Celebrating 10 Years with the Montesi Family at Chelsea Piers
John, Margaret, Jack (Right), Kelly (Middle), and William (Left) Montesi have been members at Chelsea Piers since the club opened in 2012. Chelsea Piers provided athlete developmental opportunities that helped prepare the Montesi children to compete and be successful at the Division I collegiate level!
What sports did Jack, Kelly, and William play at Chelsea Piers?
All three kids started out swimming for Chelsea Piers Athletic Club when it first opened in 2012. Jack and Kelly swam for CPAC, for Coach Jamie Barone, until college. After a few years of swimming, William decided to play lacrosse at Chelsea Piers.
How has your experience at Chelsea Piers been beneficial for your family?
While the Montesi’s have gone to many swim meets and lacrosse games for CPAC over the past 10 years, the real benefit of their experience has been how Chelsea Piers has prepared their kids for Division I collegiate careers.
What instructor have you enjoyed over the past ten years at Chelsea Piers?
John has enjoyed workouts in the pool with Kathy over his ten years at Chelsea Piers because of the variety in her workouts. He enjoys swimming short and long courses and finds Saturday classes extra beneficial in case he missed a workout during the week.
How did Chelsea Piers training help Jack to become a Division I swimmer at Notre Dame?
As a high school junior at Chelsea Piers, Jack was recruited by a number of colleges and eventually committed to Notre Dame to swim. Jack feels he is a more versatile swimmer because of Coach Jamie Barone as Barone taught Jack a lot of stroke technique in his freestyle, which became one of his stronger events while at Chelsea Piers.
How did Chelsea Piers’ training in the pool help lead to success for Jack?
Jack swam for the Fighting Irish at the University of Notre Dame and was Captain of the team his senior year. Jack holds two school records in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke, both of which are yet to be broken. In addition, while competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Jack earned Division I NCAA All-American honors in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke. Jack graduated in 2020 from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business and is currently working in investment banking in Manhattan.
How did Chelsea Piers training help Kelly to become a Division I swimmer at Villanova University?
While in high school, Kelly set goals to swim competitively in college. She felt that Coach Jamie Barone pushed her mentally and physically each day at practice, which helped her achieve her goals of swimming competitively at Villanova University. This mental and physical toughness helped prepare her for the rigorous atmosphere of Division I NCAA athletics.
How did Chelsea Piers’ training in the pool help lead to success for Kelly?
Similar to Jack, as a junior in high school, Kelly was recruited by numerous colleges and ultimately chose to swim for Villanova University. While at Villanova, Kelly swam all four years and was also the Captain of the team during her senior year. The Chelsea Piers training helped Kelly break several school records including the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke while setting the Big East Conference record in the 200-yard backstroke. Kelly was a Division I NCAA First-Team Academic All-American. Kelly recently graduated in 2022 from Villanova’s College of Nursing and is pursuing a nursing career in Boston, MA.
When you were a former swimmer for Chelsea Piers, what did you enjoy about practices, William?
While being a swimmer at CPAC, William’s favorite part was the balance between working hard in practices, but also having fun with his friends. At the same time, he was building a strong liking for the lacrosse program at Chelsea Piers.
How did Chelsea Piers Training help lead to success for William?
William played lacrosse for Chelsea Piers for several years including local area high school lacrosse games that were held at Chelsea Piers. He received an offer to play Division I lacrosse at the Air Force Academy, but instead went on to play Division I FBS football at the United States Military Academy at West Point. As a freshman, William excelled at football for the Army and has been a consistent Dean’s List student. He is on track to graduate from West Point in 2025.
Margaret and John, what do you utilize the most at Chelsea Piers?
Both Maragret and John have been on the Chelsea Piers’ Masters Swim Team since the club opened 10 years ago-- they still swim on the team today! Margaret swam for the University of South Florida, and John swam for Tufts University. They met in a Master’s Swim Program at the Westport YMCA. After experiencing swimming at the collegiate level, Margaret and John feel that Chelsea Piers played such an important role in the development of their children, allowing each of them to compete and be successful at the Division I collegiate level.
Has swimming played an integral role in your family over the years?
John, Margaret, Jack, Kelly, and William all grew up swimming. Margaret’s mother, Marrie Corridon Mortell competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England where she won a gold medal as the lead-off swimmer of the first-place U.S. team in the women’s 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming is definitely in the Montesi family bloodline!