Peter Ninivaggi In the swim
He went on to attend Nassau Community College for two years, then continued his education at Adelphi, where he graduated last year with a degree in phys. ed. There he earned the nickname "Renaissance Man" because of his wide-ranging interests. In 2001, during his first year at NCC, he joined the track team and became its captain. He was Nassau County champion in the shot put that year, and placed 12th in the state.
That summer, Ninivaggi took a part-time job as a swimming instructor and a lifeguard at the new Lynbrook village swimming pool. The followings year, Ninivaggi realized that the community could now form its own swim team. He and Director of Recreation Dick Flynn got the ball rolling by making phone calls and writing letters to county officials, asking for permission and guidance on forming a team.
"He has done a great job," Flynn said of Ninivaggi. "He started from scratch and built [the team] up to a membership of over 100 in the last five years. He does a great job, and he is so good with the kids. He makes it fun, and gets a lot of work out of them in the process."
The team is open to boys and girls ages 6 to 16. T.J. Virgona, 14, of East Rockaway, his sister Nicole, 11, and brother Joey, 8, are all on the team. "Over the past few years," said their father, Thomas Virgona, "Peter has created an environment that fosters success ... his team has grown simply by reputation and word of mouth, and yet he continues to provide individual attention to each member of the team."
Ninivaggi has been a swimmer since he was about 6. He grew up with a pool in his backyard, and swam with the St. Raymond's team during the school year and with the Malibu Beach Club and Long Beach Aquatics teams in the summers. He became a lifeguard at the Oceanside pool in 11th grade, and worked there for four summers. He was offered an assistant coach's position during his last season, which is when the Lynbrook pool opened.
There he signed up about 20 children, and that number more than doubled the following year. In its third year the team went undefeated, and won its first Nassau County Swim Conference Division IV championship. In 2005, jumping from Division IV to Division III -- in which Division IV teams usually struggle, according to Flynn -- his swimmers went undefeated, with a 5-0 record. This past summer, they had a tougher time in Division II, and placed forth in the county championship, beating just two other teams in the division.
Ninivaggi has inspired his students to love swimming, and they have joined other local teams during the school year, including St. Raymond's CYO, which he also co-coaches.
His assistant coaches in Lynbrook are Krista Vitola, Micaela Vassallo and Shannon Moody. "Children are drawn to Peter," said Vitola. "They know that beyond his booming voice there is a person who truly cares about each and every one of them. They will never stop trying until they have found their own success."
Peter's parents, Florence and Peter, and his sister, Melissa, also live in Lynbrook. Peter, a certified phys. ed. teacher, is working toward a master's in health education at Adelphi, and is a substitute teacher in Hicksville and Hewlett as well as a track coach at Jericho High School. In his leisure time he plays guitar and trains for the Empire State Games, where this past summer he placed ninth in the Open Men's shot put.
"This is a summer recreation program," Flynn said of the swim team, "and they're up against some teams that practice all year round. There has to be fun, which Peter provides -- but it's more fun when you win!"
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