The Howard University Swimming and Diving team partnered with Warner Brother Studios to host a Special Practice and Day party in promotion of their new movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” The practice took place at Burr Gymnasium on Dec. 9 and provided the team the opportunity to have a little fun amid the grind of the season. Warner Brother Studios decided to partner with Howard’s swim and dive team due to their recent success and the media attention they have garnered over the past years. The motion picture powerhouse provided free movie tickets to the Dec. 22 premier at the special practice.
In an interview with Nicholas Askew, director and head coach of the Howard University swimming and diving teams, he spoke on how success from the team – specifically last year’s Battle of the Burr versus Georgetown University – and the men’s first conference championship in 30 years played a part in presenting this opportunity for the program.
The open practice featured a DJ who narrated the practice while playing live music for everyone to enjoy. The team wanted to stay within the norm of their day-to-day practices, as they are now less than 70 days away from the NEC conference championship. Langston Weddington, a swimmer on the team, spoke on how it felt to show fans a different aspect of the sport they normally don’t see, while also being able to inspire the young swimmers of the future.
“It was a great feeling because we got to showcase the exciting aspect of the sport and we were able to do it in front of a lot of kids that came out and aspire to be swimmers for Howard in the future,” Weddington said. “It was also great to be able to get a slight break from the regular ole “come in and hurt” and go about your day. It was a big success for everyone involved, from the team to the coaching staff, and our supporters that came out and got to take part in the action.”
The event took place on a Saturday, a day that the team usually uses to take data and learn what swimmers and divers need to improve on throughout the season. Askew spoke on what normally goes into a weekend practice in preparation for upcoming matches during the week.
Coach Askew is pleased to see his team continue to grow throughout the year while dealing with a more aggressive schedule – they owe that to the team’s success last year. With the team already being the top HBCU swim and dive team in the nation, it’s good to see that they are still not satisfied.
The Howard University swim and dive team will begin the NEC championships on Feb. 20 in Geneva, OH.
Article featured photo courtesy of Branson Brooks.