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JCC Swim Team Competes in Virtual Meet

By Adam Grobman

In February, the Harrisburg JCC swim team took part in a virtual meet with the Simon Family JCC in Virginia Beach.

Harrisburg JCC Swimmers ages 8 through 16 competed in individual event including freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, and competed on February 4. Times were reported and compared to the Simons Family JCC, who defeated Harrisburg 202-110.

Coach MarkJoseph Kasian, in his first full year leading the team, reports that the swimmers have improved immensely since beginning twice-weekly practices earlier this season.

“I saw a lot of good swimming technique and that’s what I was focused on,” he says. “That leads to better finishing times.”

This year’s team is smaller than usual with eleven swimmers compared to the typical forty members. The team is a member of the Mid-Atlantic JCC Swim League, typically competing against other JCCs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.

MarkJoseph says that the event came out of connections made through the national JCC aquatics listserve. He says that the team plans to continue with virtual meets against Virginia Beach in future years and that he hopes to team up with JCCs across the country for virtual meets, noting the excitement of the competitors on his team.

“The kids were excited,” he says. “They just have fun competing even though they weren’t going up against someone in person – they’ve all been working hard as a small team.”

While this year’s swim season is almost complete, MarkJoseph says the team will be looking for more swimmers to take part beginning in October. The team is open to children ages 8 through High School age and practices at the Harrisburg JCC. For more info, contact MarkJoseph at m.kasian@jewishfedhbg.org.