Therapeutic Skating Program Completed

The Great Neck Park District, in partnership with the Great Neck Figure Skating Club and the Great Neck School District, started the Therapeutic Skating program in February 2013. This program was extremely beneficial to students with special needs from Great Neck North Middle and High Schools. The skaters met bi-monthly at the Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink through Tuesday, April 23. They ended the season with a skating session as usual and then enthusiastically were awarded their trophies. 

Dodgers Open Against Manhasset

The Great Neck Dodgers baseball team opened against Manhasset at the new Manhasset Valley Park on Saturday, April 27.  Coaches Mat Rubin and Steve Menist cheered the boys through an exciting game on the brand new turf field. Pictured (l. to r.): Kevin Li, Brandon Walter, Kenny Li, Alec Rich, Noah Kniesly, Philip Menist, Brad Fritzhand, Jordan Seidenberg, Max Silverstein, Josh Rubin, James Kessler, Michael Jacobs, coaches Steven Menist and Mat Rubin.

Lacrosse Shoot-Out

Members of the girls lacrosse teams from North and South High Schools recently played their Cross-Town Shoot-Out Game as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, in honor of North High Coach Jane Maher who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The girls wore lavender tee shirts in Ms. Maher’s honor. North High won the game 18–14.

Kayak Club Kicks Off 2013 Paddling Season

The North Shore Kayak Club’s first official meeting of the year is Tuesday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m., in the Hagedorn Room on the top floor of the Port Washington Public Library. An overview of the club’s plans for 2013 will be presented, along with a discussion of paddling safety procedures and protocols. Future club meetings will include guest speakers, as well as previews of forthcoming club excursions.

The North Shore Kayak Club is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the pleasures of recreational and touring kayaking. Its membership is drawn primarily from the communities of Port Washington, Great Neck, Plandome, Sea Cliff and Manhasset. Membership is limited exclusively to adults who are competent swimmers. It is not required that members own their own kayaks. For further information, please contact Alan Bergman at (917) 400-7041 or Seth Ehrlich at 570-6338.  

Saint Aloysius C.Y.O. Tryouts

Saint Aloysius of Great Neck C.Y.O. announces tryout dates for boys and girls basketball travel teams for the 2013/2014 season. The teams compete in the C.Y.O. of Nassau/Suffolk League. Tryouts are open to all residents of Great Neck. All grades are as of Sept. 1, 2013.

North Hempstead Bullying Awareness Walk

Supervisor Jon Kaiman, the North Hempstead Town Board and other elected town officials welcomed over 200 students, faculty, parents, and community activists to North Hempstead Beach Park recently to raise awareness of the dangers of bullying.  

Litwin Coaches Maccabiah Team

Great Neck’s Bob Litwin, International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion, will coach the 19th Maccabiah Grand Masters tennis team at the Games in July in Israel. The Grand Masters Division is for athletes aged 65 to 80+ years.

After playing Tennis for Great Neck South High School, Litwin did not play competitively until he tried out for the Maccabiah USA Open Tennis team at 32. He did not make that team but made it his mission to compete for the USA at the next Maccabiah Games in 1985. He qualified for the Masters Tennis team at those Games, traveled to Israel for the competition and won bronze and gold medals. Since then, he has become a local senior legend, winning the ITF

World Championship and 14 USTA National Championships, achieving the #1 World ranking in 2005 and being an eight-time member of the USA Senior Davis Cup Team.

“Returning to Israel to coach and compete as a member of Team USA at the Maccabiah Games is very important to me,” Coach Litwin remarked. “Tennis and Judaism are two of my passions and the Maccabiah Games provide the perfect opportunity to combine them. I hope to help all members of our team compete to the best of their ability and enjoy the magic of Israel.”

Bruins 2013 Awards Celebration

The Great Neck Park District Bruins hockey season officially came to an end last Tuesday, March 26. Another successful season culminated in an awards dinner at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday, April 2. Between 5 and 7 p.m., the attending Bruin hockey team players and parents (approximately 125), gathered in a comfortable restaurant-style room at the Coliseum to celebrate their hard work and dedication during the 2012-13 season. Hockey Director Fred Ondris, Assistant Director Blaine Aronovitch, hockey coaches, Superintendent Peter M. Renick, Commissioner Daniel M. Nachmanoff and Dr. George and Mrs. Angela Stergiopoulos  were on hand to offer their accolades for a spectacular season. Dr. and Mrs. Stergiopoulos presented the MVP awards in honor of their son Andrew. Andrew Stergiopoulos was a committed hockey player, whose memory lives on at the Parkwood Sports Complex’s Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink, renamed in his honor after 9/11.

Recognition was given to all of the hockey players, managers, coaches and volunteers for their devotion to hockey and to the Park District rink. Team managers and coaches highlighted their teams with memories of the year. Tributes were also given to coaches for the endless hours they spent coaching and guiding the children in the game of hockey this past year.

The following MVP awards were given to individual hockey players exemplifying hockey excellence: Graham Turk, Midget Major; Steve Cacchiolli, Midget Minor; Nick Nikas, Bantam; Sam Levitan, PeeWee White and Dan Lopes, PeeWee Black. The dinner was followed by a hockey game between the New York Islanders and the Winnepeg Jets. 

Great Neck Softball Begins Season 23

The Great Neck Park District Bruins hockey season officially came to an end last Tuesday, March 26. Another successful season culminated in an awards dinner at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday, April 2. Between 5 and 7 p.m., the attending Bruin hockey team players and parents (approximately 125), gathered in a comfortable restaurant-style room at the Coliseum to celebrate their hard work and dedication during the 2012-13 season. Hockey Director Fred Ondris, Assistant Director Blaine Aronovitch, hockey coaches, Superintendent Peter M. Renick, Commissioner Daniel M. Nachmanoff and Dr. George and Mrs. Angela Stergiopoulos  were on hand to offer their accolades for a spectacular season. Dr. and Mrs. Stergiopoulos presented the MVP awards in honor of their son Andrew. Andrew Stergiopoulos was a committed hockey player, whose memory lives on at the Parkwood Sports Complex’s Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink, renamed in his honor after 9/11.

Recognition was given to all of the hockey players, managers, coaches and volunteers for their devotion to hockey and to the Park District rink. Team managers and coaches highlighted their teams with memories of the year. Tributes were also given to coaches for the endless hours they spent coaching and guiding the children in the game of hockey this past year.

The following MVP awards were given to individual hockey players exemplifying hockey excellence: Graham Turk, Midget Major; Steve Cacchiolli, Midget Minor; Nick Nikas, Bantam; Sam Levitan, PeeWee White and Dan Lopes, PeeWee Black. The dinner was followed by a hockey game between the New York Islanders and the Winnepeg Jets. 

Stem Cell Research

Last spring, the Nassau Region of Hadassah Walk-a-thon for Stem Cell Research raised over $90,000. On Sunday May 5, there will be another  Walk/Run-a-thon, where over 500 strong, compassionate, like-minded women, men and children from the North and South Shore will be walking to help raise awareness and much needed funds for stem cell research.