Chris began his competitive swim journey in Poland when he was entering the 4th grade. He went to a school focused on sports and everyone in his class was a competitive swimmer. He remembers going to swim practice from 7:00-9:00am each morning, heading to classes from 9:30am to around 2:30pm and then it was back in the pool for another practice session.
After completing 6th grade in Poland, Chris and his family moved to the United States and settled in Scotch Plains. His father’s job had been transferred to the area, and they were originally only supposed to stay for one year. But his work got extended and by high school, “my family decided to stay,” he says.
Right after moving to Scotch Plains, Chris tried out and joined the Swim Team at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA. “I finished my swimming season in Poland at the beginning of August and by September, I was swimming here,” he recalls.
“The team made me feel welcome. I really didn’t speak any English when I came here and the Y was very welcoming and tried to help me assimilate.”
In high school, Chris worked at our Y as a lifeguard and swim instructor, only taking a short break when he went away to college. After college, he decided to pursue coaching and came back to our Y working as a coach, and became the head Swim Team coach in 2010.
For Chris, that welcoming spirit he felt when he first came here is ingrained and he subconsciously passes it on to his team members, making the team feel more like a family.