| NEWS |
  
|
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
|
CP Bluefish Swimmers Accomplished Mission, Having Fun While Producing Superb Efforts
By Bill Alden
When Greg Hand looks ahead to a season coaching the Community Park Bluefish swim team, his thoughts don't turn to wins and losses.
"It's tough to have any expectations of summer swimming other than intending to have fun," said Hand with a smile.
"We do always expect to have a program which supports the spirit of the Rec Department and PASDA (Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association) both of the which have the goal to emphasize the healthy side of competitive athletics. The goal is to develop a long-term view of the role of athletics in one's life, including a commitment to physical fitness and good sportsmanship."
The Bluefish, though, certainly excelled on the competitive side of things this summer as they went 5-0 in dual-meet competition in PASDA's Division I.
In Hand's view, the team achieved the long term goals as it enjoyed success in the short term. "This year and in years past, we've had dozens of familiar people and families who were involved," said Hand, who also coaches Princeton High swim team and has guided the program to several sectional titles over the years.
"That's what makes it special in the long term; the fact that there is an investment in some families in being a part of CP swimming. In the short term, we continued to have a very solid senior group in both genders in the 14 -and-unders and 17-and-unders with a lot of strength in the rest of the team. If it so happens that the right combination of people join the team and we have critical mass, we'll do well."
The winning combination for the Bluefish featured depth throughout the lineup. The team produced three Most Valuable Swimmers at the PASDA championship meet last week with William Stange earning the honor for the 8-and-under boys, Meghan Leddy in the 14-and-under girls, and Alex Zantal in the 14-and-under boys.
During the season, Nina Rossi broke her club record in the 50-yard backstroke while Pete Hand set a new club standard in the 50 breaststroke.
Other standouts for the Bluefish on the girls' side included Hannah Matheson and Shivani Kuckreja in the 10-U group, Rachel Boyce in the 12-U class, Samantha Kietlinski and Kristina Kalibat in the 14-U category and Kathleen Morrison in the 17-U group.
As for the boys, some of the key CP performers were Michael Wu in the 6-U category, Peter Kalibat in the 10-U group, Michael Leddy in the 12-U class, John Yi and Sean MacKenzie in the 14-U group, and Ben Wilde and Matthew Millar in the 17-U category.
A key piece in the puzzle for the Bluefish is its crew of assistant coaches which include such CP veterans as Jesse Applegate, Pete Hand, Miles Cava, Emily Burns, Sarah Burns, and Brittany Fiorello.
"My primary responsibilities are administrative," said Hand. "We have a very capable and mature staff of coaches. All of them have been associated with CP swimming and all of them understand how to coach swimming. They do a great job of establishing a relationship with the kids. They work really hard to make it a good experience."
Hand and his crew of coaches feel they owe a duty to the swimmers' parents to make the experience memorable.
"We couldn't do it without the help of the parents, they are the bulwark of what we do," asserted Hand.
"They step up and volunteer with a real enthusiasm. This is their program. I think we as coaches feel responsible for trying to create a program which lives up to the mission of the Rec Department."
The Bluefish appear to have accomplished that mission yet again this summer. "I enjoyed every day this summer," said Hand. "There was a lot of enthusiasm in every age group; that's what makes it so special."
