The air was filled with tension. The school was watching. Lynbrook’s best athletes flew up and down the gym court, while their peers cheered them on. Each class had its own chants raving. LHS Sports Night 2022 had begun.

All three days of activities consisted of different events, where each grade faced off to prove its mettle. Day One consisted of badminton and the volleyball semifinals, Day Two had a high-stakes ultimate frisbee tournament and an obstacle course, and Day Three consisted of several relay races and the much-anticipated volleyball finals. 

Students agree that the atmosphere in the LHS gymnasium during Sports Night was nothing short of spectacular: “There was an adrenaline rush every time something good happened,” said freshman Sports Night Chairperson Gabby Meszaros. “It’s a feeling like no other.” 

Each grade wanted to win, no matter how big or small the event, and this was evident to both the players and spectators. Physical education teacher Deborah DeBetta said, “It’s electrifying! It’s so much fun to see the energy level and to see everyone play hard.” 

DeBetta, who spends much of her time in the school gym with her classes, said that not all classes show the passion and will to win that was displayed at this year’s Sports Night. She added that nothing makes her happier than to see “everyone coming and bringing their all.”

Though each grade gave a valiant effort, the seniors emerged as champions. The senior boys dominated the whole volleyball tournament, topping the juniors in the finals. The senior boys also won the ultimate frisbee championship, topping the juniors again in the finals. The senior girls contributed with a 4-3 overtime win over the freshman girls in their ultimate frisbee championship. The seniors were victorious in the mixed-team badminton championship, but lost the girls’ championship. 

DeBetta explained that it was the seniors’ will to win that catapulted them to victory: “They have a tense love for competition,” said DeBetta. “They’re a very competitive grade, and a very athletic grade.” 

The runner-up junior class was electrifying. From celebrating their wins with the new and popular dance “The Griddy,” to thrusting winners of obstacle courses onto each other’s shoulders, the juniors’ swagger and personality was one of a kind. They got off to a bumpy start, placing third in the badminton championship and losing to the freshman girls in the first round of volleyball; however, when the second day of events rolled around, the Class of 2023 did a complete 180, winning all but one of the obstacle courses. Additionally, the junior boys placed second in the ultimate frisbee championship. The third day of events consisted of the same level of domination, as they came in first place in six of the seven relay races. The boys’ volleyball team fought hard but were no match for the seniors in the championship.

The Class of 2024 “Super Sophs”’ brought energy like the juniors, but, unfortunately, they could not perform at the same level as the Class of 2023. Like the juniors, they had a rough start on the first day of events. They placed last in the badminton tournament, while their boys struggled greatly against the seniors in volleyball. There was, however, a bright spot to the sophomore’s team: girls’ volleyball. The sophomore girls’ volleyball team seemed unbeatable after the first day of events, dominating the seniors and cruising their way to the finals. However, when Day Three came, it seemed that the freshman class was going to avenge the sophomores and then some, sporting a 10-1 lead against the sophomore girls. With a few quick adjustments, the “Super Sophs” lived up to their name, pulling off a near impossible 21-20 comeback win. The volleyball championship, however, was not enough to boost the sophomores into the top two, as their struggles in the relay race events and the obstacle courses kept them in the third-place spot.

There was lots of optimism surrounding the performance of the freshman class going into the games. Some freshmen thought that the Class of 2025 stood no chance against their junior rivals; others thought it would be an easy win and that the freshmen would be in contention for the title of “Sports Night Champions.” Alas, despite a valiant effort, the freshmen finished in fourth place. However, they had very strong performances in most of the categories. They placed second in the badminton championship, second in the girls’ volleyball tournament, second in the girls’ ultimate frisbee tournament, and second in six of the seven team relay events. 

While this year’s events ended in disappointing fashion for the freshmen, the future looks bright for these young athletes. Freshman Sports Night Chairperson Bennett Votano spoke very highly of the abilities of his peers this year. When asked about the bright spots of the freshmen, Votano said, “What I think the freshmen did really well this year was just sticking to what we know. Most of the activities, like volleyball and badminton, that we already knew how to play are what we did the best in.” 

Votano said that he intends to use this year’s competition as a learning experience for the years to come: “We need to work on the relays and obstacles in the future,” he said. “Coming into it, we didn’t know what they would be like, so that was our weakest area.” 

Meszaros could attest to Votano’s statement about the Class of 2025’s effort in several categories: “The freshmen did extremely well in volleyball, badminton, and frisbee. Everyone involved played their hardest.” 

Votano and Meszaros both felt that there was still much room for improvement for the freshmen, and, luckily, they have three more years to clean up their act and go from last place to first place. 

“It was a great experience,” said Votano, “and I’m looking forward to our next three years with the same energy.”