Making A Splash In Mercer County By Bridget Bradburn
Among a county of teams nicknamed "the Pirates," "the Hornets," "the Spartans," "the Cardinals", and so on, the Notre Dame Swim team could appropriately be named "the Nomads." Having no body of water to call home, the Diving and Swimming Irish borrow a pool wherever and whenever they find one with a few hours to spare. This makes for a very hectic and irregular practice schedule. Because of this, team members must be committed, and determined. This year, a group of more than fifty athletes fit into this corner of the Notre Dame "puzzle." As a result of several freshmen and transfer students, as well as the improvement of many "veteran" team members, both the boys and girls enjoyed successful seasons this year. The boys finished with a 6-1-1 record, and the girls with a 5-2 record. Meets, in general, proved to be more exciting and competitive than in years past. In fact, the Irish swimmers and divers created a certain "shock value" in Mercer County this winter. However, the team philosophy, repeated again and again by the coaches, is one of self-improvement. "When we go after our best scores and
times," says Coach DeSandre, ("Mr. D.") "winning becomes a fringe benefit. Once the emphasis is only placed on winning, one becomes a first place loser." As in previous years, the team's sights were ~et on the county meet from day one. This was the ultimate goal which brought the swimmers through a seemingly endless season of training. Yes, the long season, hectic schedule, and difficult workouts were physically, mentally, and emotionally draining at times. But when the work became taxing, the hours long, and the water cold, the swimmers and divers pulled together and became friends. Mr. D. is especially proud of the maturity displayed beyond athletic competition, particularly in a "crisis" situation. He commends the divers and swimmers for bringing themselves up to a level of meeting the roles of young men and women. He appreciates the memories that have been created and shared among the coaches and athletes. Ask any swimmer or diver about their experiences on the team, and you are likely to hear such key words as: "friendship", "family", "fun", and "excite-
Front Row,(Left to Right)/ Brian Binder, Joe Lumia, Katie Comer, Kristen Pappas, Heather Wright, Kerry McCarthy, Jen Ellsworth, Stacy Bozowski, Liz Lehre, Michelle LaPerriere, Ashley Cipriano, Cindy Rafferty, Karen Popowski,. Standing at (Left)/ Ralph Fiasco, John Sink, Caryn Moran, Chris McDonnell, Rachel Rossi, Bridget Bradburn, Mark Jablonski, Bridget Joyce, Theresa Bonanno, Kevin Steinmuller, Lisa Muehleisen, Nicole Peterson,. On Bleachers/ Top Row/ Scott Dzialo, Frank Zemcik, Nick Barbosa, Danny Bendas, Julie
ment". No swimmer or diver will dispute the fact that this atmosphere is created by the superb coa<;:hing staff. Mrs. Kyte does much of the behind-the scenes work: scheduling, statistics, paperwork, and organizing. Head coach Mr. DeSandre and Assistant; Diving coach Shirley Moran are very much appreciated and respected for personally working with each individual, encouraging everyone to reach beyond what they feel capable of , and being understanding and patient. They show great dedication to and respect for the team, and the athletes return those same sentiments. Assistant coaches Bill Morehart, Rich "Spider" Hileman, Mr. Cartledge, and Mr. Steinmuller, among other parents, help to bring humor and order to the confusion that often results from the combination of 50-plus students and a pool. Because of the time sacrificed by these selfless adults, the Notre Dame Swim team has had the opportunity to grow and flourish over the years, and will continue to do so, if the will power, concentration, dedication, determination, respect and concern remain between the swimmers, divers, and coaches.
Caperna, Melissas Malloy, Brian Stevenson, Ted Palfalvi, Brendan Carlidge, Anthony Bisaccia. Middle Row/ Amy Kyte, Eric Weber, Amy Wolochowicz, Debbie Choquette, Tara Suntato, Liz Noble, Scott Steinmuller, Chuck Ramsey, Dan LaPerriere, John Goldman. Bottom Row/ Kelly Neall, John Solan, Bridget Heinz, Becky Morehart, Lorette Schroth, Jen French , Margaret Lumia, Katie DeSandre, Chloe Kramer.