Maslankas make big contribution to Lenape team
By: Bob Nuse
Robert and Patty Maslanka don’t get to take off many races when they’re watching a Lenape Swim Club meet during the PASDA season.
That’s just the way it is when you have five children swimming on the team, all in different age groups.
Last week the Maslanka kids turned in quite a performance at the PASDA championship meet, helping Lenape to a fifth-place overall finish in Division 2. Nassau Swim Club won the division by nearly 500 points over Brooktree, its closest rival. In Division 3, Bedens Brook Swim Team finished fifth.
"It’s great to have them," said Lenape coach Meghan Heil. "They come in together and motivate each other. They hang out together and keep each other in line. Sometimes it takes them a little while to get into the pool, but once they do they do very well. We had a swim-a-thon here recently to raise money for Homefront and they swam 610 laps combined."
Chris is the oldest of the six Maslanka children and swims in the boys’ 14-and-under age division. Mark is a 12-and-under and Jeff swims in the 10-and-unders. Rebecca swims in the girls’ 8-and-under division, while Carolyn swims in the 6-and-unders. Four-year-old Sara is just waiting in the wings and hopes to part of the team next year.
At last week’s championship meet, two of the girls Rebecca and Carolyn earned Most Valuable Swimmer honors for their age group. Each has a particular stroke or aspect of swimming they enjoy the most, but they all have the common bond of loving to be on the team.
"I really like the IM," said Jeff, who was third in the event in the 10-and-under division at the PASDA champs. "I didn’t think I could do an IM, but then I was able to do it and that was pretty exciting. I think I was 7 when I was finally able to do it and the coaches started putting me into the event more and more."
Jeff, who made the Junior Olympics and Y States for his Somerset Valley team in the winter, also finished second in the breaststroke and 10th in the 25 free.
Mark has been busy with baseball this summer, but still finds time to work on his swimming. At the championship meet, he won the backstroke, was fourth in the breaststroke and second in the IM.
"My favorite part of swimming on the team is the relays," Mark said. "I like being on those and if we win, it is quite a lot of fun. Sometimes it is tough to fit in. But we have practice in the morning and baseball is usually later in the day."
Chris, the oldest, generally enjoys having his siblings on the team. But he also knows there are moments when it gets a little hectic. In fact, with so many of the kids playing other sports and doing other activities, it’s tough to know just where everyone is.
"Everyone but me does baseball or softball," said Chris, who was third in the breaststroke and sixth in the IM. "Mark also does football and I do volleyball. Carolyn does gymnastics and Jeff does soccer.
"We spend more time in the car than you can imagine. Most people, when they see the dry erase board at our house they can’t believe it. They say they usually have two or three things in for each day. We usually have about 10."
In addition to his swimming, Chris also finds time to be the announcer and DJ who provides music at Lenape home meets. He always manages to make the quick move from either job over to the starting block for a race.
Rebecca has taken a liking to the backstroke, already setting a record in both the 50 back and 100 back with her Somerset Valley YMCA team, of which all of the siblings are members. She loves the fact that her brothers and sisters are always around.
"We can always help each other out," she said. "If one of us has trouble with a stroke, the others are there to help them out."
At PASDA Champs, Rebecca won the 8-and-under backstroke, butterfly and IM. Earlier this summer she was the high-point swimmer at the Roycefield meet in Hillsborough.
"Our coaches are really good," she said. "They’ve really helped me with my backstroke."
Carolyn, who did not lose a regular season race this year, has been winning a lot of races already in her young career, but her favorite aspect of being on the team is still the daily routine of practice.
"I like doing laps in practice, that’s my favorite part of swimming," said Carolyn, who finished first in the 25 free and 25 back in the 6-and-under division, while also finishing third in the 8-and-under breaststroke.
Next year, another Maslanka is likely on the way when Sara gets into the mix.
"She wants to join the team next year," Chris said.
That will give the family six swimmers in six different age groups, leaving their parents little time to walk away and miss a race. And it will give Lenape another young swimmer to help build on this year’s successful season.
"We were 5-1 this year," said Heil, who was assisted by coach Krista Magid. "All the kids worked really hard and united as a team. They had a lot of team spirit."

