Houston track phenomenon Carl Lewis has set many records in his lifetime, and now, the Hall of Famer and nine-time gold medalist wants to pass along some of that wisdom and skill to the next generation of track athletes.
Lewis is joining a new initiative to provide historically Black college and university (HBCU) students with more athletic opportunities. The program, called the Silk Team Protein initiative, will help close the athletic funding discrepancy at HBCUs.
“You know a lot of HBCU programs are not funded the same as bigger athletic programs,” Lewis said. “So we’re excited to be working together.”
Lewis isn’t wrong. The needs of college athletes are both physical and mental; student-athletes rely on uniforms, transportation and other key equipment in order to perform at the highest level.
According to a statement, while Big Ten schools can average over $50 million in revenue per school, HBCUs and their attendees do not typically receive the same level of funding, including for their sports programs.
The program champions HBCU track and field teams to promote top talent, on and off the field, and Silk Soymilk will provide five HBCU track and field programs with $10,000 donations (a total of $50,000) to go toward team necessities like uniforms, equipment and transportation.
As the new face of the Silk Team Protein initiative, Lewis not only has plans to help HBCU athletes but also to instill in this next generation wisdom and knowledge.
“The biggest thing is trying to win at all. And what I mean by that is you should want to be successful in the classroom, in the community, working hard on athletics and sports, I mean that’s the biggest thing, try to be an all-around person,” Lewis says, as he explains achievement both on and off the track. “You want to be the best that you can be inside and out, and so I always tell the kids, complete everything you set your mind to. You can’t just be a one-part athlete or a one-part person. So try to complete every single aspect of everything you set out to do if you can.”
Not only did his high standards and discipline for himself help to make Lewis the man he is today, utilizing a plant-based diet has helped him over the last 25 years both on and off the track.
Lewis says although the landscape for a healthy diet looks much different than it used to, he’s happy to champion plant-based diets, especially for young athletes. Lewis currently coaches track and field at the University of Houston and with the Olympics looming, he’s excited for what’s to come, especially from athletes right here in the city.
“Well, for me it’s exciting this year because I started working with the University of Houston in 2015 and I went there to work with a sponsor. But this time around I’m going to have six or more athletes that I’m working with,” Lewis says, naming Shaun Maswanganyi, Travis Collins and Jordan Booker, all from the Houston track team. “All these people that I’m working with are really excited about it. These kids came to me at 17 and 18 years old, and now I’m going to Olympic trials with them, and possibly to the Olympic Games.
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