10 Pottstown YMCA Coaches Resign In Solidarity With Cook

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — The Pottstown YMCA swim program suffered a major blow Wednesday night when the entire coaching staff of the Pottstown YMCA Seahawks swim team — 10 assistant coaches in all — submitted their resignation in the wake of the sudden dismissal of longtime Pottstown YMCA Seahawks head swim coach Kathy Cook on June 11.

Amy Agnew, Mark Agnew, Bill Draves, Catherine Fink, Michele Bauer, Alex Diehl, Andrew Piasecki and John Zimmerman marched as a group into the Pottstown YMCA shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday to resign on the spot.

Two other coaches, Stacey Filippini and Mark Ottinger, were out of town Wednesday, but also resigned their posts.

Their letter of resignation to Pottstown YMCA Executive Director Dan Albert spells out why they quit the program.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140702/10-pottstown-ymca-coaches-resign-in-solidarity-with-cook

Pottstown Polar Bear Plunge, Bonfire, 5K Set For New Year’s Day

Although the National Weather Service is predicting below freezing weather for the first day of 2014, that has not stopped local groups of finding fun ways to ring in the new year.

The 6th Pottstown Polar Bear Club’s celebration and bonfire will begin at 10 a.m. at Riverfront Park.

Residents willing to brave the icy water can dive into the Schuylkill River at 10:30 a.m. then warm up with hotdogs, sauerkraut for $2 as well as hot chocolate and coffee for $1.

Registration for the plunge starts at 9 a.m. at the park and ends at 10 a.m. at which time the bonfire will be lit.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131227/polar-bear-plunge-bonfire-5k-set-for-new-years-day

Record Numbers Return For 6th Annual Polar Plunge

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POCOPSON — You would think the drop in temperature from all this snowstorm business would stop people from jumping into frigid waters.

But you would be wrong.  Because over 250 people with that very mindset thrashed about in the 38 degree Brandywine Creek on Saturday morning, and all in the name of a good cause.

A quick check of the hourly breakdown on weather.com at around 9:30 in the morning said the air temperature for splashdown at the Brandywine Valley Association’s annual Polar Plunge – usually around 11:30 – would be a brisk 29 degrees.

Of course with the wind chill factor, that drops to 15 degrees.

Read more: http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20130209/NEWS01/130209597/record-numbers-return-for-6th-annual-polar-plunge#full_story

Freedom Valley YMCA Members Approve Merger

English: Center City Philadelphia YMCA building. Now it looks like condos with the word “Metropolitan” over it’s doorway. On NRHP since December 2, 1980. 115 North 15th Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Several hundred members of the Freedom Valley YMCA approved a proposal to merge with the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity in a vote Thursday night.  The final vote tally was 507 voting yes, 449 voting no, according to the tabulation on the Freedom Valley Y’s website.

The merger proposal had been presented to members attending a Monday night town hall meeting at the Spring Valley YMCA.  The proposal will merge the Freedom Valley YMCA, with locations in West Norriton, Phoenixville, Pottstown, Limerick and Pennsburg, with the larger Philadelphia YMCA, which has 10 locations in the Philadelphia region.

Proponents of the merger plan said it would allow the combined YMCAs to build a branch in Conshohocken, pay one national YMCA fee, tap into the larger corporate donor base of the Philadelphia YMCA and achieve cost savings with the larger organization.  Fees would not be increased due to the merger, members would continue using their “home” YMCA facilities and overcrowding would not be a by-product of the merger, officials said.

On Thursday night, YMCA officials provided bus service from three of the Freedom Valley YMCAs for members who wanted to vote during a two-hour period.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121116/NEWS01/121119504/freedom-valley-ymca-members-approve-merger-(video)#full_story

2012 US Olympic Swim Team “Sings” Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”

New Ocean City, NJ Bridge Is A Massive Marvel Of Concrete

Kites on the Ocean City, New Jersey beach at 12th Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Along with the usual water ice, greasy pizza, and tubes of sunscreen, the unofficial first weekend of summer was marked by a new arrival this year at the Jersey Shore: 175,000 cubic yards of concrete.

It didn’t arrive all at once, of course, but the concrete — the Route 52 causeway bridge — is now a finished product and represents a major feat of engineering. The bridge stretches more than two miles from Somers Point on the mainland to the barrier island of Ocean City, able to accommodate 40,000 cars a day.

The construction techniques to erect such a structure have long been standard in the industry, one of them tracing its roots to a historic 1950 overpass in Philadelphia. But the sheer scope of this new bridge, a $400 million project overseen by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, was unusual.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20120528_Ocean_City_NJ_bridge_is_a_massive_marvel_of_concrete.html#ixzz1wBREo46S
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Presque Isle State Park Ranks Second On Great Lakes Top Beaches List

Florida International University professor Steven Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, has released his first Great Lake Beaches list.  Leatherman has been ranking U.S.beaches for 21 years.  This year he decided to expand his list to include non-ocean beaches.  Leatherman has received countless emails over the years from fans of Great Lakes beaches to include them.

Leatherman received 30 nominations for best Great Lakes beaches.  The winners were:

1. Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan
2. Presque Isle State Park, Erie
3. Sand Point Beach, Michigan
4. Bayfield Beach, Ontario
5. Oak Street Beach, Chicago

To learn more about Dr. Beach and see the ocean beach list, click here:

http://www.drbeach.org

Presque Isle State Park is a natural wonder.  The seven mile peninsula includes 11 primary swimming areas, hiking, biking, kayaking and fishing, lighthouses, the Perry Monument and the Gull Point wildlife preserve (bird watching).  Presque Isle is accessible from the city of Erie by a paved road which runs through most of the park.  At the entrance to the park is the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (great for kids and adults).  It’s an amazing place!