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Like all Catholic high-school gyms in the area, the St. Maria Goretti gymnasium is empty and silent. All practices and games are postponed until further notice.
The delay is particularly difficult for inexperienced squads, like Goretti’s volleyball team.
Under normal circumstances, coach Jim Cappelli would spend two-and-a-half to three hours a day teaching drills and stressing the fundamentals of the game. But Cappelli, a police sergeant, is abiding the decision by Catholic League athletic directors to respect the teachers’ picket line.
The layoff puts the young squad at a huge disadvantage against the majority of its Catholic League foes, who play on club teams not associated with the schools, and therefore can practice.
"The strike is really killing us," the second-year coach said. "In all the years I’ve coached, I’ve never gone into a season this inexperienced."
Goretti is scheduled to open the season Tuesday against Archbishop Prendergast — if the strike is settled by that time. Cappelli estimated it could take half the season before the Lambs start showing any progress.
Such drastic rebuilding can be expected when a team graduates seven of its eight starters. The one returning player from the 3-9 squad saw very limited playing time.
That leaves Cappelli starting with the basics. The coach has been teaching the overhand method of serving to replace the underhand delivery that the athletes previously learned. In volleyball, bad serves that hit the net turn into points for the opposing team. Assistant coach Cathy Del Ciaotto will help with the drills.
The Goretti players showed their dedication by getting in some practice last month. The middle of August is usually prime time for a vacation at the Shore, but several of the girls made practice their top priority.
"I am very optimistic," said Cappelli, who previously served as Goretti’s softball coach. "They are a good bunch of girls willing to work hard and put in their time."
Cappelli realizes that the Lambs will need a couple of seasons before they are ready to compete among the Catholic League elite and challenge for a playoff berth. Last season, the veteran Goretti squad managed to keep things close with a 25-23 loss to Archbishop Carroll in the regular season. This time around, the Lambs likely won’t be so competitive.
But the coach is taking steps to ensure a tougher team in the future. Cappelli is choosing players through tryouts instead of simply keeping the athletes from previous squads. He believes a few of the girls are especially promising.
Lindsey Chitwood, one of two seniors on the squad, is displaying strong leadership skills, Cappelli said. "She is a hard-working and outspoken girl who knows how to get the most out of the kids."
Lindsey’s sophomore sister, Meggie Chitwood, is one of the up-and-coming players.
"She is improving every day," the coach said. "I have such high hopes for this girl."
Junior Alissa Zungolo and sophomore Dara Juele also have caught on quickly, Cappelli said, adding he is optimistic about some of the freshmen as well. If the young athletes stick with the program, it could eventually pay off for them. For now, the Lambs are perfectly content taking baby steps.
"They need repetition," Cappelli said.
No matter what their final record, this will be a historic season for the Goretti athletes as the school prepares to merge with St. John Neumann next fall. The change will likely mean new team colors, a new team name and new uniforms.
But the coach predicts the transition will pose no threat to the players’ progress.
"I feel if we have all the girls back next year, we should be even stronger and give it a run," he said.
League to plan new schedule
The Catholic League’s fall athletic teams remain in limbo as to when they’ll be able to return to practice or a game schedule.
The majority of the teams, including those at St. John Neumann, haven’t practiced since early last week when the Catholic League athletic directors held an emergency meeting and voted to follow the union’s wishes to stop all scheduled games and practices.
The Neumann football team already postponed last Saturday’s game against Bishop McDevitt, and the status of this Saturday’s non-league contest against Episcopal Academy was uncertain at press time.
The St. Maria Goretti volleyball squad missed out on two scrimmages as a result of the strike.
Stephen Pawlowski, assistant superintendent for secondary staff relations for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, stated that once the strike is settled, the Office of Catholic Education will meet with the schools’ athletic directors to produce a new Catholic League schedule.
