According to the USA Swim survey nearly 60 percent of African American children can not swim.  But one Midlands group wants to close the door to that statistic and open up a wave of new possibilities.

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Marilyn Brooks says she’s looking to water down that statistic, by allowing her son to join Columbia’s minority-based Greenview Dolphin Swim Team.

“To be a part of a competitive team teaches them sportsmanship,” said Brooks.  “It teaches them discipline, so all the things that help them feel like a team.”

After 16 years of teaching the team, Coach Jerry Young says he still enjoys seeing them progress.

“It’s a real good feeling because sometimes we get kids who can’t swim the length of the pool,” said Young.  “And at the end of the summer they’re able to swim the whole length of the pool.”

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