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Big Apple Games a boon for Bayside football program
By Marc Raimondi August 7, 2009
Bayside coach Jason Levitt looks on during the Big Apple Games. Photo by Damion Reid
Aslam Sterling didn’t know quite what he was missing out on last year. The rising senior football player at Bayside HS didn’t play in the Big Apple Games at the school because he was in the process of transferring from Lakeland (Fla.) HS.
Now, he’s seeing what it’s all about.
“We come here everyday, we work hard, we lift weights,” said Sterling, a 6-foot-4, 323-pound two-way lineman. “You come out here and do football for three hours. There’s nothing like it.”
Like many locations throughout New York City, Bayside hosted a veritable three-hour per day football clinic Mondays through Fridays for a little more than a month. Commodores coach Jason Levitt, his top assistant, Kenny Dyckman, and the rest of the team’s coaches finished up Thursday at Bayside. The Big Apple Games, sponsored by the PSAL and held in many sports around the city, are open to all ages from middle school into high school.
Bayside shared its field with players from Information Technology HS and got a tremendous turnout from current players and incoming freshmen. Levitt estimated between 50 and 60 Commodores came every day, including more than 20 rising freshmen.
“We have every kid here every day, on time,” the coach said. “This isn’t mandatory, it’s expected. … We actually have this year a lot of depth at most positions. If a kid isn’t here, they’re hurting themselves. I mean, kids have gone away from the summer. That’s gonna happen. I’ve been absent. You’re gonna do that.”
Players at Big Apple don’t wear pads, so Levitt said the focus is on footwork and skills. They get into basic offensive and defensive formations, too. Sterling, who has blown up this summer on the camp circuit garnering interest from Rutgers, Albany, James Madison and Stony Brook, already sees a difference in himself.
“I’ve got stronger, I’ve got faster,” he said. “My knowledge of the game has definitely went up. This is just a great experience.”
While preseason starts Aug. 16, football players who spent the summer at Bayside and other Big Apple locations certainly have a leg up on those who wasted away on the beach.
“We’re ready to play a game right now,” Levitt said. “The Big Apple Games and the 20 practices we get in May, we make the most of it. Honestly, we can play right now.”
Sterling, for one, is ready to go.
“It’s a real big advantage,” he said. “You get to learn all the plays and by the time August comes you know what you’re doing. There should be no mistakes. Everybody knows what they’re doing.”
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com
Now, he’s seeing what it’s all about.
“We come here everyday, we work hard, we lift weights,” said Sterling, a 6-foot-4, 323-pound two-way lineman. “You come out here and do football for three hours. There’s nothing like it.”
Like many locations throughout New York City, Bayside hosted a veritable three-hour per day football clinic Mondays through Fridays for a little more than a month. Commodores coach Jason Levitt, his top assistant, Kenny Dyckman, and the rest of the team’s coaches finished up Thursday at Bayside. The Big Apple Games, sponsored by the PSAL and held in many sports around the city, are open to all ages from middle school into high school.
Bayside shared its field with players from Information Technology HS and got a tremendous turnout from current players and incoming freshmen. Levitt estimated between 50 and 60 Commodores came every day, including more than 20 rising freshmen.
“We have every kid here every day, on time,” the coach said. “This isn’t mandatory, it’s expected. … We actually have this year a lot of depth at most positions. If a kid isn’t here, they’re hurting themselves. I mean, kids have gone away from the summer. That’s gonna happen. I’ve been absent. You’re gonna do that.”
Players at Big Apple don’t wear pads, so Levitt said the focus is on footwork and skills. They get into basic offensive and defensive formations, too. Sterling, who has blown up this summer on the camp circuit garnering interest from Rutgers, Albany, James Madison and Stony Brook, already sees a difference in himself.
“I’ve got stronger, I’ve got faster,” he said. “My knowledge of the game has definitely went up. This is just a great experience.”
While preseason starts Aug. 16, football players who spent the summer at Bayside and other Big Apple locations certainly have a leg up on those who wasted away on the beach.
“We’re ready to play a game right now,” Levitt said. “The Big Apple Games and the 20 practices we get in May, we make the most of it. Honestly, we can play right now.”
Sterling, for one, is ready to go.
“It’s a real big advantage,” he said. “You get to learn all the plays and by the time August comes you know what you’re doing. There should be no mistakes. Everybody knows what they’re doing.”
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com