Club Swimming

By: Brooke Pompeo

December 4, 2014

The smell of turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie is a change to

the usual chlorine-filled air.

Swimmers from Temples club team gather at one house in November with

their best or worst cooking to share with their 35 teammates. Its officially

Swims-giving.

Liz Riepnieks, vice president of the Temple club swimming team, helps to

organize the event, which brings the team together to celebrate the

Thanksgiving holiday.

One thing I strive to do as vice president is make [the team] feel like they

are part of a family, Riepnieks said.

The club swimming team is definitely a large family.

We have anywhere from 70 to 90 people sign up [per] semester, but

actively throughout the semester, we probably have close to 30 to 40, said

Jimmy Long, team president.

The club team began after Temples varsity swimming team was cut in 1986.
Temple is a very large institution without a varsity swim program, said

Peter Derstine, Temples Sports Club Coordinator. You are bound to get

students who swam competitively in high school, but for whatever reason did

not go varsity in college, but are still interested in competing at a lesser

degree.

Being a club team can have its challenges with attendance at meets and

practices. With so many people on a team, it is hard for everyones

schedules to line up.

Its tough because you will get a different number of participants for each

meet, Long said. Its a different team dynamic that youre not traditionally

around everyone all the time.

The team participates in three invitational-style meets each semester with

competition ranging from four teams to 18 teams. The group goes to one

overnight meet during its regular season.

Each meet prepares the swimmers for the East Collegiate Club Championship

at the end of the season. Georgia Tech hosts 1,400 swimmers, including 25

from Temples team, for a three-day meet.

Everyone generally does really well and definitely get their best times,

Long said.

Travel expenses to the meets are included in the small amount the members

pay at the beginning of the season.

We only charge 30 to 35 dollars per semester and that covers meet fees

and gas, Long said.

The only other payment members make is buying apparel from the clubs

annual order if they choose to purchase club swimming clothing.

The club sets its practice schedule at the beginning of the season to help

accommodate the entire team. This year, the team practices from 8:30 to 10

p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

We ask [that] everyone practices at least two days in the water, and they

can do that on their own during the day, or they can come to the scheduled

practices, Long said.

Email and Facebook is an essential part to keeping the team informed on

upcoming events and information from the coaches.

Its great to be able to communicate with everyone that way. Especially with

everyones busy schedules, Riepnieks said.

Luke Kuleszynski, one of the three coaches, graduated from Temple in 2012,

but wanted to stay with the program.

They dont treat me like an outsider, Kuleszynski said. Its just very easy

to interact with them, its easy to joke with them, and its easy to coach

them.

Kuleszynski was a member of the club swimming team when he went to

Temple and finds it easy to relate to the team.

I swam here for about three and a half years and it was probably the best

time of my life, Kuleszynski said. Thats where I met most of my friends

and it is safe to say its my family.

Derstine feels there will definitely be a future for the club sport as he sees

the team staying strong as they continue.

Kuleszynski knows the family atmosphere is what draws people in and what

keeps them on the team.

Every year it feels like the family keeps getting closer and closer,

Kuleszynski said.