Sports Recap: Tennis and Cross Country!

by Jordan Bitton, SSLI '26

Schechter sports are starting up again! Many of our athletes have had their first practices and games and are ready for great seasons.

Girls Varsity Tennis

Last week, Girls Varsity Tennis began practicing for the upcoming season. They had their first match on Monday. So far, they have played against Staten Island Academy, Stony Brook, and LuHi.

The tennis team is having a great time playing together! (J. Jurysta)

Junior Jamie Bokhour stated, “The three first matches went well, [and] I loved seeing the girls’ perseverance and stamina throughout their games.”

Bokhour continued, “The team dynamic is great. During the matches, I see that we really give it our all and try our best, and that’s the best quality a team could have. I’m excited to see the improvement throughout the season!”

Varsity Cross Country

Varsity Cross Country has been practicing since retreat in preparation for their first meet next week at Portledge. The team has grown in size and spirit for the upcoming season!

Cross Country Coach Mr. Connelly expressed, “The first couple weeks have been a great start. This is a year of two new captains, so the team has been building camaraderie under the new leadership. Shir [Levenson] and Samson [Mildron] have done well to complement each other to build a supportive and encouraging space for the team.”

Junior and Co-Captain Shir Levenson shared, “We are starting off the season strong with high morale. We are grateful and excited for new runners on the team, including many 8th graders and freshmen.” Senior and Co-Captain Samson Mildron remarked, “The team's morale at the beginning of the season really is exceptional. It's higher than I've seen any other group of people!”

Next week, Cross Country will test their skills at their first meet of the season. “Our first meet is next Tuesday,” Levenson explained. "The meets challenge each runner's speed, endurance, and strength. The tracks are not flat and are usually made up of various hills, grass areas, and rocky paths,” she continued. Mildron added, “We have been running, we've been sprinting, we've been doing our signature 'Maccabee Runs,' we've been doing our long-distance runs, we've been doing hill runs…We're gonna be trained for all different sorts of runs that anything that this terrain can throw at us.”

Levenson and Mildron both have high hopes for this season. Levenson explained, “My hopes for this season are to grow as a team and to challenge each other. Running with a group is a gift because it allows each person to push themselves to be their best. I'm grateful to be co-captain of this team, and I'm so excited for this season!” Mildron added, “I hope that everyone in our kehillah can grow…and can become better friends.” He also hopes “that we can all just find the value of staying healthy and getting a good run in, which is a great skill.”

Mr. Connelly is also hopeful for an amazing season: “The team is certainly stronger than it was two weeks ago. We’ve increased mile times, done many sprints, and had a day of hill repeats. I look forward to watching the team get stronger. I hope to achieve more than third place this year.”

We wish the best of luck to all of our Schechter athletes. Go Lions!

Jordan Bitton is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2022. Jordan is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: Jbitton26@schechterli.org.