Sportsnite this Saturday

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Sportsweek 2015 kicked off Saturday at the annual Sportsnite Preview — a dress rehearsal for the beloved Baldwin institution, Sportsnite, which will be held March 7 at 7:50 p.m. Sportsnite, the 82-year-old tradition, is a celebration of girls’ involvement in athletics at Baldwin High School. When Ethel T. Kloberg created Sportsnite in 1933, girls were not allowed to participate in inter-school athletics, so Kloberg started Baldwin’s longest running tradition. This spurred a movement across Long Island, which lead to Kloberg receiving international acclaim.

Sportsnite impacts more 200 female (and occasionally male) students each year, with each participant having endless stories about the friendships made, the memories shared, and the impact Sportsnite has had on their lives. Senior Jenna Zenaldin, who is on the Gold Team said Sportsnite is a big part of her life. “Sportsnite means so much because it's a home away from home,” she said. “At the end of the day, no matter who wins or loses, you come out with friends you may never have known, so everyone is a winner."

To Meredith Healy Kurz, the current Sportsnite director, the event is more than just a performance. “The common theme among the members of Sportsnite is the special bonds they make each year,” she said. “They come back year after year because it is magical.”

Sportsweek, which started last Saturday, leads up to Sportsnite this Saturday. Each day is dedicated to important members close to participants. On Monday, both the Gold and Blue teams were slated to perform their entrance skits relating to their themes — “Gold’s Ghostbusters” and “Arctic Blues.” Gold senior Amy Hernandez said “Sneak Preview is so important because we are showing the future of Sportsnite what Sportsnite is all about.”

Tuesday was scheduled as Father-Daughter Night, where the participants honor their fathers. Wednesday is Family Day, where students are able to go home after school and spend time with their families. On Thursday, the first winners of Sportsnite are announced at the Blue and Gold Banquet, a night in which mothers are honored. The winners of Banquet and PreSportsnite Cooperation are announced, which affect the overall Sportsnite winners. Friday is Tea Dance, in which the students bring their friends to celebrate all of their hard work. And Saturday is the main event, when students perform their entrance skits, play games, and showcase their stunts and dance routines. All of this contributes to the score, and the winners of Sportsnite 2015 are finally announced.

You can find out the winner at Sportsnite on Saturday. No one will be permitted in during the event. You must be a high school graduate to attend and tickets will not be sold at the door.