Coaches & Directors
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We are here to support your needs. If your questions are related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs, please contact one of the coaches. For all questions related to administrative, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please contact the head coach. |
| Coaching Staff |
Gillian Hauptman
Assistant Head Coach
Gillian began her swimming career at the Central Queens YMCA in New York—in a 20-yard, four-lane pool with a lion’s head fountain in the shallow end. After graduating from Columbia University, she worked in publishing for several years in the editorial departments of Vanity Fair and GQ magazines. In 1992, she began working at the Fanwood Scotch Plains YMCA in the Aquatics department as a swim lesson instructor and lifeguard. Her children (Ryan, David and Lindsay) were all swimmers on the FSPY team, and their great experiences as part of FSPY made her excited to join the coaching staff in 2003.
In working with FSPY’s youngest swimmers, it isGillian's goal to both instruct and challenge, while keeping the practice atmosphere relaxed and supportive. She believes strongly in the Y core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and caring, and strives to reinforce them to all her practice groups. She knows from experience that the support and friendship that come with being part of the FSPY family can be very valuable on many different levels to every swimmer and parent on the team.
Gillian speaks French, has traveled to South Africa many times, and can say “give me a sandwich please” in Afrikaans. Her favorite activity is snorkeling (even though she has been stung by fire coral and chased by a barracuda), and she loves finding places where you cannot hear any man-made sounds. She is very grateful to be married to a wonderful manwho totally supports her career as a coach!
Robert Bartus
Assistant Coach
Bobby started his swimming career as a member of a local YMCA swim team for 14 years. He graduated from Rutgers University in 2008 with a degree in Business Economics, and has been working as a Mortgage & Insurance Broker ever since. His coaching career began in 2008 by accident: as a favor to his sister, who needed someone to help coach a spring clinic at a local YMCA, he began working with the 13 and overs to help develop their competitive swimming skills. This resulted in a growing passion and love for coaching, so after spending two years with that team he joined the coaching staff at FSPY in 2010 as a head age group coach.
When he's not at the pool, Bobby enjoys playing with his miniature dachshund named DJ, working out, watching TV, listening to music and playing video games. He's a big fan of cars and racing, and enjoys attending both NASCAR and Drag Racing events with his dad every year. His favorite sports teams are the New York Yankees, New York Jets and New Jersey Devils.
Allison Hessemer
Assistant Coach
Swimming has been a big part of Allie’s life since she was very young. Her swim team career began at the Highland Swim Club when she was 6 years old, and she swam there every summer for 13 years. At 10, she joined the FSPY swim team and began swimming year-round. She swam with FSPY throughout high school and was also a member of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School team for 4 years. After graduating high school, she attended Susquehanna University and was a member of the Crusaders’ varsity swim team.
When she was 17, Allie began her coaching career at Highland Swim Club where she was an assistant coach for 5 years. After graduating college, she joined the coaching staff at FSPY. The coaches and teammates that Allie has worked with throughout her life have made a huge impact on her life, and, as a coach for the team she once swam for, she hopes to do the same, as she shares the passion she has for swimming with the FSPY family.
Allie has also been teaching Pre-K in North Plainfield since 2006 and recently completed graduate school earning her Masters’ Degree in Special Education. When she is not teaching or coaching, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. After spending a month in Australia last summer visiting family, she gained a love for traveling and she is currently planning her next big adventure!
Bethany Dresely
Assistant Coach
Bethany has been a coach for 10 years, beginning her career at Manor Park Swim Club and then joining FSPY 6 years ago. She has been involved with swimming for 20 years, starting when she was 8. She swam for Westfield YMCA for a few years, Westfield Memorial Pool, and the Westfield High School. Her favorite event is the 500 free because she enjoys longer, endurance events.
Bethany has been working primarily with the 9/10 year olds and has a simple positive philosophy: Do your best and have fun! In life, you can only do your best—just don’t be afraid to try, learn from mistakes and try again. Every time you fall and pick yourself back up it makes you stronger. You will also do your best if you are enjoying what you are doing, so fun is always important.
Bethany is a graduate of the College of Staten Island with a doctorate in physical therapy and would love to spend her career working with children. When she’s not at the Y working with swimmers, she spends time at church working with the youth and young adult members. She is especially happy to be a part of the FSPY family: she loves the team spirit! Bethany is also a Washington Redskins fan.
Ali Heitner
Assistant Coach
Ali joined FSPY in the Fall of 2010. Before becoming a coach, she swam for the local Y in her home town, and became the varsity captain on her high school team. Even before she began coaching, she had always enjoyed being involved with swimming, and has taught lessons and helped out on the pool deck for seven years. She spends most of her time split between work and school, but when she has time, she enjoys shopping and spending a quiet afternoon on the couch. Her favorite color is purple.
Mike Gelowitz
Assistant Coach
Mike is in beginning his third year as an assistant coach at FSPY. He started swimming when he was 6 years old, and continued up until the age of 17. Once he graduated high school and was no longer swimming on a team, he still wanted to be part of the sport, so he began coaching at the age of 18. He and his younger brother have always shared the same interests in various sports, such as swimming, basketball and soccer, and although they are about two years apart, they were always competitive, pushing each other to always do their best. Mike currently attends New Jersey City University in hopes of becoming an elementary/middle school teacher.
Connie Pinkowski
Assistant Coach
Connie started working at FSPY 7 years ago, coaching the 8-and-unders. She was a competitive swimmer in college and has always truly loved the sport of swimming. As a coach, she hopes to promote a life-long love for swimming, through instruction in both stroke skills and strength training, while also teaching the core values, so that each child can succeed, not only on the team, but in life. In her spare time, Connie loves taking photographs and staying in touch with her two college-age sons.
Linda Mcdonough
Assistant Coach/Strength Coach
Linda joined FSPY as a swimmer when she was 8, swimming there until she was 13 when she became part of the Scotch Plains Fanwood High School swim team. She joined the coaching staff in 2009, working with the senior swimmers on dry-land and strength training. Now she is involved with in-water training as well as general fitness training. Her aim as a coach is to encourage swimmers to love the sport, and to assist them in developing and achieving their own personal goals. In addition to coaching, Linda is also a swim instructor, group fitness instructor and personal trainer at FSPY, enjoying both the physical and mental aspects of training. She likes music, games, robots and ice cream, and her favorite animal is the octopus.
Aaron Moore
Assistant Coach
Aaron was born and raised in Washington, DC. He began his swimming career as a member of the DC Department of Recreation Summer League Swim Program at the age of 9, although he actually learned to swim at the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at Union Station, which was often used as a cooling off spot for DC youth in the early 1970’s. He attended DC Public schools and was a member of the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) at the University of the District of Columbia during the summers. This is where he learned competitive swim techniques and met his high-school swim coach and life-long mentor, Coach Stanley M. Gainor. Under Coach Gainor’s guidance, Aaron became a standout member of the Cardozo Senior High School swim team whose motto was “Books and Chlorine,” reflecting the program’s mission to provide access to advanced education through competitive swimming.
Aaron attended Penn State for one year, after which he transferred to The Tennessee State University where he became a member of the TSU “Tiger Sharks” Swim Team, was voted team captain twice and was the athlete with the highest grade-point average in all sports for two years. He began his career as a Software Engineer with Bell Communications Research in 1990, and has continued to work in the telecommunications industry for more than 21 years.
Since graduating college, Aaron has continued to be involved with competitive swimming. He has been a member of the NJ State Master’s Swim Program as both a swimmer and a coach since 1992; he has coached at several competitive swim camps including Mary T. Meagher’s Swim Camp and the “Arete” Swim Camp at Rutgers University. In 2000, he began working at the Fanwood Scotch-Plains YMCA as an Assistant Age-Group Swim Coach. Aaron believes that the YMCA Core Values, his passion for the sport of swimming, and his love for enhancing the lives of young people through competitive swimming serve as his motivation as a swim coach. His personal mission is “2 Encourage, 2 Enlighten, and 2 Inspire”. In 2006, the “Aaron T. Moore Leadership Award” was named in honor of his contributions to the FSPY Swim Program. This award is presented annually to the FSPY Swim Team member who demonstrates the highest qualities of leadership throughout the year. Aaron credits this honorary distinction to the influence of his high school swim coach and mentor, Stanley Gainor, a man whose impact has forever changed his life for the better.
Aaron lives in Plainfield, NJ. He is married and has 4 children. He enjoys biking, art, music, travelling, sports, philosophy, being active, and good sci-fi. His favorite activity is swimming.
