The summer swimming season has been a competitive one. Coaches Tom and Joe Mauro, who are brothers, and Meredith Johnson have trained their kids to become champions. Working with a team of less than 40 swimmers, they have the smallest team in the division, but these mighty warriors have put on their game face and improved their scores and times with each and every swim.
The swimming season begins just after school ends and the swimmers start in the water with a preliminary meet of all the clubs that participate in the league at Port Washington Yacht Club. This year, that meet was canceled due to bad weather.
The meets have been challenging; the teams compete against local clubs, including Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, Port Washington Yacht Club, Douglaston Yacht Club, Nassau Country Club and most recently Sea Cliff Yacht Club. The team has proven that practice pays off when a meet was held at Strathmore Vanderbilt Country Club, where the team performed well and were able to beat Sea Cliff due to their hole in the 11-12 age category. The Strathmore Vanderbilt team won the meet with a score of 211-198.
The dual meet season is complete, but now the swimmers get to compete in the championship meets.
Trials are on Thursday, Aug. 2, and will determine whether swimmers compete in Junior Champs, which are held at Port Washington Yacht Club on Friday, Aug. 3, or Champs, scheduled to be held at Strathmore Vanderbilt on Saturday, Aug. 4. These meets will mark the end of the racing season, culminating with the annual Swim Dinner.
