State of the Storm
JANUARY 20, 2023
A Message from Coach Mary
Storm Families,
As we prep for championships, I may take time off from writing a post every week as my head is deep into preparations for our kids and motivating them. Instead, I will leave quotes in my absence.
grit
{gr-it} noun
To have determination and courage to push through any challenge or obstacle thrown your way until you succeed.
Thank you,
Coach Mary
Upcoming Meets - January & February
- January 28-29: GSCY Miles to Miles (all Lightning, Thunder, Junior & Senior groups)
- February 3-5: 9/O NJ YMCA Bronze Championships (9/0 qualifiers)
- February 3-5: SAY Deep Freeze (11/O groups TBD, Senior 3, all other 13/O groups TBD)
- February 11-12: 8/U NJ YMCA Championship (Waves N/S)
- February 17-19: 9/O NJ YMCA Silver Championship (9/O qualifiers)
- February 24-26: 12/U NJ YMCA State Championship (12/U qualifiers)
- February 25-26: NJ Swimming 12/U Silver/Bronze Championships (12/U qualifiers)
- February 26: SAY Mini-Pentathlon (Waves N/S)
To all of our swimmers, good luck and swim fast!
More Information: please visit the Events Page of our website.
Questions: please contact your practice group lead coach.
Important Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
MEET REGISTRATIONS
- January 20th: 9/O NJ YMCA Bronze Championships
- January 31st: NJ Swimming 12/U Silver/Bronze Championships
HOTEL BLOCK BOOKING
- January 25th: deadline to book a hotel room at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center at discounted rates for 12/U NJ YMCA State Championship
- February 7th: deadline to book a hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn Lancaster at discounted rates for the 13/O NJ YMCA State Championship
Dates and deadlines may be subject to change. Please refer to communications from your practice group lead coach for the latest information.
Volunteer Policy Update
As the season has progressed, the Parent Committee Leadership recognizes the concerns regarding the current volunteer policy and points requirements. In the interest of creating a fair and attainable volunteer point system, amendments to the current policy will be forthcoming.
The mission of the Parent Committee Leadership is to support the coaches, swimmers and families of the GSCY Storm community. Thank you for your patience as we navigate through this current situation. All volunteer inquiries should be directed to Lauren Barnicle at gscychair@gmail.com.
Cheers to our 2023 YMCA SC National Qualifiers!
The 2023 YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships will be held from April 3rd to April 7th at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC. We extend our congratulations to our athletes who have qualified to compete at the national stage:
- Alexy, Rob (Senior 1)
- Arakelian, Zoe (Senior 1)
- Barnicle, Kenneth (Senior 1)
- Bender, Samantha (Senior 1)
- Beverini, Gabriele (Senior 2)
- Beverini, Giulia (Senior 2)
- Bull, Colleen (Senior 1)
- Buniowski, Kacper (Senior 1)
- Castro, Victoria (Senior 1)
- Cuiffo, Mia (Senior 1)
- Edge, Riley (Senior 1)
- Ferraioli, Michael (Senior 1)
- Gao, Emily (Senior 2)
- Gould, Garrett (Senior 1)
- Harkins, Nicolene (Senior 3)
- Hillebrecht, Natalie (Junior 1)
- Hoffman, Bella (Senior 1)
- Holliday, Charlotte (Senior 1)
- Iturbe Cosano, (Senior 1)
- Kiss, Eszter (Senior 1)
- Latini, Sophia (Senior 1)
- Luo, TingTing (Junior 1)
- Maltsev, Erica (Senior 1)
- Misra, Veer (Senior 2)
- Moesch, Annaliesa (Senior 1)
- Ozbas, Derin (Senior 1)
- Ozbas, Mete (Junior 1)
- Patino, Nicholas (Senior 2)
- Pestrichelli, Kathleen (Senior 2)
- Pestrichelli, Will (Senior 2)
- Reddy, Raaghav (Senior 2)
- Robinson, Meghan (Senior 2)
- Ruffer, Maximilian (Junior 1)
- Sharma, Meghan (Senior 1)
- Standridge, Lucas (Senior 1)
- Sudol, Emily (Junior 1)
- Tao, Quentin (Senior 3)
- Thompson, Emily (Senior 1)
- Wong, Christian (Senior 3)
- Young, Robert (Senior 1)
- Yukhvid, Gregory (Senior 1)
Graduating Senior Recognition to Be Held at Miles to Miles
We will be celebrating the GSCY Storm Class of 2023 on Sunday, January 28th between Session 4 and Session 5 of Miles to Miles.
In order for us to prepare accordingly, we ask all graduating seniors to please RSVP by January 24th to gscystormconnect@gmail.com if you plan on attending. When responding, please be sure to include the following information:
- Name of your High School
- Number of years you have been swimming with GSCY Storm (including SHY and/or SVY)
- Your college of choice if you have declared
Please also be on the lookout for an upcoming communication for you to complete a senior questionnaire, which we will use to post your profile and achievements on our website and social media channels as we close out our season.
Introducing Jason Brauer, Associate Director, 12/U Competitive Aquatics
Coach Jason began swimming as a child with the Clearwater Aquatic Team (CAT) in Florida. It was with this team that he qualified for the Junior National team in a variety of events. His favorite events were the 1650 Freestyle and 400 Individual Medley. He spent four years competing at the University of Toledo as a scholarship student-athlete. In 2008, he returned to Florida and was an assistant coach with Tampa Bay Aquatics for twelve seasons. Outside of the pool, Jason enjoys technology, golf, CrossFit and spending quality time with family.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Jason and wishing him success in his new role.
GSCY Storm Athletes Compete at 2023 TYR Pro Swim Series
The 2022 TYR Pro Swim Series has officially come to a close, but not before showcasing some terrific swims from our very own athletes! Rob Alexy, Kenny Barnicle, and Emily Thompson proudly represented our team in Knoxville, showing that they can compete the most elite athletes in our sport.
- Emily Thompson (100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 Back, 200 Back)
- Kenny Barnicle (100 Back, 200 Back, 400 IM)
- Rob Alexy (200 Free, 50 Free, 100 Free)
A special congratulations to Emily for placing 6th in the 200 IM, 7th in the 100 Fly and 400 IM, and 8th in the 200 Fly; and Kenny for placing 7th in the 200 Back.
Well done, athletes! We are so proud of you!