ROSELAND — Jada Lathrop, 9, aspires to one day swim in the Olympics, and her coach said he’ll do his best to make that happen.
The young swimmer has been jumping in pools since she was 2. Today, she swims with the nonprofit Chicago South Swim Club, known as the Tiger Sharks.
“When you swim, you’re free,” Jada said, adding that she feels “unique” swimming.
Her coach, Michael Frye, has been coaching the South Side team since 2010.
“Jada's got big dreams,” he said. “She’s great. I’ve had her since she was about 7 or 8, and she’s always been an outstanding swimmer, great talent, always motivated, driven, gives her best."
He said there’s a misconception that blacks don’t like to swim, which he loves proving wrong whenever his team competes.
“I prove them wrong every time,” Frye said. “I have state champions in just about every age group, so we definitely can do it, and we’re the best at it. When people say those things it’s almost insulting, because I mean the team has been all-minority for a long time.
"When people present to me that mentality, it’s kind of like, you’re wrong, we do swim, and even our history shows us swimming. We were some of the first swimmers, some of the best swimmers, going way, way back,” Frye said.
Jamir Madrey, 13, has been swimming for five years. He said his favorite part of being on the team is the competition.
“I just like going against other teams and seeing how they swim and how I can get better,” he said.
He also likes being on an all-black team, he said.
“That’s the best part, being a black team and being able to do so well at swim meets,” Jamir said.
Jonathan Watson, 15, has been swimming since he was 3. His mother, Tracey Watson of Calumet Heights, signed him up with the Tiger Sharks when he was 5. She said she initially wanted him to get the exercise, but she quickly saw the added benefits of being on the team. He has coaches he can talk to, and as an only child, he’s around peers who have become like family.
Watson calls swimming a life skill that everyone, no matter race or ethnicity, should know how to do.
The team accepts new swimmers year-round, and its first season will run from late October through March. There are four levels. The team practices Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at Chicago State University in the Jacoby Dickens Center, from 5-8 p.m. No experience is necessary, but Frye said they prefer people who are comfortable in the water. For more information visit www.Chicagosouthswimclub.com or follow them on Facebook.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
