60.0°,
Overcast Off to the races at the Sacred Heart Invite
Under sunny skies, more than 700 runners in first through eighth grades filled the Calhoun High School track in North Merrick on Sunday for the Sacred Heart Invitational, hosted by the Sacred Heart Catholic Youth Organization.
In addition to Sacred Heart, nine other teams competed in the meet, including squads from the Cure of Ars Parish in Merrick, Holy Family in Hicksville, Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park, Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne, St. Aidan’s in East Williston, St. Brigid’s in Westbury, St. Martin de Porres in Uniondale, St. Patrick’s in Glen Cove and St. Raymond’s in East Rockaway.
Matt Weiss, the Sacred Heart boys’ coach for grades four to eight, and his wife, Melanie, organized the meet. Ed Corona, the girls’ co-coach for grades four to eight, and John Boyle, the boys’ co-coach for grades one through three, shopped for the concession stand, which raises funds for the Sacred Heart CYO program. Corona also served as the meet’s race director. And Susan Carroll, the girls’ coach for more than 15 years, helped run the meet, and annually arranges an end-of-the-year picnic for the girls and boys at Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick.
The meet was divided into two halves. The morning was for grades kindergarten through three, and the afternoon was for grades four to eight. Patrick Boyle played the bagpipes to kick off the meet in the morning, and sixth-grade singing sensation Alyssa Pallotta, who has performed at any number of sports venues, including Citi Field during a Mets game, offered an inspired rendition of the national anthem.
The meet included races ranging from the 400-meter relay to the 800-meter run. More than 50 parents volunteered to help run the events. All children came away with trophies, medals or ribbons, depending on how they placed in their respective races.
Some 24,000 youngsters annually participate in CYO sports in 95 parishes across Long Island. The Diocese of Rockville Centre administers the program, which is open to children of all faiths.
