Island Rivalry!

March 20, 2012      Author : Maine Island Living    Category: Community      0 Comment(s)

Vinalhaven Islander Dreyenn picks up the basketball lost by her opponent and politely hands it to Jasmine from the North Haven Island team.  Not until the highly supportive fans filling the gym bleachers collectively chuckle does this adorable student-athlete realize her little “mistake.” “It’s okay!” reassures Hannah to her slightly worried-looking younger teammate, and then again, “It’s okay!”


Dreyenn, Hannah, and Jasmine symbolize the feeling between two Maine islands separated only by the Fox Island Thoroughfare - a strip of water busy with ferry traffic to and from the mainland, lobster fishing and seasonal recreational boating.  So close – yet different - the two island communities are natural, long standing


friendly competitors on and off the court.  Yet when it comes right down to it, residents of both towns jump at the opportunity to support the other.  And there is constant inter-connectedness:  Examples include two teachers and a postmistress who commute between North Haven and Vinalhaven by outboard 5-6 days a week, returning in late afternoon winter darkness in all but life-threatening weather conditions.

For every shot made cheers erupt from the stands, while supportive comments and claps encourage players who may have missed the basket.  The only (again, friendly, with laughter) “booooooo” occurs when teenage referee Brian Stanley calls a foul on one of the young players.  Stanley sets up the free throw, and a Pee Wee player gains precious experience shooting under pressure.

With only five girls on each team of this Vinalhaven-based game, every athlete plays 32 full minutes with a break at half time.  That’s full court, just like the high school kids.  Even so, the girls’ game finishes all too soon given the smiles and fun exhibited throughout the event.  Fans cheer the joy beaming from their faces--a spirited reward for the girls' outstanding sportsmanship and hard playing.



The boys’ event is a “whole new ballgame” with – again - only a five players from North Haven, and a whopping seven from the much bigger island of Vinalhaven.  While outnumbered, the Vinalhaven players are severely outsized (3^rd and 4^th graders versus mostly 5^th, 6^th and 7^th graders).  In an attempt to fair it up, refs Stanley and Steven Osgood raise North Haven’s basket.  As usual, the boys enjoy every play of the game.  Asked what he likes about basketball, 3^rd grader Vincent, North Haven’s youngest male player, responds, “Nothing.  I just like it.”

With one win and one loss – not that the score matters - North Haven Pee Wee coach Andrea Adams says, “They did good,” adding with a chuckle, “Maybe next time I should bribe them.”

Of his Pee Wees Vinalhaven Coach Alan Lazara observes, “It is fun to watch them get better and stuff like making their first basket in a game! One thing we try to teach them is that you are not always going to make the shot or win the game but you have to try your best!”

The Vinalhaven high school girls’ team and North Haven boys’ team recently received sportsmanship awards for their behavior during the state tournament in Augusta.  With Pee Wee players like these in the queue handing the ball nicely to one another, reassuring their teammates when mishaps occur, and smiling throughout the game, it all makes sense:  These kids are winners on and off the court.  They play for the love of the game and their friends, the skill, and experience.  With all that grounding, gumption, and support from cheering islanders, these student-athletes are complete winners.

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