For the first time in the history of North Shore High School the football team began its season by going away to camp.

The boys had spent one week practicing on the school field before 70 athletes and six coaches boarded two buses and headed off to Raquette Lake Boys' Camp on Aug. 25. They spent the week working hard on the football field, as well as participating in the camp's Project Adventure ropes course. Their main focus was teamwork and goal setting.

The 2003 season is a promising one. The kick-off game will be Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Oyster Bay, behind the senior leadership of Ryan Galvin, Chris Galano and Andrew Stern. Quarterback Will Kunkel will continue to lead the offense with the help of running backs Eddie Murray, Chris Palliser, Zack Tayne and Mike Ragusa. The entire offensive line unit from last year is returning, with Adam Volpe at center, Carlos Riano and Zack Collins at guard, and D.J. Johansen and Stern as tackles. Receivers P.J. Como, Yusef Bravo and Kurt Martino add incredible speed and agility to the team's passing game. The coaching staff also expects key newcomers Matt Kaplon, John Ciampi, Mike Ferrara and Matt Brancaccio to make a strong impact. Carmine Montesano, John Hesse and Jimmy Dennis will add strength to the defensive line.

The Vikings are looking forward to an exciting season and seeing the entire community at all their games. For additional information, contact Head Coach Dan Agovino at NSFootball@aol.com.

The 2003 field hockey season looks very promising. The team, which ended last year in the playoffs, returns with many of the players who helped make that possible, led by a core of seniors: Callie Breen, Kristen Conway, Katie Cottell, Krista Hoffman, Meredith Schwartz and Danielle Uanino. With a mix of promising juniors, sophomores and freshmen to complete the roster, North Shore has high hopes. The team was readying last week for a Saturday tournament at Great Neck North and its first game early this week at Clarke High School.

The team opened its non-league season at the Plainedge High School Friendship Tournament and, after losing its first two games, ran off six straight victories to win the pool play portion of the tournament with a 6-2 record. Unfortunately, the Vikings lost in the semi-final round to Herricks in two close games. Tremendous performances were turned in by senior Caroline Rober, junior Cori Gasser and sophomore Lauren Ko. Key roles were played by Kerry Rigley, Raysana Hurtado and Catina Sementini. Also performing were Melanie Guardino, Kathleen Mulvey and Caroline Barth.

The Lady Vikings begin this season as the defending county champs, with a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores at the net and a new coach in the house. Rober and Gasser bring their energy from the '02 season with strong support from fellow seniors Barth, Rigley, Hurtado and Ginger Schwarz, juniors Mulvey and Sementini and sophomores Guardino and Ko. The girls face a 12-game league schedule, along with six non-league games, including another tournament, at Cold Spring Harbor.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to the North Shore athletic department," said Coach Ian Kamen, who comes to the district from Calhoun High School in Merrick with 28 years' experience with girls' and boys' volleyball. "The students have been wonderful and full of enthusiasm. I am looking forward to an exciting and successful season."

With the loss of 15 seniors and no fulltime starting players returning this fall, the varsity team is in the midst of a building season. Twelve of the 16 players are underclassmen, who along with the team's four seniors will look to challenge for a playoff berth in Conference B-IV. The team's main goal is to keep a positive attitude throughout, no matter what the season brings.

"The players need to go into every game with the will to win, which should build a foundation for future success," said Coach Al Marra.

The Vikings begin the season with three games on the road, against Locust Valley, Lynbrook and Sewanhaka. The '03 roster includes goalkeepers Zachary Travis and Bill Melillo; defenders Elias Berger, Chris Bauer, Sean Clampet, David Soldano and Serik Slobodskoy; midfielders Ian Grabill, Nick Vukov, Herby Joseph, Joshua Smith and Mike DiLeo; and forwards Mike Frey, Nick Pappas, Robert Grella and Gerry Ashfari.

Another season is upon us, and Coach Schultz cannot wait to see the results of the team's labors. Training started on Aug. 25 and, with the Lady Vikings losing 12 seniors to graduation in June, it is a brand new team and a work in progress.

"We will take one game at a time," Coach Schultz said. "We will be counting on our six remaining players from last year to take charge and guide the new players through our system. Five freshmen have made the varsity team. Good luck to them; it is a big step up. Our goal for this season, even with our young team, is to make the playoffs and help to make North Shore girls' soccer a powerhouse in the county."

The 2003 season is off and running and the North Shore squad is ready to go. This cross-country team is much bigger than last year's, which means it will be more competitive in its conference.

Co-Captain Mike Gerbush is leading the boys' team so far at practice and has the fastest times of the team members still here from last season. Justin Musaffi and Bryan Scott are close behind and Jeff Liu is making up for lost time after a late start to the season. Newcomers Scott Krieb and Drew Siegel show much promise.

Lauren DeMeo returns as co-captain of a much larger girls' team. Julianne Sadowski leads the girls' practices with Christina Galati and BettyJean DiGiovanni returning from last year. Freshmen Caitlin Goetz, Meghan Butler and Christine Mignetti have been running well and the addition of Joy Brigis and foreign exchange student Laura Forest has helped to add depth to the program. The team's first meet will be at Sunken Meadow State Park on Sept. 13.

With seven returning varsity players, experience will play a vital role in North Shore's success at tennis this fall, and the team is excited about its prospects. Keira Sheehan, Amanda Magli and Danielle Mucciolo will lead the Vikings in singles. Doubles teams have not been decided due to the inclement weather. Every match in Conference II will be a challenge, but team unity and the commitment the girls have made to one another are the team's strengths. The first match will be Friday, Sept. 12, at home against Glen Cove. Come check out the action.

Go to www.northshore.k12.ny.us for more sports and other district news.