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New York State Championship

Two Time Champs Greeley Boys Swim & Dive Team Aim to Win a Third & Unprecedented State Championship Title

August 18, 2023 by Stacey Pfeffer

Greeley Swim & Dive Team Champs. Photo by Christina Schoonmaker

A leisurely swim is one of summer’s greatest pleasures enjoyed by many but for Horace Greeley’s Boys Swim and Dive Team, summer is the time for tough workouts in the pool to prep for next season. They are hoping to clinch the State Championship Title for a third year in a row.

This past spring, the 35-member team won that title at Ithaca College for a second year in a row, and were the first team in Greeley’s history to win back-to-back state titles. The boys practice year-round, including the summer, and swim for approximately 15 hours weekly plus two land workouts weekly consisting of strength training workouts and stretching. It is a grueling schedule with some students waking up prior to 5 a.m. for morning practice, but many of these students have been swimming since they were in elementary school and are truly dedicated to the sport.

The team is hoping for a three-peat this year despite graduating six talented swimmers. Swim coach Meg Kaplan notes that the “rising junior class is filled with state level swimmers who have two to three years of state swimming under their belt. They are determined to direct the team to win another championship one at a time – league, conference, sectional, New York State and Federation. It is a goal that has not been accomplished by any other team in NY state history.”

Harriet Engel, mother of senior swimmers Eric and Oliver, explains that the Greeley swim team or what many refer to as “G-swim” is run differently than a team sport. The boys swim under the Greeley banner but many practice under the tutelage of Zac Hojnacki, the Head Coach of the Marlins, a swim club based out of the Mount Kisco-based Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester.

Engels’ boys began swimming at age seven for the Willowbrook swim team and eventually landed at the Boys and Girls Club with the Marlins. Of the ten boys who qualified for States this past spring, nine swim with the Marlins and one for the Larchmont-based Badgers. “The G-swim legacy is due in large part to the Marlins’ success,” explains Engel.

“During COVID it became abundantly clear the boys need the G-swim team. They love the high school team.  It is a lot of fun for these boys and they bond as a group. You can see the smile on their faces on the deck. Swimming is a solitary sport. When they swim for their club, they are swimming for themselves but when they swim for G-swim they are swimming for team glory,” Engel says.

Hojnacki believes the team’s success is due to their values as a group. “They have a great culture and are passionate about the team. They embrace each individual’s success which propels them as a group,” he notes. Hojnacki who has been with the Marlins for the past five years has noticed that the G-swim team has progressively taken the sport of swimming more seriously and really bought into a culture of training excellence not just for the Marlins but also for their performance on G-swim. He works with several swimmers from various high schools throughout Westchester and has been impressed by the Greeley boys and offers a recent anecdote. “This morning after practice we were pulling lane lines which is basically grunt work. A few years ago maybe only a few kids would willingly do this. Now we have 20 or 30 kids helping each other and they treat one another with respect. The camaraderie, sportsmanship and teamwork play a role in their success and has them performing at a higher level.”

Meeting Goals & Striking a Balance

Hojnacki is also grateful for the ongoing dialogue that he has with Kaplan and the Greeley team. “We have the same goals, and it is about finding a balance between the G-swim and the club’s practice schedules, meets etc.,” says Hojnacki who is currently training some of the Greeley swimmers for nationals and even Olympic trials.

Hudson Chung, a former captain who just graduated Greeley will swim for the University of Chicago this fall. He believes the combination of coaches is crucial to their success. “Coach Meg who does the line-ups helps us achieve a win on every level from sectionals to divisionals to states while Coach Zac is amazing and helps push us to our limits,” he says.

So will the G-swim team be able to have a three-peat this year? Kaplan and Hojnacki both think it is possible to accomplish. “They need to remain focused, train to their maximum ability and stay off the injury list. It’s the character and trust in their brotherhood and drive and determination that fuels the swim team forward,” Kaplan adds.

These swimmers train seven days a week from before the sun rises to after the sun sets. Despite the fact that Greeley does not have a pool. “Where there is a will, there is a way. Come watch a meet at SUNY Purchase. We will for sure not disappoint,” she sums up.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, Greeley Boys Swim and Dive Team, Greeley Swim Team, Horace Greeley High School, New York State Championship, Swimming Competition

Local Westchester Gymnasts Take Home NINE Gold Medals at State Championship

March 17, 2021 by Inside Press

World Cup Gymnastics boys’ team competed this past weekend at the New York State Championship held at World Class Gymnastics Academy on March 14, 2021.  Over 500 gymnasts competed at this exciting event. 

To support a safe competition during Covid-19, the championship was divided into three sites throughout the state.  At the completion of the competitions, scores were merged to determine individual rankings by level. World Cup Gymnastics proudly reported that their masked champions took home nine gold medals!

A definite standout at the event was Level 6 (Ages 10-11) gymnast, Dylan Davenport from Stamford, CT.  Dylan received three gold medals on Floor (11.1), Pommel Horse (11.2) and High Bar (10.4) and earned a silver medal on Parallel Bar (10.4) making him the All Around Champion with a score of 61.600.   His teammate Sawyer Robertson from Mt. Kisco took the silver medal on High Bar with a score of 10.1 and Gabriel Zybert of Pleasantville earned a silver medal on Floor (10.5).  Congratulations to Kavi Manchanda of Tarrytown and Victor Dyakin of Scarsdale who had events that scored in the top 6

The Level 8 (ages 13-14) boys took home three gold medals.  Stamford, CT native Michael Davenport earned a gold medal on Pommel Horse (12.8) and a silver medal on Floor (12.5) earning the 2nd spot All Around.  His teammate Noah Rock from Chappaqua took home two gold medals on Rings (12.1) and High Bar (12.1) and a Bronze medal on Vault (11.3). Scarsdale native, Alex Dyakin was close behind Noah earning the silver medal on High Bar (12.1) and the Bronze medal on Floor (12.4).  Congratulations to Carmel resident Andrew Sinnot who had two events in the top 5.

 Level 10 seniors had their last meet before they venture off to college.  JT Basulto from Hartsdale walked off with a gold medal on High Bar (12.7), a silver medal on Floor (14.1) and Pommel Horse (13.1) and a bronze medal All Around.  Ihor Tarasenko from Manhattan walked off with the gold medal on High Bar (13.9). 

“Our boys’ team missed most of last year’s competitions when many gyms, including ours, closed because of the pandemic,” said Jason Hebert, Director of World Cup Gymnastics.  “Fortunately, they continued to train by working out with their coaches on Zoom and conditioning on their own.  They were able to quickly pick up where they left off when they were allowed to return to the gym.  Their efforts paid off and they should be very proud of their accomplishments,” he added.

World Cup Gymnastics has been training State, Regional and National Champions for over 25 years.  It is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.

News courtesy of World Cup Gymnastics

 

Filed Under: New Castle News Tagged With: champions, Gold Medals, New York State Championship, World Cup

World Cup Gymnasts are New York State Champions

March 24, 2016 by The Inside Press

World Cup Gymnastics Level 8, Boys’ Team wins the New York State Championship

image002_gymnasticsCHAPPAQUA, New York, March 23, 2016 – World Cup Gymnastics boys’ team competed in the NY STATE GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS held March 19-20, 2016 at West Point, NY.
The Level 8 boys’ team with Mt. Vernon native Nolan McMahon; Mahopac native JT Basulto; Fishkill native, John Zakrewsky; Brewster native Curtis Bett; Katonah native Henry Weigel and Millwood native Landon Highbloom took home the first place trophy with a team score of 218.50.  McMahon had an incredible day winning the individual all-around with a score of 72.90.  He also won 1st place on Floor with a 13.00, 1st place on Rings with a 12.50, 1st place on Parallel Bars with a 12.55 and 1st place on the High Bar with a 12.050.  He added a 3rd place win on Vault and a 4th place win on Pommel Horse.  Balsuto was the individual all-around silver medalist who took home two silver medals on Floor and Rings in the age 11-12 competition and the bronze medal on the Parallel Bars and High Bar.  Bett took home silver medals in the age 13-14 competition for Floor and Pommel Horse and Bronze on the High Bar, while Highbloom took home silver on Rings in the same age group.

The Level 9 boys’ team was the silver medal champions with New Winsor native, Chase Cassisi gaining the highest scores and winning the individual all-around with a score of 76.  He swept the competition taking home gold in all events with scores of 13.15 on Floor, 12.30 on Pommel Horse, 12.40 on Rings, 12.15 on Vault, 13.30 on Parallel Bars and 12.700 on the High Bar.  Teammate Ettore Panzanaro who hails from Cortland Manor assisted earning a gold medal on Pommel Horse with a score of 12.60.

The Level 6 boys’ team was the silver medal champions in their competition with Eli Osuna from West Point taking home a gold medal on Vault with a 10.00, a silver medal on Floor with an 11.150 and a bronze medal on High Bar with a 10.70.

World Cup Gymnastics is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: Gymnastics, Inside Press, New York State Championship, theinsidepress.com, Westchester, World Cup Gymnastics

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