Sage Lynn
Samantha Elam can’t hear race officials say, “Go,” because she has been hearing impaired since birth.
She looks to her right while her competition focuses on the pool to see the strobe light that signals the start of the race. None of this stops her from winning 200 and 500-yard freestyle races.
Excuses never get in her way of taking command of the pool during her chosen events.
She decided to join Pierce College as a Kinesiology major when the head coach of California State University East Bay’s swim team retired in 2010.
Only in her second semester, this starry-eyed 18-year-old is no novice to competition. While in her senior year at Granada Hills Charter High School, Samantha was a sectional champion in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races.
Samantha has also competed in the US Deaflympics in 2007 and 2008, where she placed in the top eight in several events.
Samantha practically lives in the water; not only does she compete on the Pierce College women’s swim team, she is also a part-time coach at her high school alma mater and a part-time life guard at the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center.
Even with severe hearing loss, she chooses not to use sign language interpreters in her classes. She said she tried using an interpreter her first semester, but it just made it harder to keep up with lectures.
“I don’t know sign language that well,” said Samantha. “I can read lips rather well.” Samantha tends not to use hearing aids for the same reason, but this technology is developing so quickly that she is considering giving some of the new products a try, for example she has read a tv ears review that seems promising.
Even though Samantha has not settled on a specific career goal or university to transfer to, she knows she will continue swimming competitively.
“Seeing people jump around, cheering for me, keeps me going during a race,” said Elam.
Pierce freshmen Samantha Elam poses in the pool in the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center. Elam, who is partially deaf, was a member of the 2009 Deafolympics team. (Rick Rose 2011)
Pierce freshmen Samantha Elam poses in the pool in the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center. Elam, who is partially deaf, was a member of the 2009 Deafolympics team. (Rick Rose 2011)