The Three-Year Swim Club
The Untold Story of Maui's Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory
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In 1937, a schoolteacher on Maui inspired impoverished sugar plantation children to swim against the current of their circumstances and aim for the Olympics. These Japanese-American kids, malnourished and barefoot, trained in filthy irrigation ditches instead of pools, facing a future of labor in the fields, identified only by numbered tags. Their teacher, Soichi Sakamoto, had limited swimming skills but fueled their ambition. Against the backdrop of intense anti-Japanese sentiment, the children defied the odds, outracing Olympic athletes in their first year. By their second year, they became national and international champions, breaking records and gaining recognition from Los Angeles to Nazi Germany. In their third year, they were hailed as the world's greatest swimmers, yet they confronted their toughest challenge: the onset of World War II and the cancellation of the Olympic Games. Despite this, they emerged as celebrated heroes on the battlefield, and in 1948, they had one final opportunity for Olympic glory. This is the remarkable journey of the Three-Year Swim Club, showcasing resilience and triumph against adversity. *Includes Reading Group Guide*
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The Three-Year Swim Club, Julie Checkoway
- Language
- Released
- 2015
- Binding
- (Hardcover),
- Book condition
- Very Good
- Price
- €9.79
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- Title
- The Three-Year Swim Club
- Subtitle
- The Untold Story of Maui's Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory
- Language
- English
- Authors
- Julie Checkoway
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- Released
- 2015
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 432
- ISBN10
- 1455523445
- ISBN13
- 9781455523443
- Series
- Tags
- Historical Themes, Sports, USA, Children, 20th century, World War II, Inspiration, Training, Poverty, Boys, Water, Japanese, Olympics, Water Sports, Swimming
- Description
- In 1937, a schoolteacher on Maui inspired impoverished sugar plantation children to swim against the current of their circumstances and aim for the Olympics. These Japanese-American kids, malnourished and barefoot, trained in filthy irrigation ditches instead of pools, facing a future of labor in the fields, identified only by numbered tags. Their teacher, Soichi Sakamoto, had limited swimming skills but fueled their ambition. Against the backdrop of intense anti-Japanese sentiment, the children defied the odds, outracing Olympic athletes in their first year. By their second year, they became national and international champions, breaking records and gaining recognition from Los Angeles to Nazi Germany. In their third year, they were hailed as the world's greatest swimmers, yet they confronted their toughest challenge: the onset of World War II and the cancellation of the Olympic Games. Despite this, they emerged as celebrated heroes on the battlefield, and in 1948, they had one final opportunity for Olympic glory. This is the remarkable journey of the Three-Year Swim Club, showcasing resilience and triumph against adversity. *Includes Reading Group Guide*