14
QUEENS WEEKLY, JAN. 20, 2019
Cardozo swim coach pushes for NE Queens pool
BY ANGELICA ACEVEDO
For 27 years, Richard
Amira has coached Cardozo’s
varsity swim team,
which is undefeated in
Queens and recognized for
its excellence statewide.
In addition to coaching
the impressive all-girls
roster, he wants to start
a conversation about the
importance of swimming
education on all levels.
Cardozo has consistently
held the New York
City PSAL records for
the 200-yard medley relay
and the 200-yard freestyle
relay, and this year was
no different.
Sophia Chu, Germayne
Chau, Vanessa Chong, April
Zhang and Alanna Chen
took home medals from November’s
Girls Swimming
and Diving Championship
meet that was held in Flushing
Meadows Corona Park’s
Aquatic Center.
Amira said he first began
this venture as a club
For four generations, New York’s Jewish
Community has turned to Sinai Chapels for
guidance and comfort in their time of need.
We honor and respect all Jewish traditions
and customs, attending to every funeral detail
according to each family’s personal and
religious preferences.
To learn more, contact us today:
718.445.0300 | 800.446.0406
sport, but as the years went
on, it expanded and became
the top-ranked team that it
is today. However, not much
has changed from last year,
as the team still struggles to
find locations to practice in.
Because Benjamin N.
Cardozo High School doesn’t
have a pool readily available,
the squad practice in other
centers across the borough.
Katie Tam, one of the
captains of the team, said
her team had a great season
despite the hectic
practice schedule.
“It has been an amazing
year with girls seeing
them grow as swimmers
and teammates,” Tam said.
“Even with the difficulty of
not having our own pool, we
still managed to get together
and have a great time at our
meets. It was a spectacular
experience to meet the new
teammates, get to know them
as a friend and swimmer, and
learn from each other.”
“Thanks to our members’
cooperation and dedication
to our team along with Coach
Amira, we have been able to
get this far with great success
through the challenging
obstacles,” she added.
For years, Amira, who is
a water safety ad lifeguarding
instructor as well as a
USA-certified swim coach,
has advocated for a pool to
be built either at Cardozo
or close by in Bayside.
“They could have a
northeast Queens swimming
pool where all of the
teams could train in and
then during the day, it could
be used for senior adults and
after school it could be used
for teaching children how to
swim,” he said.
Although his team is
still searching for a permanent
home in the water,
Amira acknowledges that
there are other clubs in
Queens that are leaders in
promoting the sport.
He listed a few in particular:
LaGuardia Aquatic
Club and their head coach
Dragos Coca; the Flushing
YMCA and their head
coach Richard Finkelstein;
the Cross Island YMCA; the
Sailfish Team that works
out at the Flushing Aquatic
Center; Long Island Aquatic
Club; the Queens Aquatic
Club and their head coaches
Jonah Montgomery and
Kristopher Sweetman.
Amira further explained
that these clubs
teach up-and-coming
swimmers the techniques
they need to become pros.
“They get them at a
young age and they train
them so good that they can
possibly go on to the Olympics
someday,” he said.
A resident of Great Neck,
Amira is a firm believer in
the importance of learning
how to swim, whether it’s
competitively or leisurely.
“It’s important to learn
how to swim because so many
accidents occur from people
who aren’t familiar with it,”
he said. “It’s important that
parents teach their child how
to swim.”
Coach Richard Amira with swimmer Vanessa Chong, who is holding
her first place medal at the Flushing Aquatic Center in Flushing
Meadows Corona Park. Courtesy of Sophia Chu and Katie Tam