Section XI is hosting mental health expert George Mumford for a virtual event on Tuesday, October 26 at 7 p.m.

The presentation titled “Mindfulness Pure Performance & Mental Health” is accessible via this link.

WATCH Mumford’s Section XI welcome video

Mumford’s deeply moving personal story is unforgettable. An aspiring basketball player at the University of Massachusetts (where he roomed with Dr. J, Julius Erving), injuries forced Mumford out of the game he loved. The medications that relieved the pain of his injuries also numbed him to the emptiness he felt without the game and eventually led him to heroin.

After years of making meditation on and off the cushion the center of his life and getting clean, Mumford enrolled in Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program and collaborated with him to create the Inner-city Stress Reduction Clinic in the early nineties.

When Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls to play baseball in 1993, the team was in crisis. Coach Phil Jackson, a long-time mindfulness practitioner, contacted Dr. Kabat-Zinn to find someone who could teach mindfulness techniques to the struggling team—someone who would have credibility and could speak the language of his players. Kabat-Zinn led Jackson to Mumford and their partnership began.

Mumford has worked with Jackson and many of the teams he coached to become NBA champions. His roster of champion clients has since blossomed way beyond basketball to include corporate executives, Olympians, and athletes in many different sports.

For our fall student-athletes, enjoy every moment with your teammates! Savor those senior day and senior night memories … they will last forever.

Fall playoff events have already begun. Get ahead of scheduling and planning and make sure you can attend some exciting Section XI action as we approach November.

All games, times, info per sport can be found on the Section XI championship page.

CLICK HERE for championship info!

Section XI schools recently received their Schools of Distinction awards from NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas and Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs.

Among the athletic directors accepting for their programs were

• Mark Dontuano, Northport
• Kevin Finnerty, Ward Melville
• Eric Bramoff, Pierson
• Jeremy Thode, Center Moriches
• Brian Sacks, Riverhead
• Pat Friel, Commack
• Dave Shanahan, John Glenn
• Charlie Delargy, Rocky Point
• Bill Denniston, Kings Park
• Mark Passamonte, Shoreham Wading River
• Ron Petrie, Miller Place
• Steve Flannigan, Southold

Section XI named its conference room after Nick DeCillis, who was a longtime athletic director and has been a part of the Section XI family for many years thanks to his business development role. Thanks to Nick for everything he does!

Congrats to Walt Whitman football coach Robin Rosa on being named New York Jets High School Coach of the Week!

From the Jets website …

Rosa attended Centereach High School in Centereach, NY where he played running back. He graduated high school in 1978 and received a scholarship to continue playing football at C.W. Post College, majoring in physical education. Three years after graduation, Rosa joined the Comsewogue High School football coaching staff. In 2009, Rosa was named the head coach of Walt Whitman High School.

In addition to his coaching duties, Rosa is a physical education teacher at Oakwood Elementary School in Huntington, NY and coaches middle school lacrosse. On Saturday, October 2nd, the Walt Whitman Wildcats shut out rival school William Floyd Colonials 27-0. The following week, Walt Whitman, again, shut out the Bay Shore Marauders 48-0, improving their record to 5-0 this season.

For the first time in Suffolk County swimming history, three divers from one team qualified for the state championships.

Congratulations to the Connetquot/East Islip girls varsity diving team who swept the field yesterday at the Sachem North Diving Invitational. 

Senior Morgan Cassidy from Connetquot, placed first, sophomore Kelsey Kreuscher from East Islip,  placed second, and sophomore Lara Booth Alam from Connetquot,  placed third. 

All three girls qualified for the New York State Swimming and Diving Championships to be help at Ithaca College on November 19, 2021. 

We’re excited to kick off another year of the “Section XI Athletics For All” program.

The first action this year was a cross-country event at Shoreham-Wading River High School.

Thanks to SWR for hosting!