Sports

It was a bit of a surprise that I was stopped on the water last Tuesday morning by the Coast Guard for a safety inspection, but it felt good to know they had checked to see that I had all I need to be safe on the water. 

Bonackers contributed to the South Fork Islanders' 10-7 win over Riverhead Saturday, and the girls beat North Babylon 18-11 on Friday.

On May 4 at East Hampton High School, four impressive seniors signed letters of intent to attend colleges that have recruited them for their swim teams. 

While the East Hampton High School girls track team lost its season-opener here last Thursday to Mount Sinai by a score of 82-65, Yani Cuesta, Bonac's coach, was pleased by the performances of first-timers and seniors alike.

East Hampton High's baseball team began its season Saturday with a 1-0 win over Kings Park. That same day, the softball team was "mercied" 12-0 by Sayville, a defending state champion.

Joe Vas, the East Hampton School District's athletic director, said Monday he thinks it will be a good spring for the high school's varsity teams, if for no other reason than the kids are finally getting a chance to play.

Sayed Selim, the former coach of Egypt's national women's squash team, who worked so well with youngsters when he was the Southampton Recreation Center's squash director about a decade ago, continues to dream big when it comes to broadening the appeal of a sport that has largely been the province of the world's well-heeled.

Vinny Alversa and Annemarie Brown have been working hard these past few years to build their programs at East Hampton High School -- baseball in Alversa's case, softball in Brown's -- and this hard work seems to be on the verge of paying off, if last week's practices are indicative.

Before taking early retirement a few years ago, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel extensively in my job. When time allowed, especially on weekends, I often tried to visit any nearby tackle shops or fish markets to better understand and appreciate the wares and tastes of the locals.

The eight competitors Craig Brierley took with him to the county girls swimming meet at Stony Brook University last weekend finished ninth among the 26 teams entered, and all of them turned in season-best or lifetime-best times.

The East Hampton High School girls cross-country team finished third and the boys finished fourth in county cross-country meets last week at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park.

Juliana Barahona and Sandrine Becht, East Hampton High's top doubles pairing, made all-state this past weekend as a result of placing third in the county individual girls tennis tournament at Shoreham-Wading River High School. The Bonac team also received the tournament's doubles sportsmanship award.