Cullen Jones is a rarity in the sport of swimming. Jones was the first African-American to hold a world record in swimming and has gone on to win two Olympic gold medals.
Now, he is trying to use his influence to get parents to teach their kids to swim.
70 percent of African-Americans don't know how to swim and through the USA Swimming Foundation and "Make A Splash" Jones is trying to make sure that parents understand how important it is that their kids get swimming lessons so they are comfortable and safe around the water.
Jones sat down with HNGN recently for an exclusive interview to discuss both "Make A Splash" and his preparations for the 2016 Olympics.
Tell me a little bit about 'Make A Splash.'
In 2008 I won my first gold medal and one of my friends came up to me and said "do you know what you just did for the sport of swimming?" and I had no idea what he meant, I was just a competitive guy put in an awesome situation. The "Make A Splash" foundation approached me and they put some of the drowning statistics in front of me and I saw that African Americans are three times more likely to drown than any other race in the U.S. and I started to think about my family and I knew they didn't know how to swim so I thought this was not only a great way to give back to my family but also to a sport that has given me so much and my community.
Why do you think the percentage of African Americans that can't swim is so high?
In 2010 the University of Memphis put out a study and there were three major reasons why: number one and overarching is fear. The second was parental backing and the last was physical appearance so when it came to physical appearance it was either girls with their hair or having to wear smaller bathing suits. When it comes to parental backing, parents that didn't know how to swim weren't getting their kids involved in swimming and they were transplanting the fear onto their children, treating water like fire. I definitely understand that being an Olympian coming from humble beginnings, I almost drowned when I was five so whenever I'm talking to children or parents I definitely identify.
Do you think your experience almost drowning when you were five years old was a big reason why you got into swimming?
I think my mom was a big reason. She said never again and that is kind of going against the norm of what we have seen the last few years usually when something like that happens parents try to shield their kids and pull them back and stay away from the water but my mom went against the grain by trying to get me swim lessons. She knew that I loved the water and she wanted to give me the tools so I could be successful and that's really the major reason not only that I love working with the USA Swimming Foundation but the reason they put together this initiative is they are giving kids who wouldn't usually have access to these listens the ability to be safe around water.
Back to the "Make A Splash" tour. How is the tour going and what point are you trying to get across exactly?
I started when we are at zero, when the initiative started, and now we are reaching 3.5 million. We have definitely put a dent in the drowning rate. This is something that is going to be generational, these kids that are learning how to swim can teach their kids the same thing and teach them the importance of being safe around the water. We're really breaking a cycle and things are going great. We had a goal of reaching 800,000 kids and we are close to reaching that if not already past it. People are understanding that it is a life skill and that's the thing I try to tell parents that it is a life skill and that is the only way we can get parents to teach their kids to swim.
The goal for 2015 is 800,000 but they said the goal in 2017 is 1 million. Do you think that is attainable?
I think it is. Especially now because you can't beat olympic fever. People love watching the Olympics and love seeing the USA win so we think people will be pretty fired about getting in the water. It's crazy that every city I go to and when I talk to the kids the first thing I ask them is "how many of you like to go in the water?" and every hand pops up so children like being in the water no matter what especially when it starts getting warm so I think it's the goal of parents to get their kids as safe as possible around the water.
Do you think your success will help with the rate of African-Americans not being able to swim?
I believe that if you look in the history of most sports, I'm guilty of it myself, when Tiger Woods was in his prime I picked up a nine-iron, I think that people want to try something when it's something knew and I think that in the African-American culture swimming is still something that we don't do. I would like to think that my success will help people understand how important it is to be safe around the water. I have gotten a bunch of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter messages saying "you're the reason why I swim" and I'm just humbled by that so I'd like to think my career has something to do with it but it's really just shedding light on not only a problem but an awesome sport.
Do you have anything else you'd like people to know about your foundation?
Just really pushing the website. USASwimmingFoundation.org is the best way to get your child swim lessons and that's the name of the game when it comes to the initiative just trying to shed light on a big problem and we have a solution in getting swim lessons and they are low cost to no cost so there is no real reason parents should not get their kids lessons.
You can find Cullen Jones on Twitter @CullenJones, and check out the website USASwimmingFoundation.org.
