The combined Harborfields/Huntington girls’ gymnastics team will come together for practice for the first time on Monday, August 22, but excitement is already building in both high schools.
Harborfields has sponsored a team for many decades, but Huntington hasn’t offered the sport since the 1970s. There have been a few individual Blue Devil competitors over the years, but after combining with the Tornadoes, a whole new set of opportunities now exist.
Huntington girls who will be in grades 7-12 next fall are eligible to participate. Seventh and eighth graders who have to qualified through the state’s Athletic Placement Process. Current sixth graders and who will enrolled at J. Taylor Finley Middle School next fall will be able to participate on the combined team. For more information about participating on the team, send a message to athletic director Jim Hoops at jhoops@hufsd.edu.
The combined team will practice and host its home meets at Harborfields High School. Section XI recently released the team’s schedule, which features home contests against Bay Shore/Islip (September 7), Smithtown (September 13), Babylon (September 29), Lindenhurst (October 11) and Copiague (October 19). Harborfield/Huntington will travel to Sachem (September 16), Middle Country (September 20), Hampton Bays/Southampton (October 4), Hauppauge (October 14) and Walt Whitman (October 24) for away meets.
Huntington plans to hire a coach, who will work alongside the existing Harborfields coach. There are high hopes in both districts for the joint program.