Newburgh swimmers back in the water

By Mike Zummo
Posted 2/24/21

 

There was a great deal of excitement on Jan. 19 when the members of the Newburgh Free Academy boys’ swimming team came to the first practice.Some had swam for the local club team, but …

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Newburgh swimmers back in the water

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There was a great deal of excitement on Jan. 19 when the members of the Newburgh Free Academy boys’ swimming team came to the first practice.

Some had swam for the local club team, but others hadn’t swam competitively in almost a year at that point. But they were together again.

“I think that first day caught everyone by surprise,” Newburgh boys’ swim coach Zachary Williams said. “Everyone from me on down was excited to be a team again, to be at one place at the same time together and to go through a shared experience.”

There are still hardships. The Goldbacks must go through the Newburgh school district’s strict COVID-19 protocol, virtual meets, all on top of not having their own pool to call home. The Goldbacks swim at Marlboro High School, along with the Dukes’ two swimmers.

The Newburgh Free Academy pool is still being renovated as part of a district capital project.

“Every day is a new day, and for a high school kid that’s asking a lot,” Williams said. “Everything is so routine based.”

The Goldbacks competed in their first virtual meet last week against Monroe-Woodbury, a 90-71, loss. It started a busy week for the Goldbacks with three virtual dual meets.

Newburgh honored its seniors – Michael Abrams, Leo Betcher, Kyle German, and Andrew Nieves – during a Feb. 11 virtual meet against Middletown.

Overall, the Goldbacks have about 16 swimmers on their roster, which Williams said is down from where they usually are.

“My 15 or 16 guys who have decided to do this, I can’t say how much they accomplished just to be on the team,” Williams said. “That’s a big feat for this year.”

On the other end, Williams pointed to a strong set of eighth and ninth grade swimmers that he also coaches in club swimming. He said even the team’s seniors were amazed at how fast they’ve been swimming.

“Each one of them, in their own way has taken a huge step,” Williams said. “That’s in the water and out of the water. They’re much more mature. They’re handling a lot more. They’re more focused. They know what to do and they’re swimming faster than when we left off. That’s been a really cool part of this experience.”

Williams said he wasn’t surprised at how easily his team was able to adjust to the virtual meets. The Goldback swimmers have always been time-focused, a culture that he said was established long before he coached the team.

“Our guys swim fast and go hard all the time,” he said. “We’re constantly going for times.”

The Goldbacks also are one of the only teams in the district to have been competing. Only the boys’ and girls’ bowling teams and boys’ and girls indoor track teams have been cleared to compete. Bowling meets are virtual, and all track meets have been snowed out.

High-risk boys’ and girls’ basketball and wrestling have only been cleared to practice.

“Without the pool, and the COVID restrictions, and now hybrid, for my guys to be into swimming, wanting to be on the team, traveling to practice and remaining eligible, they deserve a lot of credit. This is not a normal year for anybody. I’m asking these guys to do a lot, even above what is normal. Each of these kids made a decision to put up with it and have done well. I’m very proud of them for that.”