‘Flying with the Owls’ in Lynbrook

Training in the pool.

Clarissa Hamlin/Herald

Preparing for the triathlon: Matt Holquist, 13, left, Julian Panzarella and Shannon Nealon, both 10, Chris Baldwin, 13, Kyle Bergin, 10, and Anthony Mastrionni, 11. All six children will participate in the triathlon program.

Courtesy Clarissa Hamlin/Herald

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By Clarissa Hamlin

Several pre-teens are getting active, and burning energy with the “Fly with the Owls” middle school triathlon mentoring program this summer. Training for the multi-sport event involving swimming, biking, and running is strenuous, but rewarding for the youngsters, and their coaches, several participants said.

“I hope that they can all feel like they’re athletes,” said Kathleen Hannan, the program’s coordinator. Hannan, an avid marathon and Ironman triathlon racer, is working with Cathy Papandrew, Owls’ founder, runner and president of the Lynbrook Board of Education, to run the seven-week program – with the help of several others. The group meets Thursday evenings at Greis Park for training until August 25, when the nearly 20 kids will compete in a mini-triathlon.

The effort is an off-shot of the “Fly with the Owls” non-profit organization that seeks to provide positive opportunities for the community’s youth. The coaches are made up of athletes, marathon veterans, certified instructors, moms, teachers, high school and college students who want to give back. The children ages 10-14 are all Lynbrook North and South Middle School, and Our Lady of Peace students. The program has ran for three years indoors in the winter and spring, but this is the first time it is outdoors during the summer at the Lynbrook pool, said Hannan, who is also a resident, mom and teacher.

The hour-and-a-half work out, which begins with a warm-up, is broken up into three parts: swimming, biking and running. The kids are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced swimming groups. Participants swim laps, as coaches work with them on their technique and endurance. They learn to kick swiftly, and generate power as per their coaches’ advice.

Next, the group rides bikes, averaging about six or seven turns around the park. And then they get creative – running relay races, or running around garbage cans.