Swim team coach Sarah Melnik teaches diving form to swim team members at the pool on July 28.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Glen Ridge Community Pool’s swim team spent the summer swimming laps at the pool on Bloomfield Avenue, after a hiatus in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team, which is a member of the Suburban Swim League and comprises swimmers between the ages of 6 and 17, didn’t actually compete this summer, focusing instead on more important things.
“It was canceled last year. We had a meeting earlier this year and decided, ‘You know, let’s just have fun this summer,’” pool manager Jodie Schnack said in an interview with The Glen Ridge Paper on July 28.
Even though they didn’t go to a meet this summer, a lot of the swimmers came back to the pool to race one another in the lanes at GRCP and try to beat their own top times, according to coach Sarah Melnik.
“It’s been fun getting to see them back in the pool and having fun,” she said in a phone interview with The Glen Ridge Paper on July 28. “I missed it.”
When members join the team, experience levels vary and usually correlate with age. Some know how to swim and have been on a team before; others are novices. The summer season is short. Despite that the program runs only through June and July, the swimmers still have a chance to learn a lot in the short period of time.
“Most of them really enjoy it and come back, and some ask about winter clubs they can join,” Melnik said. “That’s my biggest goal.”
Melnik anticipates a return to racing next year, with a resumption of attending swim meets. Melnik said meet days are “fun chaos,” especially when team members get to race for the first time, as this always increases the excitement. Though there haven’t been meet days this summer, the team has been training in anticipation of racing next summer. Next June the swimmers will get to show off the work they’ve done on diving and the four different strokes.
“We really are happy to be back,” Melnik said. “I’ve been a swimmer my whole life, and I love teaching the little ones. Hopefully, they get to love this sport as much as I do.”
Photos by Amanda Valentovic
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