When it comes to teams with diverse backgrounds, one would be hard pressed to find one more diverse than the Ossining entry in the Northern Westchester Swim Conference, which won Division V with a 5-0 mark this summer.
“We are like the United Nations,” Ossining third-year coach Mike Kane said. “We have kids whose families are from Spain, Egypt, England, Ecuador, China, and Argentina. So our team is very spread out and diverse.”
One great example of this diversity is the 8-and-under girls 100-yard freestyle relay squad which took first place at the conference’s all-star meet. The team was made up of Emily Rocco (Italy), Sarah Kamal (Egypt), Sofia Bado (Argentina) and Stella Meyerhoeffer (United States).
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“Besides Stella, the other three girls, their parents or grandparents are from other countries,” Kane said. “This relay group ties into the theme about how diverse our team is.”
Rocco also placed first in the 25-yard butterfly in the 8-and-under age group.
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“Emily is one of the best swimmers in Westchester,” Kane said. “We have a team that really pushes each other and that’s one of the reasons why she is successful. We have about eight or nine girls that really fly across the water. Every day in practice, they are not only friends but they swim against each other and have fun doing it.”
Ossining could also boast of two siblings that achieved meet records at the all-star competition.
They were Sarah Kamal, who had a time of 18.90 seconds in the 8-and-under girls 25-yard breaststroke; and in the boys 6-and-under bracket, Yousef Kamal, achieved a record in the 25-yard freestyle with a time of 18.13 seconds.
“For the kids to break records, they are working so hard, to get to where they were, it was really rewarding for everybody involved in the swimming meet,” Kane said.
Hard work is something that enabled the kids to achieve what they did, according to Kane. He said his squad, which consisted of 80 participants ages 5-18, had great attendance
“The coaches, they were great,” Kane said. “We also have a strong parents’ organization that helps us a lot during the year and at the swimming meets also.”
Kane’s assistant coaches are Jay Porteus and Pete Ognan.
“We really run a tight ship in terms of our practices,” Kane said. “We have a lot of different times for practices. They are a lot of options for what the kids can do.”
Kane explained why the program has those options.
“We are a rec-program, so we are trying to offer as many opportunities to the people in the area as possible,” Kane said. “It’s not a private program where we have to rent out a pool, it is our pool at the Ossining Aquatics Center. We have the opportunity to give a lot of times that kids can swim.”
Those opportunities will continue for Ossining swimmers this fall as it is having tryouts for its fall season now through Labor Day. Tryouts are Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the center.
Kane said those interested can just show up at those dates and times.
Ossining will compete in the fall in USA Swimming and the Westchester-Fairfield Swim League.
“To compete on the county-wide level, you have to be swimming year-round,” Kane said. “That is what it is. This area has gotten to be a real good area for swimming nationally.”
