[ad_1]
Shelter Island School sophomores Harrison Wesleck (foreground) and Jaxson Rylott helped advocate football becoming a school sport. (Credit: Ambrose Clancy)
Two kids were shooting hoops on the Bateman Street court mid-afternoon on a cold, cloudy day this week. In the distance, an empty Fiske in the outfield of the field he had two football goals. A single figure walked across the grass, moving from foot to foot as if a soccer ball was on a string under his feet.
As he approached one of the goals, he tapped the ball again with his foot and suddenly fired a shot behind the goal.
Harrison Weslek was soon joined by a group of two or three boys who, with boy chatter mixed with Spanish and English, knocked on the soccer ball when it came.
“I’ve been coming out twice a week for the past month or so,” said Harrison, a second-year student at Shelter Island School. A leading scorer on the varsity basketball team, who also plays baseball, he played soccer early in his life but replaced it with other sports.
He rekindled his love for the game at the recent World Cup tournament. you should talk to him He’s a really good player.”
Gaining his love of the sport from his father, Paul Rilott, who was from England, Jackson learned to watch televised games from England, kick a ball with his father at an early age, and call it a “beautiful game.”
His father is a Manchester United fan and so is his son. Jackson proudly pointed to the Manchester United patch on his jersey. “I have to represent,” he said with a smile.
Harrison says one of the benefits of sports is the bonding with teammates, and the 11-man soccer field team has the opportunity to get to know many other students.
“You have to always know where everyone is on the field and get to know them better,” he said. “This sport is played by everyone, everywhere in the world,” he added. You can get to know them better by playing with your Latino classmates. “It brought a lot of us together, especially post-COVID,” he said.
If all goes according to plan, island soccer will become more than just a pick-up game, but an organized school sport that competes with schools in other areas.
At the January 17 school board meeting, Harrison submitted a proposal to consider implementing an organized soccer program. He told the board that from 8th grade through 12th grade he knows 22 students are interested. Many people showed up to support his presentation.
Athletic Director Todd Garcio and Superintendent Brian Doerger expressed their support for the program, saying football will appeal to students who are not interested in competing in sports the school already supports.
Getting a team into the competition is a fairly straightforward process, Gulluscio told Reporter. “If a school district decides that it wants to form a new team in any sport, I will notify Section XI. [the high school league in Suffolk County] The deadline for submissions for the fall 2023 season is next month,” he said. “From there, teams are placed in leagues and given schedules.”
Soccer is initially expected to be introduced as an intra-school sport involving both men and women.
And James “Jimbo” Theinert, a high school math teacher, helps organize students to play pick-up games on a regular basis. Mr. Theinert was at his Fiske Field meeting.
“On the sidelines,” he said with a smile. In math class, Harrison, Jackson, and his classmate Marlon Huertas have heard Maldonado talking about football and his World Cup. He arranged a live screening of the cup final in the school auditorium.
About 25 kids took part in one of the most exciting finals of all time. “It was great to be with everyone,” Harrison said.
At goal mouth, Cayman dodged another shot. “Cayman is the best!” someone exclaimed. As the warm-up progressed, the boys stepped faster and the passes between players became clearer.
The once-quiet, empty fields were alive with the rising and falling voices of the cold afternoon.
[ad_2]
Source link
