I don’t know what I would have done with myself this winter if it weren’t for Southampton Youth Services or SYS.
Thanks to Danielle Lohr, Saunders & Associates real estate agent with The Laura Dalessandro Team in Westhampton Beach, I was alerted to a local volleyball league and tournament taking place there all winter long.
“I heard you were a volleyball player in high school. Do you want to join the team?”
Of course, I was in, but I needed to know the team name…
“That’s What She Set.”
“I’m in.”
And so began my winter volleyball career every Tuesday, which, as far as I was concerned, was my new professional life. I loved it. Volleyball became all I thought about. Our team was a winning team, but we had our arch nemesis who would beat us whenever we played them.
It was a season of highs and lows, but what I really realized about the whole experience is what an absolute treasure SYS is. It’s not just volleyball, it’s literally EVERYTHING. Any sport you are into, they got it, and they have a league for it.
Every time I was there, an important basketball game or soccer game was happening. The adult soccer games in particular, were awesome to watch and super competitive. The basketball games had fans in their seats. The indoor track had runners looping around, discussing the day’s gossip as they decompressed.
I don’t know how I missed SYS. Why had this not occurred to me before? I must have been confused when I thought SYS was a place for kids to play sports—but it’s for EVERYONE…
Pickleball, gymnastics, soccer, squash, volleyball, basketball, running, and even martial arts. It’s an absolute gift to the Hamptons, and with the persistent cold that you have to deal with throughout the month of March, it’s the answer to let off some steam while meeting new people.
I’m still slightly bitter that we didn’t win the volleyball championship, but I’ll get over it.
Southampton Youth Services is located at 1370A Majors Path, Southampton, NY 11968.
