Huntington Gymnast Gets to Compete
Huntington High School freshman Emily Williams is a Level-7 gymnast, but the Blue Devil athletic program does not include a gymnastics team. However, a plan has been worked out to allow the teenager to practice with Walt Whitman High School and then represent Huntington as an individual competitor at meets.
The Blue Devil girls' gymnastics team was discontinued about three decades ago during a time when high schools across Long Island and the state dropped their squads. A similar phenomenon occurred on the college level. There are only a relatively small number of teams sponsored by NCAA schools today. As junior and senior high schools began dropping their programs, more and more clubs formed and became the dominant force in the sport.
However, some high school programs did hold on, including the one at Walt Whitman High School in the South Huntington school district. When Ms. Williams, who trains at Gold Medal Gymnastics, asked Huntington Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy for an opportunity to participate in the sport as an individual competitor in Section XI there was a flurry of activity.
Huntington contacted South Huntington Supervisor of Athletics Dr. James Wright, who spoke with Walt Whitman High School coach Paulette Holtmann about allowing Ms. Williams to practice with the Wildcats and then represent Huntington at meets as an individual competitor. South Huntington agreed to the request.
South Huntington's team practices at Walt Whitman High School. Ms. McCarthy plans on periodically visiting the practice site to check on Ms. Williams. "We had this agreement two times in the past and it has worked out extremely well," Ms. McCarthy said. Huntington will be assessed a $265 varsity team fee by Section XI. The funds are available in the athletic budget.