By James DeWeese
Yes, the dedicated flock of 5- to 15-year-old swimmers are refining a physical skill that often carries them to victory in meets with other Catholic parishes and sometimes helps earn them high school and college scholarships. But Shawn Slevin, a Jackson Heights human resources consultant who volunteers more than 20 hours a week to coach the team, said it's about a lot more than that.”It's not just about them,” said Slevin, 48, who swam on the team herself decades ago. “It's about giving back to the community. It's about teaching. It's life lessons through the venue of swimming.”In addition to a rigorous training schedule that keeps the youngsters of all skill levels in the pool three or more hours a week, the Dolphins and Dolphinettes, as the girls and boys teams are known, have put their dedication to work in the community. After a devastating tsunami struck Asia in December, team members launched a clothing drive for two borough Buddhist temples and raised $500 for the American Red Cross and the Catholic Children's Fund, Slevin said.”The context is really connecting the kids to other things besides them just themselves and swimming,” said Slevin.St. Sebastian's swim team draws a diverse group of youth with a broad range of skill levels from all across the borough. Parents said they sought out the program, which costs about $200 a year, for the discipline it instills, its exercise benefit and, of course, the fun their children have.”You see how amazing it is,” said Elmhurst father John Aboulleit, 40. His 11-year-old son Michael joined the team two years ago and swam 11 miles non-stop during the team's most recent fund-raising marathon. “He learned to swim in here,” Aboulleit said. “It was amazing in these two years to go from nothing to 11 miles.” Michael swam 5 1/2 hours, stopping only once for a hot dog, his father said.”I just believe in myself,” said Michael, who devours videos of Olympic phenomenom Michael Phelps.All told, the team logged 553 miles – that's 39,816 laps – during the marathon.The St. Sebastian's swim teams, which operate under the umbrella of the Catholic Youth Organizations, have roots stretching back to the 1960s. The teams practiced at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn before moving in the late 1960s into the state-of-the-art facility at St. Sebastian's Parish Center, which was financed by neighborhood donations, Slevin said.The girls team has been in the water constantly since then, capturing a record for 14 consecutive championships while competing in the Catholic Youth Organization's league in Queens and Brooklyn. The boy's team fizzled because of lack of interest about a dozen years ago, but Slevin and her assistant coaches relaunched the now successful program five years ago.”The first year we couldn't even fill up all the events,” Slevin said. “It was sort of a rough start, but this year we have 63 boys and we retired undefeated champions.”Jason Contessa, 12, a first-year member of the St. Sebastian's team from Glendale, said it was a hard-fought victory. “We just practiced and we concentrated on all our meets,” he said.The tradition has inspired generations of swimmers to return. Assistant coaches Dawn Hughes and Susan Hourigan both swam on the team and their children are in the program. And many of the older team members pitch in on other coaching duties for their younger teammates.For many swimmers, the Dolphins and Dolphinettes represent their first brush with competitive swimming. And the experience often serves as a gateway to higher levels of competition, including coveted spots on the Flushing Flyers team in the United States Swimming league.”From my point of view, I'm not looking for the physical stuff,” said Maspeth rsident Miroslaw Myszkowski, whose daughter Olivia, 11, is on the team. “I'm looking for her to build character. She needs to learn how to win and lose in life.”Sunnysider Tara Secilmis, 10, said she likes winning, but more importantly she likes the friends she's made and the spirit the team that helped her make the transition from school at Queen of Angels to classes at St. Sebastian's.”The meets are very exciting. The last meet I was banging on the deck and saying 'Go, Go, Go!'” said Tara, who after having shaved a combined total of 59 seconds off all her best times since last year is in the running for most improved swimmer. “I love my friends here.” Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.On the Web:www.stsebastianswims.com
