YMCA Sharks Prey on National Competition

The Wyckoff YMCA Sharks swam above much of the competition at a national tournament in Maryland last month.

At the end of July, 32 teens from North Jersey who swim for the Wyckoff Family YMCA's competitive team traveled to the University of Maryland to compete at the 2010 National YMCA Long Course Swimming Championship. 

Coach Kathy Kallman said the kids took 14th place in an event with nearly 150 other YMCA teams from all over the country. 

"They stepped up to the challenge, and I am very proud of them," Kallman said.

She added that the more the members of the Shark team attend these competitions, "the more confidence they get, and they are less and less intimidated by the other teams." 

 The Sharks have come a long way in a short time period.

"Last year we took 25th place," Kallman said. 

The Y's team is a relative newcomer to such tournaments, with less than 10 years experience in competitive swimming.

"When we first showed up, we had just six kids, and the event organizers didn't even provide a place for them to sit," Kallman said. 

But practice, of course, makes perfect. The Sharks now not only compete with the best, they are shooting to be the best.

"We are aiming for the top 10," she said when asked about the team's goals. "I believe we can do it." 

In a previous article, it was mentioned the teen swimmers were "up at 5:45 a.m." for practice and routinely put in "27 hours of swim practice and exercise a week" to be among the nation's very best swim teams.

Besides gaining respect from their peers, the Sharks are being noticed on a collegiate level. Kallman said that some of the athletes will go on to swim for institutions such as Villanova, Cornell, Fairfield and Boston College.

The Sharks' work ethic extends to other areas of their lives, as well. Most of the teenagers who come from Tenafly, Ridgewood, Upper Saddle River, Glen Rock, Wayne, Oakland, Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff are known to be exceptional students. 

Kallman said the students keep above a B average.

"They have worked hard for (their success)," Kallman said.