A Friday morning swim lesson isn鈥檛 a big deal. Unless, of course, it鈥檚 taught by an Olympic gold medalist.
Unless the pool is the only one of its kind east of the Mississippi River. Unless it stands for something much larger and more necessary than obvious at first blush, something worth bringing an Olympian to help showcase, especially one as magnetic and thoughtful as Katie Meili.
If you鈥檙e a casual swimming fan, you may not immediately remember Meili 鈥� after all, she鈥檚 not even the most famous Katie in professional swimming around these parts. She won a relay gold medal and an individual bronze at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, but she is perhaps best known for her
That pure, unbridled joy on her face would come again with her individual Olympic bronze medal and her second place finish at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest.
That attitude isn鈥檛 the only thing that makes Meili particularly well-suited for this swim lesson 鈥� a morning鈥檚 worth of them, in fact 鈥� at Eagle Academy Public Charter School in Southeast D.C. She鈥檚 also a third-year Georgetown Law student who does work with the Juvenile Justice Clinic, which provides free legal services for youth in D.C.
She , but that doesn鈥檛 mean she鈥檚 abdicated what she feels is her responsibility as an ambassador for the sport.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice, now that I鈥檓 not competing, I have more time to do this piece of it,鈥� she told 草莓传媒 between sessions in the water last week. 鈥淲hich I鈥檓 excited about doing this year and next year, as the Olympics come around and people get really excited about swimming.鈥�
The pool at Eagle Academy is a rare facility for such a school. In fact, it鈥檚 the only pre-K to third grade school with a pool on campus in the Eastern United States.
An from the years 1999-2010 found that African-Americans aged 5-19 drowned at a rate 5.5 times higher than white children in America. A school like Eagle Academy 鈥� which serves children from Wards 6, 7 and 8, the latter two of which are both more than 92% African American 鈥� saw itself uniquely situated to offer a public service.
鈥淥ur founder knew there was a void in the community, especially with children in this community, that there was a need for them to learn how to swim,鈥� said Karen Maria Alston, chief marketing officer at Eagle Academy.
鈥淪he was very concerned that they were not learning the critical thinking skills that come with swimming. Because swimming teaches you how to think, how to deal with conflict, how to deal with challenges.鈥�
It鈥檚 too early to know if any of Eagle Academy鈥檚 graduates will go on to swim competitively in high school and beyond; the oldest students are still just middle schoolers. While Alston would be thrilled to see that happen, this is about far more than swimming competitively.
鈥淔or us, this is a life skill,鈥� she said.
Principal Clifford Owens is in his first year in charge, but has already seen the impact of the pool on his students.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of therapeutic for them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really part of our enrichment program.鈥�
Every student swims for 50 minutes a day, two to three times a week. The school employs three full-time staffers as instructors and lifeguards, along with a consultant who trains them in CPR and first aid. The investment is made with the intent to make sure that every student knows how to swim by the end of third grade.
Owens said he hasn鈥檛 received a deluge of interest just yet, but he thinks Eagle Academy could pave the way for other elementary schools to buy into the importance of teaching swimming.
鈥淚 think this will set a trend for other pre-K schools. You鈥檒l probably see it coming a couple years from now,鈥� he said.
But Friday morning was all about the present, for the kids and for Meili. It was actually the first time she鈥檇 really been back in the water in a couple months, since announcing her retirement from competition at age 28.
She was approached by the D.C. Trident professional swim team about swimming for them this fall, and while the temptation to join was strong, she鈥檚 more focused on her academic and professional future.
鈥淚 thought really long and hard about it,鈥� she said, noting one of the other three U.S. teams in the league is in her hometown of Dallas. 鈥淚 knew I couldn鈥檛 give 100 percent to both.鈥�
While Meili doesn鈥檛 have an exact long-term plan in the legal field, she鈥檚 already got a corporate litigation position lined up after graduation, followed by a prestigious clerkship for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Back in the pool Friday, all of that could wait.
鈥淭he kids are amazing. They had the biggest smiles on their faces, which is wonderful to see around a pool,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good way to spend a Friday morning.鈥�
