Swimming for spot in Junior Olympics

The Island Now

More than 150 swimmers from the Long Island Aquatic Club will compete in the 2011 Short Course Junior Olympics at the Nassau County Aquatic Center on March 27 to 29.

The athletes representing Long Island Aquatic Club will compete against swimmers from all over the New York Metropolitan area during the three day meet.

Athletes in this competition range in ages from 8 to 18.

To qualify for the event many of the swimmers have been practicing five to six times a week and achieved their qualifying standards in other local swim meets throughout the year.

When asked about their training, head coach Ginny Nussbaum said, “The swimmers who have qualified for this weekend’s competition have challenged themselves in practice all year long and we look forward to watching their success this weekend.”

Long Island Aquatic Club, located out of Garden City, is the premier USA Swimming club on Long Island.

The team regularly sends swimmers to compete at regional swim meets as well as at US National competitions and the US Olympic Trials.

LIAC has been ranked as high as 14th in the USA swimming Virtual Club Championship, a national ranking of Age-Group club teams.

Many of the swimmers in this weekend’s competition began in the organization’s Long Island Swim School lesson program, now compete on the more elite age group level, and will eventually go on to swim in college.

Long Island Aquatic Club’s graduating class of 2010 sent athletes on to prestigious universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Duke, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina, University of Southern California, and New York University.

“Swimming teaches children to overcome new challenges and be successful on a daily basis. The lessons our swimmers learn each day about perseverance, dedication, and excellence apply in the pool, in the classroom, and throughout their daily lives.” said head coach and program director Dave Ferris.

 

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