In light of the recent series of tragic events that have befallen our country, how important are athletics in the lives of today's youth? Very important, according to Plainedge Director of Athletics Ken Edwards. "Athletics are a great outlet for kids, a real stress-reliever in these distressing times," Edwards said. "In practice, with their coaches, is a healthy place for kids to be."

The Plainedge Youth Sports Council, an innovative collaboration between community youth groups formed by Edwards in 1999, is making these athletic programs more accessible, effective and better organized for the youth of Plainedge.

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto recently presented a citation to Edwards honoring his efforts with the Council, which meets monthly to discuss areas of mutual concern between all the major youth sports groups in Plainedge. The Council seeks to strengthen school/community relationships while working collaboratively for the benefit of the children in the community.

"We're really excited about being recognized for our efforts," Edwards said. "I don't know of any communities on Long Island today who have a similar collaboration. I think the Plainedge Youth Sports Council is actually a model."

Plainedge is a small community with limited field space. One of the goals of the Council is to seek out vacant land in the community suitable for development into athletic fields. Edwards hinted at an exciting new opportunity on the horizon for development of a piece of property that might be helpful to youth groups in the Council.

Other goals the Council has already accomplished are the publication of a brochure listing all the sports programs offered to youth of the community, and the drafting of a code of conduct for parents, coaches and young athletes. "This code of conduct is now part of the registration process for all the kids in the community," Edwards explained. "It emphasizes that we are a collective group of people who have agreed to follow all these rules. We no longer have splinter groups going in all different directions, which really sets a much more positive tone."

Speaking of the challenges he faced almost three years ago when beginning the Council, Edwards said, "It wasn't easy. There were a lot of different people involved. Everyone was out for himself or herself, and, in order to make this work, people had to be willing to give something up for the good of the entire group. I think this group is all about the kids, not the adults, and that's the key thing."