By Marco Valle
The winter district sports season is nearing its end, with NHP district teams waiting in anticipation for the possibility of competing at counties. The riflery team, led by Coach Babolcsay, has a strong group of shooters that are committed to leading the district team to the top. The boys swimming team, led by Coach Chuba, has been working hard and pushing themselves to make it to championships. The bowling team, led by Coach Heigi, has welcomed many new members and has been working together to place highly in the county.
While it is widely known that New Hyde Park sports teams are a great way to meet new people and expose yourself to new experiences, district sports provide that on an even bigger scale. Instead of being on a team with students from NHP, athletes on the district teams have formed close bonds with students from around the district who share similar interests.
The district swim team finished the regular season off strong with a win against Great Neck North. The team saw many swimmers advance to counties with New Hyde Park’s own Jonathan Chiu advancing to county finals.
“This season has been among our best ever. The team has exhibited great camaraderie and effort working towards their individual and collective goals. Coach Mauro and I are extremely proud of these boys and their progress. At divisions, many swimmers set personal records, making it particularly memorable,” Coach Chuba said.
Source from Aman Sinha
Boys on the district swim team gather poolside after their meet.
“It was a successful season, we cut times down. We had an even record. We placed well at sectionals and we had fun doing it,” junior Erik Gliszczynski said.
Although the district riflery team did not make it to championships, they worked diligently to achieve an overall record of eight wins to six losses this winter season. New Hyde Park's Alex Tiwari and Mia Cho competed at the individual county meet.
Source from Andrew Canese
The district riflery team is diligently working to improve their shooting skills at practice.
“Doing a district sport has allowed me to strengthen my connection with kids from other schools in the district. It has no doubt created a more diverse environment as I am now creating bonds with people from Carey, for example,” junior Mia Cho said. “Riflery is a smaller team, too, so connecting with my teammates was easier, and within a few weeks, the team was like my second family. Also, traveling to other school districts for matches has allowed me to meet people from all over Long Island, which was interestingly exciting.”
“It’s good to have different schools coming in and coming together to show that we are a district. It allows for a variety of perspectives in the team. Going forward in the future, I hope to bring even more people into the sport,” Coach Babolcsay said.
The bowling team has recruited many new members to the team. Many people on the team, including new members, have scored extremely high, leading the team to place 7th this season in the county.
“In my opinion, our team is doing very well against most of our competitors. We are at the top of our league, and we are participating in the county tournament, which we hope to win. Even with fewer athletes than the other teams, we are still able to make it to top three,” senior Vince Guerrero said.
The Sewanhaka East wrestlers competed in many meets and tournaments eventually culminating in a qualifying tournament hosted at Long Beach High School. New Hyde Park’s very own Jake Rodgers competed at the Nassau County Wrestling Championship meet where he placed fourth in the county.
“I have never done a sport like wrestling. It's the most physically and mentally challenging sport you can play in high school, but it's one of the most fun and exhilarating sports too. The bonds you make with teammates are unbreakable,” junior Matthew Muntzenberger said.