Judges saw red in Rockville Centre last Saturday

Rockville Centre’s very own version of March madness ended on Saturday night as the Red Team emerged victorious in South Side High School’s 96th annual Red & Blue Revue and Indoor Meet.

Red won in the poster, emblem, costume, prop, skit, dance and tumbling categories, while Blue prevailed in the sportsmanship, citizenship and spirit, organization, and song categories. The teams, comprised of approximately 370 girls, tied for attendance.

Weeks of planning, preparing and rehearsing that go into the competition during which the teams secretly develop and perfect skits, songs, dances, costumes, props, posters, emblems and a tumbling routine, came to an end on March 15 as the competition got under way. As family, friends and interested spectators filled the gym, the girls, dressed in white, sang their march and friendship songs, and presented their team’s posters and emblems to the three art and music judges — all teachers.

The school’s gym again filled on Friday and Saturday nights as cheering ticketholders watched each team’s skit and dances, and rooted for them during the relay races and the floor hockey, tug of war, volleyball and basketball competitions. Viewers at home were also able to watch the live action, televised on Cablevision and Verizon’s education channels.

“A Night to REDmember,” under the direction of Red Team captains Margo Connolly and Chelsea Portenoy, kept the audience at the edge of their seats while the Blue Team, with captains Taylor Schwarting and Nicole Testa at the helm, enthralled onlookers with its “Trip to HonoBLUElu.”

Groups of girls in homemade costumes performed aerobic, jazz, disco and tap arrangements that were incorporated into the script.

Meg O’Brien, Francesca Wasserman and Katelyn Dunn were Red’s advisors. Nicole Knorr and Shannon McEntee were Blue’s advisors. Meaghan Healey and Liz Marshall served as meet directors. Ian Liuzzi-Feldun served as the sound engineer. Casey Cameron, Brian Caulfield, Alex Matos and Joe Palandrani were Red boys; Kevin Cook, Nick Kalafatis, Ty Melillo, Brian Remy and John Weigall were Blue boys.

Red Team Song Coordinators were Kendall Gough and Dana Stuono; Olivia Gerrato and Madison Bondy served in that function for the Blue Team. Red’s Poster/Emblem Coordinators were Alison Bartoldus, Danielle Bellando, Natasha Camarillo, Emily Essig, Jen Gentile and Sophia Grillo — Shannon Buckley, Lisa Kremen, Allison Leonard, Amanda Martello, Alannah O’Rourke and Emily Salvoni handled those tasks for the Blue Team. South Side Principal Dr. Carol Burris was on hand Thursday night to present the teams; Quinn Lysaght and Stephanie Ziegler sang the national anthem, and the district’s Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics Carol Roseto, made closing remarks.