YMCA Interim CEO Appointed

Karyn Lightcap will fill in with the Somerset Valley YMCA.

With Somerset Valley YMCA CEO Paul Kieltyka out on medical leave, Bedminster resident Karyn Lightcap has been named as the interim CEO. Lightcap currently serves as the chief financial officer for the Somerset Valley YMCA, and will be the leader of the branches in Bridgewater, Hillsborough and Somerville until Kieltyka returns. According to a release from the YMCA, Lightcap has served the organization for two years. “Karyn has already demonstrated amazing leadership qualities internally at the Somerset Valley YMCA with our staff, board of directors and members,” Andrea Thorne, board chair of the YMCA, said in the release. “I am excited that the public will now have a chance to interact with her and experience her passion for the Y and for …

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Somerset Valley Y Swimmers Win State Championship

Bridgewater swimmers help pace teams.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team has won the NJ YMCA State Championship swim meet, with Bridgewater swimmers Dylan Sali and Jesse Novak helping to set the pace. Somerset Valley YMCA swimmers competing at the YMCA 13 and Over State Championship meet held at Franklin & Marshall College on March 8-10 placed first in the Girls 13-14, Girls 15-18 and Boys 15-18 age group categories. Combined with scores earned by the younger members of the team at the YMCA 12 and Under State Championships held Feb. 22-24 at Ocean County YMCA, the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team won first place overall out of 50 teams. The meet featuring the older swimmers at Franklin & Marshall College was a heavyweight showdown of local high…

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YMCA to Kick Off Strong Kids Campaign

The program will be held at the Hillsborough YMCA.

The Somerset Valley YMCA is kicking off its fourth annual Strong Kids support campaign with a program at the Hillsborough branch on East Mountain Road Tuesday. The campaign, this year called "It Starts With One," is a fundraiser designed to make sure that the YMCA can continue to provide residents with services that include health care, wellness activities, senior fitness and more, according to Bev McCarron, with the YMCA. The goal, McCarron said, is to raise $164,000 this year, more than the $155,000 raised in 2012. The kick-off will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and all YMCA and community members are invited to attend for food and fun. YMCA members will be invited to speak about the impact the Somerset Valley YMCA has had on their …

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YMCA Fires Coach Convicted of Sex With Teen

Letter from CEO says Y recently found out about incident that occurred before he was hired.

The Somerset Valley YMCA has declined to renew the contract of a consultant swim coach it has employed for the past six years after discovering he had previously served five years in jail for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Joe Weber pled guilty to having oral sex with the girl 17 years ago in the Philadelphia area, according to a report by NJ.com. In a letter sent to swim team parents obtained by Patch, Somerset Valley YMCA Chief Executive Officer Paul Kieltyka said the Y recently learned of a personal relationship Weber was involved in nearly 20 years ago with a teenage swimmer he coached at the time. Kieltyka said the relationship occurred prior to Weber's tenure at the Somerset Valley YMCA. The Somerset Valley YMCA includes …

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Fedleo

5:28 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013

Checked PA State Police and NJ State Police for Megan's Law. He never registered! Someone need to hunt this guy down before he moves to NY or another neighboring state...   more ›

YMCA Swimmers Take on SEAL Challenge

Two members finish in the top 50 nationwide of the 500 who have competed so far.

Thirty-eight members of the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team took on the extremely strenuous U.S. Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge, which mirrors the screening test given to those who want to join the SEALs. Results of the Fitness Challenge, held at the Hillsborough Family YMCA on May 20, saw two SVY swimmers–Victor Luo and Kyle Surette–placing in the top 50 out of more than 500 swimmers nationwide who competed in the challenge so far this spring. The challenge requires participants to swim 20 laps, do two minutes each of pushups, curlups and pullups, and then run 1.5 miles. The combined scores of Luo and Surette, both 18 of Bridgewater, in the five events were impressive. Luo ranked 12th and Surette 35th. “The kids pushed hard and showed amazing…

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YMCA Swim Team Takes Honors at National Meet

The team places in the top 10 in North Carolina.

Propelled by a fifth place finish from the boys, the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team placed in the top 10 at the YMCA National Swim Meet in Greensboro, N.C., April 2 through April 5. A total of 34 swimmers competed in the meet, bringing a great finish to the swim season. Overall, the team placed 10th in a field of more than 1,000 swimmers from more than 200 YMCAs. SVY Head Coach Matt Donovan wasn’t sure what to expect for this season, having lost 30 seniors, 21 of whom were Y National Qualifiers and among the best swimmers in the state. “This group has been chomping at the bit for a very long time with that massive senior group ahead of them, said the coach of 12 years. "It was their time to shine and I am so very proud that they took full …

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YMCA Swim Team Wins Championship

The team has now won four state championships.

After losing nearly 30 seniors last year, the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team knew it would be tough to repeat its successes from the past two years, when it captured the Y state championship title. On March 11, after some great swims and an amazing nine individual and relay wins for a swimmer from Hillsborough, the team clinched the NJYMCA swimming title for the third consecutive year. The state championship meet was held at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania., on March 9, 10 and 11. The momentum started with an outstanding performance by the team’s 12 & Under age group, which competed in Ocean County on Feb. 24 through Feb. 26. In that meet, the 9/10 girls won second place, while the 11/12 girls captured first place…

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New Program Pushing Swimmers to be Best

Garden State Master Swimmers class will be held at the Bridgewater location and others.

Inspired by her husband’s leap into triathlon sports, Sue Lockhart decided to become a triathlete too. But while she could run and bike, she didn’t have the stamina to swim. “Somewhere, in the first five minutes of every swim, I thought of quitting,” said Lockhart, 56, of Hillsborough. “And I was usually one of the last in my age group to leave the water.” That changed after three months of practice with Somerset Valley YMCA’s new Garden State Masters Swimming Team. In January, Lockhart entered an Olympic distance triathlon with a 1,500 meter swim in the Gulf of Mexico. She cut four minutes off her time, and was out of the water before other swimmers. “Everyone I swim with at the Y pushed me further than I would push myself,” said Lockhart…

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Read and Win With YMCA's Month-Long Contest

The YMCA sets a goal of reading 1,000 books by the end of the month.

As children across America pick up books on Friday  in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, the Somerset Valley YMCA is launching an event to motivate its members and friends to keep right on reading throughout the month. Beginning Thursday, and running through the end of the month, the YMCA is aiming to reach a goal of 1,000 books read by members and friends. “We thought it would be a great idea to extend the national 'Read Across America' for a month to motivate and inspire families, children and adults to grab a book and read,” said Melissa Gandolfe, teacher at the Somerville YMCA’s full-day kindergarten program. “Reading is the foundation for all learning.” In a week-long celebration of “Read Across America,” invited guests have been …

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5 Things

5 Things to Love About the YMCA

Check out our list to help get your day started.

Today is the official kick-off the Somerset Valley YMCA's 2012 Strong Kids Campaign, and the carnival event is being held at the Bridgewater location. The Strong Kids Campaign raises funds to give as scholarships to students and families who may not otherwise be able to afford being part of the YMCA. So in honor of the kick-off ceremony, particularly as the campaign is hoping to raise $20,000 in the one evening, we present five important things to know about the YMCA.

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