The Swimming Scene: A Call For Crossovers
Last season I covered girls swimming on the Island and always thought it was a shame that the top teams from each county never got to face off.
Sure, you could always compare times, but there just seems something kind of fake about using times from different meets to compare two teams. Especially when swimmers will routinely "get up" for the more talented squads or meaningful meets. An intra-Island meet would certainly qualify.
To put it in perspective, this is something that most other sports do regularly. Football has its Long Island Championships. Baseball and Softball have crossover games, and thank goodness for it, because that’s the only way we would have gotten to see St. John the Baptist softball star Olivia Galati demolish the top public schools on the Island.
Another so-called "small" sport in Tennis recently instituted a Long Island championship to great effect.
Luckily, two top schools, Half Hollow Hills and Jericho, are already doing this.
"It’s become an annual thing where we go over to Jericho on winter break," Hills coach Richard Stern said. "Right now it’s just Jericho that’s expressed interest, and if we could manage to get something going that’d be great, I’d be all for it."
Hills defeated Jericho 96-81 on Jan. 2, and because of that, it gives us a better idea about who the king of the Island is.
But this isn’t nearly enough. How great would it be to see St. Anthony’s vs. Great Neck South? Great Neck South vs. Hills? Or even a post-season matchup between the winners of each county’s finals?
This is not out of the realm of possibility, and it could go a long way towards increasing the intensity of some of the meets during the season.
Can't find a seat on the LIRR? ... Uniondale basketball star ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Can't find a seat on the LIRR? ... Uniondale basketball star ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV