Swimmer Connected to Pride and Rutgers Sends Letter to Rutgers President

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, February 12. SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.com has obtained a copy of a letter sent by Jamil McEnnis to Rutgers President Richard McCormick. McEnnis is a former swimmer under Jim Ellis at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (Ellis is the coach portrayed by Terrence Howard in the motion picture Pride) as well as a Rutgers scholarship swimmer who graduated in 2000. McEnnis is currently the Director of Competitive Aquatics at the Metuchen-Edison YMCA.

In the letter, McEnnis writes about the thousands of swimmers like him that will be denied the opportunity to compete collegiately as men's swimming programs continue to be cut.

Here is the complete letter:
Dear President Richard L. McCormick,

On March 23rd, 2007, Lionsgate Entertainment will be releasing a film called "Pride" about Jim Ellis and the challenges he faced as he introduced the sport of swimming to inner city communities of color in Philadelphia and teach them the value of hard work and competition. My name is Jamil McEnnis, and I am one of those kids that Jim Ellis took under his wing at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (PDR) and turned into a championship swimmer.

During my years as a swimmer at PDR, we experienced racism and discrimination on a regular basis as we dedicated ourselves to succeed in a sport that has long been dominated by whites. But Coach Ellis taught us that with focus and perseverance, this is not only a sport in which we could participate, but also one in which we could excel. Coach Ellis faced the obstacle of keeping young black kids interested in a sport that did not have the "glamour" of basketball and football, and had to sell young athletes on the idea that the big payoff was not a professional contract or endorsement deal, but a means to get into a school to obtain an education. Ultimately, he was successful in inspiring me as well as many others.

Growing up in Philadelphia, there are many distractions that have derailed many promising young lives. But through the guidance of my parents and Coach Ellis, not only did I stay out of the trouble that plagued some of my peers, but I was also able to earn a swimming scholarship to Rutgers University, where I graduated in 2000. I am extremely proud to have been a Student-Athlete at Rutgers because without swimming, I would have missed out on the Rutgers experience.

I am currently the Director of Competitive Aquatics at the Metuchen-Edison YMCA, where I hope to take what I learned from Jim Ellis at PDR as well as at Rutgers and instill those same values in the young children of the community. Before the men's program was eliminated, I would often talk to my young athletes about how great it would be if, one day, they too could experience what it was like to be a Scarlet Knight. But now, I am not sure what to say. What do you tell a young man who has grown up a Rutgers fan and dreamed of competing as a Scarlet Knight, but is now being denied the opportunity to attend the State University and compete in his sport? What do they do? Go to another university outside New Jersey? Quit the sport they have loved for years?

While budgetary concerns must be addressed, the fact that some other programs received exorbitant increases in their budget tells me that perhaps the sole purpose was not to save money. Perhaps the primary purpose is to cut the number of teams and therefore cut the work required to operate the Athletic Department. Sacrificing the future of our youth for this reason is simply unfair.

There are thousands of others like me across the country who need to leverage their strengths and abilities to make something of themselves. But as schools like Rutgers turn their backs on these programs, our children's futures are jeopardized, and the work done by coaches and mentors, like Jim Ellis at PDR, are rendered futile.

I hope that you consider these factors and reverse this course of action. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jamil McEnnis
Rutgers University Class of 2000

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x