Written by Cory Twibell, ctwibell@antonnews.com Friday, 22 February 2013 00:00
The New York Islanders’ winged mascot, Sparky the Dragon, is one of the National Hockey League’s 26 costumed creatures found within NHL arenas throughout North America.
The Islanders’ former mascot, Nyiles (pronounced Nigh-els), resembled the grizzly fisherman featured on the team’s jerseys in the mid-1990s. Sparky the Dragon served as the mascot for the New York Dragons (Arena Football League), who played their home games at the Nassau Coliseum before the team suspended operations in 2009. Sparky, a beloved member of the Nassau Coliseum family, swapped his football gear for a pair of ice skates and the rest is hockey history.
Sparky, though unable to speak, recently caught up with Anton News via email.
“Sparky spends his mornings visiting elementary schools around Long Island. He performs school assemblies with Dina, the Islanders' arena hostess, about being healthy and making smart decisions,” Sparky said.
On game days, Sparky’s routine is much like that of an NHL player.
“Sparky makes sure all his gear is clean, he is well hydrated, and of course, well fed. Then he does some stretches and some laps around the ice. He doesn't want to pull a hammy,” Sparky explained.
With his hockey stick-shaped tail, bulbous head and permanent smile, Sparky has become a staple at Islander home games and team events throughout Nassau and Suffolk County.
“Islander fans love Sparky and constantly praise him for his hard work, hustle and surprisingly good sense of humor (you wouldn't expect someone who can't talk to be so funny). Sparky is always there to cheer someone up when they need it. He’s a pro and the quintessential motivator,” Sparky noted.
The team’s crosstown rival, the New York Rangers, is one of four teams in the NHL without a mascot. The franchises meet four times during the lockout-shortened season, while the rivalry between the two has become one of the greatest in pro sports.
“For players, Sparky is the type of mascot where you hate if he's not on your team but you absolutely love him if he is. Message to the Rangers: Beware of the Dragon,” said Sparky, who enjoys “Islander wins, interacting with the amazing Islander fan base and making new friends at each and every game and team function.”
Though the gig may seem like all fun and games, Sparky sometimes travels with the New York Islanders on business trips, too, as he’s flown – by plane – to Carolina and Ottawa for NHL All Star Games.
And like Islanders All Star forward John Tavares, Sparky prides himself on a team-first attitude.
“Whether he's visiting a fan in a suite for his or her birthday or giving out a prize in the stands, Sparky will do whatever the team asks of him and he has gone from being a prized prospect to an accomplished NHL veteran,” Sparky said.
Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00
Hicksville native Jae Lee recently rose to the top of his senior class at New York Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), winning the Critic Award for sportswear. But fashion wasn’t the path that Lee originally chose.
In high school, Lee excelled in art classes and thought that he wanted to go to college and major in fine arts. However, he said, it was while watching an episode of “Project Runway” that he had a revelation. “All of a sudden I was thinking that it was something I could/should do and that’s what kind of led to it,” he said. He made up his mind that he was going to apply to fashion school and enlisted the help of one of his art teachers in school to help him. “We really scrambled and put together this presentation in about two weeks, where other people, I’m sure, worked on theirs for months,” he said. Lee said that when he went to present his portfolio, he didn’t think the meeting went well at all. “Everyone was really well prepared,” he said. But, he admitted, it must have gone better than he thought, because he was accepted to FIT.
Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00
In the face of cancelled air shows and the downgrading of NYC’s Fleet Week, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano announced on May 9, that American soldiers will be forever honored on Long Island through the creation of the Museum of American Armor to be built at Old Bethpage Village Restoration thanks, in part, to a million dollar gift from Lawrence Kadish.
“We are watching powerful tributes to our American military reduced or eliminated across the nation and its just plain wrong,” stated County Executive Mangano. “Fortunately, the Memorial Day weekend air show at Jones Beach will be held regardless of the loss of the Thunderbirds, but Fleet Week in New York City will be greatly diminished and across the country air shows are being cancelled weekly. Nassau County is moving in another direction. An armor museum that honors every American soldier will be created on county property this year which will not only pay tribute to those who have defended our nation but will also strengthen the county’s tourism and destination industry and provide a new source of revenue.”
Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00
The U.S. Tennis Association Long Island Region has recognized several Hicksville residents for their tennis playing or volunteering achievements. The group was honored at the USTA Long Island Region’s 23rd Annual Awards Dinner, which recognizes superior efforts both on and off the tennis court.
Terry Fontana received the Vitas Gerulaitis for the Love of Tennis award. She has been a longtime fixture in the Hicksville tennis community and is the driving force behind the Hicksville Community Tennis Association (CTA), which, since 1995, has been promoting the development of tennis as a means of healthy recreation and physical fitness and to create a community resource for physical activity throughout the area.
Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00
It was a cold season for softball this year, colder than usual. Anyone who knows the sport recognizes that the weather can be changeable, but this softball season was fraught with snow, pouring rain, cancelled games, frigid temperatures, and blowing winds that would cause any team to crave the warmth of indoors.
That wasn’t the case with the Hicksville High School Lady Comets Varsity Softball team. They played through it all like champions, and endured the rough weather like superstars.
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