Dynamo Swim Team

About Dynamo

Dynamo is a three season (fall, winter, spring) competitive swim team for youth and teens. We are an open and balanced team that serves swimmers from first time team members to national competitors. While Dynamos is a competitive team at heart, we want each swimmer to grow at the speed that is right for them. All practices are held at the Pomerleau Family Y in downtown Burlington, Vermont.

We offer clinics during September/October and April/May and short course season from October to March with all meets held in 25-yard pools. The 2022/2023 season starts October 17, with stroke and swim clinics taking place this fall from September 12 – October 14. More details about the upcoming clinics and season can be found below. Watch for updates as additional information becomes available.

YMCA membership is required to swim with Dynamo. YMCA membership fees can be found on the web at gbymca.org or at our Member Engagement desk.

Questions? As noted, this page will be updated as new information is available. If you need immediate assistance, contact Jess Lukas, Aquatics & Family Programs Director, at [email protected].

Dynamo Swim Team Clinics

September 12 – October 14, Mondays, Wednesdays + Fridays

We are offering stroke clinics with a one-day-a-week format based upon the stroke you register for. You can register for as few or as many as you like, with options for beginner/intermediate and advanced groups. To participate in stroke clinics, swimmers must be able to proficiently swim at least one length of the pool of at least two strokes without flotation, assistance, or stopping. We’re also offering a start-and-turn clinic, as well as a two-day-a-week pre-season swim practice for our Senior and Nationals swimmers.

Registration for all clinics opens August 22 for Y members and August 29 for non-members.

Dynamo Swim Team Practices

Practices for the 2022/2023 season begin October 17 and will take place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30-7:30pm. There will also be a Wednesday morning practice (6:00-7:30am) for our oldest swimmers.

A 75% attendance requirement is in place for the season. For example, if your practice group swims 2 times a week, swimmers must attend 10 practices in the October 17 to November 30 time period. We have a finite number of swim team spots available, with some potential swimmers unable to join due to this limitation. Therefore, after December 1, if the attendance requirement is not met, you will lose your spot on the team. No refund will be available.

2022-2023 Season Registration

Returning Swimmers: Registration for returning swimmers is August 22 – September 2. An email with more details will be provided . . . stay tuned.

New Swimmers: On August 22, we will open registration for informational sessions — to take place over Zoom — for potential new swimmers and their families. The sessions will occur the first two weeks of September and attendance at one is a pre-requisite for any swimmer who wishes to gain an open spot or to be added to the waitlist. With limited availability, a spot on the team cannot be guaranteed. Watch this page for a registration link for a Zoom session.

Potential First-Time Team Members: If your child is interested in swim team and has never participated in a competitive program, we suggest that you begin with YMCA swim lessons this year and to join a summer team in 2023 first. Registration for the Y’s fall swim lessons opens August 22 for Y members and August 29 for non-members.

Swim Team Coaches

Maddy Kovacs

Dynamo Head Coach

Maddy Kovacs was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from UVM in 2021 with a degree in Environmental Studies. At UVM, Maddy was a member of the D1 Swim and Dive program where she predominantly swam freestyle, and raced at the 2019 CSCAA Open Water Championships. Maddy has been involved in Aquatics for over a decade, as a competitive swimmer from age 7-22, as a head summer league coach, and as a swim instructor in both Arizona and Vermont. This is Maddy’s first season with Dynamo, and she is looking forward to the opportunity to continue to work with such resilient athletes and coaching staff!

Jacsen Callanan

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Jacsen graduated from UVM in 2005. He grew up as a competitive swimmer on the south side of Chicago and had the opportunity to swim each summer at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor under the direction of Jon Urbanchek. He has been working in aquatics as a guard, instructor and coach for 15 years. He has been the head swim coach for the Northeast Philadelphia YMCA and an assistant coach for the Philadelphia FINS master swimming team. He is excited for his ninth season coaching Dynamo.

Sue Shoff

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Sue graduated from Boston College in 1987. She has been working in Aquatics for over 35 years, as a lifeguard, swim instructor, assistant coach, head summer league coach, and head youth development coach in various communities. She fell in love with swimming at her hometown YMCA at the age of 5 and 50 years later still swims and loves watching swimmers develop! She has coached at La Jolla YMCA (CA), Ridgefield Aquatics Club (CT), Ridgefield Community Center (CT), South Shore YMCA (MA), and Ridgewood YMCA (NJ). Sue has been married for over 30 years to her amazing husband, Steve, and they have two incredible kids, MacKenzie, 24 and Nick, 27.

Wren Pyle

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Wren is a student at the University of Vermont studying Exercise Science. Wren was a swimmer for over 13 years and enjoyed the 100 butterfly the most. After retiring from swimming Wren has moved on to competing in Ultra-Marathons and alpine adventures. She is looking forward to her third season with Dynamo.

Dynamo FAQs

Team Mission

Dynamo Swim Team helps create confident swimmers who achieve both individual and team goals through a love of swimming and an environment of excellence.

Y Mission

To build a strong community by involving youth, adults and families in programs and activities that develops spirit, mind and body.

Team Philosophy: PERC UP

PRIDE

We will recognize and celebrate the talents each swimmer inherently possesses.
We will show pride in our individual and team achievements.

EXCELLENCE

We are committed to excellence. We can do the things we set our minds to through commitment, self-discipline and hard work.
Swimming fast is awesome, but swimming with fast with excellent strokes is the best!

RESPONSIBILITY

We will challenge ourselves and each other to grow and learn every day.
We will take responsibility for our actions. We don’t look for someone else to blame.
We will face every challenge or race with the knowledge that we have put in the work needed to achieve our goal.

COURAGE

To succeed we will have to take risks.
We will not be afraid to try and not succeed because we know that we will learn more each time and get close to our goals.

UNITY

We will take opportunities to remind each other when we notice achievements and support each other when we are feeling frustrated or discouraged.
Every swimmer is a critical part of the team’s whole.

PERSISTENCE and DEDICATION

We will be improving everyday and we will have to put in the work every day to reach our small and large goals.
If we do not achieve our goals we will allow ourselves time for disappointment but later we will take a chance to reflect and +develop a plan to work towards our goal again.

Practice Suit: Each swimmer should have a practice suit. For younger swimmers this may be your team suit. For older swimmers it should be another suit; the team suit should be saved for meets.

Goggles: Goggles are required. Being able to see underwater helps swimmers to follow the line, see teammates, and watch for specifics of a stroke. It also prevents burning and redness of the eyes. Many styles of goggles are available. Preference is individual. If you need help adjusting your goggles see your coach at practice.

Caps: Caps are required for anyone whose hair covers their ears. Caps help create a more streamlined swimmer and prevent them from getting a mouth full of hair while trying to breathe.

Water Bottle: A water bottle with water is a must for all swimmers. When swimming it is hard to tell that you are sweating and need to replace the lost liquid. The workout time is long enough to dehydrate the swimmer. Swimmers should bring their own water bottles labeled with their names at the beginning of the season and they will be kept in a team locker on the deck so that they are always available. They can be filled at the water fountain at the beginning of practice and emptied at the end.

Race Suit: Race suits are expected for meets. For younger swimmers this can be the same as their practice suit. Race suits decrease drag enabling swimmers to swim faster during meets. There are many different types of racing suits available. Both practice suits and race suits can be ordered through the team in team colors.

Swimmer Nutrition: http://www.usaswimming.org/

New England Swimming LSC: http://www.neswim.com/

USA Swimming: http://usaswimming.org

National YMCA Swimming: http://www.ymcaswimminganddiving.org/