More Than Student-Athletes: How 4 MCC Competitors Are Shaping Milwaukee’s Youth
Being a high school student-athlete demands complete dedication: to the sport, to the team, to the classroom. But for four Milwaukee City Conference student-athletes, that dedication doesn’t stop when practice ends.
Hannah Lybeck-Smoak, Lillian Smith, Bryce Samuel and Dominis Banks have each found a way to channel what sports taught them — like discipline, teamwork and accountability — into something larger than themselves. Through Milwaukee Recreation, they’re quietly investing in the city’s youth, one practice and one evening shift at a time.
Lybeck-Smoak and Smith, both MCC swimmers, now coach one of Milwaukee Recreation’s competitive swim teams, the Krakens. Meanwhile, basketball players Banks and Samuel spend their evenings at the North Division Twilight Center, building a welcoming, safe environment for young participants after school.
“It’s very important for our student-athletes to stay engaged, both on and off the court,” said Matt Goodwin, MCC’s commissioner of athletics and academics. “Organized sports allow our student-athletes to learn teamwork, coachability and punctuality, and these things can be utilized as they transfer those skills into the work setting.”
The path that led each of these student-athletes to their work within Milwaukee Recreation may look different, but they remain united by one key choice: to give back to the community that shaped them.
Back in the Water
For Lybeck-Smoak, a long-time swimmer and member of Reagan’s conference championship team, the decision to coach the Krakens was personal. In fact, she was part of the team herself, having joined at eight years old. She lives less than two blocks from Riverside, and when the chance came to return, she took it without hesitation.
“I just think that this team really had a big impact on me,” Lybeck-Smoak said. “It helped me build community, become more confident — not only in my swimming abilities, but within a community as a whole. So I wanted to come back. Kind of a full circle moment, and kind of continue that for other kids.”
Lillian Smith, a Golda Meir senior who swims for the Riverside/Golda Meir co-op team, has been coaching the Krakens for three seasons. Her reasoning is equally simple: she loves the community and wanted to stay part of it.
“As a Riverside swimmer, I really loved the neighborhood,” Smith said. “I really wanted to be a crucial part of that, even after I graduate high school.”
Both Lybeck-Smoak and Smith emphasized that while swimming for the Krakens is a fun experience, what happens at practice goes beyond the sport. Affordable, accessible swim programs like this one carry value that don’t show up in meet results.
One practice at a time, Lybeck-Smoak and Smith are doing more than coaching. They’re teaching life-saving water safety skills, instilling confidence in young participants and fostering a positive environment open to all.
Off the Court, Into the Community
Where Lybeck-Smoak and Smith hold consistently visible roles, North Division’s Dominis Banks and Rufus King’s Bryce Samuel tend to work behind-the-scenes as members of the Twilight Youth Crew, ensuring a seamless experience at North Division’s Twilight Center.
Together, the two are typically stationed in the site’s game room, an area for kids to connect and unwind while playing esports, gathering around a board game or just spending time with each other or staff. Responsibilities may include preparing the game room, in addition to organizing, cleaning and supervising the space. Other days, the Youth Crew team members find themselves in the gym, coordinating events, welcoming participants and creating a safe space for them to play.
It’s a role that mirrors what Banks already knows from the basketball court, especially when it comes to teamwork.
“I have to work with some of my co-workers to get assignments done — setting up the game room, setting up the gym,” Banks explained. “Sometimes we have enrichments where people come in, and we help set up and get kids involved.”
Both Banks and Samuel see their Youth Crew positions as fundamental, teaching them important life lessons about time management, communication and relationship building. But more importantly, they understand what the Twilight Center actually means to the young people who walk through its doors.
“[Twilight Centers] definitely keep people busy after school if they don’t have anything to do,” Samuel said. “If they’re not in the best neighborhood, it keeps them out of something that can get them in trouble in the future.”
A Mission Bigger Than the Work
More than decorated student-athletes, big wins and clean records, Lybeck-Smoak, Smith, Samuel and Banks are proof that the MCC is developing something that outlasts any championship trophy.
“Sports build community,” said Goodwin. “And we’re seeing that now with our student athletes being able to give back and want to support in other ways.”