Sakamoto's Swim Club: How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory
SAKAMOTO'S SWIM CLUB HOW A TEACHER LED AN UNLIKELY TEAM TO VICTORY Written by JULIE ABERY Illustrated by CHRIS SASAKI Kids Can Press
Preface Who would believe that children cooling off in the irrigation ditches of sugar plantations on the Hawaiian island of Maui could become Olympic swimming champions Science teacher Soichi Sakamoto believed He was determined to make a difference in their lives With Sakamoto’s guidance Maui’s swimmers surged onto the national scene and dominated events both in the United States and across the world This included two Olympic gold medals won by Bill Smith in the 1948 London games Almost lost to history the story of Sakamoto’s swim club is an inspiration to athletes around the world
