Fort Bragg teen earns swimming scholarship

By Tina Ray
Paraglide

	Photo by Tina Ray/Paraglide Akaela McGinty, 17, swims in the Tolson Youth Activities Center pool July 8. McGinty, a recent graduate of Terry Sanford High School and the daughter of a Special Forces Soldier, has earned a full scholarship to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University based on her academics and swimming abilities.

Akaela McGinty was selected to attend both the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy, but the 17-year-old signed a letter of intent in April to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro.
McGinty said she chose the university because she likes its swim program and it is closer to home than the academies.

The teenager first began swimming when she was about 8 years old, said her mother, Bung-On McGinty. Though McGinty tried and succeeded at other activities such as judo and track, she kept returning to the water.

“This is a lifelong sport for her. When we start practicing, we just keep going. She’s growing with it,” Bung-On said.

The six to eight hours McGinty typically spends in the water each day has paid off in the form of a full scholarship to A & T.

“I’m really proud because this is something . . .,” Bung-On said. “Hard work pays off. We’ve been hoping for this day to come and it has come. A lot of kids have a hard time finding a place to go, but she has a choice.”

Oscar Roverato has coached McGinty for the last five years as coach of Fayetteville Flying Fish, a local swim team. The two now collaborate as part of Fort Bragg Fighting Fish, a team of about 100 members that has been supported by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

“She’s got great potential. I’m happy she’s able to go to college and improve her performance,” Roverato said. “She’s been a good example for our younger swimmers.”

McGinty often competes in the 50, 100 and 200 meters. She swims 50 meters in 28 seconds and 100 in 1:05, she said. When she is in the water, it is Roverato’s voice that she hears encouraging her to “kick faster,” McGinty said. “It’s not really relaxed swimming. You have that mindset where you have to do better and get better at your strokes and performance.”
McGinty’s performances have earned her accolades. She received the coach’s award and was captain of her high school swim team. She earned third place in the 200 meters freestyle at the Black Heritage National Championship in May.

Swimming does not appear to be the only sport in which McGinty excels. She is a three-sport champion, said Roverato. She has been a judo state champion for five years and is ranked fourth in the nation for competitors who weigh 73 kilos or about 150 pounds. At Terry Sanford, McGinty was a member of the state-championship, cross-country track team, where she ran the 3-mile heat.
There, she was also an A-B honor roll student and plans to carry that academic excellence to A & T, where she said she will likely major in physical therapy. McGinty also has not ruled out joining the ROTC.
Being a good student is one of the lessons that Roverato said he has taught McGinty. He said he also taught her to respect others and strive to do her best in any endeavor she attempts.
For Roverato who has coached McGinty and watched her grow as an athlete, many factors seemed to contribute to her success.
“She was able to balance all these activities and maintain a good academic standard, not just because of swimming, but because of her value as a student,” Roverato said.

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