News and Knowledge

“Swim Team,” an award-winning documentary, came out in theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, and select cities around the country in July. The documentary tells the story of Kelvin, Mike, Robert, and their families. The three young men are on the autism spectrum and are part of the same swim team, the Jersey Hammerheads. In fact, all of the swimmers on this Perth Amboy, N.J. team are on the spectrum.

The Jersey Hammerheads train twice a week at the local YMCA. In this part of the country, the rate of autism diagnosis reaches an all-time high at 1 in 26 boys. Michael and Maria McQuay, Mike’s parents, founded the team in 2013 when they perceived the benefits of their son’s swimming therapy, as well as his talent and love for the sport. As word spread out around the town, the team grew bigger, and now has 13 members. They compete in local, state, and national Special Olympics and dream of earning gold medals. “When I swim, I feel normal,” Mike tells the camera.

The film follows the three competitive swimmers as they train for the New Jersey Special Olympics, capturing scenes from their daily lives along the way. A mother decides to reveal to her son that he has autism. The swimmers’ parents describe the difficulties of navigating the special education system and their feelings of helplessness and incomprehension. “As a mother, I was so personally inspired by what they hoped to accomplish, I knew I had to share their story,” Stolman tells ABC News.

“Swim Team” has found success at numerous film festivals and has garnered critical praise as well. NPR, for example, noted its depiction of the diversity of individuals on the spectrum, writing “like you and me and everyone we know, they’re all different, and the film honors that beautifully.”

Screening dates and locations can be found at Swim Team the film.