YMCA Needs Swimmers for 'Master' Team

This was submitted by the Andover-North Andover YMCA.

When you hear the name “Masters Swim Team,” you may think only of adult athletes who are Olympic-bound. The Andover/North Andover YMCA’s Masters Swim Team hopes to change that image to be more inclusive and to invite those that would like join them as they exercise in the pool.

Head coach Rick Battistini shares his team’s successes, “Our Y National team was 11th out of 55 scoring teams from across the country. We won the elite New England Championship with our combined team of Minuteman Andover/North Andover Y squad at Harvard this past March – the first time Cambridge Masters has been beaten in over 5 years!”

“Our team includes triathletes, recreational swimmers, people interested in competing and those who primarily are interested in staying fit,” said Marcia Misiorski of Boxford, who been involved with the Masters Swim Team since 1987 and now serves as a coach.

Coach Battistini adds, “Our team is very social. I have athletes who don’t compete. They swim for health, training and the social aspect.”

The Y’s team currently has between 25 and 50 members. From September to March, the group grows to about 35 to 65 athletes. “We’re looking to expand. I enjoy being here and working with these athletes. People want to train and learn to get better - that includes everyone from national athletes to those who are here for the exercise and the social part of the team.”

The Andover/North Andover YMCA’s Master’s swim team holds coached workouts from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Y and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. There’s also a group who are coached at Haverhill High School swimming pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. Some groups of athletes also work independently at the Andover/North Andover YMCA from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.; 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.; and at noon-time.

Misiorski explained how joining a swim team had helped her "ease" into the sport in the past.

“I swam one year in college and was intimidated by swimming with the fast swimmers. I found that I wasn’t too slow and I could handle the workouts. Easing into the Masters team was good for me,” Coach Misiorski said. “On our team, we realize adults have lives outside of swimming and can’t make every practice so we all do the best we can.” She continued, “Our team is like an extended family. We are very social.”

Interested in swimming for health? The Andover/North Andover Y’s Masters team wants to hear from you. Contact coach Rick Battistini at battwave@verizon.net or by call the Andover/North Andover YMCA at 978-685-3541. The only requirement is the ability to swim continuously for 500 yards.