13-year-old Boatwright has Olympic dreams

By JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — If Samuel Boatwright ever becomes one of the few black swimmers to make the U.S. Olympic team, then his father, Anthony Boatwright, a native of Youngstown, will have been a big part of his son’s achievement.

Already Samuel, 13, who has been swimming competitively for eight years as a member of United States Swimming while based in Atlanta, has attracted attention from the swimming world as one of the few young, talented black swimmers with great potential to become a U.S. Olympian.

A lot of that is due to his father, a 1967 South High graduate and a certified USA Swimming instructor, who has been guiding his son’s daily development since he was 5 years old as his personal coach and also as a coach on his team, The City of Atlanta Dolphins.

Anthony, a 1967 All-City baskeball selection under coach Pete Popovich who also played two seasons for Youngstown State and coach Dom Rosselli, said Samuel likes swimming and continues to improve.

He also said that the sport has helped Samuel to excel academically at Ralph Bunche Middle School in Atlanta with straight-A average.

“If he stays on course, he will [become an Olympic candidate], but there are no guarantees,” said Anthony, a former masters swimmer who no longer competes but still works out in the pool. “He likes it and excels.”

Anthony, a courier with FedEx, is on vacation in Youngstown to visit his mother, Ruth Franklin. He said his son excels in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events, helped by the fact that he is very disciplined and tall (6-foot-11⁄2) for his age.

“The 50-meter freestyle qualifying time for the Olympic time trials is 23.49, and he is at 27.20,” said Anthony, who is 6-5. “He is not that far off. He has to practice more and develop his technique. He is going to get stronger and taller.”

Samuel, whose mother, Linda Boatwright also lives in Atlanta, swam his 100 freestyle at the 2008 Georgia Age Group Championship in 58.63 seconds, which earned him AAA status in the senior standards.

Anthony believes more black youth should get involved with swimming. When he retires, he expects to return to Youngstown to attract more inner-city children to the pools and swimming training.

“A very small percentage of blacks are involved in USA Swimming,” said Anthony. “In a recent age group meet we went to, there were only two black swimmers in his age group from the whole state of Georgia.”

Anthony said swimming requires discipline, which is one of the reasons Samuel likes the sport.

“I think it happens that with this discipline that swimmers do well in school. I truly believe that swimming helps students to do better in school,” said Anthony.

But he believes that athletics in general keep “a lot of kids out of trouble and off the streets and gives them something to shoot for.”

Anthony said swimming also requires “concentration” so a swimmer can focus on improving each time in practice and meeting goals, which “can help you in school and life. Because you must set goals to improve just like you do in school and life.”

Samuel and Anthony have traveled to various meets in the South and Southwest, and they will go to almost any meet to compete.

“But we do a lot of things out of state. Even if the team doesn’t go, I’ll look for and find meets to give him the exposure,” said Anthony.

Anthony and Samuel even worked out this past week at the YSU and Hubbard pools, and are grateful to Michael Bowman at the YSU Aquatic Center and Craig Yaniglos, aquatic director at Hubbard Community Pool, for allowing them the use of the pools.

One of the highlights for Samuel’s career thus far was winning high-point honors in his 13-and-under age group in a USA Swimming meet in Goldsboro, Ga., and winning a watch and getting to pose with black Olympic swimmers Cullen Jones and Maritza Correia.

Jones is a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team who broke the U.S. record in the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this month, while Correia was the first black female to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2004.

Samuel is hoping that one day he can emulate their achievements.

kovach@vindy.com