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Schools

Varsity Swimming Pitched for Southampton High School

Parent urges school board to add swimming to Southampton's athletic offerings.

Varsity swimming may be in the Southampton Mariners’ future.

The Board of Education heard a pitch Tuesday night from a district parent who wants to join the -- varsity boys swim team — and school board members were receptive.

“Our family is a swimming family,” said the parent, Bob Howard. He explained to the school board that he sought swim instruction for his three children — one a student at and two at — for safety reasons, noting the ocean waters, lakes and ponds of the East End.

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Howard son his oldest child, Ben, is an eighth grader and he would like him to have the opportunity to swim competitively, in a team atmosphere, when he enters high school in September.

“This is not only an issue for Ben to swim on the varsity swim team,” Howard emphasized. He said he wants to see the opportunity extended to all Southampton students.

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School Board member David Corwith pointed out that when the high school was designed about 30 years ago a pool was included in the plans; however, the idea was dropped. He also noted that in North Sea had looked into building a pool about five or six years ago, but said the non-profit found it was unfeasible. The pool would need to operate continuously from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. with swimmers in the water to be financially sustainable, he said.

The East Hampton-Pierson-Bridgehampton boys varsity swim team practices at the . To join the team, Howard said, Southampton needs to submit a request to Section XI, the organization that manages local school athletic competitions, by Feb. 1.

Darren Phillips, the athletic director for Southampton schools, said the district would have to pay a percentage of the team’s expenses equal to the percentage of players on the team from Southampton High School.

If Southampton finds that 11 or more boys want to swim, the high school would need to establish its own team under Section XI rules, Phillips said. He explained that the team could rent pool time from the RECenter, but they would not be optimal hours.

Phillips also said that if the high school offers swimming to boys, he would like to do the same for female athletes.

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