Young swimmers perfect their strokes on rec team
BY JOHN SUTTON
Correspondent

NORTH BRUNSWICK - There will be more than just splashing around by the youths in the township high school pool this summer. Instead, they will be perfecting their strokes while competing on the Rapids swim team.

Operated through the North Brunswick Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services and coached by Elizabeth Yarus, the team will compete during the months of June and July with swimmers ranging in age from 6-18 years old.

Yarus, entering her 15th year as coach of the team, said that what she does is more about teaching than coaching with many of the younger swimmers she works with. Getting down the technique of the four strokes - freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly - is what she works toward with most of her swimmers.

In order to get on the team, swimmers must first test for all four strokes. Yarus said that the older and more mature the swimmer gets, the more stringent the testing will be.

"The older they get, the more they should be able to swim all strokes," Yarus said. "Whereas with the younger children, we are more lenient with what we accept in regard to their ability because we are a teaching team and we try to help them learn the strokes."

Those who have matured in their swimming ability are looking to perfect their strokes and work toward progressing with each year, while the younger children are just looking to swim and understand the way that a swim meet works, according to Yarus.

Many times during the meet, the older team members will assist the younger swimmers in preparation for their races, Yarus said. Whether it be reminding them of technique or making sure they are in the right position, the team is also looking out for each other.

"We rely on the team as a whole unit to work together," Yarus said. "Many times the older kids will make sure the younger ones are ready for their events, that they're lined up where they need to be so that they don't miss their race."

They also assist with technique for the younger swimmers, assuring that they remember the intricacies.

Yarus runs practice from the pool at North Brunswick High School Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. during the summer months.

In addition to running the Rapids swim team, Yarus also operates the entire aquatics program for North Brunswick, coordinating the lifeguards, a senior swim program and night swim lessons for swimmers of all ages.

Her swim team is at the center of all this. It allows her to coach and teach at the same time with kids who are eager and ready to improve both in swimming ability and teamwork.

"My motto for the summer is that I always want the kids to learn and to have fun," Yarus said. "We are a competitive team, but I don't want that to be the No. 1 reason that we are together. I want the kids to learn something and be a team."