGS WENT WRONG. I WAS DOING A LOT OF BAD THINGS, AND I GUESS ONE NIGHT I JUST REALLY JUST SNAPPED BACK TO REALITY. JUST REALIZED I DIDN’T WANT TO. BE ON SOMEBODY’S COUCH OR HOMELESS OR SOMETHING WORSE. YOU KNOW, WHEN HE FLIPPED THE SWITCH, I CAN’T SAY IT WAS EASY. IT WAS DEFINITELY VERY MUCH A STRUGGLE FOR ME. HE DISCOVERED A NEW PASSION, AND THE SOPHOMORE YEAR I WAS I WAS DOING TRACK JUST TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FOOTBALL AND FIND OUT I’M REALLY GOOD AT IT. FOR SOME REASON, MANNY BECAME THE TOP THROWER AT EAST HIGH. I WAS LIKE, I THREW IT FAR BALL, HEAVY BALL, GO FAR, I DON’T KNOW. I LOOKED MORE INTO IT, YOU KNOW, FIGURED TRACK OUT. I’LL SAY MANNY QUALIFIED FOR STATE THIS PAST SEASON AS A SENIOR IN GRANDVIEW UNIVERSITY, OFFERED HIM A SCHOLARSHIP. WE WORK OUT WITH GRANDVIEW TRACKS. THEY SHARE THE SAME PLATFORM, AND THEIR COACH CAME UP TO ME ASKING, JUST LIKE HOW I FELT ABOUT THEIR TEAM AND CAME TO ASK ME QUESTIONS. I HAD PURE EXCITEMENT IN MY VOICE WHEN I WAS TALKING TO HIM ABOUT IT, BUT THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM MANNY’S GPA DIDN’T MATCH THE REQUIREMENT. HE SAID IF WE COULD GET A FEW LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION AND I HAD TO WRITE A LETTER OF INTENT, BASICALLY SAYING LIKE, WHY? I FEEL LIKE I DESERVE TO BE AT GRANDVIEW, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE ALL OF THOSE LETTERS OF REC AND ALL OF THESE PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR YOU? BE REAL WITH YOU? I LIKE ALMOST SHED A TEAR. WHEN I READ THOSE LETTERS. I WAS LIKE, I WAS JUST LIKE, REALLY HAPPY THAT PEOPLE SEE ME IN A BETTER WAY THAN I SEE MYSELF. MANNY GRADUATED WITH A 2.5 GPA AND A FUTURE POINT FIVE GPA. ME JUST DIDN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND COLLEGIATE SPORTS. I DIDN’T THINK I’D MAKE IT THIS FAR IN MY LIFE, AND I’M SO GLAD

Des Moines East High School graduate turns from failing grades to promising future

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Updated: 12:01 PM CDT Jul 6, 2025

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Des Moines East High School’s graduation rate for 2025 was 73%. East High graduate Manny Adame, who received a partial athletic scholarship to Grand View for track and field, at one point had a 0.5 GPA.”I would show up, skip, I’d go do dumb stuff, I’d be everywhere else, but not be at school,” Adame said. Until one night in sophomore year. “One night I really just snapped back to reality,” Adame said. “I realized I didn’t want to be on somebody’s couch or homeless or something worse.” KCCI’s Shannon Ehrhardt tells the story of how an East High graduate’s strength, newfound passion and resilience changed his life.

Des Moines East High School’s graduation rate for 2025 was 73%.

East High graduate Manny Adame, who received a partial athletic scholarship to Grand View for track and field, at one point had a 0.5 GPA.

“I would show up, skip, I’d go do dumb stuff, I’d be everywhere else, but not be at school,” Adame said.

Until one night in sophomore year.

“One night I really just snapped back to reality,” Adame said. “I realized I didn’t want to be on somebody’s couch or homeless or something worse.”

KCCI’s Shannon Ehrhardt tells the story of how an East High graduate’s strength, newfound passion and resilience changed his life.



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Texas Tech's Groundbreaking Deal for Felix Ojo

Texas Tech secured a historic three-year, $5.1 million revenue share contract with five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, the top recruit in Texas for the Class of 2026. This unprecedented deal was instrumental in eclipsing offers from major programs like Texas and Ohio State, who primarily offered one-year agreements. Ojo’s commitment highlights a shift in college […]

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Texas Tech's Groundbreaking Deal for Felix Ojo

Texas Tech secured a historic three-year, $5.1 million revenue share contract with five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, the top recruit in Texas for the Class of 2026. This unprecedented deal was instrumental in eclipsing offers from major programs like Texas and Ohio State, who primarily offered one-year agreements. Ojo’s commitment highlights a shift in college sports as schools adapt to changing norms around athlete compensation following the House v. NCAA settlement.

By the Numbers

  • $5.1 million – Total value of Ojo’s Texas Tech contract.
  • 3 years – Duration of the guaranteed contract, contrasted with typical one-year offers.

State of Play

  • Ojo will graduate early in December to start at Texas Tech in January.
  • Texas Tech aims to become a premier football program, leveraging its substantial alumni and sponsorship support.

What’s Next

The unprecedented nature of Ojo’s contract may encourage other athletic programs to explore similar multi-year deals, potentially shaking up the recruiting landscape further. As more high school athletes witness this contract, it may set a new standard for recruitment and compensation in college sports.

Bottom Line

Ojo’s landmark deal illustrates the evolving dynamics of college athletics, signaling a potential trend toward longer, guaranteed contracts that prioritize player security over traditional short-term offers. Texas Tech’s strategic move could redefine recruiting strategies across the nation.

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