Paperback by Little, Brown, £14.99 (ebook £8.99)
Soichi Sakamoto was a man with a dream: to train up a team of
underprivileged Maui kids into Olympic swimmers. This was the 1930s,
when such visions were lofty enough at the best of times. Add to that
the fact Sakamoto had no coaching experience; in fact he couldn’t even
swim, and that the irrigation ditches of Maui’s sugar cane fields
would double up as training pools – but none of that stopped the
Three-Year Swim Club (3YSC) from eventually making a splash on the
international swim scene.
Their triumphs overcame far, far greater adversities than those early
practicalities however, and this is what makes their story – one which
author Julie Checkoway was moved to save from remaining a little-known legend – relevant beyond the pool of swimming and sports history fans.
It’s also a beautifully narrated record of life at a time of immense
racial prejudice and inequality, global conflict which threatened and
postponed not only training regimes and the Games themselves, but the
very lives of multiple members of the team, and an awe-inspiring
reminder of how shared dreams – specifically Olympic dreams – have the power to alter destinies and unite nations.
After seeking permission of remaining living members of the 3YSC,
Checkoway had a challenge on her hands gathering up pieces of a jigsaw that, in places, was scattered by scarce records and interruptions
including the Second World War. She apologises at the end of the book
for any ’glaring flaws’ and ’oversights’ – if these do exist, however,
the easy flow of her prose and respect for her subjects more than make
up for it. A truly rewarding read.
