Lynbrook, East Rockaway athletes prepare for return of sports

Denied the opportunity to play for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Lynbrook and East Rockaway students were gearing up for a return to competition, with practices in several sports set to begin on Monday and games and matches starting as early as Feb. 8.

Mason Benvenuto, a Lynbrook High School senior girls’ varsity basketball and la-crosse player who has committed to play lacrosse at Oneonta next year, said that her fondest memories of high school include being on the field or court with her team.

“To say that I’m excited to join my friends and teammates back on the field would be an understatement,” Benvenuto said. “So much has changed for us these past 10 months. A small return to normalcy would really cap off my senior year and the years of so many others. I couldn’t be happier at the chance to make our last high school memories together.”

Less than a week after high-risk high school sports in New York state — basketball, football, wrestling, volleyball and competitive cheer — were given the OK to proceed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran relayed the necessary guidance put in place by the state and approved by local health officials.

At a Jan. 27 news conference at Bay Park in East Rockaway, Curran announced the guidelines that will clear the way for public and parochial schools to begin practicing basketball, wrestling and cheer.

“I’m excited to get our kids back on the fields, courts and the rinks they love so much and to bring a little normal back into their lives,” Curran said.

LHS senior Joseph Giovinco, who is a varsity football and boys’ lacrosse player at LHS, said it was “great” to see sports returning.

“It’s something that so many athletes had thought they’d missed out on,” he said. “Especially in a town like Lynbrook, sports bring together the community. As someone who has played football and lacrosse my entire life, I’m so grateful that I will be able to play in my senior seasons.”

Grace Bodian, an LHS senior and three-sport athlete who plays varsity tennis, lacrosse and basketball, said she was happy because she most looks forward to competing in sports in school.

“Each season I form such amazing connections and friendships and make long-lasting memories with my teammates,” she said. “I can only imagine how the seniors feel this year with the amount of events taken from them. Sports coming back is an amazing way to bring back some normalcy, and I could not be more grateful and happy.”

Some of the mandatory guidelines put in place countywide by Suffolk aren’t being mirrored by Nassau. Instead, those decisions were left to individual school districts in Nassau. These include weekly Covid-19 testing for participating athletes, coaches and others in daily contact with the teams, temperature monitoring before practices and games, and no more than two spectators per athlete for home teams.

Masks must be worn at all times, unless players are unable to tolerate such a covering for the physical activity, and a minimum of six feet in distance between individuals must be followed at all times, with the exception of participating athletes. No sharing of equipment or drinks will be permitted, and facilities must provide sanitizer for all in attendance and be limited to 50 percent of the maximum occupancy of a particular area, inclusive of employees, patrons, players and spectators.

Curran said the Nassau County Department of Health would conduct spot compliance checks at random schools to ensure safety guidelines are being followed.

On Jan. 26, Nassau’s athletic directors held a meeting with Section VIII, the governing body for high school athletics in the county, to discuss a return to play for basketball, wrestling and cheer. Section VIII also conducted a conference call with school superintendents that same morning.

Section VIII Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said with athlete participation the primary goal this winter, there would be no playoffs for basketball and no postseason for wrestling. Basketball teams will play an eight-game season, while wrestling will conduct dual meets only.

“We want the largest number of kids playing in the most number of games, and this was the way to do it,” Pizzarelli said.

He added that each school district would make a determination whether to compete in the high-risk winter sports or not. He said only Uniondale, which is in full remote learning mode, has opted out so far. Lawrence flipped its decision on winter sports and will be competing.

“I’m thrilled that we’re going to be starting all of our sports,” Pizzarelli said. “We haven’t had any Covid spread with the sports that began Jan. 4. Now we’re starting basketball and wrestling. I’ll be honest, I’m concerned about wrestling. I spoke to our athletic administrators. They need to stress to their coaches they need to be diligent in keeping the safety of our student-athletes as the No. 1 priority, which is what we always do in athletics.”

Traditional fall sports, including football, soccer, girls’ tennis, cross-country, volleyball, field hockey and girls’ swimming, are slated to begin practice March 1. Spring sports, such as lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys’ tennis, track and field, girls’ badminton and boys’ golf, are set to start April 22.