A Spring for the Ages From the brink

From the Brink of Championships to Opportunities Lost A Spring for

As the Middle School basketball season approached its natural end, the Flatbush Falcons stood on the precipice of securing a trove of championships. Coach Mike Gelber’s 8th Grade Boys were fresh off a convincing win over YDE to advance to the MJDSBL Semifinals, arguably playing their best team ball of the season at just the right time. Coach Joey Dayon had his 7th Grade Boys one step closer, with a Finals match up with rival MDY set for a date in late March. And, Coach Renee Dweck and her 6th Grade Girls had just recorded their biggest win of the season, a semi-final round upset on the road of YHT, and were busy preparing for a MJDSBL Finals against top-seeded North Shore. Things looked very bright for the Middle School Falcons.

the Ages

At the same time, spring sports at YOFHS were just getting underway. Our Falcons were gearing up for what promised to be a memorable season. At the top of the list was the Boys Varsity Volleyball team, where Coaches Abie Silvers and Charles Harary returned a starting line-up from a team that went undefeated in the regular season just one year ago and were primed for a first-ever trip to the MYHSAL championships. Coach Elliot Weiselberg and his Varsity Girls Hockey squad, with a core of veteran players mixed with a promising group of freshmen, looked to be the strongest Falcon team

ever. Coach Gelber’s duo of Boys and Girls Tennis teams were loaded, with a goal of Finals appearances at the National Tennis Center in Queens (the host site of the annual MYHSAL Tennis Championships) in their sights. Coach Julie Azar’s Girls Softball team was ready to retake the softball field with a slew of ballplayers that looked primed to secure a playoff berth. Both Boys Volleyball and Girls Hockey were all set to open their seasons with road games on the second Thursday of March.

And then, the world changed. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, we went from post-game highfives to post-game fist bumps to post-game elbow tabs, to empty gyms and fields. Our Falcons worked out on their own, waiting for the anticipated return to school later in the spring and the delayed completion of the seasons. But what many thought would be a few weeks turned into months. The season was over. There was much to celebrate, but the lasting memory for most will be opportunity lost.