Port North Basketball Off to a Great Start

Coming off two Super League championships last year, Port North came flying out of the gate this season. The sixth grade team opened up with three straight wins over St. Bernards, Roslyn and FE Hoops. The up tempo seventh graders started with a blowout 46-22 win over Jericho. The defending Div. 3 eighth grade championship team defeated Commack and Jericho to run their winning streak to 17 games at this level. The eighth graders announced their presence in Div. 2 with a 63-23 win over the L.I. Cougars before falling in a close game to the L.I. Lightning. Port North fourth graders made a spectacular debut last weekend with a 38-5 win over St. Bernards.

On The Bay: November 29, 2011

The Sonar Fleet is a group of racers who have fun out on the race course and even more fun back on shore, where they spend a good bit of time going over what “actually” happened out on the water. It is amazing how many different stories come out of the exact same start, or mark rounding, or near collision. But all is done in the Corinthian spirit, in a gentlemanly (gentlelady?) manner. It is all part of belonging to a group of sailors who happen to like racing on the same boat, and are presented with the same challenges.

A few weeks ago, the Sonar Fleet had their annual awards dinner, which is always a lot of fun. This year, as in the past, Greg Danilek spent a lot of time on a slide show that entertained throughout the evening. And Bill Simon, race program director at Oakcliff Sailing Center in Oyster Bay, was the host for the evening, ably assisted by Mary Lu Palafox.

Corporate Tennis Challenge Fundraiser at PW Tennis Academy

The US Tennis Association Eastern Long Island and United Way of Long Island are teaming up to support members of our military, and local businesses and corporations are urged to help. On Sunday, Dec. 4 from 4-7 p.m., the region will be hosting a Corporate Tennis Challenge Fundraiser, with all proceeds to provide rehabilitative and recreational tennis programs to returning military veterans and their families.

Runners Invited to Join the LI Blood Services Rob’s Run

Runners from Port Washington and all over Long Island and beyond are cordially invited to be part of the 19th annual edition of Long Island Blood Services Rob’s Run, a 5-Kilometer cross-country run, which will be held on Sunday morning, Nov. 27 at Stillwell Woods Park in Syosset.

The run will start promptly at 9:15 on the morning of Nov. 27. Registration and number/shirt pickup will be at the Center for Developmental Disabilities, on South Woods Road directly adjacent to Stillwell Woods, from 7:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

Running Rabbi Takes His Message to Vegas

Rabbi Benjamin David, co-founder of a group called the Running Rabbis, has urged clergy members of all faiths to run and walk in the name of social justice since the non-profit’s beginning in 2005. Though the group has raised thousands of dollars for organizations like Team for Kids and Achilles International by running in large, mainstream events like the New York City Marathon and Chicago Marathon, on December 4, he will be part of a group that takes to the streets in the Rock N’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, the world’s largest night time running event.

On The Bay: November 15, 2011

Normally this column reports on local events with a sprinkling of national and international sailing events that relate to our area or are so interesting they need to be included. Last month, there was an event over at American Yacht Club that just begs to be shared for several reasons: the energetic folks at American YC raised a ton of money for the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program and they collaborated with four other regional yacht clubs. Now many readers may wonder why it is such a big deal that yacht clubs would work together for a common cause, but it is a rare event to say the least. In recent years, some clubs on the north side of the Sound have banned together to host a regatta or event and this is becoming more frequent. But it is not the norm at all. So when information came out about American YC, people took notice. According to the press release, American Yacht Club raised an impressive $125,000 for the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program at an event held October 22 in collaboration with four regional yacht clubs: Larchmont, Centerport, Noroton and Stamford. Co-chairs of the evening were Siobhan Reilly and Bill Sandberg. As a result of the efforts of American Yacht Club and their generous support, US SAILING has recognized American Yacht Club as a Gold Medal Partner Club, joining the ranks of St. Francis Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club.

Weber Boys’ Cross Country Team Wins Nassau County Championship

The 2011 Weber Boys’ Cross Country team, coached by Dr. David O’Connor, finished the season with an 8-0 record. The 30 seventh and eighth grade boys competed against 11 schools including Clarke, Friends Academy, Garden City, Great Neck, Herricks, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Manhasset, North Shore, Roslyn, and Syosset.

On The Bay: November 9, 2011

Once summer sailing draws to a close and those so inclined are getting their boats ready for the frostbiting season, the season isn’t really over – not quite yet! Every year about this time, a band (a.k.a., committee of about eight) gather together over drinks to plan the current year’s Moosehead Awards. For those who are scratching their heads and asking, what in the world… well, it is quite simple. Race Committees, from up and down Long Island Sound, from every yacht club from New York City to out east on both the north and south side of the Sound, have spent the entire summer, not sailing - like their friends - but out on the water, setting courses and taking times and finishes, to provide a good experience and race results for all participating skippers and crew. They are the true volunteers of the sport, and think giving back to the sailing community is a good and noble thing to do. And what do they get for all the time they spend out on the water, in rain, or really high wind, or hot, sticky no-wind, humid days, or on days trying to reset courses for what seems like forever because of shifting winds? A chance to be roasted every year by the above-mentioned group, who finds fault with them and has no problem explaining to the other race committees attending the luncheon exactly what went wrong in some regatta or event the previous summer. Of course, there is probably some poetic license taken in the reports, but trust me, the results are absolutely hilarious. As we say every year, “You just can’t make this stuff up.” No truer words….

Schreiber Boys Cross Country Win County Title

Team heads to the State Championships this Saturday

The Schreiber High School Boys Cross Country team won its fourth Class AA County Title in five years, and won the overall Nassau County Title on Nov. 5 at Bethpage State Park. The win capped off an incredible undefeated season.

On The Bay: November 1, 2011

Last weekend in San Diego, the National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame (NSHOF) celebrated the induction of 15 sailors into the National Sailing Hall of Fame during ceremonies that were dedicated to the memory of Walter Cronkite (1916-2009). The familiar broadcast journalist was an avid sailor and served as Honorary Chair on the NSHOF Board of Advisors for close to three years.

Recognizing both Cronkite’s contributions to American sailing and this historic occasion, the NSHOF website is currently featuring the mobile-compatible, two-part series America’s Cup: Cronkite Reports, which chronicles, race by race, the 1987 America’s Cup campaign, a watershed event in American sailing. A two-minute clip can be seen on the NSHOF home page (www.nshof.org), click on Film Library.