Anselm’s aqua-angels

The girls of the St. Anselm Angels championship swim team were glowing with pride on Thursday, April 18, at a ceremony where they received trophies marking their recent victory.

Gathered at Fort Hamilton High School’s pool, where the team practices, the proud group of swimmers, parents and coaches joyfully congratulated one another and posed for pictures as they gave the girls their championship trophies.

The trophies marked the March 23 victory of the St. Anselm/Holy Angels girls swim team at the Nassau Aquatic Center, at Eisenhower Park in Long Island, where they participated in the Brooklyn/Queens CYO 2012-2013 championship meet.

Led by head coach Catherine Kindschuch, the recently expanded team of about 115 girls competed amongst over 1,500 other girls from the diocese and came in first place, scoring 367 points. The second place team was St. Virgilius with 340 points. Blessed Trinity came in third with 267.

Bob Hauck (commissioner of the St. Anselm swimming program) explained how the St. Anselm sports program has recently expanded, combining forces with Holy Angels School, giving the swim team the new name “St. Anselm Angels.” The team went from 75 swimmers to 115 over the past three years, and continues to grow. With increased demand to join the highly competitive and elite force of young swimmers, try-outs are necessary.

Not only has the St Anselm Angels squad grown in size, but it has also rapidly risen in the ranks, finishing the season in first place with an undefeated record.

“My daughter loves swimming for this team,” said John Brennan, the father of one of the team members. “They went from last place to first place. St. Anselm’s sports program is going through a renaissance and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

The coaching staff discussed how they implemented developmental programs for the swimmers, to increase speed, stamina and technique. They also said that this was the most successful year since the two teams combined, and that team spirit and attendance were both very high, making the girls very happy.

Assistant Coach Ted Ghorra said, “I took sincere pride in the success of the girls and enjoyed the many smiles on their faces throughout the season, as the level of camaraderie was terrific among the swimmers as well as the coaches.”

He also said, “Much of the success of the team this season can be attributed to the dedication of the parents and the other assistant coaches, and especially the handwork and terrific leadership of head coach Catherine Kindschuch who dedicates so much time to the program.”

Registration for both the girls and boys swim programs begins in September. For more information about the swim program visit:

http://starcc.net/Youth3.htm#swimming.

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