After so much fuss about the weather leading up to a relatively balmy Super Bowl, Monday’s snow has triggered some legitimate angst and calendar jockeying in Section 1.
But today’s revised schedule may not be tomorrow’s.
With the National Weather Service putting the chance of area snow Tuesday night and a wintery mix on Wednesday at 100 percent, revisions associated with the cancellation of 50-plus high school games Monday are pretty much written in pencil.
As it now stands, the Division 1 gymnastics championship, which had been scheduled for Monday, will be held during Thursday’s overall Section 1 championships at Carmel High School.
Mahopac coach Vin Collins, who’s the section’s gymnastics coordinator, estimates that means at least 50-60 athletes competing instead of some 30-40.
The “at least” is because if Tuesday’s Division 2 championship, slated for Dutchess County Gymnastics Center, is scuttled, Thursday’s meet will decide both division titles and the section title and involve about 70-80 athletes.
But weather hurdles are nothing new this season.
“All teams have been able to get their meets in. It took some hustling by coaches and schools but, hey, it’s a crazy winter,” Collins said.
Wrestling appears okay — at least for now — because most teams wrapped up their dual meet season last week, while only a handful of non-essential meets were lost Monday.
The Division 2 (small schools) sectional tourney is scheduled for this Friday and Saturday at Beacon and the Division 1 sectional qualifier at four locations Saturday.
With dual meets done and sectionals next week, swimming is okay for now.
But indoor track rescheduled Monday’s New Jersey Varsity Classic (which typically draws local runners) at The Armory until Tuesday. The Class AA and C boys and girls sectionals at The Armory are scheduled for Sunday, when there’s a 50 percent chance of snow.
BOCES has pushed back next Monday’s Section 1 girls and boys basketball seedings meetings from morning to evening so previously snowed-out teams can play that afternoon.
As currently envisioned, boys and girls out-bracket games will be held Feb. 12, with the first round of sectional play Feb. 14.
This schedule would eliminate half the teams before the following week’s winter recess.
With the weather iffy and five games scheduled (two long-standing make-ups) between Tuesday and next Monday, Mount Vernon boys basketball coach/athletic director Bob Cimmino hoped BOCES would postpone the boys seedings meeting a few days.
“If the schools are open, we’ll play. If not, we won’t,” said Cimmino, whose 11-1 team can play 18 regular-season games under state rules.
While only having to reschedule two games (including Monday’s game vs. Lincoln to Tuesday), Saunders boys basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo noted he’d lost several practices to school closures.
“This is one of those winters,” he said. “When I was younger I used to go crazy about how to get into the gym to practice. But I’m at the point now where I told the players, ‘We don’t control the weather.'”
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