Floral Park’s Our Lady of Victory school is entering the second half of its inaugural sports season.
The Catholic school’s baseball team, which also pulls players from Notre Dame Catholic School in New Hyde Park, won by 10 runs in its Monday, April 27, home opener against St. Patrick’s in Huntington.
“We took two schools and made one team,” Athletic Coordinator and Coach Ed Gorman said. “These kids, from day one to now, are playing together as a team, as friends, is amazing to watch.”
He said about 60 kids are involved in the spring sports program, which offers baseball for boys from the two schools and two girls’ volleyball teams from Our Lady of Victory Elementary School. The school didn’t have a sports program until therecent winter, when the school created two basketball teams.
“It’s really wonderful to watch them grow. Some of these girls have never played volleyball before,” volleyball coach and Athletic Coordinator Erin Palma said, adding that the sports program has grown since the winter season. “Every single girl has improved from where she started, and they have learned together as a team.”
The volleyball teams have 35 players altogether and play in the Middle Island and West Divisions in the Rockville Center Diocese Middle SchoolAthletics Association.
Coach Lisa Rizzi said the girls come from different experience levels and can teach one another regardless of age differences.
“The seventh and eighth graders have learned from the sixth graders, and the eighth graders are taking the seventh and sixth graders under their wing,” she said. “It’s really amazing. It’s a good mix of girls.”
She said one of her goals for the season is to teach the students how to communicate better on the court.
The baseball team is also made up of students from all middle-school grades.
Source: LI Press
