Swim-a-thon raises money for cancer research

Joey Gamm swims for a cause. /Photo | The Gamm Family Joey Gamm wanted to do a meaningful project for his bar mitzvah. A lifelong swimmer, he’s been with the Dwares JCC TigerSharks for seven years. The idea of combining swimming and raising money for a worthy cause seemed like a wonderful means to take advantage of his passion to accomplish a mitzvah.

Swimming appeals to Joey because it allows him to maintain great health and engage in a fitness routine. He says, “I love it! I think it’s changed me for the better, both physically and mentally.” He consulted London Blake, his swimming coach, regarding possible bar mitzvah projects, and she suggested a lap-a-thon. “I thought it was a great idea,” the 12-year-old recalls.

His parents, Marisa Garber and Dan Gamm, and sisters, Sandy and Tessa, helped him with raising money. Joey’s grandmother, Sandra Gamm, died of cancer, and he wanted to do something in her memory even though he never met her. Joey found out from his father where his grandmother received treatment, deciding to donate all the money to The Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. Both of his sisters swam in the lap-a-thon, as well as many of his teammates.

Currently, The TigerSharks boasts 23 swimmers. When Blake took over as coach in 2014, she started the season with 19 teammates. She attributes the growth to a shift in the team’s approach to the sport. Encouraged, the kids are working hard not only to improve their individual times, but also to swim as a team. Joey says, “My favorite aspect of the team is cheering my teammates on.” Interestingly, his most challenging one is “getting everyone to work together as a unit.”

Blake accomplishes this feat by emphasizing how crucial support is for the kids to reach their potential. She says, “Individually, they’re doing phenomenally,” but more importantly, they’re becoming friends and caring about their teammates’ performances. “The team is about rebuilding and having the community support. I praise them on their times individually, but overall, I focus on the team,” Blake explains.

She avoids pointing out when someone didn’t achieve a best time – that can be defeating. Instead, Blake chooses to reward kids for their successes. She has instituted two rewards systems. The first one recognizes the swimmer of the week. Each week, the coaches (Blake works with two assistant coaches – Marc Fontaine and Joey Tetreault) decide who has stood out by showing amazing sportsmanship and make an announcement to the entire team. The deserving teammate gets a TigerSharks swimming cap to wear in the pool for the duration of that week. During the season, every swimmer will be recognized.

The second reward system is more colorful. Blake doles out beads to those who deserve an acknowledgement. Every color has its own meaning. For instance, orange stands for sportsmanship, while olive green rewards team spirit. Other qualities the coach looks for include leadership, positive attitude and hard work. Blake gave each teammate a piece of gimp and a starter bead bearing ocean characters; the expectation is that they will add onto it. The kids usually hang their recognition on their bags or water bottles. Blake says, “I learned that when you have something to work toward, it’s always better and more motivating.”

She’s already seeing the results of the reward systems. Blake says that the more the kids get involved, the more attached they feel to the team. Now, she doesn’t have to remind them to wait until every person is done with the meet. The kids don’t leave after they are out of the water. Instead, they stand and cheer on their teammates. Joey appreciates the discipline that Blake has established. He says, “There is more dry-land training included in our workouts, which is really important. She has incorporated more exercises to help us work together as a team and support each other. Our sets are longer, which is more challenging, but they’re also more diverse than before.”

Blake is focused on the team aspect of the training because swimming is so solitary in nature. She says, “There’s no music, no talking – only our thoughts. Seeing someone cheer for you can make you get that little last sprint of energy.” On Jan. 25, the TigerSharks supported their teammate in an important undertaking. Joey swam 244 laps in two hours, raising more than $2,000. Go, team!

IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.