Midwood’s Dominique Jeannot: Taking It To The Pool

Midwood resident Dominique Jeannot has been a cornerstone of free learn-to-swim programs held the past two summers at Brooklyn’s Philip Howard Apartments (PHA). A long-time dweller of the large apartment complex located in the heart of a Caribbean expat enclave, Jeannot regularly takes ample advantage of PHA’s luxurious outdoor pool, tucked behind the complex’s imposing Flatbush Avenue façade.

Jeannot’s new-found dedication to swimming is nothing short of phenomenal. In addition to attending the program’s three-times-a-week sessions, she is also a regular participant in a learn-to-swim program that ICW, organizer of the PHA free program, runs at nearby Brooklyn College.

Swim lessons in progress at Philip Howard Apartments. Photo: M. Randazzo

Teaching locals to swim has taken on increased urgency following last year’s tragic death of Midwood resident Elyjah Chandler, who with his friend Christian Perkins drowned a year ago in the surf off Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways.

“Given that many Caribbean parents routinely send or take their children ‘back home’ especially during the summer, it is a good precautionary measure for those children to have access to affordable or free swimming classes,” said Ernest Skinner, retired banker and Midwood community activist. “The Caribbean seas are beautiful and alluring, but the currents can be treacherous.”

A descendent of Haiti born in Quebec, Canada, Jeannot took a moment to detail her experience with the summer swim program in her backyard, the importance of teaching Caribbean immigrants to swim and the monumental challenge New York City faces in reversing decades of decline to its aquatic culture.

***

- You’ve been part of the swim program at Philip Howard Apartments for two summers. What effect has it had on you?

Dominique Jeannot: The pros of this [program] is that it’s afforded me the opportunity to learn a life-saving skill while connecting with my community in a more meaningful way. The only drawback is that the pool is too small. That’s what makes it difficult to manage… it a smaller community pool.

- When you say community, who do you mean?

The folks who live at Philip Howard. The ones who encouraged me to continue. Especially Jill [Herzog, PHA resident and avid swimmer].

- It’s noteworthy that, like you, many Midwood residents come from an island culture in one of the region’s most swim-friendly environments. But they cannot swim and are therefore eager for their children and themselves to have access to learn-to-swim program.

It’s never been a priority for some reason in [Caribbean] cultures. Niches of people learn to swim because they go out into the ocean. It’s constructive and utilitarian if you’re a fisherman but there isn’t a tradition of [building] pools. They’re surrounded by water but there aren’t many [opportunities for swim lessons].

Jeannot swimming last July in the Philip Howard pool. Photo: M. Randazzo

In the past 20 years there’s been a growing popularity for learning how to swim. For the past 7 years Haiti has had a really good Olympic swim team. There’s a program by SwimTrek that in 2017 promoted a charity event called "Swim for Haiti" to raise awareness about acquiring [swimming] skills.

I know a writer/real estate agent who lives in Maryland. His son is a champion swimmer [for Haiti]… not an Olympic age swimmer but getting there.

- New York City is in a similar situation to the Caribbean. We’re surrounded by water, but don’t have enough access to pools and swim lessons—which is why so many New Yorkers don’t know how to swim. But there is a pool coming to this community—at Nostrand Playground—this fall. How might that change the swimming dynamic in Midwood?

It will really benefit the community because judging just from the response to this program the last couple of years, and spreading the word, many will be encouraged to get in the water and learn this very important—and joyful—skill.