Swim Dem Crew: Poolside Pioneers
A BODY MOVEMENTS ISSUE EXCLUSIVE
Photography: Jessica Pierre Ross (@jessicaelizaross) | Editorial/Production Assistant: Aidan Rana (@axydn)
According to Swim England, only two percent of regular swimmers in England are Black. Swim Dem Crew is a London-based swimming collective that has created sessions for people to learn how to swim, in a space where everyone, no matter what their level, can come, enjoy and take things in at the speed that suits them.
Interview by Tosin Gbaja
Swim Dem was started after a friendship harboured between the founding members – Nathaniel, Peigh and Emily. They started swimming together, after they’d joined a running club and started swimming together. They wanted to open up the benefits they got from swimming as a collective to others, however, aware that a collision of perceptions, amongst a host of other contributing factors, had created a barrier for Black people’s entry into swimming, the founding of Swim Dem Crew was specifically motivated by an aim to encourage people of all abilities and backgrounds to adopt swimming. In order to do this, the crew turned their attention to improving accessibility and pivoting mainstream perception of the sport away from exclusionary narratives that centre whiteness. By promoting their cause at numerous beach party events, they were able to reach a community of Black and brown inner city kids, who had not initially seen the pool as a place for them.
In their commitment to maintaining a safe space, Swim Dem Crew have successfully integrated inclusive swimming with the benefits of improved mental health and community. With the crew now approaching their 10th anniversary, founders Nathaniel Cole and Peigh Asante speak about everything they’ve achieved since founding their inclusive swim group.
The work the duo have done to break down barriers to Black people swimming has had a huge impact – something that they recognise themselves and are proud of. With firm focuses on community and safe environments, over participation rates and competitions, it’s no surprise that they have influenced and inspired a whole host of new organisations in sports and beyond.
Tosin Gbaja: Tell me a bit about the history of Swim Dem Crew. Why did it start, and why swimming?
Nathaniel Cole: It didn’t start with Swim Dem Crew; we were with Run Dem Crew first. They got their name from various places, but mainly from a band called Scare Dem Crew. When we started going to Run Dem, our friend Emily was like, “Yo, let’s swim together.” This was the early days of Instagram when we were starting out, and in those days when you were taking photos, you tagged anything with ”Dem Crew”. You could be a Rock Climbing Dem Crew, Walk Dem Crew – we were doing the same but with swimming. It grew to the point where people wanted to start swimming with us, and we decided to make that a thing, rather than just having us three swimming and hanging out. We opened it up to other people, made a community in the water, and the name stuck.
Peigh Asante: At that time, swimming was the prominent thing that we were all collectively doing – when I say collectively, what I mean is myself, Nathaniel and Emily. So, that's how it came about.
TG: Where do you feel swimming sits within Black culture, and why do you think it sits there?
NC: Realistically, I think swimming still sits with things like walking, hockey, and ice hockey as “white people stuff”. In Black culture, because of all the connotations, and the extra aggravation with swimming (in terms of hair care and skin care), I think it's still thought of as something that’s not for us. Even though we exist to change that narrative, and have done a really good job at changing it, I think where it sits now [in Black culture] is at pool parties and old school house party vibes. You know, when you see famous people having their big pool parties, it's like that in Vegas and Ibiza.
PA: Exactly, and I think it’s also because we – and when I say “we” I mean Black People – don’t see it as a life skill, even though it is. We don’t see the importance of it, we don’t think, “This is something that I am going to arm myself with.” I think that’s why it’s just vibes for a lot of people. Even when I first started swimming, all my friends were like, ”Why are you doing that? Black people don’t swim.” It was wild to me.
TG: Do you feel that the attitude your friends had is a very Western attitude to have? Is swimming viewed differently within Black communities in other countries?
NC: When I go back home to Trinidad, swimming is seen as a way to enjoy yourself; going to the beach, cooking, and drinking by the beach, along with going to the river is a form of enjoyment. Those places where there are bodies of water are where people go to gather. Every coastal place that I have been to around the world, people are always by the water. People always engage with what’s around them. In terms of Western ideas, water is very separate from concrete in an environmental sense, and I think that’s one of the factors that affects how we view swimming.
TG: What do you think the impact of your work in swimming, and with the Swim Dem community has been?
PA: I think we have had quite an impact on the swimming community. We’ve seen a change in the perceptions of what swimming is; but we have also seen other communities around the world look at us as trailblazers, front runners, and start their own communities as a result of us existing. [People] message us saying that they want to do something similar, to encourage people to move their bodies in the water. So, I think the impact has been massive. Not just in the swimming community, but amongst our peers as well. Swimming is a hard space to come into, especially when there is no blueprint – unlike running for example. With swimming, there are so many barriers to entry, and it’s inspired or motivated our peers in a different way. They may not go and create their own sports community, but they may go for that job opportunity, or break up with that person, or move cities. What we do gives them that strength and that power.
NC: Years ago, when we first started, we wanted to challenge the conventions and stereotypes around swimming. If I look at the swimming industry now in terms of the shifts it’s trying to make, I don't think there's any brand or community of people, especially in the UK, that can say they have had no influence. For swimming brands to be focused on communities, and other organisations to exist that celebrate Black and brown swimmers – that has happened because we made the blueprint, and there is nothing wrong with us saying that. It is what it is.
PA: It’s always harder being the first person that goes through the door, because that person has to smash the door to let others through. It’s hard being the trailblazers, but we are those guys.
TG: How do you think setting up Swim Dem Crew has impacted you and your own personal lives?
PA: I learnt how to swim as an adult, so I’m self-taught in swimming. I built myself up by going to the pool and doing one lap, then going home, coming back the next day and doing two laps, then going home. What it taught me was persistence, resilience, and discipline, and those are things that I've definitely taken into my everyday life, and in work. Just going at your own pace and staying in your lane; the minute you start looking left, looking right, it all starts unravelling.
NC: For me, I think it's all pretty practical. The film we made for Swim Dem Crew helped me to get a job, and then we went freelance around the same time. The practical element of the work I do now has been guided and informed by the work I do with Swim Dem – research, writing, consultancy. Plus, working in the swimming industry has taught me how to be a bit more confident; how to speak clearly, how to project my voice, about crowd control, all these things that I use in my work now – that has all come from Swim Dem, community creation, organisation.
TG: Has there been any moment when running Swim Dem Crew or being in the swimming industry has negatively impacted your mental health? If so, how did you realise this, and how did you get back into a better space?
NC: My most recent example would have been in [Covid-19] lockdown. I felt as if the rug had been pulled from under mine and Swim Dem’s feet; going from four sessions a week, and swimming pretty much everyday to all that stopping. For me, in terms of mental health struggles, having a community that you feel responsible for also makes you feel responsible for how people feel – just like being a DJ, and being responsible for people having a good time or not. I felt as if I had let down a huge group of people by not being able to continue sessions, and those were really low moments because I didn’t plan on stopping them. We are slowly getting back into the groove of things now. Being back in the space has gotten rid of those previous anxieties.
PA: I would probably say not having the ability to swim or move my body through a body of water essentially. It had a negative impact. That's the vice, that's my release. That is my escapism, you know. I've got quite a busy mind, and swimming is one of the only things that calms that down. I've recently found that reading does the same thing for me, as well.
“Come to Swim Dem Crew and you don’t even have to swim. Come, touch the water, put your feet in, that’s it. That might be part of your journey.”
TG: Why do you think that movement and being able to swim – using your body like you mention – is so important? How does that relate to the work that you do?
PA: Movement is medicine, isn't it? When you move your body, you get a rush of endorphins, and these are the good, natural highs. So when I don’t do that, and then I am feeling down or there is a heavy cloud above me, it’s hard to remember that everytime I move my body I feel great. Movement is medicine and that’s a big part of our DNA, and what we do.
NC: Swimming is just so different to other activities. I think it’s very similar to flying; I have never flown before [laughs], but the only equivalent I have found similar to swimming is trampolining! Having that weightlessness, and something that has to be separated from technology and our surroundings. That’s what draws me in and keeps me swimming; it’s important to have a contract in activities in contrast to regular contracts of activities in everyday life.
TG: What can be done to get more people involved in swimming?
NC: It’s difficult, because swimming is the first step; it’s the base to many other sports, like watersports. I guess the question is, do you get more people into athletics by showing the range of athletics? Or do you get them into it by having a really good 100m showcase, and hope that the interest does the rest after that? I don’t know which is better.
PA: What would be a great initiative would be actually showing the doors that swimming can open, so it’s not just seen as vibes. But even if people want it for the vibes, that’s okay, because they’re still learning the foundation and a life skill. By doing that, they will feel confident going on a jet ski, jumping off the boat, doing activities on holiday. You have to pull people in with their interest – that’s a way to hook them in. [Vibes are] a really good starting point, because when looking at all of the people that come to our lessons, a strong 70% are people who say one of three things: “I'm about to have a child,” or “I want to do swimming lessons with my child,” or “I'm going on holiday, and I want to feel comfortable jumping off the boats and vibes.” So the writing's on the wall, the insight is there.
TG: Another area of swimming is clothing, and how swimwear can impact your confidence in the water – at the moment this area seems to largely centre cisgender women. Are there any issues surrounding that conversation that you would like to be spoken about more, especially for those who identify as men?
NC: Swimwear mainly targets cisgender women, so men tend to get palmed off with shorts – even in running, it was the same. I think current swimwear has fun with patterns and colours, but that’s not really an option for guys either. It’s either Speedo’s or shorts, and only a couple of brands are making appropriate upper body wear that you can wear to the pool to help you feel a little less self conscious; it’s not a priority for brands if I’m being honest. I think it speaks to how expected it is for men to just get on with stuff. So either you wear your shorts, or you wear your shorts with a t-shirt that can get wet, and that’s it. It’s not that the conversation around men’s body image is not understood, it’s just not prioritised. It would be nice to see, because we are getting there with sports, but they are targeting women with modest swimwear, when for men, the only thing on the rack is shorts.
TG: Do you think that lack of consideration in men’s swimwear could act as a barrier to getting more men into swimming?
PA: I think it’s multi-layered. The clothes we wear to the pool are a barrier, but there are so many other barriers to entry – and the main one for guys is the ego. Not knowing how to swim as a man, there is an element of vulnerability you have to show, and an element of letting go of your ego; realising there will be times when you look silly, that you will need to be told what to do, that you’re gonna have to start from zero. I think that’s harder for men to take. Even looking at our participation levels, it’s about 70% women, I can even push it to 80% if you are talking about our lessons. In each cohort we have about two guys.
NC: I think it links to the relationship that men have with exercise, and the ideas around solo workouts versus group exercise classes, which are viewed as predominantly for women. These are all different barriers.
TG: What is next for Swim Dem Crew? What aspects would you love to grow and improve on?
PA: You’ve caught us when we are nine years old, so next year we will be ten. We need to sit down and have a think about what ten looks like to us. What does ten years of swimming look like? And beyond that, what is our legacy? It’s a hard question to answer in an interview, because year to year it’s a different thing; because we are coming up to a decade, it’s a totally different thing. It’s like, “Okay, there is a full stop to this chapter. What does the next one look like?” Personally, I don’t think we have the answer to that just yet.
TG: What would you like people to know about Swim Dem Crew that you haven’t had the opportunity to say before?
NC: That swimming is for everybody – and by that I mean it’s for everybody, no matter what your ability is. Whatever your ability, you should be able to go to a swimming pool and touch the water, because people think all swimming pools are deep and they are not. Come to Swim Dem Crew and you don’t even have to swim. Come, touch the water, put your feet in, that’s it. That might be part of your journey. I think that people have a perception that if you come to Swim Dem Crew, you’ve got to be swimming up and down; no, that's not what we are about. We exist to cater to all those different groups.
PA: Being the first in any space where there's not many people like you is going to be challenging, no matter the space, right? We face many hurdles, many challenges, many barriers. But I think for us, it was just about being resilient, having that tough skin. When you want to be that first person, you've got to have that title because you're not just fighting for you. You're fighting for everybody else that looks like you, and is from the same space that you are from. I think we realised our power and responsibility really quite early on, and I always say it, but you can't be what you can't see. We had to be in this space for people to see, to understand that they can be in this space too. So we had to keep fighting, we had to keep going. We could have given up, but we had to keep going – because it was bigger than us.
