WATCH: ESSENCE Black Women In Sports Takes Over Team USA Media Summit

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From track and field and basketball greats to breaking and swimming stars, Black Women In Sports host, Sharí Nycole, spoke with Team USA hopefuls and qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2024 Paralympics at the Team USA Media Summit.

Transcript

00:00What's going on Essence family, it's your girl Sheree Nicole here again for Essence

00:07Black Women in Sports and we're on the move and this time we're in the heart of Times

00:11Square right here in New York City at the Team USA Media Summit.

00:15It is one, two, count them, three days of power packed panels and interviews with not

00:19only the top athletes in the United States but also the top athletes in the world.

00:23I got a chance to chat with them about how they're prepping for the Paris Games, their

00:27athletic journeys and so much more, so take a look.

00:30I think the female fights are more action packed than the male fights.

00:35Just watch it, it's really fun.

00:37My ancestors didn't fight for no reason.

00:39I'm just honored to feel these shoes.

00:42When I was around three years old is when I started Taekwondo.

00:45What does that mean for you to be able to expose young black boys to this particular

00:50sport in this way?

00:51It's everything for me, it's absolutely everything.

00:54I always wanted to be a mom, I always wanted to have a child.

00:58What was the biggest challenge though with motherhood that you've overcome as you move

01:03into these Paris Games?

01:04I feel confident in myself but I never know, am I going to be back to where I need to be

01:08and I think that that was something that I had to work on myself with.

01:12You're a Paralympic athlete, you're a black male, can you just speak to the value that

01:16you bring to the table in that?

01:18It's a real problem that people of color around the world just don't know how to swim.

01:21It's life-saving value.

01:22I don't know if you can put a dollar amount on that or not but that's what it is.

01:26What's your training and your prep been like for the Paris Games?

01:29I train twice a day, five days a week and it's pretty high intense training.

01:36I can only imagine looking at these biceps.

01:39What does it mean for you as a woman of color, a Paralympian, to represent our country?

01:45One word, exhilarating.

01:47I know that I, a thousand percent, am where I am today because of the support that I had

01:52and the community around me to help cultivate a winning mindset.

01:56If I'm being really honest, I'm trying to show up in spaces real blackity black.

02:01I want to be seen, I want my hair to be different.

02:03There's only two things that you need to look up to that you control and that's your effort

02:07and your attitude.

02:09Right now our focus is on making the top eight and then the focus will shift now because

02:13then it becomes all about the Olympic Games because we know every game is like a quarter

02:18final game for us.

02:19I love it.

02:20Speaking of focus, give me that five.

02:24Is there one team building activity that you've done?

02:27We have a team sports psychologist.

02:29I think that without that we wouldn't get to where we want to be no matter how hard

02:34we tried in the pool.

02:35How important is it for people like yourself to offer what you do as a level of exposure

02:39for other young players who may want to do the same thing?

02:41It's hugely important just showcasing to the younger people growing up that you can

02:48still compete at a high level.

02:49I've had to hide behind a curtain a few times because my personality is too much or I'm

02:55just a lot but that's who I am.

02:59Being myself has just changed everything for me.

03:03It's changed my mind, it's changed my body, it's changed my day to day life.

03:07I have motivation from my family, my friends, my coaches and that drives me to push myself

03:12forward.

03:13Is there a particular skill set that you have that you're working on strengthening as we

03:17move towards pairs?

03:19I think taking more time for rest.

03:21Everybody continues to say that which makes me a little concerned but I get it.

03:24It's a common theme but specifically in track and field I think my start, I'm trying to

03:29get a much faster, more explosive start.

03:32This year is going to be a dominant year for me.

03:33I'm finally healthy.

03:35Kenny, you have a really cool nickname.

03:37Are we still rocking with the nickname?

03:39Yeah, we're still rocking with it.

03:41Kung Fu Kenny.

03:42Kung Fu Kenny.

03:43As promised everybody, I still have my headband on because Kung Fu Kenny said I could have

03:46it on.

03:47He did say it looked nice.

03:48I just want to make sure one more time.

03:49Am I good?

03:50You're good.

03:55For us it's just proving that we're the number two team in the world for a reason.

04:00What do you want people who watch the Paris Games to really come to understand or love

04:04about three on three?

04:05I want everyone to think that they can do it.

04:07I want them to look at it and say, oh I'm actually going to get out there and try it.

04:11Grant Hill, managing director of USA Basketball and was on the 1996 Olympic team.

04:17What is one thing that you've used to anchor, with your experience, that you've used to

04:21anchor yourself in this job and one thing that you had to throw away and say, hey, it

04:25doesn't work with this generation of basketball players?

04:27I think, like anything, it's patience, being able to adjust and adapt.

04:31And in terms of things that I've had to kind of let go of, I think I just collect and add.

04:36When I'm on the floor, I think you see why I move the way I move.

04:41The way I move is because of how I present myself.

04:43I've been working on my moves.

04:45Okay, I need you to rate me from one to ten.

04:49Yeah!

04:53Yeah!

04:55One through ten.

04:56One being the worst.

04:58Ten.

04:59My man.

05:01Alright Essence fam, just like that, it's a wrap for Essence Black Women in Sports.

05:05We've had an incredible time here in the NYC at the Team USA Media Summit.

05:09It's time to say goodbye, so I'm going to go ahead and get myself together.

05:12I've got my good gym shoes on, I call them gym shoes, to go to the subway, to get to

05:17my hotel, to get back to the ATL.

05:18Catch you guys later, it's your girl Sheree Nicole signing off.

05:26Actually, I lied, that's cap.

05:28I'm getting in the Uber.

05:29Catch y'all later.

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