Our FSPY Swim Team just returned from the YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championship! Here’s a look at this event as it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. 

The very first championship was hosted May 19, 1923 at the Brooklyn Central Branch YMCA in NY. Ten YMCAs from four states and one Canadian providence participated, with 80 athletes in total. There were seven individual events and one relay event in the one-day competition. The individual events included two events not offered in the current championship – the 150 Yard Backstroke and Fancy Diving!


More fun facts about the history of the event: 

  • Event distances varied until the mid-1930s because pool sizes varied!
  • Through 1923-1970, only men competed in the championships. The first Y National Women’s Swimming Championship was held in 1967 and then in 1971, both men’s and women’s championships were combined into the same event.
  • Chaperones (females aged 21+) were required for each women’s team when the Women’s Championship began in 1967. The ratio was 1 chaperone for every 10 participants!
  • The meet has been held 34 times in Ft. Lauderdale, FL – the most out of any location!
  • Twelve athletes who have participated in the championships went on to represent Team USA in the Olympics!
  • Today, this event hosts over 1,200 athletes from across the country.

About the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Swim Team: 

  • The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA opened in 1947 as a branch of the Plainfield YMCA. In 1950, we offered our first swim lessons at Rahway Park for summer campers. Swim lessons then continued in the fall, winter and spring months at the Plainfield Y. In 1958, our Y became an independent association.
  • In 1964, the swim program moved to Garden State Swim Club in Berkeley Heights, and in 1967, an assessment showed that our town needed an indoor pool. Our YMCA began a Capital Campaign for a new pool in 1969.
  • The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Swim Team was started in 1969 and practiced at Garden State Swim Club.
  • In 1971, we opened our new indoor pool and locker rooms and our Swim Team began practicing on site. We also started offering swim lessons as well as junior and senior lifesaving courses.

    The 1970 FSPY Men’s Swim Team

    The 1973 FSPY Women’s Swim Team
  • Through the years, our Swim Team program continued to grow, and in addition to practicing in our own pool, our team practiced in other local pools. In 2007, we launched our next Capital Campaign, which included the addition of a second indoor pool. This project was finished in 2011 and gave our Swim Team more space to practice in house. 
  • The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Swim Team now has around 180 members. In 2023, 25 athletes from our Swim Team competed in the 100th anniversary YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championship, which was held April 3-7 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our team did a fantastic job competing against other YMCA teams from across the country. There were team records and personal bests, with the girls placing 4th overall and the boys placing 6th overall for a combined 4th place finish.

Here are just a few of the highlights from this year’s competition: 
  • The future is bright for our Swim Team! This past year, our Y entered its next Capital Campaign. Part of this expansion project is creating a second-story viewing area on Pool 2, so families can cheer on their swimmers during meets.

To learn more about the FSPY Swim Team, visit fspyswimming.org.