My son was on the first Indian Swim team in 1979/1980 and again 1980/1981. He had swam for years for the Lamar Swim Club which practiced at Lamar and at the Nederland ISD pool. We had been talking with Dr Oliver Monk who was the Superindent at the time (he had been the principal when I was at PNG) for several months about having a team. Mr. Al Hebert's daughters swam at LSC as did several others from PNG. I saw Dr Monk, Gilbert Massey, and someone else from the district at China Inn the week school was starting and asked him if we would have a team. He told me everything was in order but we would be the only team in the district. I told him we wanted to be first in football, basketball, baseball, band, academics and everthing else and that someone had to be first in the water. I said very firmly that I thought that person should have on a purple and white Speedo and he shook his head and said I was right and that he would proceed. A few days later they announced at school that anyone interested could go to a certain place to sign up and there were over 50 students who signed up. Naturally, they didn't all follow through but we did field a team for three years then it was dropped. I have always been disappointed that at some point we have not seen fit to build a pool and have another swim team. What most folks don't realize is that swimmers practice year around and the successful ones swim for an AAU team also. My son had a friend on the PNG football team. Some of the other players thought less of my son because he was a swimmer. The football player told them that my son got up and swim a mile or more before school and then swam one and a half miles in the afternoon. I sure hope PNG does put some swimmers in the water again.
