Archive: Around Town

Swimming lessons for kids are pretty easy to find.  But there are fewer options for adults looking for coaching on endurance and speed.  That's where the Masters Swim Team program at the YMCA comes in.  The weekly session caters to adults who want to improve their swimming either for personal satisfaction, or to make themselves more competitive in swimming events.  On October 8th adult swimmers will get a chance to try the program out when the YMCA holds an open house.  "It's an opportunity for people to come and try out the Masters program for free, and to see what they do," says the Y's Aquatic Director Joe Donley.  "We want people to be aware of where they can go to get some really great coaching."

The program has been headed by Kevin Vallely for 18 years.  Vallely was a recognized competitive swimmer at Lansing High School and in college who still competes, often winning in his age group at the Empire State Games.  After college he started the Masters Swim program at the YMCA, and has been head coach ever since.  "He continued his love of swimming through this masters program at our YMCA once a week," says YMCA Associate Director Frank Towner.  "He affects a lot of peoples' lives."

"I've known him since I arrived here," Towner says.  "He works at UPS.  He would get up at 3 o'clock in the morning, come here, do some pool operations behind the scenes, go to UPS and do his job there, go home to see his daughter -- and then he comes and coaches swimming.  He's been doing it all these years no matter what happens in his life.  It's a labor of love -- he loves to do it.  It's not because of income or prestige.  He does it because he loves to coach."

The program is geared to a range of swimmers from beginning lap swimmers to adults who want to compete.  Each Monday session starts  with a 30 minute clinic on dry land.  These may include guest speakers to talk, videos or fitness oriented topics.  Next the group is divided into three groups for a 70 minute swimming session.  Each has its own workouts, and the coaches offer training on stroke correction designed to improve cardiovascular endurance so swimmers can swim faster and farther without getting as tired.

A number of participants go to train for triathlons.  "A lot of people find with triathlons that it's easier to increase your time in biking and running simply by improving your endurance and physical shape," Donley notes.  "But with swimming so much of it is technique.  A lot of people struggle to get the correct coaching, and that's where a team like this comes in."

He also says that most participants come back for each 'semester,' and that the class helped spawn The Ithaca Triathlon Club in 2003.  Among that club's activities is the Cayuga Lake Triathlon, a USA Trithlon sanctioned event that attracts competitors nationally.  The offshoot may be responsible for a dip in Master Swim Team enrollment, but YMCA officials take a lot of pride in its success.  "That's also a big success story," Donley says.  "They're hosting a national triathlon this year.  Having that be an offshoot of the Masters Program is a pretty significant accomplishment."


The open house will be a regular Monday 7:00pm session, open to all adults for free.  Donley says it will give people a chance to experience the class as it is usually offered, and to swim with and meet the regular participants as well as the coaches.  While the current session started almost a month ago, he says that anyone can join at any time and the cost will be prorated.  The session is open to YMCA members and non-members alike, though Donley says most people join because it is more cost-effective.

Donley notes that you don't have to be an accomplished swimmer to join the Master Swim program, but you should be at a level where you can swim laps.  "We do have a beginner lesson," he adds.  "If they're not quite ready for the Masters team they can do that."

Donley also says that the coaches Vallely  gets for the class are top notch.  "The coaches that we have are outstanding," he says.  "They've been here for so long and they still do a phenomenal job.  They have a huge commitment to the community and to this organization."

Towner says that the success of the class is attributable to Vallely as an organizer and coach.  "Recognizing him as a coach is important, because he's so good," Towner says.  "He is a great coach.  He loves to coach, and the program has run by itself for years, and is successful."

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