One With the Ocean is a Southern California-based non-profit organization that began as a passionate community of conscientious ocean swimmers. They have expanded to athletes and adventure seekers of all ages and all backgrounds who overcome fears and find joy in the open water. They are dedicated to providing immersive open-water experiences for youth from underserved communities, with the goal of fostering a deep love and respect for the ocean. Through its programs, they aim to inspire the next generation of ocean advocates who will work to protect and preserve the marine environments for the future.
So it makes a whole lotta sense that One With the Ocean has teamed up with two-time Paralympic swimmer Jamal Hill (@swimuphill) who grew up swimming in Southern California in the shadows of LAX International Airport, very near the Pacific Ocean.
As Hill is preparing for his 50m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, One With the Ocean and Hill’s Swim Up Hill Foundation, want to expand offering culturally relevant swim lessons to young people of color throughout the underserved communities of Los Angeles. Hill understands well that there is a genuine fear of water and a woeful lack of funding for swim lessons.
Their simple start? Teach 6,000 students in Los Angeles how to swim.
Their audacious goal? Teach one million children across the U.S. to swim using his innovative, rapid results Swim Up Hill method. “It’s a revolutionary swimming course that puts anxious parents (who are often unable to swim themselves) and students at ease, even before they take their first steps near the pool,” says Hill. By starting the swim lessons in the safety of the classroom and having kids learn breathing techniques with their faces in a bowl of water, Hill transforms their aqua-anxiety to self-confidence. He remarked, “We not only save lives, we improve lives.”
One With the Ocean manages Play in the Waves, an immersive ocean program for underserved elementary and high school kids. With a California State Parks Outdoor Equity Program Grant, One With the Ocean was searching for young swimmers to fill its program dates and agreed to earmark grant funds for Hill’s water safety and pool sessions. Together, Hill’s learn-to-swim method will be shared with students in 30 schools within South Los Angeles.
After returning from the Paris Paralympics (where he is seeded second in the S9 50m freestyle), Hill will lead the training sessions and will help train and certify teachers to incorporate these lessons into their curriculum.
A Bowl, A Bench, And A Bucket: Learn To Swim In 5 Hours is the training manual of the Swim Up Hill Foundation and is at the heart of its mission to teach 1,000,000 people to swim.
Hill has muscular neuropathy, a degenerative disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and competes in the S9 category for swimmers who have joint restrictions in one leg or double below-the-knee amputations.
Steven Munatones says, “Guided by healer and swim coach Wilma Wong of Golden Rebels in Pasadena, Jamal’s passion to teach swimming and to inspire others, to laugh and explore his full potential, is so evident; those characteristics runs through his DNA. His joy is infectious. His focus on facing and overcoming obstacles is remarkable. I know many people are going to be very happy and proud to see him standing on top of the podium in Paris where he is seeded second going into the Paralympics. Jamal deserves every accolade, recognition, respect, and award he receives – and earns.”
For more information on Swim Up Hill, visit here.
His 50m freestyle race at the Paris Paralympic Games is scheduled on September 2nd.
© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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