In September, the Section XI Safety Committee, under the direction of Bayport-Blue Point Athletic Director Tim Mullins, and Mark Mensch, a longtime member of the committee, brought forward a concept that was readily accepted. How can we help our student-athletes and their families?

The answer was George Mumford, a leading expert on sports psychology.

“As we can attest, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and its effects have impacted the lives of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and parents in various ways,” said Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs. “There have been numerous adjustments and disruptions in our daily lives, and not everyone has the coping mechanisms to deal with all the changes.  With Georges’ guidance, it is our hope that we can take away tools and management mechanisms to assist all of us.”

George provided Section XI with various tools to enable us all to make the best of a tough situation.

If you missed the session, a copy of the webinar will be posted on the Section XI website shortly for your review.

The Section XI boys soccer playoffs are underway. Good luck to all.

Review brackets for matches, times and locations.

Get tickets here.

Congrats to Longwood’s Victoria Matos on winning Section XI tennis singles championship and Westhampton Beach’s Katelyn and Julia Stabile on their doubles title!

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