TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AuguST 9, 2017 • 34
Despite Being Outnumbered at PASDA Meet, Nassau Swim Club Finished Third in Division 2 It would be understandable if the Nassau Swimming Club Lemmings felt like they were in over their heads as they competed in the Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet last month. The Lemmings were vastly outnumbered by many of the clubs on hand for the meet at the Community Park pool at Princeton on July 24 and 25. But showing that quality can overcome quantity, the Lemmings placed third in Division 2. “We did fantastic, I think we performed way above our team size in the championship meet,” said Nassau head coach Logan Barnes, who is in his second year guiding the Lemmings and is a rising senior at The College of New Jersey and a star for its men’s swimming team. “Some of these bigger teams have 200-plus people on them, we are a team of around 45. We were keeping up with them for the most part.” It was hard to keep up w it h Nas s au’s cor p s of you nger g irl s w i m m er s. Nava Brenner-Witten took first in the 6-and-under 25 yard freestyle and third in the 25 backstroke and aged up to take third in the 8-andunder butterfly with Jenna Barry taking second in both the 6-and-under 25 free and 25 back. “Jenna and Nava swam extremely well for being as young as they are, their technique is crazy,” said Barnes. “They train harder than most of the people on our team at such a young age. I think if they keep swimming for their whole life, they are going to have extremely fruitful careers.” In the 8-and-under girls, Nassau got some fruitful efforts as well. Juliet Wei took first in the 25 breaststroke and 25 fly while Anya Gordeev finished third in the 25 back and fifth in the 8-and-under 25 free. “Juliet Wei is awesome; she is super shy but once she gets in the pool, it is a totally different story,” said Barnes. “Anya is great too. Our older kids practice 8 to 9:30 in the morning and the younger kids practice 9:3011. Anya is in the second group at practice but she routinely came early to the first practice and she would help me coach. It was good to see.” The 12-and-under girls proved to be another good group for the Lemmings. Sophia Burton took first in the 100 individual medley and second in both the 50 free and 50 fly while Kimberly Wei won the 50 back, took third in the 50 breast, and fourth in the 50 fly. “S ophia and K imberly swim year round, everyone in that group is extremely hard working,” said Barnes. “They are always happy to be at practice, that kind of fades off as they get older.
Those guys have definitely kept with it with all of their hard work.” As for the team’s older girls, Margaret Hill and Rachel Adlai-Gail have kept at it. Hill placed second in the 14-and-under 50 fly and third in both the 14-andunder 50 free and the 50 back while Rachel Adlai-Gail finished first in the 18-andunder 50 fly, second in the 18-and-under 100 IM, and third in the 50 free. “I know Rachel has been swimming at Nassau since she was two or three years old,” said Barnes, noting that Adlai-Gail’s older sister, Becca, served as one of his assistant coaches this summer. “She swims with a year round club, she is talented. Margaret is great too, she always comes to practice on time. She is always helping out the younger kids. You can tell that she takes the team seriously but in a lighthearted way. It is good to see that.” It was good for Nassau to have Stephen Baytin in the 6-and-under boys as he took first in the both the 25 free and 25 back in that division. “Stephen got the high point award for his age group,” said Barnes. In the 8-and-under boys, Will Kovalick and Sinjin Scozzaro provided energy and production. Kovalick took second in the 25 free and third in the 25 fly while Scozzaro was fourth in the 25 free and fifth in the 25 breast. “Scozzaro and Kovalick are both a blast in practice, they definitely work hard,” said Barnes. “I love to see those guys out there.” In the 10-and-under boys’ group, Alex Burton gave the Lemmings some yeoman’s work, taking third in both the 10-and-under 100 IM and 25 breast and helping the 100 medley relay place first and 100 free relay finish third. “Alex helps out with the relays in the 10-and-under group,” added Barnes. “We had extremely good relay showings in 10-andu nder and 8 -and u nder boys this year at championships.” Like his younger brother, Stephen, Daniel Baytin was a dominant force. He took first in the 12-and-under 100 IM, the 50 free, and the 50 breast. “Daniel Baytin also got MVP for the 11/12s, usually he is in two or three individual events,” said Barnes, noting that Baytin is a yearround swimmer who competes for the X-Cel club. “If he does two individual events, we will put him in two relays. If has three individuals, we will put him in one relay.” Another standout in that age group was Coll Wight, who took third in both the 50 breast and 50 free and placed fifth in the 100 IM. “Coll has been doing very well in the pool, he also swims year round,” said Barnes.
The pair of Sam Golbin and Will Kinney did very well in boys’ 18-and-under category, Golbin took second in the 100 IM, third in the 50 fly, and fifth in the 50 free while Kinney placed first in both the 50 breast and the 50 fly and second on the 50 free. “Sam Golbin is new, this is his first year on Nassau and this is his last eligible year,” said Barnes. “He has done so much work for us in one season in an age group where we are typically pretty weak. It was great to have him this year. Will is actually my other assistant coach. He always comes to the meets in his coaching attire and wears a suit underneath. He swims his races and he doesn’t bring a towel, he just throws his sweats back on. He balances both very well, he is great to have as a coach.” In reflecting on his coaching experience with the Lemmings, Barnes appreciated how his swimmers balance work and fun. “I would say Nassau, especially for me, is a big family,” said Barnes. “People come to the pool and stay there all day, every day for the entire summer. The kids want to be there. It is not like we are one of those huge clubs that just turns out numbers of swimmers and excellent results. I think we are much more than that.” —Bill Alden
Local Sports Safe Streets Hoops Events Slated for August 4-13
T he 2017 Joint Effor t Princeton Safe Streets Safe Streets Community Celebration will be taking place from August 4-13. Held in conjunction with many Princeton businesses, community leaders, community organizations and citizens, the program’s theme is “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” centering around the historic role of t he Black Church in the Witherspoon - Jackson Community, the 20th Historic District in Princeton, New Jersey. The celebration features a series of events and activities held at different locations throughout the Witherspoon - Jackson Community, Princeton, and the surrounding area. It also includes skills clinics, basketball games, and celebrations held in the memory of Pete Young, Sr., seeking to bring youth together with community organizations, concerned citizens, law enforcement, and businesses to support positive programs for youth basketball skill development and neighborhood safety in the Princeton community. The celebration started on August 4 with a Joint Effort Safe Streets Kick-Off and Happy Hour starting at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on Birch Ave. On August 5, the events included: the Joint Effort Pete Young Sr. Memorial Longest Ball Golf Driving Contest at the Double Eagle Golf at Snipes Farm /Old Morrisville Golf Farm from 7 - 11 a.m.: the Witherspoon - Jackson Super Saturday Maclean Street Neighborhood Yard Sale at 25-27
SO GOOD: Nassau Swim Club’s Sophia Burton shows her breaststroke form in a meet this summer. Burton helped the Lemmings place third in Division 2 at the recently-held Princeton Area Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet. Burton took first in the 12-andunder 100 individual medley and second in both the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) Maclean Street starting at 9 a.m.; Olivia’s Wellness Connection (exercise, walk, and conditioning workouts) at Community Park starting at 9 a.m.; the Joint Effort Princeton Community Critical Issues Discussion on the “Future of Princeton: A Sense Of Where We Are And What’s To Come” at the Princeton Public Library from 1 - 4 p.m. On August 6, events included : the Joint Effor t Princeton Ecumenical Service, Community Recognition and Musical Celebration of “T he Histor y of Black Churches in Princeton (Witherspoon Street Presbyterian, Mt. Pisgah AME. First Baptist, Morning Star)” and the Witherspoon - Jackson Neighborhood to be held at the Princeton Theological Seminary’s Miller Chapel starting at 5:30 p.m. On August 9, the Joint Effort Witherspoon - Jackson Community Reception, Book Signing / Discussion On I Hear My People Singing: Voices of African American Princeton with Author, Kathryn “Kitzi” Watterson and the Youth/Young Adult Recognition Art Exhibit by Aaron Fisher & Photographic Display by Romus Broadway will take place at the Arts Council of Princeton with a reception at 5:30 p.m and the program beginning at 6:30 p.m. On August 10, there will be a Joint Effort Summer Community Concert - Band “Fresh Fire” in conjunction with Arts Council of Princeton to be held at the Princeton Shopping Center starting at 6 p.m. On August 11, the events include: the Joint Effort Youth Basketball Clinic[Bring your own ball] at the Community Park Basketball Courts for 9 a.m. to noon. (Rain site is John Witherspoon Middle School); and the Joint Effort Witherspoon - Jackson Black Seniors and Family Salute “They Were There” (Recognition of Black Seniors and Current Church Members From Each Church in the Witherspoon - Jackson Community) at the First Baptist Church with reception at 5:30 p.m. and program starting at 6:30 p.m. On Aug ust 12, events scheduled include : the Witherspoon - Jackson Super Saturday Maclean Street Neighborhood Yard Sale -Site: 25-27 Maclean Street starting at 9 a.m.; Olivia’s Wellness Connection (exercise, walk, and conditioning workouts ) at Community Park starting at 9 a.m.; the
Joint Effort Princeton Witherspoon - Jackson Community Time Capsule Ceremony at the Waxwood Parking Lot on Maclean Street with a meet and greet at 9 a.m. and ceremony at 9 a.m.; the Witherspoon - Jackson Community Walking Tour starting at the First Baptist Church at 10 a.m.; and the Joint Effort Safe Streets Block Festival with music, food, and entertainment to be held at Race Street and Birch Avenue starting at noon. The weekend culminates on August 13 with nine basketball games and the community recognition ceremony. The games and reception will be held at Community Park. The first two games game are at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and feature youth teams. Game three w ill involve 10 -12-year- old boys and the fourth contest features 13-15-year-old boys. The fifth contest will be a high school girls’ game at 2 p.m. while the sixth contest will be a women’s game. There will be a high school boys’ game at 4 p.m and a men’s game at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., there will be community recognition in the park. The hoops will conclude with a second men’s game at 6:15 p.m. There will be mandatory players’ meetings and workouts [bring your own ball] on August 8, 9, and 10 at 6 p.m. at Community Park to finalize participants in the games. There will be an after-program gatherings on August 5, 10, 11, 12, and 13 at the Elks Lodge on Birch Ave. For more infor mation, cont ac t Joh n B a i l e y at (720) 629-0964 or johnbailey062@gmail.com. ———
Princeton Little League Opens Fall Ball Sign-up
Registration for the Princeton Little League (PLL) 2017 fall baseball season is now underway. The PLL fall season gets underway on September 9 and runs to October 28. All sessions to be on Saturday afternoons with no weeknights. Player development is the primary focus of the PLL fall program. Players will be organized by age division and by team. They will play games, but no standings will be kept, as the primary goal is to work on skills and have fun. Players will also practice for 30-40 minutes (depending on age group) before the
start of each game. Fall ball will also feature the return of our Pro Coaching Sessions. Pro coaches will lead two special days of training for all registered players and all volunteer coaches. The 2017 fall ball runs from on eight Saturdays from September 9-October 28. The Divisions are as follows: -Tee Ball: 4-6 years old 1:30-3 p.m. -Division A: 6-8 year olds 1:30–3 p.m. (coach pitch). -Division AA: 7-10 year olds 3– 5 p.m. (kid pitch). -Division AAA : 10-13 year olds 2:30– 4:30 p.m. (kid pitch). Players must reside in the municipality of Princeton or parts of Hopewell, Skillman, and Rocky Hill or attend a private or public school within the PLL Catchment area. Lawrence Township and Princeton Junction residents are not eligible, unless they attend a school in the PLL Catchment Area. League Age is based on the player’s age on 8/31/2018. Players born before 9/1/2004 or after 8/31/2013 are not eligible. (6-7 year olds who played in the Instructional Division this past spring are eligible to play in the AA division. Please consult with spring coach about placement if needed.) The fee for Tee Ball is $125. The fee for all other divisions is $150. Players will receive new jerseys. New/Replacement hats will be for sale at the Snack Shack for $10. Contact Meghan Hedin via e-mail at meghan.hedin @ gmail.com with any questions. ———
Cherry Valley’s Bowman Wins NJPGA Tournament
Overcoming difficult weather conditions, Cherry Valley Countr y Club Director of Golf Allan Bowman and amateur partner T h o m a s Ya r s o n c a r d e d eight birdies on their way to victory in the recently-held National Car Rental NJPGA Pro-Scratch tournament at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Bedminster. Bowman posed five birdies while Yarson contributed three in the best ball competition. Finishing in a tie for second one stroke back was the team of pro Grant Sturgeon and Dan Macdonald from Arcola Country Club and Keith Grassing and Mike O’Connell from Essex Golf Range.