The MVRHS boys basketball team spent the first half of school vacation week gearing up for their opening-round MIAA state tourney against Archbishop Williams in Braintree on Wednesday. The two 11-and-9 teams flipped a coin to determine who would claim the higher ranking and host the game. The coin fell the Bishops’ way.

Vineyard Coach Mike Joyce isn’t concerned about where the game is played. As bouncing basketballs echoed in an otherwise empty high school gym on Tuesday, he got straight to the point: “We have to focus on what we can control and what we do well as a team. Whether at home or on the road, we have to execute well, play our game.”

As the coach sees it, the two teams match up evenly not just in their records, but also in style of play. “We’re similar in many ways,” he said. “They’re not that tall as a team, but they’re deep and play a physical game. On defense they use a lot of man-to-man and some zone press. We’re the same kind of team.”

One feature of the boys team this season has been the strong play of its seniors in big moments. Among those veterans is senior captain Jared Regan, who has guided the team through numerous hair-raising finishes. “I expect a close game,” said Coach Joyce. “We’ve had quite a few this year. We rely on our seniors in crunch time.”

The practice suggested a team that is loose and ready to go. Drills were accompanied by good-natured banter and resolve. “We brought some alumni in on Monday to scrimmage against us,” said the coach. “It was a higher level of competition for our guys, and helped them regain their competitive edge after five days without a game. We’re just about there.”

Tip-off on Wednesday at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree is at 4:30 pm.

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While the Red Sox are getting busy in Fort Myers, Fla., baseball is on the way, and the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks have been busy this winter preparing for their 10th season as the Island’s boys of summer.

The roster has been filled with America’s top collegiate talent, the infield sod has been replaced, and the high-achieving Sharks will host a celebratory alumni weekend and game featuring former players on June 19 and 20, according to Russ Curran, general manager of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).

The NECBL is a preferred destination for college players around the country who look to hone their skills and attract the eye of Major League scouts. Players turn in the aluminum bats used in high school and college for wooden bats used by professionals in the Major League.

“We expect Tad Gold and Jack Roberts to be here. They are former Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, college, and Sharks players who were Sharks fan favorites,” he said, rattling off the names of other notable Sharks planning to attend, including Sean Winthrop, Nick Raposo, and Nathan Hickman.

“Some of the former players may be drafted and not available, such as our former catcher Nathan Hickman, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays Major League team,” he said.

The team begins its second NECBL season after eight years in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, in which the team were champs or co-champs three times. Last year, the Sharks lost in the league championship final game.

The lure of the NECBL for college players allows the Sharks to roam the country for top talent. “Returnees include Kyle Salley (Duke), Danny Hegarty (Kansas), Hai Nelson (Georgetown), Oliver McCarthy (Duke), and we have kids from Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, UMass Lowell, Rutgers, Colorado Mesa University, Xavier, and Florida State,” he said.

Curran said the Sharks will feature new catcher/third baseman, Andrew Jenkins, a Georgia Tech freshman who’ll bat cleanup, and infielder Nathan LaPlante, a Yale University sophomore who was named an All-American last year. We bid adieu to fan faves Matt Chamberlain, Isiah Mestre, and Colin Shapiro, who have graduated from college.

As part of the league change, the Sharks are now a nonprofit 501(c)(3) company, a requirement for all NECBL franchises, Curran noted. But other important things are unchanged. “Yep, kids still get in free, courtesy of Vineyard Vines, and fans still get a ticket and a burger or hot dog for $10,” Curran said. And, of course, host families, a key element in the program, are still needed. Info at russ.curran@mvsharks.com.

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The ninth-ranked MVRHS boys basketball team travelled to Braintree on Wednesday and came away with a hard-earned 64-60 win over eighth-ranked Archbishop Williams. The boys now move on to round two in the state tournament and will face top seed Rockland High School on Saturday on the road.

The Vineyarders led by one point at the half, then built a seven point lead midway through the third period before holding on for the win. Rammon Dos Santos had what coach Mike Joyce described as “his best game of the season” with 23 points and 11 rebounds to spark the team. Jared Regan and Aiden Rogers pitched in with 18 and 16 points respectively, while Nico DePaula, Mike Trusty and Jeremy Regan keyed the defense.

The boys will tip-off against Rockland at 4:00 pm on Saturday. 

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The 12th-seeded Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) boys hockey team refused to lose Friday night, beating 5th-seed Somerset Berkley Regional High School, 3-2, in a double overtime first round Division 3 South Sectional marathon to open their state championship tourney at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne.

As this is written, game details are unavailable but the unpredictable Vineyarders clearly brought their ‘A’ game to Gallo for the 6 pm faceoff. MVRHS moves to the quarterfinal round and will face the winner of No. 13 Rockland and No. 4 Dartmouth who faced off at Gallo at 8 pm, following the MVRHS tilt.

The Nantucket High School Whalers (8th seed) were ousted from the tourney earlier in the day, dropping a 5-2 decision to Bishop Stang.

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The ninth-seeded MVRHS boys basketball team led top seed Rockland High School 19-17 at the half on Saturday, but cold shooting in the second half resulted in a convincing 63-38 win for the host Bulldogs. Rammon Dos Santos sparked the Vineyarders with six first-quarter points, but fouls limited his scoring from that point. Meanwhile, the strong defense of Aiden Araujo, Adam Knight, and Mike Trusty, among others, stymied Rockland’s offense. 

In the second half, the hosts heated up while the Vineyarders went cold. “We could not put the ball in the hoop in the second half,” said Coach Mike Joyce after the game. “We played hard and never let up, but the ball just wouldn’t fall. Rockland is a good team, and I’m proud of how we played.”

Rammon Dos Santos had 12 points overall to lead the Vineyard scoring, while Jeremy Regan added eight. The boys finished their season with a 12-10 record.

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The ninth annual Live Love Tri, the Island’s only indoor triathlon, will take place at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday, March 7, from 8 am to noon, raising money for financial assistance, the third grade water safety program, summer camp, memberships, and the teen center, according to a press release.

This event provides an opportunity for community members of all ages to reach their personal health and wellness goals, challenging themselves with a swim, bike, or run. LLT is also a fundraising event and all proceeds benefit Y for All financial assistance, facilitating positive change in the community by helping others in need reach their health and wellness goals through free and subsidized programs at the Y.

The event is open to Y members and nonmembers, with over 30 participants ages 11 and up. This year, Live Love Tri is dedicated to former spin instructor and volunteer Mike Adell, who passed away last year. Mike helped start Live Love Tri as a spin-a-thon, and volunteered every year thereafter. He was instrumental in making the event a success, keeping the Y spin group inspired, and motivating others to do what they thought they couldn’t. Participants can register solo or with friends, and can sign up for as many time intervals as they would like and collect donations to sponsor their performance and benefit the Y financial assistance program.

The atmosphere of the event is fun and motivational, with Island spin master DJ Ricky Prime playing music, drinks and snacks from the Café, and raffle prizes donated by Cape Air, Chilmark Coffee, Healthy Additions, Island Gymnastics, Orange Peel Bakery, SPI Belt, Summer Shades, the Black Dog, Topricin, and Vineyard Vines.

Awards will be given to the top three in each category, and those who reach their fundraising goal will be entered in the grand prize raffle.

March 7, 8 am to noon at the YMCA M.V. Open to members and nonmembers. All participants receive a Live Love Tri T shirt, swag bag, snacks, water, and a chance to win medals and giveaways. Registration form is online at ymcamv.org/live-love-tri.

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Islanders are known worldwide for their fishing prowess, and hundreds of anglers come from all over the world to compete in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby every year.

For the Warburton family, Derby season is a time to come together and have a blast out on the water, but it’s also a time for friendly (yet intense) competition.

In 2019, the Warburtons dominated the M.V. Derby, and their hard work and skill, displayed in that competition, bore fruit in the state saltwater derby as well.

Every year, the state awards anglers with either the heaviest catch (weigh-in) or the longest catch (catch and release) of each eligible species in three divisions: men’s, women’s, and juniors. 

Fishing dad Nick Warburton is a commercial and charter fisherman who is well-known on the Island. He has instilled in his children the very same passion for fishing that he has felt since fishing the M.V. Derby when he was young.

The family charter company, Featherwedge Charters, is all about reeling in trophy-size stripers, and even nailing some offshore tuna.

“We’ve been fishing the M.V. Derby as a family for six or seven years. I do a lot of commercial rod and reel fishing, and I run a charter fishing company too,” Warburton said.

Last year, Nick Warburton weighed in a 52-pound striped bass that placed at the top of the state leaderboards for boat fishing in the men’s division (he caught the heaviest striped bass in Massachusetts).

And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Warburton’s son, Mason, brought in a 37-pound bass, heading up the state leaderboards for junior stripers fishing from a boat.

For that fish, Mason also made it to the Grand Leader stage at the M.V. Derby, alongside his sister, Aubrey.

Aubrey landed a 20-pound bluefish last year that not only won her a car at the M.V. Derby and got her the first-place spot for junior bluefish in the state, but she also broke a world record for bluefish off a boat in the girls small-fry category (from ages 5 to 10). 

Mason also got a big blue in 2017 while fishing from his boat for the 72nd M.V. Derby when he pulled up an almost 19-pound bluefish. His first time as a Grand Leader in the M.V. Derby was in 2014 for his 13-pound false albacore from a boat, for which he also won the state derby in his division.

In 2018, Mason also won the state derby for his 10-pound bonito (needless to say, this family really can fish).

Mason told The Times he started fishing when he was 5 years old, and has been in love ever since. He said his favorite thing about fishing is the feeling of freedom out on the water, and the ability for him to exercise his creativity in landing the biggest fish he can.

Aubrey started fishing around the same age, and said she loves being out on the boat with her family. “It’s just a lot of fun. We’ve seen sharks, turtles, and all sorts of other cool stuff out there,” Aubrey said.

Usually, Warburton said, the family is fishing all the way through to the end of the M.V. Derby season, so they know where they will land in the state competition if they top the boards in the local Derby.

In recent years, Islanders have taken over a large portion of spots on the state leaderboards, and the Warburtons say that won’t change anytime soon.

“The kids have their own Whaler to fish on, then we have our main boat,” Warburton said. “We are really looking forward to it.”

For this upcoming M.V. Derby, Warburton said the family will switch up their tactics because of the ineligibility of stripers in the competition for sustainability reasons.

“This year we’ll focus more on bonito and albacore, and we will be doing plenty of bluefishing too,” Warburton said.

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Elizabeth Goodell of West Tisbury swam, biked, and ran her way to the top of the field among 25 ironmen and women, aged 15-71, to win the ninth annual Live Love Tri indoor triathlon, Saturday morning at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard. 

More than 15 sponsors supported the event, which raised nearly $7,500, benefiting the Y for All Financial Assistance and Community Outreach, which provides funding for the Third Grade Water Safety program, sending children to summer camp, swim lessons, and other programs. 

The Y dedicated this year’s event to former spin instructor and volunteer Mike Adell, who passed away in November.

Through generous donations, raffle giveaways included items from Cape Air, Chilmark Coffee, Healthy Additions, Island Gymnastics, Orange Peel Bakery, SPI Belt, Summer Shades, the Black Dog, Topricin, and Vineyard Vines. DJ Ricky Prime provided the music.

Elizabeth Goodell was the overall and women’s winner, covering 14.856 total miles, with men’s champ Mike Goldsmith (13.7177) second, and men’s runner-up Chris Edwards (12.9008) third. Allison Cameron-Parry (10.1208) finished second in the women’s division, followed by Paula Caron (8.8835) in third. Jeff Majkowski (11.2160) took third place among the men.

Laps in the pool were calculated into yards, then miles during the 20 minute time limit. Results in the bike and run segments were based on the total miles covered in 25 minutes.

In the swim, Majkowski and Goodell tied for first at 49.50 lengths, equaling 1,225 yards or 0.696 miles; Cameron-Parry and Edwards tied for second, and Christina Colarusso was third. Goodell (10.6 miles) and Goldsmith (10.1) pedaled to a one-two finish on the stationary bikes, and Richard McNulty placed third. Goodell clinched the overall title by winning the run, covering 3.56 miles. Ethan Stead was second and Goldsmith, third.

Team Stead earned a separate medal as the one and only relay team in the event, covering 10.7425 miles.

Among competitors participating in bike and run only, Richard McNulty led the way, with Luciana Fuller second, and Lauren Averill third. 

Allison Cameron-Parry was named as Volunteer of the Year. She was the volunteer chair of this year’s event, handling the donations and putting together “swag bags” for the participants.

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Islander Kyle Rollins is making a name for himself as a competition powerlifter after deadlifting 600 pounds at the annual Ryan Moore New England Open on Feb. 19, which takes place every year at Xaverian Brothers High School.

Currently a junior at the Tilton School in Tilton, N.H., Rollins originally started lifting weights in order to improve his performance on the football field when he played tackle and defensive end at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

Rollins said it was powerlifting Coach Jeff Scheller who initially pushed him to move from strictly doing strength training for football to training and competing in ranked meets, and testing the limits of his own lifting abilities.

He started out in 2019 at Elite Sports and Fitness in Middleton, where he surprised himself by winning in his weight class at the USA Powerlifting sixth annual High School Elite Cup.

Although powerlifting and football are two very different sports, Rollins said they can also go hand in hand. Rollins is a star track player, and competes in the 100-meter dash.

He says his three sports are all related in that they involve explosive movements and short bursts of intense energy, rather than long spells of energy over extended periods of time.

“Once you start really getting down to the technique at the meet, you realize how different powerlifting is from every other sport,” Rollins said. “There is so much strategy and form involved with powerlifting.”

According to Rollins, it’s not enough to be strong — you have to put in the practice and work on proper form in order to really do your best when it comes time to compete.

In powerlifting, Rollins said, each competitor sets a goal for their lift, and they must achieve that goal or come away with nothing.

“You have to set your goal for each lift, but you can’t go down in weight after making an attempt at your target,” Rollins said.

If a competitor goes too heavy, Rollins said, they can be stuck in a tough situation and not make the lift.

For those looking to make the leap from casual lifting into competitive powerlifting, Rollins suggests starting out with a comfortable weight in order to set a baseline. But he said confidence is important, and self-doubt can be the same as self-sabotage. 

“When I went to my first meet, I figured I would be a lot weaker than everyone else, but I ended up taking first in my weight class,” Rollins said.

Overall, Rollins said, he has been to seven different competitions, and each time he finds new challenges and new accomplishments.

Rollins even tried to start a powerlifting club team at his school, but said he couldn’t find enough people to participate.

At his first national meet in Louisiana, Rollins said he knew he would have to give it his all to compete in a large pool of lifters.

“I knew going in that there wasn’t a clear shot to be the strongest in the room, like some of my other competitions. People travel from all around the world to compete in this event,” Rollins said.

But Rollins was confident in his abilities, and ended up finishing seventh in the country in his weight class. 

“I knew I had it in me, and I felt pretty strong going in,” Rollins said.

He also beat his previous state record of 584 pounds.

It had been his season goal to achieve a 600-pound deadlift, and Rollins said he was proud of his accomplishment.

This upcoming year, as he enters his senior year at Tilton, Rollins said he hopes to keep competing and working to beat his personal records.

“During football season, I might have to take a break from competing, but I will still be in the gym,” Rollins said.

Rollins is planning on studying business and finance, and said that lifting will always be a big part of his life.

“I am interested in personal training, and I think it might be cool to be a college football strength-training coach on the side,” Rollins said.

And Rollins said much of his motivation and determination comes from one of his best friends, Tristan Scheller. Tristan is also a competitive powerlifter, and came seventh in his weight class alongside Rollins. He also set personal bests at the New England Open, and came first in his weight class.

“Tristan was huge in getting me to pursue my powerlifting career,” Rollins said.

As of now, Rollins said he is excited to see where his powerlifting career takes him, and is feeling ready to get his hands back on a barbell.

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a kiteboarder? If you’ve seen John Gallagher around the Island, you might be wondering the same thing. 

Gallagher is an experienced paraglider, having done the sport for the past 27 years as both a pilot and instructor. 

“It’s really a fun sport,” he said as he packed up his sail after a quick jaunt above Inkwell Beach. 

In paragliding, the pilot is attached by harness and lines to a 25-foot-long inflated wing, and takes off by launching the wing (also called a sail) into the airstream and running with it. Once the sail gets enough air, the pilot is lifted off the ground and seated in a sling attached to the harness, allowing them to cruise at heights up to 18,000 feet. “I’ve been up near jets before,” he said.

Paraglider pilots steer the sail from a “speed bar” at their feet and hand brakes, both connected to the sail by Kevlar lines. 

Paragliders aren’t just for little joyrides, either. The world record for the longest distance traveled in a paraglider was set last year — 365.5 miles, over 11 hours of flying, according to Cross Country Magazine. Gallagher’s own personal record is 79.8 miles across Massachusetts.

“We flew over Gillette Stadium at around 17,000 feet, and it was really something to behold,” he said. 

Gallagher is a washashore to the Island, usually spending the summers at his home in Oak Bluffs and winters traveling to the West Coast. But this winter, he decided to stick around, using the opportunity to get some off-season air time around the Island.

His experience paragliding has taken him all over the country, and yet he is always drawn back north: “Over all my years, I keep coming back here. There’s really something about the Northeast.” 

When he’s in the area, Gallagher usually flies up-Island or on the Cape. “Just the other day I took off from Lucy Vincent Beach and landed in Menemsha, right at time for sundown,” he said. “And this weekend we’re planning on flying from Wellfleet seven miles south to Nauset Light.”

As for the danger aspect, Gallagher isn’t too concerned. As long as the pilot is in control, there’s not much to worry about. “I’ve been doing this for a long time …mI can control the sail enough to just sit stationary and talk to people. But my wife likes to say I’m just an advanced idiot.”

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Austin Fournier, a 2015 graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and current Endicott men’s lacrosse student-athlete, was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Defensive Player of the Week, according to Endicott’s athletics website. This is Fournier’s first weekly award.

“Fournier went 1-1 for Endicott this week, posting a 7.50 goals-against average and a 70.6 save percentage. He made 15 saves in an 8-6 loss to Babson on the road to open the week. He followed that up with a career-high 21 saves in a 12-7 victory against Skidmore at home, giving him 36 total stops for the week,” the website reads.

During all four years at MVRHS, Fournier was on the varsity football and lacrosse teams.

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Gabby Carr, Olympia Hall, and Ruairi Mullin, members of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School swim team, were named as Cape and Islands League all-stars, with Christian Flanders receiving an honorable mention, the league announced on Monday.

Senior Abigail Hammarlund and sophomore Noah Lawry won sportsmanship awards.

Carr, a junior, qualified for the state meet in six events, setting five school records and one pool record. After taking a pair of seconds at the C&I League Championships, Gabby placed sixth in the 50 freestyle at the South Sectionals, the first time a Vineyard swimmer had ever placed in the top eight at the sectionals or states. At the States, Carr placed 12th in the 200 freestyle and 13th in the 500 free.

Hall, an eighth grader, placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke at the league championships. She is also an outstanding freestyler, and helped the two Vineyard freestyle relay teams earn fifth and sixth finishes at the C&I. 

Sophomore Mullin broke the school record in the 200 freestyle, and finished 14th at the State Meet, the first time any Vineyard boy had placed in either sectionals or states.

Flanders, a freshman, placed ninth in the 100 freestyle and 10th in the 50 free at the league championships.

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Mike McManus was in the Noble & Greenough High School gym in Dedham last Friday, doing what he’s done many times in his adult life: observing the McManus and Hill family women making basketball history.

Granddaughter Devin Hill of Edgartown drained a free throw for Milton Academy, giving the junior 1,000 points in her high school career. Hill finished the game with 1,013 career points, joining her older sister Erin, and her mom, Maureen McManus Hill, in the family 1,000-point club.

In 2016, sister Erin became the third woman (Vanessa Pisano and Kara Shemeth) in Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) history to score 1,000 points. McManus was there. In 1983, Maureen McManus passed the 1,000-point mark, the first time a woman had done it for the Winthrop High School Vikings, finishing with more than 1,800 points. McManus was there. 

Devin has another year to add to her high school totals. Erin is on the Yale University team, and began her collegiate career with a few points this season. Between them, the Hill women have more than 4,000 high school points. Add to that the 1,800 points Maureen had at Lafayette College, en route to a New England Basketball Hall of Fame career, and the Hills have made more than 5,000 high school and college points, and counting. 

Staggering numbers — and it’s a club Devin wanted to be part of. She told Matt Goisman of the Cape Cod Times that joining the 1,000-point family club was a goal, and one she’s happy and relieved to achieve. Devin played for three years at Falmouth Academy before transferring to Milton Academy, repeating her junior year.

Erin and Devin have athletic genes. Their dad, Brad Hill, is a top fitness trainer on the Island. Their mom’s success is well-chronicled, and she coached her kids in girls travel, middle school, high school junior varsity, and varsity basketball on the Island for a decade.

Natural ability is only part of the story. It’s also about the work. “They put in the work. Their achievements represented a lot of time in the gym, a lot of missed parties and sleepovers, to get better at their sport,” Maureen Hill said last Friday in a phone interview.

Watching on-court success can be misleading, Hill believes. “You know, we watch [NBA star] Stephen Curry draining three-pointers, and it seems effortless, but we don’t see the hours and sacrifices he made to get to that level,” she said. 

The Hills have been coached in a team game. Maureen recalls that one of Erin’s three top basketball moments was watching MVRHS teammate Mariah Duarte drain a three at the buzzer to win a playoff game.

Like her sister, Devin is being courted by top D1 colleges, but that’s down the road. “She is focused on the present, achieving her next goals, for her team and herself, in high school. We’ll see what happens when we’re at that point,” Maureen Hill said.

Mike McManus has more time in the gym in front of him.

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Almost 30 years after some Islanders started tossing a Frisbee at a couple of chain baskets off Barnes Road, the Riverhead Disc Golf Course has become an epicenter of community and recreation.

Seamus Scanlon, one of the original founders of the course, is now running his own disc golf course, Reboot Disc Golf in Scotland, but says he is happy to hear that the Island course has grown so much. And even though he is right outside Muir, Scotland, which is one of the conventional golf meccas of the world, Scanlon always finds time to toss a disc. “I know the course has evolved a lot. It was so much hard work, and it all started out with a group of about five of us looking for something to do in the off-season,” Scanlon said. 

Before Scanlon moved to the Island, he was deeply involved with the disc golf community in Colorado, where the new sport was rapidly gaining popularity. “We needed to do something when we weren’t skiing, so we came up with disc golf,” Scanlon said. “Because I learned to play out in Colorado, I didn’t see why it wouldn’t be popular in Massachusetts and on the Island.”

Once Scanlon moved to the Island, he immediately found a cohort of enthusiastic disc golfers who had the drive to play as much as he did.

What began as just a couple of baskets set up along some freshly cut trails, quickly turned into a major Island passtime. “When I moved out to the Island, I was pretty confident the course would be a success, but it was kind of a stretch,” Scanlon said. Luckily, Manuel F. Correlus superintendent at the time, John Varkonda, allowed the disc golfers to use the land for free, as long as they were good stewards. “John was just so nice and helpful with the whole thing. We really wanted to be unobtrusive, while at the same time making a name for the sport on the Island,” Scanlon said.

After garnering support for the course from all walks of life on Martha’s Vineyard, the MV Disc Golf Club was created, and started collecting sponsorships for each basket (chain baskets serve as “holes” like in normal golf). 

Scanlon said he has been involved with a number of different sports, including impact sports and high intensity sports like skiing. But he has been playing disc golf for more than 30 years, and said there is no sport quite like it. “It’s one of those forever sports. I’ve been playing for 30 years, and I could definitely play for another 30,” Scanlon said.

For the people involved with the evolution of the sport on the Island, Scanlon said it is encouraging to hear that droves of people turn out every weekend to play at the disc golf course. “It’s really nice to think that there are hundreds of active people during the winter; what a great thing this has turned into,” Scanlon said.

Because the folks who fill the parking lot of the course every weekend are so like-minded and community oriented, Scanlon said it isn’t hard to maintain the grounds and keep everything in tip-top shape. “Everyone really wants this to be a resource that people can continue to enjoy, so everyone does their part,” Scanlon said.

And the mix of people who turn out every Sunday morning for the weekly mini-tournament, Scanlon said, is incredibly unique. “The people who show up there really just want to have fun. You could be playing with a doctor and a lawyer side by side, but you just don’t care who you are playing with,” Scanlon said. “The entire atmosphere exemplifies good sportsmanship.”

The learning process involved with disc golf, according to Scanlon, is “incredibly gratifying,” and rewards the player with each significant milestone they reach. “First you miss the basket by a few yards, then a few feet, then a few inches. Before you know it, you are getting it right in the basket,” Scanlon said.

And the variability of the different trick throws and in-flight maneuvers creates a world of possibilities for the prospective disc golf player. Even after decades of consistent playing, Scanlon said he is constantly improving his disc game and looking for new ways to encourage others to get involved. “I’m still learning new things every single day, and to me, that’s what a sport should be all about,” Scanlon said.

Upon leaving the Island, Scanlon passed the disc to Jake Gifford, who has turned the course into a popular destination for newbie players and professionals alike.

Gifford has owned The Lazy Frog in Oak Bluffs for 15 years, where he sells discs of all shapes, sizes, and colors (infinite knowledge of disc golf is provided free upon entering).

He says that anyone with arms can play disc golf and have a blast, especially in the judgment free zone that is the Riverhead Disc Golf course. “If you know how to play catch with your buddies, you can play disc golf,” Gifford said. Ever since The Lazy Frog opened, Gifford has kept a disc golf basket in front of the store letting people know that if they are at all interested in the sport, this is the place to come.

This year is the 16th annual Vineyard Disc Golf Social, and Gifford said there are many records being broken this time around. “We have the most women signed up, the most juniors signed up, and the most pros signed up,” Gifford said.

The New England disc golf productions media team will also be in the mix to cover the competition. 

Although Gifford says he enjoys plenty of other sports, including “ball golf,” or “club golf,” as the disc golfers call it, he says disc is incredibly versatile, and doesn’t require a lot of time and effort to have a good time. “I love club golf, but it takes sometimes four or five hours to play an entire round. Some people don’t have that time, or maybe they want to have some fun without having to play three or four days a week to stay competitive,” Gifford said. In order to hold your edge in conventional golf, Gifford said, it takes countless hours of practice and consistent playing. And even though disc golf also has a learning curve, Gifford said people can get into the sport without having to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, to get their skill level up as they might with conventional golf.

Last year, the competition saw 130 registered players, and this year there are over 170, including pro disc golfers from all over the United States. But it’s not just pros who are turning out this year — kids and families are also competing.

“From nationally ranked players, to relative beginners, it’s just lots of fun for everyone involved,” Gifford said.

The future of the sport is looking bright, Gifford said, as it gains momentum every year. “Just in the past few years we have seen so much more interest in the course,” Gifford said. “People want to see the course succeed because it is such a great resource for people on the Island.”

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The cupboard is bare. No sports in the paper, no sports on TV, no sports in the gyms and stadiums. No sports arguments, no sports drama, no sports angst. No throwing objects at the television, no screaming at umps and refs, no hiding your eyes in tense moments…no tense moments.

No race to the playoffs in pro hockey and basketball, no 64-team brackets, no Tiger watch at Augusta…no Opening Day. What has always been the busiest, most exciting sports season — spring — has been wiped clean, as if submerged in a vat of Purell.

Off-the-field events do not satisfy the craving for live action. Tom Brady to Tampa? Sad. Mookie to L.A.? Bummer. Possible Celtics/Lakers final? I guess.

What deep needs do sports satisfy in us? Why do we become emotionally attached to teams and players? These questions are beyond my scope and irrelevant to the crisis at hand. The important query: Where can we find relief? 

The following represents one desperate sports fan’s attempts to achieve visceral gratification — or a facsimile thereof — through alternative experiences. Alert: Exclamation points are bogus and are intended only to suggest the alternate experiences are actually working, which they aren’t.

The Iditarod! Did you know that this 975 mile sled-dog race is unfolding across the barren wilderness of Alaska as we speak? The race extends from Anchorage in the south to Nome in the northwest corner of the state and includes 22 checkpoints along the way. At last look, Tom Waerner of Norway came through Shaktoolik on his way to Koyuk with a seven-hour lead on Alaska’s own Brent Sass, who was stuck in Unalakleet. You won’t know the mushers, but the dogs are adorable.

Computer-game basketball! You can create your own players from scratch or incorporate favorite players from the past. When I tried this with my grandsons five years ago I had Larry Bird running into the stands with the ball and Bill Russell leaping up and down at mid-court for no apparent reason. Turns out I haven’t improved.

Rugby Union! This historic league involves six UK nations and countless geographic rivalries. The competition draws passionate crowds who…Oops. Season cancelled due to virus.

Snooker! (Sounded like a bodily emission so I skipped it.)

Mini-curling! This table-top parlor game was a gift from my wife and has many realistic features, including authentically shaped curling stones. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to play while maintaining nine-foot separation from your opponent.

Old sports videos! This option has real possibilities and can deliver emotional reward. Every time I see Malcolm Butler pick off Russell Wilson at the goal line I leap from the couch and shout “Yes!” Problem is, nothing new or surprising happens in vintage videos.

One-bounce-tennis-ball-into-waste-basket! One of the many games my mother taught us when we claimed to be bored. The concept is simple: players take turns trying to put the ball into a waste basket positioned six to eight feet away on one bounce. Fun for a while, then…boring. 

Make-believe! Here’s Palmer up the right side with the puck, now cutting through center ice and picking up speed…he splits the Canadien defense and moves in alone on Jacques Plante. Palmer dekes to his left and pulls the puck to his right side…he shoots…he SCORES…Palmer has scored. He beats Plante with a spectacular backhander to give the Bruins a…huh?… what? … where am I? …what happened?…

Solitaire.

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Wondering how to work out now that all the Island gyms have closed to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus? Want to stay swole but also practice social distancing? Here’s a quick home workout for people wanting to stay on their workout game even though the world is ending. This is a full-body workout, giving you both upper and lower body exercises. Remember, the goal here is to push yourself—the ten rep number is more of a suggestion. If you can’t do 10, then don’t worry; if you can do more than 10, go for it!

Full Body Workout:

Tricep bench dips: 4 sets of 10 (use a chair or small table)

Pushups (form is everything!) – 4 sets of 10

Walking Lunges: 4 sets of 20 (10 each leg)

Pike pushups: 4 sets of 10

Step downs: (or single leg squat to seated) 4 sets of 8

Sissy squats: 4 sets of 7 (These may be difficult for beginners or people with knee problems. I would also recommend holding on to something for stability)

Jump squats: 4 sets of 20

Crunches: (advanced: with raised legs) – 3 sets of 50

Plank: 1 minute each side

If you have a pull-up bar or playground to use:

Pull ups: 4×5

Inverted rows: 4×10

Hike/Walk: 1hr at a brisk pace — try going to one of the many wonderful parks and trails around MV! My personal favorite is the 3ish mile loop around Tradewinds park. 

Not much of a “hit the weight room” kind of person? The YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard suggests the Down Dog app, which is offering free online access to yoga, HIIT, and barre classes until April 1.

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Connie McHugh of Airport Fitness received her Professional Pickleball Registry Coach Certification after attending teacher training in Hilton Head, S.C. Fifty professionals from around the world with backgrounds in racquet sports participated in the workshop. The Certification test consisted of a playing evaluation, teaching pickleball lessons, observation, and a written rules exam.

Connie then attended the second annual East Coast Pickleball Conference. Presenters covered rule changes, teaching techniques, physical training, event planning, and introduction to youth programs. 

Airport Fitness offers daily pickleball programs. There is drop-in play open to the public seven mornings a week and the option to reserve a pickleball court for a private group anytime. Introduction to pickleball clinics are offered every week as well as clinics on different shots and strategies. Round robin tournaments have been hosted at the club this winter. Pickleball camps are being planned for this summer.

Contact Airport Fitness for any additional information.

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Several Vineyard winter athletes received all-scholastic nods from Boston Globe Sunday. 

The Globe saluted Vineyard stars in indoor track, swimming, hockey, and basketball.

Vineyard swimmers Gabby Carr and Olympia Hall, for girls, and Ruairi Mullin, for boys, were recognized for their excellence in swimming. 

The Vineyard swimmers completed their season in record breaking fashion. Carr lowered two of her own school records, in the 200m freestyle and the 500m freestyle, and Mullin dropped his week-old school record by over a second to place 14th in the 200m freestyle at the Division 2 State Championships at Boston University in February.

Gabby, Olympia, and Ruairi were all named Cape and Islands League all-stars.

Joseph Bonneau, Peter Burke, Dash Christy, and Zach Utz, for boys indoor track, and Anabelle Biggs, Adrienne Christy, Paige Pogue, for girls indoor track, were all noticed for their excellence. 

Led by a host of top 10 finishers, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys indoor track team finished eighth statewide in Division 5 competition at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston in February.

Senior Jared Regan was honored for boys basketball. Regan was the captain of the Vineyarder boys basketball team that finished their season with a 12-10 record and short playoff run. Regan finished the season with 372 points, 125 rebounds, and 47 steals.

After a stellar first round win against Archbishop Williams, the ninth-ranked Vineyard team made it to the second round of the state tournament in February before falling to Rockland High School Bulldogs.

Seniors Logan Araujo and Colby Zarba, junior Hunter Meader, and sophomore Graham Sterns were all noticed for their skills on the ice. The four were part of the 12th-seeded Vineyard boys hockey team that made it all the way to the quarter finals of the Division 3 South Sectional state hockey tournament.

Zarba finished his high school career with 44 goals and 31 assists while Araujo finished with 8 goals and 12 assists for his high school career.

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The good news is that fishing is one of the activities you can still do while social distancing. The bad news is that tournaments aren’t something that can continue at this time.

On Friday, the Martha’s Vineyard Road and Gun Club announced that its 29th Fly Rod Striped Bass Catch and Release Tournament was being canceled. The tournament was scheduled for Saturday, May 30.

“We’re really disappointed but it’s the right thing to do,” Cooper “Coop” Gilkes, tournament chairman, said in the release. “While it’s possible to fish safely, getting together for the breakfast and awards, which is part of the fun, would’ve put people at risk of infection.”

In the past, tournament organizers awarded plaques for the most fish caught and released by a team, according to the release. This year, in a major shift, the contest was to be based on a fish quota and finish time, not the number of striped bass caught and released.

Tournament organizers said the unique change to the rules was based on new concerns about catch-and-release mortality.

“A lot of the fishermen were really looking forward to trying out the new format,” Coop said. “But at least people can still have fun fishing.”

Twenty-nine years ago, members of the Rod and Gun winter fly tying group created the unique fly rod catch and release tournament to promote honesty, camaraderie, and conservation. Those qualities continue, the club said.

Anyone who had pre registered and has not received a refund should write to: Info@mvrodandgun.org. 

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The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks baseball team won’t be playing at the Shark Tank this summer.

On Friday night, after a meeting of league officials, the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) pulled the plug on the season because of the ongoing pandemic. The NECBL has 13 teams, including the Sharks, featuring some of the top collegiate talent in the country.

“Basically, it’s best for everyone involved — the players and the host families,” Russ Curran, general manager of the Sharks, told The Times. “The last thing we want to do is have a situation where a host family gets sick because a player may have come into contact with the virus.”

The Cape Cod Baseball League, another league of top collegiate players, canceled its season a week earlier.

Curran said there was talk of pushing the season, which was scheduled to begin in June, into July. “It just wasn’t in the cards,” he said. Two of the cities with teams — Holyoke and Danbury, Conn., have had high levels of confirmed cases, he said.

There were also logistical problems. “Some of the teams ran into problems with use of fields until July,” he said. “What if that gets pushed back?”

Curran said the players were immediately notified by the league and he’s reached out to them personally. It’s particularly difficult on returning players who would have had exposure to scouts. If they were having a good summer, it could mean a chance to get signed to a minor league team.

“It’s not the way we wanted the season to go, but we know it’s the right decision,” Curran said.

Some host families have told him now that the decision is made, they don’t have to make the tough decision and tell him that they didn’t feel comfortable hosting a player this year, he said.

The Sharks have a lease agreement with Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. The team installed a new infield and will maintain the field this summer as if baseball is going to be played. At some point, when health officials give the green light, Curran wants the Sharks to host a game played by the high school teams. At that game, he wants to honor the MVRHS seniors who never got a chance to play in their senior seasons.

“We want to do something for the community,” he said. “I don’t know when, but once we’re allowed we’re going to do it — under the lights, with the music, and honor every senior.”

This is a financial blow for the team, which does well enough to cover its costs, but will struggle if sponsors want their money back, he said. He had to order uniforms and baseballs before he knew the season would be canceled. The team also purchased a new concession trailer that will sit idle, Curran said.

For now, he’s retrieving beds from host families and setting his sights on 2021. “I’m standing behind my players,” he said. “Some of them have already said they’re going to come in 2021 . . .  Our roster will be as good as it has been the last couple of years and it’s been good.”

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