For Nikki Brady, swimming has by no means been only a sport.
Swimming has been part of her life since she was 5 years outdated, when she started competing and adopted her three older sisters into Peekskill’s summer time swim program. More than 20 years later, Brady continues to be on the pool — solely now, she is the one educating, teaching, and guiding the subsequent technology.
Brady enters the 2026 season as the pinnacle coach of the Peekskill varsity ladies swim group for her tenth season. She additionally serves as an assistant coach for the varsity boys group and as a swim teacher with the Peekskill Parks and Recreation Department. Outside the pool, she works as a educating assistant within the Peekskill City School District and coaches modified softball.
In some ways, Brady has develop into a fixture of Peekskill athletics. But her story started as a swimmer.
“I just really enjoyed my experience, and sometimes I wish I could go back,” Brady stated of her years as a student-athlete at Peekskill High School.
Brady was a six-year member of the college’s varsity ladies swim program, competing from seventh by twelfth grade. She was a two-time All-League swimmer and helped set faculty data within the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. She additionally performed basketball and softball.
Swimming, nevertheless, was at all times the game she couldn’t escape. “I couldn’t stray away from swim in the fall, even if I wanted to try soccer or a different sport,” Brady stated.
Her dedication to swimming was shared by her household. Her sisters had already participated in Peekskill’s summer time and varsity applications, and Brady adopted their path.
Summers revolved across the pool.
“It went from the Monday after school was finished until the first weekend of August — no summer vacations, just summer swim,” Brady stated. “We were dedicated to it for those 13 years. It was just something that we did. It was part of our everyday life.”
After graduating from Peekskill in 2013, Brady attended Iona University, the place she studied public relations and communications. She accomplished internships and commenced fascinated about her future, however teaching was not essentially a part of the unique plan.
Then a possibility arose. As Brady was ending school, mother and father of ladies she had grown up swimming with instructed her the Peekskill varsity teaching place can be opening.
“There’s going to be an opening. You should take it,” she remembers being instructed.
Brady had no prior expertise as a head coach, however the encouragement satisfied her to use. Former Athletic Director Lou Panzanaro employed her in 2017. She was 21 years outdated.
“Everything just kind of fell into place after that,” Brady stated.
Taking over a varsity program at such a younger age was intimidating. Brady was all of the sudden teaching athletes in the identical program the place she had as soon as competed.
She credit a number of former coaches and colleagues with serving to make the transition simpler, together with Anthony DiCuio and Jonathan Iasillo, acquainted faces from her personal time within the district.
“Having those familiar faces definitely eased my way in and made me feel better,” Brady stated. “Having people like them in my corner was very helpful. I was very grateful for that.”
Brady additionally appeared to her personal former coach, Edgar Perez, for inspiration.
Perez coached Brady throughout her ultimate two years of highschool and pushed his group more durable than it had been pushed earlier than. Brady credit that have with serving to her enhance as a swimmer and contributing to school-record performances.
The classes stayed together with her when she turned a coach. “I wanted to follow that trend of pushing harder than the girls wanted to be pushed,” Brady stated.
Several of her swimmers broke data throughout her first few seasons as coach.
Over time, nevertheless, Brady’s strategy advanced. Her teaching philosophy now facilities on creating “a safe, fun environment for people to strive to be the best they can be in the pool and out of the pool.”
She nonetheless expects her swimmers to work exhausting, however she additionally needs them to take pleasure in their time collectively.
“I think I’ve learned that everything’s not so serious,” Brady stated.
Brady remembers her personal favourite swim-team reminiscences — bus rides, pizza events, and time spent with teammates who finally turned lifelong pals. Those are the experiences she needs to go on.
“You want to work hard and do your best, but you also just want to make fun memories with the girls and want them to make them with each other,” she stated.
That philosophy applies to swimmers at each degree.
Because Peekskill solely has a varsity swimming program, Brady’s roster can embrace skilled swimmers alongside athletes who’re nonetheless creating their expertise. She welcomes each.
“I have a great team that will help girls grow and learn more about swim,” she stated.
Brady’s deal with growth extends past aggressive swimming.
As a Parks and Recreation teacher, she works with youngsters starting from infants and toddlers to highschool college students. She has been educating summer time swimming since 2019 and indoor instruction since 2021.
The classes range relying on the swimmer.
For youthful youngsters, the objective might merely be turning into comfy within the water. Older swimmers could also be engaged on approach, endurance, or aggressive objectives.
Brady says the widespread denominator is making the expertise pleasurable. “I feel like there’s a part of it that’s all connected,” she stated.
For Brady, swimming can be about one thing way more necessary than competitors: security.
She encourages mother and father to get their youngsters comfy within the water at an early age, whether or not or not they ever develop into aggressive swimmers.
“I think out of all the sports I can think of, I think swimming is the most important when it comes to life,” Brady stated.
She sees swimming as a ability youngsters can carry with them all through their lives, notably as a result of swimming pools, seashores, and open water are such a typical a part of recreation.
“It doesn’t have to be competitive swimming,” she stated. “But it’s important to get into those classes and get your kids used to open water and just getting them comfortable with swimming and the pool as soon as possible.”
Brady’s function in Peekskill athletics has additionally allowed her to see the game from a number of views.
In addition to main the ladies group, she has spent roughly 5 years helping with the boys program. She beforehand coached the boys group when she first joined Peekskill’s teaching employees earlier than finally transitioning to an assistant function.
But finally, it’s Brady’s connection to Peekskill that retains her coming again. “It’s just so awesome to give back to the community that did so much for me,” she stated.
Brady says athletics performed an necessary function in her personal expertise as a scholar. Now she has the chance to supply comparable experiences for one more technology.
Her favourite a part of teaching shouldn’t be essentially successful a meet or setting a document. It is seeing a swimmer enhance.
“When they know that they dropped time, it’s just showing that their hard work is paying off,” Brady stated. “I think that always makes me really happy.”
The similar philosophy carries over into her work as a educating assistant. Whether she is in a classroom or on the pool deck, Brady enjoys watching younger individuals develop, construct relationships, and attain their objectives.
“My favorite part is just seeing their growth,” she stated. “School and swim — just watching kids have a goal and reaching that goal.”
Other pursuits Brady enjoys is touring, attending live shows, spending time with pals, and operating. Brady runs often and is presently coaching for her second New York City Marathon.
Still, a lot of her life continues to revolve round younger athletes and the water.
After almost 10 years as a head coach, Brady says she generally nonetheless finds it exhausting to consider that teaching turned her profession. “I just love sports…I always have. I always will,” she stated.
What started with three older sisters, a summer time swim group, and a younger lady who couldn’t keep away from the pool has come full circle.
Brady is now serving to Peekskill swimmers create their very own reminiscences — simply as she did years in the past.
And in spite of everything these years, she stays motivated by the identical issues that first drew her to swimming: the enjoyment of the game and the individuals who make it significant.
When requested what she hopes swimmers take away from their time together with her, Brady stated: “I just hope they had fun.”
“And that they felt like I did what was best for them and helped push them to be the best that they could be.”