Community Park Bluefish

Swimming Coaches

Mike Uchrin (Head Coach)

I am proud to introduce myself as the head coach of YOUR Community Park Bluefish! Prior to arriving at Community Park, my passion for swimming goes back many years to training at a local YMCA. Like many of ourswimmers, the sport turned into a life-long dedication which took me on a path to aquatics leadership and coaching. I joined the Princeton Recreation Department team in 2011 as a pool manager and assistant swim coach for the 13 and 14 age group. In 2013, I moved up to coach the 15 & over agegroup and became the Aquatics Director for Community Park Pool. In the months that I am not at Community Park I am a teacher at Hamilton Township Public Schools, and I coach for the NJ Stingrays USA Swimming team out of the Lawrenceville School.

Over the years working with the Bluefish team, I've come to understand the deep history this team possesses. I've seen swimmers graduate after swimming with our team every single summer for 12 years. I've had swimmers who have graduated, left for college, then come back to express how something is missing from their summers without Bluefish. I've heard the stories of past Bluefish swimmers who have achieved legendary status for their sharks and minnows skills. I understand the tradition thisteam has and I am very excited to continue it and help the team achieve even more.

Matt Shanahan

I am beyond excited to return to Community Park this summer for my first year as a Bluefish coach! My love of swimming started when I was 12 years old with the Princeton Piranhas Swim Team. Over the years, I spent the summers with Bluefish and the winters with Princeton High School swim team. Senior year I served as captain of the boys team. I am currently a rising sophomore at Georgetown University, where I also a member of their club swim team. I'm looking forward to an amazing summer! LET'S GO BLUEFISH!

Hannah Ash

I am a rising sophomore at Occidental College, studying Economics and Psychology. I began my swimming career when I was four at Nassau Swim Club, and have been swimming ever since. Throughout my swim career I have swam at various PASDA and club teams, including the Community Park Bluefish. I was a four year varsity swimmer at Princeton High School and captain my senior year. I also currently swim Division III at Occidental. This is my fifth summer working at Community Park as a lifeguard and swim instructor and my first summer coaching. I am so excited for this season and to be a part of the coaching staff!

Matt Tam

I am currently a sophomore at Drexel University and am majoring in Computer Science! I've been swimming ever since I was 6 years old, starting first with Peddie Aquatics Association club team. I stayed with Peddie for 7 years as a year-round swimmer, and over those summers also participated with the Cranbury Catfish! I joined the Princeton High School swim team my freshman year in high school and in my sophomore year I had the honor of swimming as a member of the PHS 2012 Boy's State Championship team! My senior year, I became a team captain. I also became a peer group leader my senior year, a selective leadership position chosen by teachers where I learned how to deal with and accommodate freshmen into the many new experiences of high school not just academically but socially. My freshman year in college, I taught swim lessons at the Peddie Aquatics Association as an assistant swim instructor where I mainly taught with kids ranging from ages 4 to 5. I had the honor of being an assistant coach for the Princeton Bluefish last year when we won PASDA championships and words simply cannot express how excited I am to be returning to such a fantastic team! Go Bluefish!

Nicky Kratzer

Coaching for Bluefish has always been one of my favorite jobs, and I am so excited to be back! This is my fourth year coaching Bluefish, which is where I discovered my love and passion for swimming! I started swimming when I was 12 with Bluefish, and then progressed to swimming year-round with the Stingrays, Eastern Express, and Princeton High School swimming throughout high school. I now swim on the club team at Elon University in North Carolina, where I just finished my sophomore year. I am so happy I have the opportunity to coach so many wonderful swimmers this summer and cannot wait to meet all of them!

Stephanie Tam

I absolutely love coaching and I am so excited to be returning for my second summer as a Bluefish coach! I just finished my freshman year at American University in D.C. and I am studying Neuroscience. I started swimming on a PASDA team at the age of 6 and continued on to swim competitively year-round with the Peddie Aquatics Association for 8 years. I was also a 4 year varsity swimmer at PHS and one of the captains of the girls’ team my senior year. Swimming has and always will play a significant role in my life and my hope is that I can share the joy and great memories swimming has given me with all the swimmers this summer! I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great summer! GO BLUEFISH!

Kelsey Schwimmer

My swimming career began on a summer swim team in Lawrenceville much like Bluefish. I discovered a love for swimming and went on to swim competitively year round, swimming for four years on the Princeton High School Swim Team and bringing the team to both county and sectional championships as captain. I graduated from PHS in 2014 and am a junior at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. This will be my fourth year coaching Bluefish, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work such a talented and enthusiastic group! With a summer swim team as successful and accomplished as Bluefish, I believe that all of our swimmers should have fun and walk away from each practice feeling excited about swimming, the team, and their progress. I'm so excited for this season and can't wait to meet all of this year's swimmers!

Lydia Buckley

This is my first summer as a Bluefish coach and I couldn’t be more excited! Ten years ago, I joined the Bluefish team as a swimmer. I am thrilled to enter my 11th year with the team as a coach. This is my third summer working at Community Park as a lifeguard and swim instructor. I just finished my junior year of high school at the Hun School of Princeton. I know we have a great season ahead of us and I cannot wait to meet all of the swimmers!

Charlotte Singer

I am beyond excited for my thirteenth year as a member of the Bluefish family! Having started swimming for the team as a 6 and under, I am happy to be back to share my passion for swimming with that age group as a coach for the second year. My other history with swimming includes competing for Whitewaters and Stingrays club teams, captaining the Princeton High School Swim Team, teaching swim lessons at CP for three years, and teaching swim lessons for the Princeton Piranhas Swim Team. Outside of swimming, I am an Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics major at the Honors College at Rutgers University. Some of my favorite memories include swimming breaststroke to help PHS swimming win the Mercer County Tournament, competing in the State Finals last year, and ending my career as a Bluefish swimmer with an undefeated season. I have had so much fun with Bluefish over the years, and I cannot wait to contribute to the experience of the next generation of Bluefish swimmers!