MaKoS Surging
When Aquatics Director dwayne lindo joined Kips Bay four years ago he found that our travelling swim team, the Kips Bay Makos, had been defunct for three years. That changed in a hurry. In year one 13 youngsters participated. Currently we have 61 enthusiastic Mako members. As this is written they have just returned from a competition in Washington, D.C., where our boys placed first. Dwayne’s love of aquatics is deeply personal. When his mom died in her sleep in his 14th year, Dwayne found comfort in his local pool, even though he didn’t swim. But he quickly learned and was a life guard at 16, and soon after a Red Cross certified life guard instructor. Competitive swimming, he says, teaches discipline, self-confidence and the work ethic – all of which extend into other life arenas. Our pool is busy. In addition to the Makos team members, 375 youngsters take swimming instruction in an average year. More than 800 come for recreational swimming, including club members from our homeless shelter, Housing Authority and school sites, and summer day campers.
left, Aaliyah Casiano, Carmona Johnson 110
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4/4/11 1:50 PM