Great Neck PAL 5/6th Lacrosse Team Finishes on Upbeat

The Great Neck PAL boys 5/6th grade lacrosse team has finished its 2009 season by defeating Oceanside 10-8 and losing to Jericho in the final minute of the season ending game played at the LI PAL festival, 8-7.

“The boys really progressed as the season went on,” said PAL lacrosse director/coach Artie Diamond. “We were a bit thin on numbers this season but played everyone close. This team has tremendous character. By the time they get to high school the lacrosse community will know who they are. While the wins over Freeport and Oceanside are the highlights, the real success is watching the boys execute the fundamentals under game conditions. For us, it’s all about teaching and having a good time,” Diamond said.

First Place Win for Hayley Cohen

Hayley Brooke Cohen, a seventh-grade student at Great Neck South Middle School, skates in the Solo Compulsories in the Ice Skating Team Competition rating a score of 65.6 placing Hayley in first place winning the gold.

Award for North High Women’s Lacrosse Team

After completing one of their most successful seasons, the Great Neck North High School women’s lacrosse team was well represented at this year’s Nassau County awards dinner. The team finished 10-2 in their conference and received an award for being runner-up. Individual All Conference Honors went to Danielle Desperak-Schisler, Rachel Frank and Hayley Permut, and Sarah Linnell received honorable mention. Collette Bloom received the scholar-athlete award and Emily Rothkrug received the “unsung hero” award. Pictured with their awards are North Coach Tracy Hansman, Emily Rothkrug, Hayley Permut, Rachel Frank, Sarah Linnell and Danielle Desperak-Schisler.

Brickwell Road Race/Walk

The 10th annual Team Brickwell 5K Road Race/Walk, open to runners of any age, is set for Sunday morning, June 14, at 9 a.m. Formerly the Quantum Feet 5K in Fresh Meadows, the Team Brickwell Run expects to draw around 250 entrants, mostly from Queens and Long Island. It starts near 164th Street and Oak Avenue in Flushing.

In addition, there could be some elite runners competing for future races, including those of longer distances, in the field. Dan McGrath, a past winner of the Long Island Marathon, and recent victor of a 10-miler in Nassau County, indicated that he is considering being among the entrants in the field.

PAL 4/5 Astros Complete Undefeated Season

As we come to the end of the regular season every game has been a hard fought battle.  In the final three games of the season the league leading Marlins tied the Orioles 10-10, defeated the Braves 8-7 and suffered their first loss to the WhiteSox 9-5.  

During that span the Marlins were paced by the hitting of Yves Trokel, Juan Leyva and Jonathan Farkas. Solid defense was provided by Ari Ben-Sorek and solid pitching efforts were provided by Jason Seidman and Jared Schwartz. The WhiteSox staged their upset behind the combined pitching and hitting of Michael Ayala, Alec Molina, Jake Seidenberg and Josh Messite.

GN Grizzlies’ Spirit Shows in Disney

After five memorable years, the Great Neck Grizzlies, Great Neck’s soccer travel soccer team of 8th graders from South and North, won their very last game of tournament play during a recent commemorative final weekend event at Disney World’s Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. While the Grizzlies always bring a special spirit to their play, the prospects for a win on the field did not look so promising against Florida’s top teams until the last minute of the game, during which the Grizzles scored the only goal, grabbing a 1-0 triumph. What better way to end five years together than with a last minute, but altogether not surprising, victory!

2009 PAL Baseball 4/5 Division Memorial Day Recap

Memorial Day weekend featured 6 games played on a beautiful Friday afternoon and a scorching hot Sunday afternoon. The Marlins had a successful weekend defeating the White Sox 11-6 and the Phillies 13-11. The Marlins were led by Michael Hershenhorn with 4 RBIs, Yves Trokel with 3 RBIs and Jason Seidman who had 5 RBIs and pitched two scoreless innings. In addition to their close loss to the Marlins the Phillies defeated the Orioles 13-3. Hitting stars for the Phillies over the weekend included Alex Bruni and Jonathan Perlman who each had multiple hit games including Jonathan’s record breaking 6 hits in a single game. Michael Cummings also stroked a double.

Great Neck Residents Ride in 30th Annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge

On Aug. 1 and 2, two residents from Great Neck, Douglas Spector and Ossie Spector, will ride in the 30th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), the nation’s pioneer charity bike-a-thon that raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. They will be among the more than 5,000 cyclists who will ride with the collective goal of raising millions of dollars for lifesaving cancer research and care for adult and pediatric cancer patients at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

Team Fox Bike Ride Raising Funds

Andrew Allen of Great Neck held a charity bike ride on Sunday, May 17, and raised funds for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF).

Although the weather was damp, the cycling ride was a bright spot for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Great Neck resident Andrew Allen organized the fundraiser held here in town.

Eisenhower Park Mini-Golf

The miniature-golf course at Eisenhower Park has opened for the 2009 season, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

The facility, one of Nassau County’s most popular mini-golf courses and named “Best of Long Island” by News 12 Long Island, features two 18-hole courses (“Mountainside” and “Overlook”) with terraced landscaping that incorporates a waterfall, small ponds, flower beds and a number of challenging holes.