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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Role model offers reason for 'Pride'
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By Tiffany Quash
My mother once said to me that the reason she wanted my brother and me to play sports was because of the opportunities to participate in new, unique and fun activities. Due to my mother’s strong encouragement and support, I had the privilege to participate on our neighborhood YMCA swim team, high school tennis team, and college swim and tennis teams.
Despite these athletics accomplishments, I faced the inner turmoil of being the only black athlete on a team, on a court and in the pool. The NCAA Student-Athlete Race and Ethnicity Report indicates less than 2 percent of participants in the sport of swimming are black men and women, and that figure has changed little since 1999-2000, the first year that member institutions reported data to the Association.
The greatest challenge I had within my four years as a college student-athlete was being called “Buckwheat” from the Little Rascals by my college coach, not having the courage to stand up for myself and then being shunned by teammates. It was during this time that I reminded myself of other Blacks who struggled and succeeded before me: Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Jesse Owens and many others. As one season led to another, I asked myself, “Who in the swimming world would understand me?”
One would assume that challenges such as those would get better over time, but as I have grown older, the racism I have experienced has become transparent and increasingly political. Despite such factors, the NCAA has recognized the importance of diversity in athletics and has organized itself accordingly with the creation of the office of diversity and inclusion. I must admit that I am a proud product of the Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Program (which is one of the NCAA’s many programming opportunities), and I have learned more in my capacities as an administrator, intramurals director and former swim coach.
Yet, the question from my past concerning color in the swimming world continued to linger until I saw a preview for the film “Pride.”
“Pride” is based on a true story set in 1970s Philadelphia about a black swim coach named Jim Ellis, and the beginnings of his swim team. After seeing the preview, I realized I needed to go on an expedition to Philadelphia to meet coach Ellis, and did so in February.
For more than 30 years, Jim Ellis has provided those in and around the black community of Philadelphia the gift of competitive swimming. He began his own swim team in a predominately black community because of his passion for the water and competitive drive. Ellis himself learned in one lesson how to swim as a child, and swimming in turn became a part of his zeal for life. “Swimming was something I learned young in life, and I felt very comfortable in the water,” he said.
His experiences in the water were positive and memorable, so much so that he remembers feeling he belonged to the water. He followed his passion from that childhood swim lesson to participation on his high school swim team, Boys Club swim team, and a college swim team. During his college years, he applied for a position with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (PDR), first teaching kids how to swim and then eventually building a swim team.
The struggle to engage the black community in a swim team was complicated by a variety of outside factors. “There were struggles because kids came from all different walks of life,” he recalled. “Gangs were prevalent in Philadelphia at the time at the Marcus Foster Pool facility and the original facility, Sayre Recreation Center.” But providing kids in the community the option to be a part of the PDR programming provided an alternative to gang activity.
The program began with children no older than 10. Over time, the team expanded to include teenagers. Unlike many programs, PDR is heavily involved in the educational endeavors of the swimmers, which is in sync with Ellis’ coaching philosophy.
“Education is the key. Achievement through swimming, through sport, is wonderful — but education is the key. I am an educator, so swimming is just a vehicle to help educate. So the better one gets in competitive swimming, their chances increase for getting a college education and for a scholarship,” Ellis said.
“This is a chance to open their eyes to whatever is happening in the world by traveling in the sport, participating on college campuses, and participating in fantastic aquatic facilities around the country.”
Taking a moment to reflect on the PDR experience, Ellis said that “exposure was the main vehicle that took us somewhere else in trying to build a team. I did not want a superstar here or there. I wanted a whole team of superstars. I wanted to do something unique and different in the sport.”
In turn, Ellis built a cohesive swim team that successfully qualified swimmers for national competition, earned all-American recognition and won junior national titles.
Ellis knew that building such a program was a challenge for swimming in the 1970s. White opponents Ellis faced during his building years were skeptical of the success of PDR. His mantra for his swimmers then (and now) was, “Beat them at their own game.”
“They had never seen this and so they couldn’t visualize it,” he said of the program’s skeptics. “They didn’t think we had the ability to organize, the ability to do the work, or the ability to be swimmers. Race is attached to everything we do. People say it’s not, but I think it is.
“I’m a coach. I’m in a black community and I reach out to young African-American kids because I am in their community. Along the way we got national recognition and the team became integrated. We attracted people because they wanted to be a part of what we were doing.”
If the opportunity arose for Ellis to be a part of an NCAA institution’s swimming program, he says that there would be much to consider. “Universities that have these facilities also need to have an obligation to open them to those who are less fortunate.” Ellis commends the efforts and opportunities La Salle University has provided for his swim team and encourages other institutions to do the same.
He also is concerned about the continuous challenges student-athletes of color face today. “Some student-athletes get a false sense of who they are. People make over them so much and do not demand that they get their education. That’s not everyone, but I see a lot of them who will never make it to the pros and do not have Plan B set aside where they are going to pursue a career. Student-athletes need to understand that there are other things that can be done in the world.”
The message Ellis has for current and future coaches of color is to coach while young. “Not too many African-American coaches got an opportunity to coach at the NCAA Division I level at a young age, in their prime. They always got it late in life or they got the position when the program was in trouble or they are in a no-win situation.
“Those are some of the things we face. They think our management skills aren’t that good, to organize, to run the programs or to know the game. We do our homework, we know the game.”
Ellis’ positive energy keeps him focused on the goals he sets for himself and his team. He frequently refers to keeping your eye on the prize and never losing sight of the end for success. Ellis views the struggles he has overcome as speed bumps.
“I don’t deal with struggles,” he said. “I deal with the end result as being fast. Struggles are just bumps in the road. You deal with it then, you adapt, and you move on.”
When “Pride” opens in theaters, Ellis hopes the audience walks away with a new perspective on swimming. “Swimming is a viable alternative. Everybody can’t play basketball or football or run track. This is something else we can do and be successful. It is a lifelong sport,” he said.
Ellis has helped open the door for many swimmers of color and has helped erase the ignorance about Blacks’ abilities in the sport. Jim Ellis is a true pioneer and community builder — a role model for our programs and departments.
Most importantly, I am proud to say that he has become my friend and hero.
Tiffany Quash is an NCAA athletics administrative intern at Mount Holyoke College, where she also serves as intramurals coordinator and has assisted with the swim team. The film “Pride,” starring 2006 Academy Awards best actor nominee Terrence Howard as Coach Jim Ellis, opened nationally March 23 in theaters.
Despite these athletics accomplishments, I faced the inner turmoil of being the only black athlete on a team, on a court and in the pool. The NCAA Student-Athlete Race and Ethnicity Report indicates less than 2 percent of participants in the sport of swimming are black men and women, and that figure has changed little since 1999-2000, the first year that member institutions reported data to the Association.
The greatest challenge I had within my four years as a college student-athlete was being called “Buckwheat” from the Little Rascals by my college coach, not having the courage to stand up for myself and then being shunned by teammates. It was during this time that I reminded myself of other Blacks who struggled and succeeded before me: Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Jesse Owens and many others. As one season led to another, I asked myself, “Who in the swimming world would understand me?”
One would assume that challenges such as those would get better over time, but as I have grown older, the racism I have experienced has become transparent and increasingly political. Despite such factors, the NCAA has recognized the importance of diversity in athletics and has organized itself accordingly with the creation of the office of diversity and inclusion. I must admit that I am a proud product of the Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Program (which is one of the NCAA’s many programming opportunities), and I have learned more in my capacities as an administrator, intramurals director and former swim coach.
Yet, the question from my past concerning color in the swimming world continued to linger until I saw a preview for the film “Pride.”
“Pride” is based on a true story set in 1970s Philadelphia about a black swim coach named Jim Ellis, and the beginnings of his swim team. After seeing the preview, I realized I needed to go on an expedition to Philadelphia to meet coach Ellis, and did so in February.
For more than 30 years, Jim Ellis has provided those in and around the black community of Philadelphia the gift of competitive swimming. He began his own swim team in a predominately black community because of his passion for the water and competitive drive. Ellis himself learned in one lesson how to swim as a child, and swimming in turn became a part of his zeal for life. “Swimming was something I learned young in life, and I felt very comfortable in the water,” he said.
His experiences in the water were positive and memorable, so much so that he remembers feeling he belonged to the water. He followed his passion from that childhood swim lesson to participation on his high school swim team, Boys Club swim team, and a college swim team. During his college years, he applied for a position with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (PDR), first teaching kids how to swim and then eventually building a swim team.
The struggle to engage the black community in a swim team was complicated by a variety of outside factors. “There were struggles because kids came from all different walks of life,” he recalled. “Gangs were prevalent in Philadelphia at the time at the Marcus Foster Pool facility and the original facility, Sayre Recreation Center.” But providing kids in the community the option to be a part of the PDR programming provided an alternative to gang activity.
The program began with children no older than 10. Over time, the team expanded to include teenagers. Unlike many programs, PDR is heavily involved in the educational endeavors of the swimmers, which is in sync with Ellis’ coaching philosophy.
“Education is the key. Achievement through swimming, through sport, is wonderful — but education is the key. I am an educator, so swimming is just a vehicle to help educate. So the better one gets in competitive swimming, their chances increase for getting a college education and for a scholarship,” Ellis said.
“This is a chance to open their eyes to whatever is happening in the world by traveling in the sport, participating on college campuses, and participating in fantastic aquatic facilities around the country.”
Taking a moment to reflect on the PDR experience, Ellis said that “exposure was the main vehicle that took us somewhere else in trying to build a team. I did not want a superstar here or there. I wanted a whole team of superstars. I wanted to do something unique and different in the sport.”
In turn, Ellis built a cohesive swim team that successfully qualified swimmers for national competition, earned all-American recognition and won junior national titles.
Ellis knew that building such a program was a challenge for swimming in the 1970s. White opponents Ellis faced during his building years were skeptical of the success of PDR. His mantra for his swimmers then (and now) was, “Beat them at their own game.”
“They had never seen this and so they couldn’t visualize it,” he said of the program’s skeptics. “They didn’t think we had the ability to organize, the ability to do the work, or the ability to be swimmers. Race is attached to everything we do. People say it’s not, but I think it is.
“I’m a coach. I’m in a black community and I reach out to young African-American kids because I am in their community. Along the way we got national recognition and the team became integrated. We attracted people because they wanted to be a part of what we were doing.”
If the opportunity arose for Ellis to be a part of an NCAA institution’s swimming program, he says that there would be much to consider. “Universities that have these facilities also need to have an obligation to open them to those who are less fortunate.” Ellis commends the efforts and opportunities La Salle University has provided for his swim team and encourages other institutions to do the same.
He also is concerned about the continuous challenges student-athletes of color face today. “Some student-athletes get a false sense of who they are. People make over them so much and do not demand that they get their education. That’s not everyone, but I see a lot of them who will never make it to the pros and do not have Plan B set aside where they are going to pursue a career. Student-athletes need to understand that there are other things that can be done in the world.”
The message Ellis has for current and future coaches of color is to coach while young. “Not too many African-American coaches got an opportunity to coach at the NCAA Division I level at a young age, in their prime. They always got it late in life or they got the position when the program was in trouble or they are in a no-win situation.
“Those are some of the things we face. They think our management skills aren’t that good, to organize, to run the programs or to know the game. We do our homework, we know the game.”
Ellis’ positive energy keeps him focused on the goals he sets for himself and his team. He frequently refers to keeping your eye on the prize and never losing sight of the end for success. Ellis views the struggles he has overcome as speed bumps.
“I don’t deal with struggles,” he said. “I deal with the end result as being fast. Struggles are just bumps in the road. You deal with it then, you adapt, and you move on.”
When “Pride” opens in theaters, Ellis hopes the audience walks away with a new perspective on swimming. “Swimming is a viable alternative. Everybody can’t play basketball or football or run track. This is something else we can do and be successful. It is a lifelong sport,” he said.
Ellis has helped open the door for many swimmers of color and has helped erase the ignorance about Blacks’ abilities in the sport. Jim Ellis is a true pioneer and community builder — a role model for our programs and departments.
Most importantly, I am proud to say that he has become my friend and hero.
Tiffany Quash is an NCAA athletics administrative intern at Mount Holyoke College, where she also serves as intramurals coordinator and has assisted with the swim team. The film “Pride,” starring 2006 Academy Awards best actor nominee Terrence Howard as Coach Jim Ellis, opened nationally March 23 in theaters.
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