Leadership

Frank Morrisey, President

Frank is in his senior year at Chaminade after shadowing the leadership team for two seasons. He is excited to work closely with James, the team’s mascot and Chief Morale Officer.

Luke Valentino, Mentor and Former President

A freshman at Bucknell University, Luke has volunteered with the team since its inception six years ago and was selected by co-founder Walter Szczech to take over for him. He’s extremely proud to be part of this amazing group and, especially, of each and every athlete.

Ellen Lynch, Co-founder and Head Coach, SONY Certified Aquatics Coach

A Port Washington resident, Ellen is our most distinguished aquatics expert.  An avid swimmer and certified lifeguard, she was an Olympic hopeful for the 1964 Olympics in the 150-meter freestyle category.  When not doing Shark Waves, Ellen is a beloved professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and the beloved, essential core of this program.

Walter Szczech, Founder and President Emeritus

In 2016, Walter Szczech, then a sophomore at Chaminade High School, was attending a Special Olympics, NY basketball tournament to watch his older brother play. It was hard not to see James’ joy at being part of something like this but Walter also saw there was a need for more events that allowed Special Olympics athletes to feel the thrill and challenges of being part of a competitive team. 

Walter and Ellen shared a vision to create a Special Olympics Swim Team and with that “Shark Waves” swim team was born.

Kathy and Joe Abberton, SONY Certified Athletics & Aquatics Coaches

This incredible couple has been ardent supporters of Special Olympics sports for many, many years.  Founders of the New Hyde Park Knights basketball team, they spend countless hours running that program, and still manage to find time to provide major support to the Shark Waves in numerous ways. Our team couldn’t function without their generous hearts and warm smiles!

Krystine Abberton, R.N. and SONY Certified Athletic Coach

Krystine is one of the hardest working and friendliest people ever!  A Registered Nurse, she comes every week to practice to ensure the safety of everyone in and around the pool. She is the daughter of Kathy and Joe — kindness runs deep in their family!