The Hammonton Gazette 06/20/18 Edition | Page 5

Hammonton Swim Club marking its 60th anniversary in 2018 Page 4 • Wednesday, June 20, 2018 • The Hammonton Gazette SWIM, from Page 1 its board of directors and dedi- cated members—many of whom are also part owners of the club due to its membership structure— remain focused on doing whatever it takes to preserve the club and ensure that future generations will also be able to enjoy it for years to come. The Hammonton Swim Club’s season spans about 100 days from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, which means it can often be an expensive daily oper- ation given the board’s annual budget of approximately $90,000, according to board member Jeff Fusco, who has been affiliated with the facility for the past 15 years. However, Fusco said there is a cyclical wave of sentiment within the families of the club’s members that ensures continuous support for the Hammonton Swim Club. “What we see a lot is members’ children and grandchildren com- ing back. We’ve had people who I guess were stockholders in the ‘50s and ‘60s—their kids have outgrown the pool and they stopped coming. Now, their kids have kids; they come back to us— ’We want to rejoin. Can we reac- tivate our stock? We want our kids on the swim team.’ So, for 60 years now, we’re getting third, fourth generations of families still coming back,” Fusco said. The Hammonton Stingrays swim team is a significant factor in the amount of support the Ham- monton Swim Club receives, for “swim team families” account for about half of its membership, ac- cording to Fusco. For more than 55 of the club’s 60 years, Hammonton Swim Club members between ages four and 18 have competed against area swim clubs within the Suburban Swim Association (SSA), of which the Stingrays are a found- ing team. Molly DeNucci is the head coach of the Hammonton Stingrays, which she said is much more than a way for children to compete and have fun during the summer. “I do not usually force my chil- dren to do any type of sport or ac- tivity, but I forced them to join the swim team one year because it’s a life lesson, and just because your kid passes the deep end test for the pool does not mean they know how to swim,” DeNucci said. Since DeNucci first agreed to coach the swim team, she said she has rediscovered her childhood passion for swimming and has en- joyed being able to witness the progress of many novice swim- mers who also discovered their passion for swimming. “I think it brought me back to something that I loved and had not been around for so long … I loved last year seeing the progress from Memorial Day until the last meet in the end of the July ... For in- stance, we have the Coaches’ [Be- ginners] Squad—they do kickboard races at the beginning of the year ... By the end, they were swimming a whole lap,” De- Nucci said. The Hammonton Swim Club also offers free swimming lessons for members looking to learn without having to compete. The swimming lesson program is taught in various two-week ses- sions by the swim club’s staff of certified lifeguards (lessons held on Monday, Wednesday and Fri- day) throughout the season, and is even open to non-members for a per-session fee of $90. Several of the individuals who are presently involved with the Hammonton Swim Club, either as See CLuB, Page 14 SOLD! 800 S. White Horse Pike (Crowley Center), P.O. Box 1119 • Hammonton • 561-0505 • [email protected] • www.CrowleyCarr.com Congratulations PAIGE PUENTES on the sale of your home! Thank you for putting your trust in Crowley & Carr. “The Best Place in Town to Find the Best Place in Town.” With nearly 30 years in business, who better to guide you on all your Real Estate needs than the CROWLEY & CARR REAL ESTATE TEAM!