Sports in RI: High School winter sports season heats up fast and furious – John Cardullo

The High School Winter sports season heats up fast and furious!

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

There was a time not so long ago when the transition from fall high school sports had a cool down period of 3 to 4 weeks before the winter sports kicked in. The norm was that one or two games of hockey, basketball, swim, wrestling or indoor track meets would happen before the holiday break. Those days seem to be long gone for now. One of the reasons why the calendar appears to have been altered is because all the different championship tournaments for each of several different divisions the different teams play. Fitting it all in has made the fall season longer. The trickle-down effect is that the winter season now begins earlier than before, and schools are getting in more games before they go into the break.

Most all of the competitive sports under the Rhode Island Interscholastic League have been encouraged to create a schedule that will add teams outside their divisions to compete against. This allows teams to either test themselves against teams that may be playing in a higher division, or to play against out of state teams. Schools have created holiday tournaments to play during the break as well. Cranston has had a longtime tradition of holding both a boys and girls holiday basketball tournament. Both Cranston East and Cranston West have taken part in the tournament and rotate between the two schools to host the tournament at each other’s school every other year.

Johnston has held a girls basketball holiday competition over the last couple of seasons as well. It will be a trend that will expand to other schools in all the winter sports, as long as the RIIL encourages the teams to fill-in their schedules with outside competition. It also allows the teams not to be punished for playing those teams in higher competitive divisions. Their division records will apply to only their division and overall records will not impact their standings within the division.

It also allows the teams that play winter sports to try putting in games that will not impede the play-off schedule that begins at the end of February, and runs into March. It also allows team members to stay focused on things other than long and cold winter nights.

Most people who live in Rhode Island usually can not wait for the warmth of spring with longer daylight. The fact is that a full schedule of games, matches and meets does in fact make the cold weather season go by quicker. The multiple games a week gives the athletes, coaches and student body something to distract themselves from the weather. Given the fact that most of the indoor sports can take place two or three times a week makes it easier to construct an aggressive out-of-division schedule. The expanded schedule also has a positive effect on the student body. More spectators attend the events which raises school spirit. And student athletes keep up their physical activity, important for general health and injury prevention when play starts up again.

The same will apply to the teams that will move to the outdoors for the Spring season. They, too, will be encouraged to fill their schedules with outside their division teams that they wouldn’t normally play. The situation is a win-win for the coaches who like the longer season, the athletes who love to play more games, and the RIIL. It does, however, makes the athletic director’s life a little more hectic. Scheduling games, bus scheduling, and rearranging everything if weather forces cancellations. But let’s be honest, the athletic directors’ position is one of continuous change. Most of ADs go with the flow as it is all part of the job. Ask any athletic director, they always have a plan B and C, in case plan A goes sideways!

So, Ready! Set! Go! The winter sports season is upon us. There will be more games, more chances to cheer on your teams and more reasons to heat up the winter than ever before. If everything goes to plan, we will be heading into the spring sports season before you know it. The High School Winter sports season heats up fast and furious!

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John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice” which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com, is still actively engaged in the high school sports scene, and will soon launch a radio show/podcast on high school sports.