For the older H.S. kids, the case is they tend to play together in the summer. However, the recent trend for lower grades(8th grade and below)is some players are going to Express and Team 91. So much for staying with the team. Seeing this trend upsets me as a W.I. parent because I don't think we will be a stellar H.S.program in a few years. Still good and competitive, but other programs that have copied West Islip's stay together scheme such as Smithtown, Half Hollow Hills,Northport will be on par or better.Look at Three Village (Ward Melville) and Manhasset.They keep those kids together year round,both advanced and lesser skilled players. Unfortunately, some of our younger teams aren't taking advantage of all the summer tournaments right here on L.I.
That is great for the bigger programs, which all of them besides Manhasset are big schools. Most of the smaller schools don't have the commitment or the numbers to rely on the school teams. Those programs will benefit from the better kids playing with better players and better competition.
