Vote Yes for Sports
Wantagh has a long history of athletic success for a small town. Wrestling, Girls Lacrosse, Girls Volleyball, Bowling, Baseball and Football in the last ten years have all won consistently at the County and State levels.
Although winning at high levels is something for us to be proud of, the real benefits of sports is to give our kids a chance to be a part of a team, the fun of playing with your friends, and learning what it takes to be a good teammate. I have experienced this personally as a volunteer coach for many years in PAL girls soccer and PAL and CYO girls basketball teams. As a coach and a parent, there is no greater thrill than seeing a kid who may not be the fastest or strongest but shows up to all the practices and games and gets better throughout the season. And then makes their only basket of the year or scores maybe the only goal they will ever make. Lessons and memories that will stay with them for their entire lives.
Last year’s No vote to the first budget led to the middle schools having to combine numerous teams into combined 7th and 8th graders on the same team. This was uniquely unfair to 7th graders who are still getting up to speed in being a middle schooler and having to compete against 8th graders who already have an extra year of playing experience. If the original budget was approved in 2021, the school would have had separate teams for 7th and 8th graders. The unfortunate result of this combining of teams was that so many students were cut and not given the opportunity to be on a team. It also limited the pipeline of future players who could eventually be a part of winning varsity teams.
Voting YES this year for the budget will bring back the full complement of middle school teams in the 2022-23 school year. This budget will bring back the separate 7th and 8th grade teams for the following sports:
- Baseball
- Boys and Girls basketball
- Football
- Boys and Girls Lacrosse
- Boys and Girls Soccer
- Softball
You can learn more about the 2022-23 athletics budget here .
Most importantly, it will open at least 100 additional spots on the teams in 2022-23 school year.
So I will be voting YES this year for the school budget to make sure more kids get a chance to be a part of Wantagh’s proud sports tradition.
Because all our kids deserve the chance to pursue their athletic dreams whether it’s a college scholarship or just wanting to be a part of a team. It’s not only about the wins. It’s also about the memories and pride of doing your best as a kid.