Fun was had by all at the third annual PYA Spring Softball Bash Parent Fundraiser! Sixteen teams faced off for some friendly competition at Lions Field. Select representatives from each team also showcased their accuracy and power by participating in the skills competitions, with the Golden Arm competition won by Adam Storch, Women’s Home Run Derby won by Ruru Sim, and Men’s Home Run Derby won by Jordan Wand. Premium barbecue from HG que and Saucy Rascals, and sweet treats from Smusht fueled both players and fans, and the PYA Bash Band kept the celebration going. The event was a success, and the countdown is on to next year’s Bash!

The 2023 Harvey Cohen Lacrosse Tournament for boys and girls was another huge success! We had a total of 108 teams participate in the tournament; 45 girls teams and 63 boys teams and they represented 25 different towns. HCLT, started in 2017, is a town team only lacrosse tournament and this tournament has sold out in all 7 years of its existence.

All the lacrosse games are played at Lions Field and Schreiber High School where there is a very festive tournament atmosphere with tailgating, barbequing and even a dunk tank. HCLT has coincided with Harborfest making this day one of the liveliest days in Port Washington where everyone has a tremendous feeling of “Pride in Port.”

Harvey Cohen founded the PYA Lacrosse program in 1964, founded the North Hempstead Lacrosse Club in 1982 and was an administrator for the USA Team in the 1986 and 1990 World Games. HCLT is always the weekend following Memorial Day Weekend which is meaningful since Harvey Cohen served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II.  

The 2024 Harvey Cohen Lacrosse Tournament will be Saturday June 1, 2024 for girls and Sunday, June 2, 2024 for boys. We hope to see you next year! 

PYA began its comprehensive morning summer camp programs in late June.

• The Legends Baseball Academy for boys in grades K through 9 ran each week for 3 consecutive weeks, separately beginning on June 26th, July 5th, and July 10th. The lead instructor is Helms Bohringer, now in his 30th year of camp involvement. Helms’s resume includes a stellar career at Adelphi University, after which he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989.
• Shore 2 Shore Lacrosse camp faced off for a week on July 10th, and was open to boys and girls in grades K through 8, also at Lions Field.
• Hoops 101 Basketball begins two 1-week sessions on July 17th and 24th. The boys and girls programs, covering grades K through 9, are all held in the Schreiber High School gym.
• Prime Time Flag Football for boys and girls in grades K through 8 launches for a week on August 21 at Lions Field.

More information can be found at https://www.pyasports.org/camps

Lastly, the North Shore Youth Football Camp kicks off on July 31st for a week at Schreiber High School’s Whitney Field. It is open to boys and girls in grades 1 through 6. Further information and registration are found at https://www.pyasports.org/nsyfc.

PYA has come a long way over the past 60 years, and every year we invest in new enhancements to our facilities. This spring, we replaced the deck to our snack bar and added another filtered water hydration station. In the fall, we will launch our largest renovation project in over 20 years when we convert the infields of fields 2 and 3 to turf. Our last major project at this scale was in 2001, when Lions Field was reconfigured to its current layout of 5 baseball / softball fields/dugouts and 2 regulation football / lacrosse fields. It was also during that renovation that the central snack bar and restrooms were added, along with upgrades to parking, grandstands, drainage, and the irrigation systems.  

For the Field of Dreams II project, we have dedicated funds to the turfing of the infields, and are now reaching out to our friends and supporters for the additional resources needed to finish the project, which includes upgrading the backstops and beautifying the baseball / softball plaza. Please look out for our fund drive launch to be a part of this momentous transformation and explore the various giving options available.

From its inception in 1963, Port Washington Youth Activities, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, Better Business Bureau accredited not-for-profit organization, has been dedicated to providing local boys and girls an opportunity to participate in organized sports programs and to teaching the fundamental of athletics, fair play, and sportsmanship. PYA serves more than 3,200 boys and girls in 20 major community sports programs and also provides opportunities for travel league play in a variety of sports. PYA has grown tremendously over the past 60 years and now runs one of the largest and best local youth sports programs on Long Island.