The Water Cube (low res)

When you’re done drooling over the unbelievable "Water Cube" Olympic venue (see the official photos), you’ll find the following two articles on gold-medal swimmer Cullen Jones thought-provoking:

"Watching the American men’s relay team swim for gold in Beijing, it’s hard to believe the United States has a swimming problem.

But there’s little to celebrate about the state of American swimming at home. In 2005, there were 3,582 unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging 10 deaths per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death among children.

But the most worrisome statistics involve black children and teens ages 5 to 19, who are 2.3 times more likely to drown than whites in this age group. For children 10 to 14, the rate is five times higher.

Nearly 6 out of 10 African-American and Hispanic children are unable to swim, nearly twice as many as their Caucasian counterparts, a concern often highlighted by U.S. Olympian Cullen Jones, who is African-American and swam the third leg of the winning men’s relay this week.

In June, The Wall Street Journal profiled Cullen Jones and his efforts to raise awareness about swimming among African-American children. In that report, Mr. Jones said members of his own family still ask him why he chose the sport. “They’ll say, ‘Don’t you know blacks don’t swim?’ ” Mr. Jones told the paper. (To read the article, click here.)…"

An inspiring Olympic story:  A Disabled Swimmer’s Dream (NY Times, 6/18/08)

"SAN DIEGO — As Kendall Bailey swims, his praying-mantis limbs flapping him forward, something about the water disguises his many maladies: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism and more. Only in a swimming pool do they dissolve and allow his troubled body and mind to be all but normal. He is happy, safe and possibly the fastest disabled breaststroker in the world…"