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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