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Sakamoto s Swim Club How a Teacher

Led an Unlikely Team to Victory Julie


Abery Chris Sasaki
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For Jim, who believed — J.A.

For Grandma Irene — C.S.

With special thanks to Coach Keith Arakaki of the Hawaii Swimming Club,

ISBN 978-1-5253-0788-1 (EPUB)

Text © 2021 Julie Abery

Illustrations © 2021 Chris Sasaki

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior

written permission of Kids Can Press Ltd. or, in case of photocopying or other

reprographic copying, a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency


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?


Valley Isle.

Lush terrain.

Migrant workers
Dawn to dusk

they toil away.

Children left
Run!

Policeman’s on his beat.

Children scatter
Sakamoto

takes a stand,

offering a
He makes the case

for kids to train,

using ditch as
Daily program.

Strict regime.

Use resistance.
Science teacher’s

new approach

turns him into


Ditch to pool.

Plan is clearer.

Sakamoto’s
Swimmers share

Olympic dream.

Three-Year Swim Club


Make their entrance,

bright and loud.

Maui’s swimmers
But tension knocks

at Europe’s door.

Olympic hopes —
Dawn raids shatter

peaceful skies.

Athletes answer
Dream awakes

in forty-eight.

Poised on blocks,
In the bleachers

full of pride,

Sakamoto’s
Starting gun.

Bill dives clear.


Stroke by stroke,

he shows no fear.
Pace, rhythm,

strength, speed

come together
Maui’s swimmer On the rostrum,

breaks the mold. taking gold.


The anthem plays.

People cheer.

Sakamoto
Author’s Note

Coach Sakamoto (far right) with the Three-Year Swim Club.

From the collection of the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum.

In Maui, also known as the Valley Isle, streams rush From his classroom window, a local science teacher

down lush mountain slopes. In the 1930s, water tumbled named Soichi Sakamoto would watch the children swim.

to the valley and flowed into irrigation ditches that Then he would hear the clip-clopping of the plantation

nourished the island’s sugar plantations. While workers policeman’s horse, and sigh as barefoot children
Sakamoto decided to speak to the owners of the They entertained the press, singing Hawaiian songs with

Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company, offering Sakamoto accompanying them on the ukulele. They were

to take responsibility for the children if the company proud of their heritage. Their pride gave them strength.

would allow them to keep swimming in the irrigation Maui swimmers had never won a major championship,
Resources

Arakaki, K. “Missus.” Hawaii Swim . May 1992.

http://www.hawaiiswim.org/legacy/hscMiss.html
Author Julie Abery is a former preschool teacher

who shaped her career reading picture books to

children from around the world. She has a passion

for combining nonfiction with rhyming verse to tell


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