As proven by the New York Knicks’ downward spiral midway through the 2004-05 season, after Lenny Wilkens was replaced by Herb Williams as coach, teams normally don’t cope so well with mid-season coaching changes. However the Penguins, Stuyvesant’s varsity girls swimming team, seem to be coping just fine.
For the past six years, the Penguins had Silvana Choy as their coach. Choy retired before the beginning of this season and former physical education teacher Ahmed Elgaled, filled in for two weeks before he was let go by Assistant Principal Health and Physical Education Martha Singer. He had found a full-time job in Brooklyn and was no longer able to make the long commute. Leonard DeVirgilio took over.
DeVirgilio has been the boys’ swim team coach at Midwood for five years. Due to his experience, he has not had much trouble taking over in the middle of the Penguins’ season. “We both adjusted,” said DeVirgilio, referring to the team. “I know how to coach and they know how to swim. They make it easier.”
“It’s been frustrating to not know what was happening for the first few weeks,” said senior Marta Bralic. “Now that things are settled, we are happy with where we are, and our season can continue as it normally would.”
One notable difference in DeVirgilio’s coaching style is his emphasis on strength and power. “We work a lot on power techniques and what he calls ‘smash-mouth’ swimming,” said junior Dawn Chen.
“We swim with t-shirts and stockings for more drag and try everything possible that can make us a better team,” senior Kate Shchapina said.
Although a season with a new coach is often a rebuilding year, the Penguins see it as a chance to compete for the division. “We can go undefeated this year,” sophomore Stephanie Jou said. “In the first two meets, many of us already did better than our best times from last year, and this is only the beginning of the season.”
Bralic has managed to knock almost tree seconds off her best 100-yard freestyle time, from 1:06.15 last year to 1:03.90 this year.
In a meet against Brooklyn Technical High School on Thursday, September 27, Jou swam an impressive 5:58.15 on the 500-yard freestyle—more than 17 seconds faster than her best time from last year.
On Tuesday, October 9, Stuyvesant defeated Dewitt Clinton 51-30 to improve its record to 2-0 and remain tied with Hunter College High School and Bronx High School of Science for first place in the Bronx/Manhattan division. They hope to keep it that way.
“Only time will tell what’s in store for [us], but no matter what coach we have, we always arrive at meets as fierce competitors,” Bralic said.
