OUT THINK THE BOX

Gerly Heir Swim Cap © 2016

 

LOGO IMAGE: Art by Kayin Talton of Soapbox Theory

 

User innovation dovetailing on Simone Manuel's #HERSTORY the 2016 Olympics, and Simone, Lia Neal's and Natalie Hinds' #HERSTORY during the 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships...

 

Using their MAD! science, Kimberly and her cohorts have come up with a more streamlined swim cap for HIIT [High Intensity Interval Training] use, and swim competition—especially those in the Black community sporting African Braids/Dreadlocks.

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NB: Gerly Heir Swim Cap is in-progress.

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VIDEO MUSIC: Blacker (4 the Good Times) by The Ballistic Brothers

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On 9 October 2016, we DQ'd but in our eyes, we still made #HERSTORY! as the first (?) African American Women's 120A Team swimming the 4x50m Freestyle Relay. To our surprise, we came in first for our heat, 12 seconds ahead of the second place relay team!

 

CALM (Cal Aquatic Masters) Swimmers |  Fana Fuqua, Kimberly King, Njeri Kamau-Devers, Theresa Oehmke

 

Gerly Heir Swim Cap is an organization comprised of seasoned, professional and academic women of the African-American persuasion. We are...

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.. Kimberly L. King ..

• Nickname - Kim(gerly)

• Role - Agile, adaptable agitator, innovator, hope addict

• Education - Obtained a fancy engineering 'Atta-gerly!' MSc (an amalgam of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Sustainable Development) from a technical university in the Midlands of the UK, and for some reason got a BSc in Mathematics.

• Swimming #Herstory - Started in 1963, after the NAACP intervened, filed and won a lawsuit in behalf of Kim(gerly)'s family; see The Negro Faces North. In 1971, commenced competing in AAU age group swimming with Ohio University Swimming and Diving Coach, "Before there was Greg Louganis there was" Fletcher Guilders.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line - I'm reclaiming the Gerly! + Out Think The Box

 

.. Kayin Talton Davis ..

• Nickname - KT

• Role - Hooking this venture up with graphics design, and branding of the sista-soo persuasion

• Education - BSME in mechanical engineering from Portland State University. Tag-teaming with Kim(gerly) on the hydrodynamics and fluid mechanics.

• Swimming #Herstory - It's a mystery, but when it comes to ANYONE translating Kim(gerly)'s left-brained offerings into a stellar right-brained, culturally CORRECT visual interpretations, it's Kim(gerly)'s home skillet KT.  Her visionary Soapbox Theory offers a cornucopia of hand-crafted offerings for the sista-hood and brotha-hood.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line - Fearless Creator

 

.. Jessica F Compton ..

• Nickname - One S Jes

• Role - Wordsmithstress, All-Around, Bad-Ass, a remarkable specimen of life on Earth, NATURAL Athlete if there ever was one!

• Education - Sports HELLA Atta-gerlys, er a BSc in Economics, plus BAs in Psychology and Women's Studies. Currently swimming upstream like a salmon gulping heaps of water, er working on a Ph.D. in Sociology at UC Berkeley.

• Swimming #Herstory - Imagine two quintessentially Black women crossing paths in a women's gym locker room. Kim(gerly) stroking her chin and asking One S Jes, "Do you swim?" The rest is #herstory.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line - You can only do what you can do...

 

.. Theresa 'Teri' Oehmke ..

• Nickname - T (Simple is GOOD!), T Toe

• Role - MAD! Scientist/Engineer with prowess and a fine eye for detail that precedes her. Also tag-teaming with Kim(gerly) on the hydrodynamics and fluid mechanics.

• Education - BSc in Environmental Engineering Sciences from MIT. Currently crossing an MSc in Environmental Engineering off her plate. T eventually aims to snatch a Ph.D. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics at UC Berkeley to round out her crowned jewels.

• Swimming #Herstory - Hailing from a family of swimmers, it was no surprise that Teri gravitated to the water as her specialty. A self-professed late-comer to competitive swimming, T started racing in the 6th grade. Slowly, she transitioned to water polo, and now plays on the Cal Women's Club Water Polo Team.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line  - I'm on it!

 

.. Njeri Kamau-Devers ..

• Nickname - Butta! (Especially when she's swimming butterfly!)

• Role - Our Precious Voice of Reason

• Education - BA in WAY-BEST Chinese from UC Berkeley.

• Swimming #Herstory - It was on the 57 AC Transit bus when it, the swimming notes comparison all started with Kim(gerly). Age group competitive swimmer. Coaching youth. Always building bridges whether it's at the 'swimming hole' or in China.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line  - I see...

 

.. Kiana Coleman ..

• Nickname - 'Casey'

• Role - Stakeholder Engagement Guinea Pig, because she's sporting the most MASSIVE African Braids last seen in the East SF Bay Area.

• Education - Currently a student in the UC Santa Cruz Department of Chemistry, and enrolled in (bow and pray to) Physical Chemistry coursework.

• Swimming #Herstory - She's working on getting her BIG toe into the swimming pool, especially because Kim(gerly) keeps girding her on.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line - You can't touch me. I'm studying PChem!

 

.. Fana Fuqua ..

• Nickname - F-squar'd

• Role - Clutch

• Education - BA in Early Childhood Development from UC Berkeley, and dabbles with ArcGIS.

• Swimming #Herstory - Team Captain (for two years) on UC Berkeley's Women's Water Polo Team, a top intercollegiate goalie while at Cal. Played professionally for the Australian National League Water Polo League. Swimming pool aficionado. Check. Personal trainer and fitness trainer at Fuqua Fitness Adventures. Check. All about consistency, variety, and balance in her lifestyle practices. Check.

• Catchphrase/Tag-Line - See you in the pool!

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