October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
Section XI is thinking about all of the women suffering from this disease in our region, and beyond, and of the many who have lost their battle.
There are a number of resources where you can learn how to help.
Check out the National Breast Cancer Foundation or the American Cancer Society for more info.
Did you know the National Federation of State High School Associations offers free online learning courses? There are more than 35 courses in their online library.
The NFHS is the national leader and advocate for high school athletics as well as fine and performing arts programs.
There are courses for coaches, officials, trainers, security, and much more.
For the 2020-2021 school year, Team Up 4 Community is excited to once again partner with the NYSPHSAA to encourage Youth Athletes to give back to their communities through the NYSPHSAA Community Service Challenge!
Community Service is an integral part of the Interscholastic Athletic experience. Through community service, student-athletes, coaches, and administrators are able to give back to the communities that support them each and every day!
The NYSPHSAA Captains Club, presented by NYSCOPBA, will have a new look this school year.
Omari Pearson is the founder of Passion to Purpose and he tells you what to expect in the upcoming video series they are happy to be presenting.
On Tuesday, September 1 Tim Mullins of Bayport-Blue Point (Section XI) began his term as a NYSPHSAA officer in the role of second Vice President.
Mullins has been the Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics at Bayport-Blue Point since 2003.
Prior to that he worked at West Islip School District and has been a member of the Section XI and NYSPHSAA boys’ lacrosse committees since 2006.
He begins an eight-year term as a NYSPHSAA officer (2020-2028) in the role of second Vice President.
“My goal as an officer is to keep the rich tradition of excellence going that has been created by NYSPHSAA,” said Mullins. “Dr. Zayas and his staff have created tremendous opportunities for student-athletes around the state. I want to ensure the association continues to make positive impacts on student–athletes and coaches across this great state. During these unprecedented times I think the importance of athletics has never been so vital. There is no time like the present where our students need an outlet, their teammates and coaches to get back to some sort of normalcy.”
The current NYSPHSAA officers are:
Section XI is mourning the loss of former longtime official Patricia Habers.
She lived in Kings Park for many years and was a highly rated field hockey official for more than 30 years. She worked other sports as well.
She was inducted to the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
Section XI to Postpone All Interscholastic Athletics Until 2021, Will Operate with Three Seasons from January through June
In conjunction with its Athletic Council, County Athletic Directors, Safety Committee and Suffolk County Executive Board, Section XI will be postponing all sports until January 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the reasons for this decision are the potential for increased positive cases of COVID-19, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff members, a reduced number of spectators, a lack of locker room and facility use, increased costs in transportation and security for school districts and equity among all school districts.
Section XI’s Athletic Council voted this week to postpone the fall season and condense all three seasons – fall, winter, spring – from January through June. Section XI will run three complete seasons for the varsity, junior varsity and modified levels. These seasons will allow for all teams to play an adapted season with a culminating championship event.
“While this was a difficult decision, we feel it was the best move for the health and safety of everyone involved,” said Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs. “We still have a lot of hard work ahead in planning and executing on the three seasons across six months in 2021, but we look forward to the challenge and collaboration with our member schools and providing an impactful experience for our student-athletes and coaches.”
The seasons will run as follows:
Varsity and JV
Modified sports
Section XI will continue to provide information on health and safety in accordance to rules and regulations provided by the New York State Public Health Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). Along with the NYSPHSAA, we continue to gather information pertaining to COVID-19 and are committed to maximizing the interscholastic athletic opportunities for students across our county.
We will never forget the men and women we lost that day. You are forever in our hearts and prayers.
Southampton High School has been selected as a national banner Special Olympics Unified Champion School.
This is the highest recognition offered for Unified Champion Schools in the nation. Out of the 10,000+ Unified Champion Schools across the country, Southampton is 1 of 155 to be recognized this year.
“The commitment your community has made to achieve the 10 standards in the components of Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole School engagement has created an accepting, respectful and supportive school culture – one that is sustainable, one that we take great pride in,” wrote Stacey Hengsterman, President & CEO of Special Olympics New York. “The application your Unified Champion School Liaison submitted is a moving testament to the impact that your program has had on the school community, while also expressing an unwavering commitment to continue this work in earnest.”
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced today that football, volleyball and competitive cheer fall seasons will be postponed until March 1, 2021 to address membership concerns associated with high-risk fall sports. The decision was rendered by the elected NYSPHSAA officers late this afternoon. Low and moderate risk fall sports, meanwhile, are still authorized to begin practices on September 21, 2020 as previously announced.
“We’ve spent two days speaking with nearly 500 athletic directors across the state and it’s clear that administering high-risk fall sports during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge for our member schools,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “These are unprecedented times and unfortunately, difficult decisions will have to be made to address this ongoing crisis. We continue to stay committed to providing support to our member schools and quality participation experiences for the students we serve.”
The revised season for football, volleyball and fall competitive cheer will be known as “Fall Sports Season II” and may officially begin practices on March 1, 2021.
As a result of fall high-risk sports being moved, the start date for the spring sports season has been adjusted to April 19, 2021. The first official practice for spring sports will now be April 19, 2021 (the original start date was March 15).
“The NYSPHSAA officers have determined it would be unrealistic to host football, volleyball and competitive cheer seasons this fall,” said Julie Bergman, NYSPHSAA President. “This continues to be the most challenging situation educators have ever addressed. I, along with my fellow officers, believe the participation experiences for football, volleyball and competitive cheer athletes will be more beneficial in the spring than in the fall.”
Low and moderate risk fall sports practices are still scheduled to begin on September 21st for those schools and sections who have determined it feasible to host interscholastic athletics at this time. Regular season games can begin for low and moderate risk fall sports (girls tennis, cross country, girls swimming/diving, boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey) once student-athletes have participated in the required number of practices as per NYSPHSAA bylaws.
