Five students to represent N. Bellmore at the Meadowlands

It’s rare that a school district can boast a champion in the NFL’s Punt, Pass, Kick competition, but North Bellmore has five Long Island champions this year.

Gunther student Brandon Hislop won the boys’ 6- and 7-year-old bracket, and Gunther student Diana Benedetto won the girls’ 8- and 9-year-old bracket. Saw Mill had three winners. Joe Gashinsky won the boys’ 8- and 9-year-old bracket, Jordan Jones won the boys’ 10- and 11-year-old bracket, and Stephanie Rinaudo won the girls’ 12- and 13-year-old bracket.

NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick “is a national skills competition for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 15 to compete separately against their peers,” according to the website. The competitors must complete tasks in punting, passing and place kicking; they are judged based on distance and accuracy.

The NFL has run the program since 1961, and Gunther gym teacher Jim Mulvey said that the program has been a part of Gunther’s physical-education curriculum for the past decade.

All of the children said they enjoy sports in general, and many play soccer, basketball, softball and football outside of school. Mulvey said the competition is a chance for athletes to be highlighted and receive recognition much like musicians and artists do in other competitions. Tom Steinmuller, the physical-education teacher at Saw Mill, also features the program as a regular part of his classes. Students begin to learn the skills in September, and the school winners are then entered in the Long Island Championships.

Both teachers said the program is a great way to build confidence in their students. The students are encouraged to improve on their own personal bests and aren’t compared to others. “We work on improvement, not really competition,” Mulvey said.

The Long Island Championships were held in East Meadow in October. The winners are headed to the Meadowlands for the regional championship on Dec. 5. The competition will be held before the New York Giants take on the Washington Redskins. The children will get to watch the game and be recognized at half time. For all of the North Bellmore competitors, it will be their first NFL game.

All the students look forward to the next round. Stephanie said that she is looking forward to “running up my score.” Brandon and Joe said they’ll both be excited to stand on the field where all the pros play. They said they might be nervous, but any onlooker can tell they’re a tough bunch. Diana fractured her foot and is in a boot, but fortunately it’s not her kicking foot. She’ll be ready to go for the competition, she said.

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