Athletics, recreation & fitness
Page 12
March 3, 2023
Andrew Kassian and Jack Samko swimming at sectionals
Area swimmers make splash at sectionals Jeff Slater BSP Reporter Did you know that Rondout Valley High School has a swim team? Many folks do not. Two swimmers from RVHS did an exceptional job at the recent sectionals. Jack Samko and Andrew Kassian qualified for the sectionals at Valley Central High School and participated in the finals last Saturday. During the finals, Jack placed second in the 50-yard freestyle and third in the !00-yard butterfly. Andrew finished second in the individual medley and second in the 100-yard butterfly. Both Kassian and Samko qualified for the state finals in Ithaca, being held March 3 and 4. The team is coached by district physical education teacher Heather Crowley. Crowley started coaching the swim team two years ago. She swam competitively for Kingston High and, in college, at SUNY Cortland. “Rondout and Onteora both ‘shadow’
Briefs SUNY Cobleskill names Neumann Fighting Tiger Athlete of the Week The SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department announced today that junior Gregory Neumann, a Rondout Valley High School alum and a member of the men’s lacrosse team, has been named the athletic program’s Fighting Tiger Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending Feb. 19. The Accord native led the Fighting Tigers to Nameline a season opening 16-7
for Kingston due to the low numbers and the fact that we don’t have our own pool. Kingston has 12 swimmers on the team (three of those being eighth graders and one Crowley’s son), Onteora has two shadow swimmers, and Rondout has three, including freshmen Jack Basten along with Samko and Kassian, both seniors. With the shadow program both Rondout and Onteora bring their own coaches to practices and swim meets. “We work alongside with the Kingston coach,” Crowley explained. “All three teams swim the same practice and basically run as one team throughout the season. The only difference is Rondout and Onteora cannot score points for their schools until the Sectionals meet – their times count throughout the season. “My son swims for Kingston so I see this team through a couple of different lenses,” Crowley continued. “This group of 17 boys from different schools come together and become a little family. The seniors welcome in middle schoolers, and
everyone seems to look out for each other. They all push each other during practice and meets. It’s amazing to see as a mom and a coach. Each of the swimmers has hit amazing personal goals and that was great to see. I have always said that swimming is an individual sport and a team sport and that’s why I love it so much. “I swam for the Kingston coach when I was in high school and then coached alongside him for club swimming, so we have a wonderful coaching relationship”, said Crowley. Crowley explained that the Kingston High School pool has been under construction since March 2022, and all three schools’ teams have practiced at the Kingston YMCA’s pool. “This has been a little difficult as we are on a strict time constraint,” Crowley said. “Typically, we would like to be able to practice two hours, but because of the time it takes to get to Kingston we usually have 1.5 hours, and less on Wednesdays because we must be out of the pool by 4:30. It will be nice to
Andrew Kassian and Jack Samko, Rondout swimmers who are going to the states meet in Ithaca this weekend
have the KHS pool back next year.” Rondout amazingly placed 13th out of 21 schools at the Sectional with only two swimmers competing. Kingston placed sixth at the meets. Kassian and Samko agreed that “practice hard and hard practices are worth the results. We are hoping to make it back to the finals at the states this coming weekend in our last high school meet.” Samko will be racing in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, with Kassian qualifying for three events including the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. The season runs from November until this weekend. Good luck to Andrew Kassian and Jack Samko in Ithaca. Go, Ganders!
victory over host Cairn University on Saturday night on the Highlander’s home turf in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. The junior attackman scored five goals, passed out two assists, picked up eight groundballs and forced a turnover on the night in the win. Cobleskill will return to action on Saturday March 4 when they travel to Aurora, New York, for a non-league meeting with The Express of Wells College with face-off scheduled for 1 p.m.
Gander Special Olympics athletes attend Section 9 Inclusive Youth Leadership Summit Rondout Valley High School student leaders represented their school district at the Section 9 Inclusive Youth Leadership Summit, held at Newburgh Free Acade-
From left to right, Rondout Valley High School teaching assistant Marianne Hawryluk, Gander student athletes Alex Deitch, Charlie Scully, Julia Deyo and Joana Koehler, and RVHS teaching assistant Eliana Barnum with director of program, Unified Sports, Leigh Howard (center) from Special Olympics New York during the Section 9 Inclusive Youth Leadership Summit.
my last month. Participants worked with Special Olympics New York Unified staff to learn about inclusion, share advocacy initiatives, and plan for how to continue to make a positive impact on their respective school climates.
Connecting with peers from the Arlington School District, the Wappingers Falls School District, and Newburgh Free Academy, RVHS students shared their
See Sports, page 17
