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Speaking with Cullen Jones
Sprinter from Newark dreams of being the fastest ever
When Cullen Jones takes to the water, he thinks of himself as a swimmer, not a black swimmer. But as an African-American, that part of his identity has become an important element in his career as a professional athlete. After signing a contract with Nike, Jones took on the responsibility of trying to raise awareness of higher drowning rates for African- and Latin-American kids. Along the way he also became the first African-American to hold a long-course world record, in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships.
You came from an area that was not known for producing swimmers. Do you think about how easily this Olympic dream you had could have been derailed?
There are so many different ways I could of have seen myself forking off. There were a few times I thought about not swimming anymore. And just to see where my life has ended up, it's weird because I can see the type of people and the people that have been introduced to my life that kept me on my path, coaches, and friends. They have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today. Like you said it could have been very, very different.
At what point do you decide 'maybe I should try to make a difference'? When did you take that responsibility on yourself?
When I became a pro athlete is when I took on the responsibility of being like a poster child for the black and Latin community. For the most part I never paid attention to it because to me I just had blinders on. For me it was just Cullen is trying to break a goal. He sets the goal, he tries to break it. That's pretty much how my career has always been. There was no, you are a pro athlete, you are getting paid for it, kids are looking up to you. I was always in my own little world. And I set a goal and I broke it. That's what I love about swimming. I accept a lot of the things people call burden and stress with being the first African-American to be a world record holder long course. Being the first African-American, visually to step up and take the lead and say that you know what, more African-Americans need to learn how to swim. If not to become Olympic swimmers, just to swim because African-Americans are more likely to drown three times more than any other race. I never saw it as that until I became a pro athlete and people actually put this on my plate for the most part. It was always me going for the goal.
Can you explain the look on a little kid's face when you tell him, they are looking at one of the greatest swimmers and you almost drown when you were a kid?
One of the things I do before I start to give a lecture, speech, inspirational talk or whatever you want to call it to kids. I say, ‘Do you think it's possible that I could drown?' Ninety percent of the kids say no. ‘You? Never, you are the fish.' And it's really funny to hear them say that and for me to tell them that story, they are just amazed. I've had grown people sit back and say, ‘You drown? Never. Wouldn't that deter you from it?' I just loved it so much that I continued to do it. And that's how important the message is. I am almost thankful that happened because it's such a great tool to try to get people to try to understand how easy it is for someone who loves swimming, that person can drown. They say, ‘aqua-man can drown.' A lot of people call me aqua-man and it can happen.
Do ever define your goals in terms of race? Like when you broke the record, you were the first black African-American to break a long-course swimming record, does that matter to you?I think the first thing, it wasn't that I was the first black swimmer to do it. It was Cullen just got a world record. That was the first thing in my head. I don't play race into it. I didn't start that way. My love for the sport didn't come because I was the only kid doing something different. Although I did enjoy that I was doing something different. I worked so hard for it. Not necessarily to break the world record because I didn't know that we were going to break the world record, I just wanted to not be the slowest person on the relay. I really just wanted to perform well. It's always been about performance. It's always been how I've wanted to show Cullen, not as the black swimmer but as the swimmer.
Have you accepted the fact that your career matters because of who you are, like it or not?
I have embraced it. But that's not the fuel that pushes me towards being better at what I do. I fell in love with this sport because I love this sport. Not because I wanted to be the first black person to do certain things. It's an amazing byproduct. And I accept the role. I know the role has a lot more to it than standing in front of kids and smiling. That's why I'm setting up foundations and organizations to help kids learn how to swim. So they can perhaps follow in my footsteps. If not to be an Olympic swimmer then just to be safer around the pools. And I get joy, I've seen kids look up to me and it really does make it worth it.
Talk to me about the feelings and emotions you had when that fourth leg touches the wall and you get a world record.
One of the funniest things is that people always say, ‘We want to see that picture of you guys at the end of the race.' If you look at the picture that most people see, you see Michael Phelps standing there with his arms up. Neil Walker is next to him. I am supposed to be there with them, behind them. But what happened was I fell over. I was so exhausted and tired I was seeing colors. I was so tired. It was great, though. I will never forget the feeling of hearing, ‘The U.S. is now under world record pace.' That will ring in my head forever. I will never forget that.
When was the first time you remember having the thought or desire to be the fastest swimmer of all time?
It was probably about four years ago. I never thought I was capable of doing this. Coaches always tell you things like that and your parents, they love you no matter what. They tell you stuff like, ‘You are going to be the best.' And I'm like yeah right. I'm just trying to break my time here. But it was four years ago when I dropped time at the World University Games. I thought, ‘This is possible.' That time is competitive against a lot of top guys that I'd be racing against. And since then I've been working my behind off to just win, make new goals. And in 2006 being the fastest man that year was a cloud nine that I had never been on.
Compiled by NBCOlympics.com staff
(Campanis' infamous remarks took place on the late-night ABC News program Nightline, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's Major League Baseball debut (April 15, 1947). Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject. Nightline anchorman Ted Koppel asked him why, at the time, there had been few black managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify ("Do you really believe that?") or back down on his remarks but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. A protest erupted the next morning and he resigned two days later.)
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