In 2016, Walter Szczech, then a sophomore at Chaminade High School, was attending a Special Olympics, NY basketball tournament to watch his older brother, James, play in a competitive event. 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 was introduced to Ellen Lynch, a college professor and former Olympic swimming hopeful, whose nephew was also on James’ team. When the two started speaking, it was immediately clear they shared a vision, hatching an idea to create a swim team, under the auspices of Special Olympics, New York (SONY). Special Olympics quickly got excited, as there hadn’t been a swim team for Special Olympic athletes in all of Nassau County. Hence the “Shark Waves” swim team was born.
Walter drafted a proposal to and approached his school, Chaminade, about their highly-regarded natatorium facility. Chaminade High School President, Brother Thomas J. Cleary, S.M. offered its use, free-of-charge, citing the school’s core values which call for each student to make a difference in the lives of others. The swim team for special athletes typified the school’s hallmarks of community, confidence and commitment and the Marianist Brothers have consistently supported the team and the Chaminade students’ involvement. Shark Waves simply couldn’t exist with this incredibly generous support.
There was a lot of work to be done – and Walter’s classmates enthusiastically rolled up their sleeves to check things off the list. Official paperwork between Chaminade and SONY was taken care of, volunteers recruited, lifeguards obtained, fundraising began, t-shirts were printed and a swim schedule was created. Drills were designed for the swimmers, practice session goals were set and an invitation to area athletes went out. The response was phenomenal – a team of 15 adult athletes was launched!
As Walter’s graduation date approached, he looked around to find someone to entrust with the team’s future and zeroed in on a young volunteer that had been with them since the team’s inception. That young man, Luke Valentino, was now a freshman at Chaminade and an experienced, well-respected part of the team.
Stepping into the co-founder’s shoes as the team’s new president was both humbling, and an honor, for Luke. His first task was to rebuild the volunteer base, since all but one of the Chaminade students that had joined Walter, graduated with him. Luke vowed to make the team sustainable, beyond the tenure of any one person in the role of the team’s president. He recruited new volunteers from multiple grades, and reached out to students at other nearby high schools to broaden the base of support. In the second season of his tenure, he recruited his own replacement and started working closely with him. Luke wanted to be sure the team’s next leader could hit-the-ground-running when it was his turn, after Luke graduated and went to college. He also made connections with Chaminade’s swim team members and brought them into the team’s activities. Although all volunteers are crucial to the athlete’s experience, having fellow swimmers challenging the Sharks in the pool, lap for lap, has pushed the athletes to shatter their old, personal-best-times and allowed them to see potential and strengths inside themselves.
Like Walter’s experience, Luke also found a warm reception from his classmates and he tapped three in particular to form a Leadership Team: Steven Sidoti, Massimo Posillico and Quinn Sullivan. Putting each one’s unique talents to best use, he asked them to manage different aspects of the team’s broad responsibilities. They’ve excelled in the efforts: standardizing and facilitating communications, expanding the team’s online presence, and improving the team’s athlete progression tracking capabilities. After rebuilding a website to serve as the hub for team information, Luke was able to put all the administrative aspects of running the team online — accessible to all the coaches and managers. It also institutionalized the team’s operations smoothing future transitions for the team’s future presidents and managers.
Under Luke, Ellen, Steven, Massimo, and Quinn’s leadership, the team has expanded. Athletes’ parents and caregivers have noted how more organized and professional things are running. Requests from new athletes to join the team have poured in. Although eager to keep the team growing and maturing, Luke’s primary focus on safety has guided his decision to be careful and limit growth. Currently the team’s size is capped, in order to maintain a safe ratio of athletes-to-volunteers, but they’ve instituted a waiting list to try to accommodate interest. But the most exciting measure of the team’s growth is how they’ve been able to participate in more competitions. Previously, the team only went to the Special Olympics’ Spring Games, but in recent seasons, they’ve attended several more meets in the region and have their eyes on one day reaching a national level event.
At every step of the way, the athletes have shattered expectations and shone brightly! Their strength empowers everyone around them to strive for more. Although the COVID pandemic has paused all Special Olympics activities, the Sharks remain deeply connected to each other and are excited to resume practice as soon as they get the green light!
Shark Waves Swim Team 