Local Athlete Wins National Award

Tristynn Mercedes, W. Tresper Clarke High School, recently won a National Athleadership Grant sponsored by NCSA Athletic Recruiting and the NFLPA.  Receiving this prestigious award is not only an honor but also one that is only given to a select number of student athletes throughout the country in all sports from football to track. The Athleadership Grant is awarded to student athletes who qualify based on leadership in their community, academic achievement, athletics and a required essay written by the student athlete.

“We are very pleased to be involved with NCSA in assisting in the recognition and the selection of young qualified student athletes to receive scholarship opportunities,” said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, adding, “Anytime, you can identify, help and reward future leaders to further their education and athletic pursuits, it’s a win-win and we are pleased to contribute to this worthy effort with NCSA.”

Essential Emergency Gear For Anglers And Fishermen

Weather is always the subtext for a safe boating trip

Anglers down in the Gulf remember this tragic event: three friends, two of them NFL players, lost after their boat capsized during a fishing trip in March 2009. A fourth was rescued after clinging to the hull in 63-degree water for almost two days. As an offshore angler, you would never want to find yourself unprepared in such a desperate situation. If fishing takes you far offshore, make sure you know your limits.

Get advanced training. Boating education is widely available and includes classroom and online training offered through the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA), United States Power Squadrons (USPS) and state boating agencies. Advanced training in navigation, seamanship, boat handling and weather are important to know before you venture into open waters. Local knowledge and recommendations from experienced captains who run offshore fishing charters can be valuable as well.

AHRC Foundation’s Margiotta Golf Outing At Muttontown Club September 13

Get your drivers ready - the AHRC Foundation’s Margiotta Memorial Golf Outing takes place on Thursday, September 13 at The Muttontown Club in East Norwich. All proceeds support programs and services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This year’s event will honor Roslyn Goldmacher, president and CEO of Long Island Development Corporation (LIDC) and Hon. Peter J. Schmitt, presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature.

Goldmacher is an AHRC Foundation board member and longtime supporter of AHRC Nassau, where her sister has received services for many years. An attorney with a background in commercial lending, Goldmacher runs LIDC, a family of not-for-profit economic development organizations that she founded more than 30 years ago. Under her guidance, LIDC has directly loaned more than $1 billion in low-cost government and private sector loans to small businesses, while leveraging an additional $2.5 billion in funds for the economy and creating and retaining more than 60,000 jobs for the community.

Ducks’ Nelson Reaches 2,000th Hit Milestone

The Bridgeport Bluefish defeated the Long Island Ducks, 3-2, on July 27 in the first game of a four-game series at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard. In the game, Bryant Nelson earned the 2,000th hit of his minor league career in his 1,838th game.

Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when the Bluefish put up a three-spot against Ducks starter Mike Loree. RBI singles from Prentice Redman and Brock Peterson along with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Luis Lopez did the damage.

SUNY Old Westbury Names New Director Of Athletics

The SUNY College at Old Westbury announced the appointment of Lenore Walsh as Director of Athletics. Walsh brings to Old Westbury more than a decade and a half of athletic administration experience from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), New York Athletic Conference, Dowling College and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Walsh will begin her work at Old Westbury July 23.

Bethpage Ocean To Sound Relay Registration Begins

Registration is now open for the 27th annual Bethpage Federal Credit Union Ocean to Sound 50 Mile Relay. The date is Sunday, Sept. 23. The relay brings the entire Long Island running community together for an annual September tradition, with 150 teams of eight runners each traversing a 50-mile course that starts at 8 a.m. at Jones Beach State Park, heads north and east through Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, Farmingdale and Old Bethpage before crossing into Huntington, hitting the Long Island Sound at Lloyd Harbor, returning to Nassau County via Cold Spring Harbor and Syosset, and then heading north again to a finish on the grounds of Theodore Roosevelt Memorial  Park in Oyster Bay. Each runner on the team covers a leg of between five and seven miles.

The Bethpage Federal Credit Union is sponsoring the relay. Race management is provided by the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC), once again under the supervision of GLIRC Director Alan End. John Snitko of JMS Racing Services will provide technical assistance, timing and scoring.

Polo Match Raises Funds To Support SUNY College At Old Westbury

The Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc. recently welcomed more than 800 alumni and friends recently to celebrate the 11th Annual Summer Polo Match and Lawn Party to support SUNY College at Old Westbury.

The championship polo event was a fundraiser to support academic and programmatic enhancements at the college, while also honoring those who advocate for the preservation of Long Island’s open spaces. The event, which featured a match provided by the historic Meadowbrook Polo Club in the surroundings of Hickox Field in Old Westbury, grossed more than $80,000 in support of the foundation. 

Ducks Playoff Tickets On Sale Now

The Long Island Ducks announced on July 19 that individual game tickets for the 2012 Atlantic League Playoffs are now on sale. The Ducks secured their eighth trip to the postseason in franchise history by winning the First Half Liberty Division title on Sunday, July 1.

The Ducks will host games three, four (if necessary) and five (if necessary) of the best-of-five Liberty Division Championship Series. Should they advance, the Ducks will host games three, four (if necessary) and five (if necessary) of the best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series as well. Promotions for the playoffs will be announced at a later date.

Beefing Up The Back End With A PP QB

Isles swap ’13 third-rounder for Lubomir Visnovsky; Fourth pick yields blue-chip D-man Griffin Reinhart

Recently, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was the site of the Islanders’ 12th annual Draft Party. Calling the event festive was an understatement as the old barn had the aura of a carnival right down to the line of kids waiting to use the myriad of bounce houses, the multigenerational families wandering around clad in blue and orange and even a Ferris wheel whose passenger cars were festooned with the team’s logo.

After the Edmonton Oilers took Russian junior right wing phenom Nail Yakupov with the overall first pick, speculation was rampant as to who the Isles would take with the fourth pick. Forty-year-old father and fan, Jeff, hoped his Islanders would go in more for more scoring punch to go along with John Tavares and Matt Moulson.

Ducks Waddle Off With First Half Title

The Long Island Ducks defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 2-1 on July 1 to sweep the four-game series and earn the 2012 First Half Liberty Division title.

The Skeeters took a one-run lead in the top of the third off Ducks starter Dan Meyer on a RBI sac fly by Ofilio Castro. After a 54-minute rain delay, both teams traded zeroes until the bottom of the sixth when Shawn Williams knocked a RBI single to right tying the game at 1-1.