Swim Team

Season – 6 Wins – 0 Losses

2023 Hudson Valley Lake League Champions

HEAD  COACH:  Tom Bubel

Tom grew up in the Hudson Valley and graduated from Marist college, where he swam. For several years he swam on a local Masters Team. He resides in Hyde Park with his wife, Jill and 2 daughters. He was a lifeguard, waterfront director, and Red Cross WSI swim instructor for several years here at Freedom Lake. He currently is the in-house ARC trainer for Waterfront Lifeguarding, CPR, First Aid and other courses. He started the Freedom Lake Rockers Swim Team in 1989 and has been the coach here at Freedom for cover 32 years. He is the director of the Hudson Valley Lake League of Recreation Parks Swim Teams. He has also coached Empire State Swim League and US Swimming Teams (Millbrook & Hudson Valley Dolphins). He is currently the Head Coach of Our Lady of Lourdes High School Girl’s Swim Team. He is passionate about swimming and helping others to learn and enjoy the benefits of swimming both competitively and for fitness. 

ASSISTANT COACH: Mairead O’Donnell 
Mairead grew up in Pleasant Valley and went to Our Lady of Lourdes High School where she swam and was team captain. She currently attends Siena College studying psychology with education studies and environmental studies as minors. She hopes to  to pursue her master’s in school psychology locally to spend as much time here in the summer as possible! 

ASSISTANT COACH:  Sebastian Smith

Sebastian grew up in LaGrange and attended Wappingers Schools. He was a member of the Freedom Lake Swim Team as a child and also swam on the Patriots US Swimming Swim Team. He continues to swim in college, Drexel, where he is majoring in Exercise Science.. He recently qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials in the 100M Butterfly! Sebastian Is currently a Lifeguard and ARC Swim Instructor here at Freedom Lake.

THE METRO SWIM SHOP sells the team suits to the swimmers at a team discount. While the team suit is not mandatory, it is highly recommended because it makes us look more like a team plus these types of suits have less resistance in the water than most suits, so they help you swim faster. You can check out their website for prices and sizes.

The suit style is new this year.  The name of our team suit for the season is RUSE BLOCKED (R/W/B)  by SPEEDO. 

If you could not make the suit purchase day at the first practice, you can contact Metro swim Shop to place an order at 1-800-526-8788.  Or use their online team portal (Team ID: 74005) at Https://Webmetroswimshop.Com/Freedomlake.  Each new user will need to register and create a password.  Click light blue link on their page to enter Team Portal.

Please wear a plain cap (Red/White/Blue or combo thereof would be nice) Just like last year, at the meets, Tom does not want the swimmers wearing other team bathing caps- if they wear their winter team caps, he would like them worn inside out because he wants us to be one team- not seen as a mix of lots of other teams. The Team does have a few solid blue caps available for sale. See Jill or Stacy at practices or home meets.

The team designed a Freedom Lake Rockers T-shirt. Check back next season to see if we are ordering more. 

The team designed a Freedom Lake Rockers Fleece Blanket/Towel. There is a limited quantity which will be available for purchase at practices see Jill, Stacy at practices or home meets.

Championships will be 8/4/23 at Freedom Lake this year with all 5 teams in the league participating. All families are asked to donate two (2)  items for our food sale at the meet. There will be a sign up on line families will be notified by an email invitation when it is ready to go (around 7/20/23). Not all swimmers qualify for Champs but it would be nice if all team members come to support those swimming. Also there are many duties the day of Champs that both team members and adults can help with. Please plan to come and help out the team that day. As always, thank you for your support throughout the season. Our team prides of its volunteers! Thanks!

Look for the email invite to sign up for your 2 food item donations. Co-chairs for the food sale are TBD.  We are in need of a volunteer to chair or co-chair our food sale table at home meets and champs.

8/11/23:  Olympics begins at 3:45pm. Picnic to follow in pavilion.

Beekman:
Take Route 55 East towards Pawling. Go Straight at Noxon Road light and at the next light make a right onto Beekman Road. Make the first left onto Beekman Recreation Road. Follow this road until you see baseball fields on your right and the lake. Make a right into the entrance of the park and park in the parking lot closest to the lake.

Pawling:

Take Route 55 towards Pawling (about 10 miles). After the intersection of Route 55 and 292, make first left onto Old Route 55.  Follow Old Route 55 for about 2.5 miles. Make  left onto Lakeside Drive and continue about 1 mile. You will pass Edward Murrow Park on left, but continue until you come to Lakeside Park on left. Park in parking lot to the left.

Red Wing Park:
Take Route 82 South toward Hopewell Junction.  Red Wing Park is approximately 2½ Miles past the intersection of Route 82 and the Taconic State Parkway.  Take a right onto Old Farm Road just past the Foot Specialist sign; (there is a Dr. office on the corner in a low building). There is a small sign that says Red Wing Park.  Follow Old Farm Road around a curve, as you start down the hill there is a chain link fence enclosure on the right at the entrance to the Park.  Turn right at end of fence and follow the road into the park and tell the person at the booth you are with the Freedom Park Swim Team and are here for the meet.

Stanford:

Take Route 82 North at the Troop K State Police Barracks (a left turn about 1 mile East of the intersection of Route 44 and Taconic State Parkway.)  Follow Route 82 North to Stanford about 7 miles.  As you come into Stanford there is a white church on your right, then Route 82 makes a slight turn to the right and there is a road that veers off to the left at a yellow building (Deli) on the left and a Big tree in front of you to the left side of this road.  Make this left turn onto Church Lane. Follow this road until it T’s with Creamery Road and make a left onto Creamery Road.  Stanford Town Park parking lot is on the right about 0.2 mile.