Bryce Tarver '20 Recruiting Profile

My goals on any swim team would involve becoming a better individual, not just for myself, but for the campus community, my team, and the African American population on campus. In my African American literature class, I’m reading “Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery” by Dr. Na’im Akbar. Dr. Akbar (1996) states that, “One of the attitudes which has been passed to us from slavery is rather distorted African-American attitudes towards work” (p. 4). I highlight this quote because as a young Black man, there is an existing imbalance on how Black males are perceived by other ethnicities. We are looked upon as immature and uneducated. Of course this is a false statement or stereotype. Throughout history, when there were plantations and slave masters, Black Americans were forced to do manual work with no reward or gain. Dr. Akbar explains that being in educational institutions requiring long term commitments, like college, is challenging for many Blacks because they don’t have the mentality of seeing the end reward. These individuals would rather seek short term profits, and this mindset has lead to the birth of street-hustlers and pimps. The real reason I love this quote is because it goes beyond just education. Anyone who has ever played a sport in High School or College, knows that the commitment is bitter but the fruit of ones labor is sweet. You learn time management skills, organizational skills, and even communication/team building skills. These skills not only make you a better athelete, but a better student as well.  For example, during my Junior year, which was my first year competitivly swimming, I earned Principals Honor roll, with s GPA over a 4.0 before and after the swim season. I was constantly at National Honors Society Meetings on Thursdays, and had to keep up with my National Society of High School Scholars cohort. Did I sacrifice daily to achieve these goals I set for myself? Yes, but it was worth it. I shared this to show that I am not afraid of hard work and commitment. I know what it takes to be successful inside and outside of the classrom, and strive to be an example to motivate other Black students to become scholars. The stigma that somehow being smart and caring about my grades makes me "white" or less Black is absurd. Moreover, the idea that because I participate in a white dominated sport makes me a sell out is even more ridiculous. I have learned to ignore the rude comments of peers to pursue my dreams. I hope I am an example to other Black students who may be curious about pursuing swimming as a sport. It would be refreshing to see more Black students involved in a traditionally white male dominated sport.  As I stated earlier, I do not allow today's culture and definitions of "Blackness" to define me. I have worked hard for the academic and atheltic goals I have accomplished. I have taken a stand against the long standing stereotype that “Black folks can’t swim".  It’s important for college communities to send a message that polarizing stereotypes are not acceptable.  Minorities should feel comfortable pursuing whatever sport they are interested in regardless of racial bias.  I plan to use my  leadership abilities to motivate my fellow peers to pursue academic and athletic goals that are outside of societal norms.