Lynbrook, East Rockaway communities lament spring cancellations

Every time the Lynbrook varsity girls’ lacrosse team breaks from a huddle, they yell “Together!” with coach Vincent Tetro. Now more than ever, the 16-year head coach said, they need to heed that message after the devastating blow of having the spring season canceled.

“Lynbrook has this great tradition of having a sense of family,” Tetro said. “It’s bigger than any game — it’s bigger than anything. They love lacrosse, and to have it taken away from them, they’re devastated.”

Any hopes for even a modified spring season were dashed on April 21, when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announce the cancellation.

“For the safety for our student-athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools,” said Pat Pizzarelli, executive director of Nassau County athletics. “Long Island is one of the areas most affected by this terrible pandemic, so both Section VIII [Nassau] and Section XI [Suffolk] have made this very difficult decision.”

While he was prepared for the season to be canceled, Tetro said, the announcement came suddenly, on a Tuesday afternoon, and shocked him. He spoke with his players in a videoconference and through their text chain to console them, but he acknowledged that it would be difficult to fill the void left by the cancellation. The decision affected not only games and playoffs, but also the senior game; the senior dinner, at which underclassman talk about their graduating teammates; and Family Fun Day. Tetro said it was all especially tough on seniors.

“They lost their chance to be leaders of the team,” he said. “After our meeting, I messaged them that it was one of the toughest things I’ve done in coaching, to watch their faces and see they’re so upset. But one of the things I told them is that you don’t always remember every win or loss, but you remember the memories and friendships you made.”

One such senior is attacker Elizabeth Murphy, who said she was “extremely heartbroken” after the news came out, and that she had been one of five seniors looking to take a major role on the team.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for the longest time,” she said. “I’ve been on the team since freshman year, and every year gets better and better. We were excited to be seniors and be leaders and make an impact.”

Murphy will play lacrosse for the University of Cincinnati next year, and she said she is excited she will be in a new environment.

The decision to cancel spring sports came after administrators in Nassau and Suffolk met over a 24-hour span beginning April 20. Even if public schools were to reopen, no sporting events will be held. A week earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended New York state’s stay-at-home policies through May 15, meaning that schools will be closed until at least that date.

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and officials, met the night of April 20 and was unanimous in its decision. Athletic directors met the following morning and agreed with the ruling.

David Barth, the East Rockaway School District athletic director, said that even though it was a shame to see the spring sports season canceled, he understood why officials made the difficult decision.

“While our student-athletes are, of course, deeply saddened by the cancellation of the spring sports season, we all also understand that it is a decision that was made with everyone’s health and best interests in mind,” he said.

Lynbrook Athletic Director Tom Graham said he felt badly for all athletes, especially seniors because they will not have a final season and juniors because the stoppage might affect their chances at college recruitment. He noted, however, there are many positive actions being displayed throughout the community, including teammates giving presents to one another to lift their spirits, and Vetro and others using virtual meetings to create a dialogue.

“Those are things that really help with the mental health piece of it,” he said. “Between the coaches and the kids, they’re just doing some tremendous things to keep their spirits up, and I think that’s so important and it resonates not just in Lynbrook, but throughout the county. “

For Jack Rogers, a senior midfielder on the Lynbrook High School boys’ varsity lacrosse team, keeping in contact with his teammates and coaches has helped soften the blow of not having a senior season. He said the Owls had played box lacrosse, an indoor version of the sport that is not played on a traditional field, since November and spent hours in the gym to prepare for a season that would never come, but it brought them closer together.

“I just think that sports kind of help you through a lot of this adversity and being in quarantine,” he said. “We’re all just trying to stick together and fight through these tough times. We are bigger than the adversity that’s being put on us right now, and we just need to stay strong.”

Rogers said he learned a great deal under head coach Bill Leighley, and noted that the practices were a grind, but made him a better player, and he had looked forward to serving as a captain this year. He added that he planned to take what he learned to Arcadia University next year, where he will continue to play lacrosse.

Rogers said he was thankful for the experiences he had in Lynbrook, and that he was excited for the next chapter. Meantime, he is following a workout routine, preparing for next year and remembering the good times and memories of being an Owl.

“We really built this brotherhood, so I think games and championships come second,” he said. “This brotherhood will last a lifetime, and we really bought into the legacy and tradition in Lynbrook. We all love each other and will be brothers for the rest of our lives.”

Tony Bellissimo contributed to this story.