Powell Propels Lions in the Pool

Coming off a 10-day training trip to the beautifully exotic lands of tropical Hawaii, the blistering cold of New York City’s undiscriminating winter has been as immense a change for the men’s swimming team as the tide recently brought in by freshman Adam Clayton Powell.

Juggling three different individual events, such as the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, and the 100-yard freestyle, Powell has established himself as a front-runner competitor and not to be taken lightly.

With Harvard and Princeton dominating the waters for the last 34 years, finishing either first or second, Columbia’s goal is centered around ending the streak and perhaps embarking on one of their own.

Head coach Jim Bolster views Powell’s addition into the team as “Fitting in quite well with the program.” He continues by saying: “We have made significant strides in the last four years and having an athlete of Adam’s caliber brings us much closer to our goal. There is no doubt Adam can and will have lots of individual success, along with his focus on helping the team”.

Powell’s trademark tactics involve quick mental transitions from everyday aesthetics to game time concentration in the blink of an eye.

“I am a natural born sprinter,” explains Powell, “so stepping onto that block is one of the biggest rushes I could have. You have 20 seconds to go all out, as fast as you can, with no time for regrets. Without time to think about your performance or the pace of your strokes, you have to be able to switch right into it as soon as you hit the water, all through mental preparation and confidence.”

Any sportswriter will guarantee all signs of confidence point to previous and well-respected high school achievements, while the depth and solidarity of Powell’s poise stems from a different source of assurance.

Powell’s last name connotes historical and legendary achievement in the civil rights movement with the election of grandfather Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to the United States House of Representatives, the first African-American politician to become a powerful figure in the Congress. Throughout the years of the struggle, Powell acted as prominent civil rights leader in the Harlem area of Manhattan through his crusades for jobs and public housing.

When questioned on his grandfather’s notoriously progressive actions, a shy Powell admits to having completed various projects throughout high school on his grandfather’s success, as well as recognizing a deep appreciation for the struggle he fought against and the ideas he represented.

With as interesting and complex a background as Powell’s, the boy within the man comes alive with even the slightest mention of the 50-yard freestyle, by far the most strenuous yet successful of Adam’s events. As the Columbia’s fastest incoming freshman in the event, it is no wonder that Powell holds so much tenure. His skill comes from a vast understanding of swimming’s complex conventions.

“With any other sport, on any given day you are more than able to have the best game of your life,” explains Powell. “With swimming its all about patience and timing. You have to build up to your best and you generally never have quick results. When you step up onto the block it’s all about mentally preparing yourself to handle a whole lot of pressure.”

Alleviation of the pressure comes from the strong guidelines of Coach Bolster and his team in ensuring Powell the most effective help.

“Our hope for Adam in the future is that he reaches his goals,” Bolster said. “There is the opportunity for him to be a league champion, an NCAA qualifier and scorer, and even an Olympic qualifier. We will work with him towards these goals and from what we see his is on track to having an exciting career with the Lions.”

The truth about swimming is in the end it boils down to the last one or two meets, at which point you are expected to establish the best recorded time of the season, with the looming notion of a whole year ahead of you before being given the chance to try again.

“When it gets down to the last big meets for champion season, I spend about one to two weeks mentally preparing, because I know that everything has to be perfect. I’ll spend hours visualizing the race down to the kicks and strokes,” explains Powell.

Powell’s preparation before meets range from classic tricks such as getting the swimmer cap and goggle on ahead of opposing competitors, down to childhood superstitions such as “popping his toes,” a comical term dubbed by Adam’s very own supportive mother.

As Bolster puts it, “Adam feels uncomfortable with the idea that there is someone better or faster than he is and seeks to improve on every aspect of his races.”

Challenging our Ivy League competitors Cornell this Saturday at 4:00, you’ll find Powell, popping his toes and slowly but surely swimming to his own goal.