Dynamo Swim Team

About Dynamo

Dynamo is a three season (fall, winter, spring) swim team for youth and teens. We are a diverse and competitive team that serves swimmers from first time team members to national competitors. While Dynamo is a competitive team at heart, our goal is to meet each swimmer exactly where they are. All practices are held at the Greater Burlington YMCA on College Street, in Burlington, Vermont.

We offer stroke development clinics during September/October and April/May. Our short course season begins in October and ends in March. All swim with all meets are held in 25-yard pools.

YMCA membership is required to swim with Dynamo. YMCA membership information and fees can be found here or at our Member Engagement desk.

Practice Group Descriptions + Expectations

Questions? Please contact Head Coach Maddy Kovacs at [email protected].

Current Season Registration

If you are interested in joining the Dynamo 2024-2025 season, please email Head Coach Maddy at [email protected].

Dynamo Swim Team Practices

Spring Practice for ages 13 + over Swim Team members ONLY
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14, 5:45-7:15pm. Registration closes on April 10!

This program is offered to 13 and over Dynamo swim team members and any other winter swim team member who would like to continue training before Summer League swim teams begin! We will emphasize technique refinement with film work on Mondays, and build strong aerobic & anaerobic bases on Wednesdays.

Spring Stroke Development Clinics

All of these programs will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14. Registration is open now, and will close on April 10th!

Spring Stroke Development for age 10-12 (with no swim team experience)
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14, 4:45-5:30pm. Registration closes on April 10!

This spring stroke development session is offered to swimmers aged 10-12 without any formal swim team experience. To attend stroke clinic, your swimmer must: swim multiple times across a 25-yard pool without any physical assistance, swim for a full hour-long practice, AND have a working knowledge of all 4 strokes. Stroke clinic is meant to serve as the stepping stone from swim lessons to swim team.

Spring Stroke Development for swimmers age 10-12 (with swim team experience)
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14, 5:30-6:15pm. Registration closes on April 10!

This spring stroke development session is offered to swimmers aged 10-12 with at least one season of Swim Team under their belt! Your swimmer must have a strong understanding of all 4 strokes.

Spring Stroke Development for age 10 + under swimmers (no swim team experience)
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14, 4:45-5:30pm. Registration closes on April 10!

This spring stroke development session is offered to swimmers aged 10 and under without any formal swim team experience. To attend stroke clinic, your swimmer must swim across a 25-yard pool without any physical assistance, swim for a full 45-minute practice, AND have a working knowledge of all 4 strokes. Stroke clinic is meant to serve as the stepping stone from swim lessons to swim team.

Spring Stroke clinic for swimmers age 13 + Over
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 14 – May 14, 4:45-5:45pm. Registration closes on April 10!

This spring stroke development session is offered to swimmers aged 13 & Over who desire further stroke development, AND to swimmers without any formal swim team experience. To attend stroke clinic, your swimmer must swim multiple times across a 25-yard pool without any physical assistance, swim for a full hour-long practice, AND have a working knowledge of all 4 strokes.

Summer Pre-Season Clinics

Registration opens in March for April / May clinics. Details TBD.

Swim Team Coaches

Maddy Kovacs

Dynamo Head Coach

Maddy Kovacs was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from UVM in 2021. At UVM, Maddy was a member of the D1 Swim and Dive program where she predominantly swam mid-distance 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 to 22, as a summer league coach at BCC and Winooski, and as a swim instructor in both Arizona and Vermont. This is Maddy’s third season with Dynamo, and she is beyond excited for the opportunity to continue working with such resilient and supportive swimmers, families, and coaches!

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.

Anna Willis

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Anna was born and raised in Vermont and has been swimming since the age of 6. Her early years in the water were with her neighborhood team in Winooski before she joined the YMCA Dynamos in 2014. Throughout her time as a competitive swimmer she swam at many championship meets in Vermont and beyond, winning the State Championship in two events in 2021. Anna has also been involved in aquatics through lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, and coaching the swim team. Anna is now a second-year nursing student at UVM and received her EMT license early in the summer. This is Anna’s second year coaching with Dynamo and she’s excited to continue in her long-standing relationship with the team.

Jamie Heath

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Jamie has been swimming since she was three years old and swimming competitively since she was six years old. She grew up in Central Vermont and graduated from Norwich University in April 2022. When she’s not at the pool, she’s at her day job as the Operations Manager at Make-A-Wish® Vermont.

Allie Kirchgessner

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Allie grew up in Massachusetts where she started swimming around the age of three. She swam competitively throughout elementary and high school, taking a break in middle school to focus on other sports and music.

Allie graduated from UVM and with a B.S. in Psychology. She has taught swim lessons to kids of all ages at the Y, and is honored and excited to join the Dynamo family. She cannot wait to help continue to foster a supportive, safe, and caring community of swimmers!

Kara Campbell

Dynamo Assistant Coach

Kara was born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania and graduated from UVM in May 2024. During her time at UVM, Kara was a valued member of the D1 Swim and Dive program, specializing in butterfly and individual medley races. In her senior year, Kara proudly served as co-captain, contributing to the team’s historic win of the America East Championship Title.

Kara has been passionate about competitive swimming since the age of 6. She was an assistant coach for a summer league team at BCC for two summers and is thrilled to become a part of the wonderful community of swimmers, coaches, and families at 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/