Coaches
Coach Kathy spent 6 years as an age group swimmer: representing her
high school at the Texas Regional Championships, Texas State High School
Championships, and her club team at the Texas Age Group Championships.
She continued her career with 3 years swimming at the collegiate level
for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. While there,
she set numerous school records and achieved All American status.
Her coaching career began in Florida where she was head coach (and
founder) of the Bluewater Bay Swim Team in Niceville, Florida.
When she moved to New Jersey, she found a swimming home as an age group
coach at the Ridgewood YMCA. She coached at the Ridgewood YMCA for
12 years. During that time she coached hundreds of swimmers,
including numerous zone swimmers, and swimmers who were top 16 in the
nation and set NJ state records.
She began coaching at the Wyckoff YMCA in 1993 when she resurrected the
Wyckoff YMCA summer recreation swim team. She spent 8 seasons as
head coach of the Stingrays. The Wyckoff Stingrays have won many
summer league championships and set numerous county records.
Coach Kathy began coaching with the Sharks in the fall of 2002.
During her time as an age group coach with the Sharks, she coached many
successful swimmers, including numerous team record holders, zone
qualifiers, and a NJ state record breaker.
In 2006, Coach Kathy accepted the position as head coach of the Sharks.
Her swimmers continue to break team and meet records, and qualify for
zones, sectionals and nationals. Under her leadership, the team has
consistently ranked in the top tier of NJ teams at both the NJ Junior
Olympics and the NJ State YMCA Championships. They placed 26th out of
148 teams at YMCA Nationals in 2009.
Some additional Shark highlights from 2009 include: 5 NJ State Records,
18 Short Course YMCA Nationals qualifiers, 33 Long Course YMCA Nationals
qualifiers, 12 Sectionals qualifiers, and a USA Scholastic All American,
a Junior Nationals Qualifier and US Open qualifier.
Coach Kathy’s goals are to foster an atmosphere of excellence and a
spirit of “Why Not?” throughout the Sharks.
Group 3 & 4: Coach Ken Berk
Coach Ken Berk swam throughout his college career at William Paterson
University. As a member of the W.P.U. Pioneers he set two team records
and was part of the University’s first ever Metropolitan Championship
Team.
Coach Ken has been coaching swimming for over twenty-five years. He
began his career first as an assistant coach at William Paterson
University and then as the head coach of the Rutherford High School
Bulldogs. During his tenure with the W.P.U. Pioneers, Coach Ken helped
forge two Metropolitan Championship Teams, over 20 NCAA All-Americans, 1
multiple National Champion and National record holder.
While at the helm of the Rutherford Bulldogs, his swimmers have broken
every school record, produced 1 High School All-American and State
Record Holder, numerous State Finalists, multiple League Championships
and has been named as the “Bergen County Coach of The Year” two times.
Coach Ken came to the Wyckoff Sharks in the fall of 2006. During
the last three years his groups have consistently ranked among the best
in New Jersey. Coach Ken’s group has broken every 11 and 12 year
old age group team record, produced state record holders, state
champions, zone qualifiers and has sent 4 swimmers to 2 National
Championships.
This is Coach Ken’s fourth year with the Sharks. He is a highly valued
member of our coaching staff.
Groups 3 and 4: Coach Jo-Ann Davidowicz
Coach Jo- Ann comes to us with over 27 years of competitive
swimming experience. She began her career as a successful age
group athlete at the Ridgewood YMCA, representing that team at the YMCA
Swimming and Diving National Championships. She continued
her competitive swimming career as a collegiate swimmer at the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She spent four years
swimming for the UNCW Seahawks on a swimming scholarship.
Not willing to walk away from the smell of chlorine, she proceeded to
spend the next 20 years coaching swimmers of all ages and abilities.
She spent a season as the head swimming coach for Passaic High School;
she spent numerous summers at Stony Brook Swim Club and Graydon Pool as
the head swim coach; and she is currently the head swim coach for the
North Caldwell Swim Team.
The majority of her career to date has been dedicated to YMCA swimming.
She was an age group coach at the Ridgewood YMCA for 13 years. As
a Breakers coach, she focused primarily on the development of the 10 and
under swimmers. While at the Ridgewood YMCA she coached countless
team record setters and Junior Olympic qualifiers, many who qualified
for Junior Olympics as 8 and unders. We are very fortunate to have
Jo- Ann on our coaching staff where she shares her many years of
coaching experience with the team. This is Coach Jo-Ann’s fourth year
with the Sharks.
Group 2: Coach Francesco Peta
Coach Peta began his swimming career at the young age of six
years old at Teaneck Swim Club. After several years with the
Hackensack YMCA, he joined Paramus Red Wave, which later became New
Jersey Wave. It was here that his success began as an age group
swimmer.
He won multiple high point awards at JO’s as an age grouper and went to
several Zone Championship meets. At 14 he made Junior National
cuts in the 200 Meter Breaststroke and 200 Meter Individual Medley.
He continued to compete at the Junior National level, adding the 100
Breaststroke, 400 Individual Medley and 200 Backstroke to his event
list. During his senior year he competed in the U.S. Open.
His greatest swimming success came in the winter of his senior year when
he qualified for Senior Nationals in the 200 Breaststroke, earning his
ticket to Seattle to compete in the biggest meet of his career. As
a result of this accomplishment, he was invited to compete at the Under
18 Olympic Festival in St. Louis, Missouri. At this meet,
individuals are placed on teams that are chosen by four collegiate
coaches. He was victorious in the 200 Meter Breaststroke and, at
this meet, met his future collegiate coach. After high school, he
was offered a scholarship to compete for Michigan State University.
Following college, he took several years off from the sport, but his
love for swimming never ceased. He found an outlet for his passion
with the Wyckoff Sharks. He currently is the head age group coach for
Group 2 where his efforts are focused on the continued development and
success of the Sharks. He is also the assistant coach for Group 5 where
he is able to let his love for competition take center stage. He
is proud to call the Wyckoff YMCA his home for the fourth year.
Group 1: Sara Kallman
Coach Sara comes to us with six years experience coaching the
Summer Swim team at Wyckoff, the Stingrays. As an age grouper, she
was named a USA Swimming Top 16 athlete, a YMCA National Qualifier
(1997-2005), Spring and Summer Eastern Zone Qualifier, a Sectional
Qualifier and a state and team record holder. She was a YMCA All
American and a Top 3 finisher at YMCA Nationals in the 200 medley relay.
Coach Sara attended Immaculate Heart Academy where she was a 4 year
varsity swimmer, 4 year All County swimmer, County record holder, team
captain, All State swimmer and was named the Newark Star Ledger Swimmer
of the Year for 2005.
Coach Sara is a 2009 graduate of Pepperdine University where, each year,
she was a Division I varsity swimmer, a PCSC Conference finalist and a
NCAA Recognized Scholar Athlete. She is currently pursuing her Masters
degree in Education at Columbia Teacher’s College in Manhattan.
Coach Sara enjoys sharing her love of swimming with our age groupers and
is excited to be creating the next generation of champions.
Group 1: Alexa Waldron
Coach Alexa grew up around pools. As an age grouper, she swam for
several area teams including New Jersey Wave, Montclair and Ridgewood.
She was a Sectional Qualifier and a 3 time YMCA National Qualifier, she
specialized in both the 200Fly and 400IM.
Coach Alexa attended Immaculate Heart Academy where she was a 4 year
varsity swimmer, 4 year All County swimmer, an All State swimmer and
part of the NJ State Championship team. She continued her swimming
career in college where she swam for Bentley College in Boston. She
majored in finance and is currently working full time in her career
field. At Bentley College, she was given the opportunity to work with
experienced athletes for a semester as their assistant swim coach.
Coach Alexa began her coaching career at the Awosting Swim Club where
she was the assistant coach for two years and the head coach for 4
years. She also ran the Awosting Swim Club lesson program.
She is excited to be coaching the Sharks where she enjoys sharing her
knowledge with our youngest athletes.
Dryland Conditioning: Coach Sharon L.
Sherman
For more than 20 years Coach Sharon has been
involved with fitness. She has national certifications with AFAA
(Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) and Mad Dogg Athletics
(Spinning) as well as an American Swim Coaches Association
certification. As a fitness staff member at the Y she is qualified to
teach strength and conditioning classes as well as aerobics and Spin.
Coach Sharon has lead classes in tone, slide conditioning, kickboxing,
traditional aerobics, and step. Coach Sharon recently completed a
certification in training for youth athletics. Her athletic training
background has expanded to include a specific focus on dryland and the
competitive swimmer as a means to improve performance and prevent
injury. Her involvement with competitive sports began with tennis at
age 10. An interest in swimming began with training for her first
triathlon in 2002 and has completed multiple sprint distance races. She
has swum with the Masters Swim Group here in at the Wyckoff YMCA and has
competed with the team. She and Coach Kathy will be working together to
build the conditioning program they began more than 6 years ago.
Dryland is a vital component of a quality competitive swimming program.
We are very fortunate to have a certified dryland instructor on our
coaching staff.