Sporting A Cause

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Freezin for a Reason

The Spring Splash this Sunday at the Grove at Lakeville Lake marks the final  “cold water” fundraiser of the season on the sportingAcause calendar.

Zany folks jump into frigid waters all over the world for many reasons- rites of passage, ushering in spring, health benefits, celebrations and more. But it is a peculiarly American notion to discomfort oneself for charity.

And two very worthy ones will benefit  from the Spring Splash. The popular Jane Lloyd Fund, which provides living expenses to cancer-stricken folks living in CT’s Region One, will split the proceeds with the lesser-known HVRHS FFA Alumni John Rice Scholarship Fund. Both do great work in the Northwest Corner.

A  sidebar story to the Spring Splash is the number of young people who participate. Buses from Berkshire, Salisbury and Hotchkiss Schools arrive to join ranks with HVRHS students as well as grade-schoolers. Of the 150 people who typically take part in the Splash,  half are high school age.

They have learned the value of giving back to their communities, and their enthusiasm and energy as they take the plunge is a joy to watch.

By the way, you don’t have to get wet to support the causes. Although the cost to Splash is $25, you can just show up and watch and make a donation of any size. The entertainment will be worth it!

Til next time

Willie

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I Sense a Trend

I sense a trend.

Last spring, Camphill Village, a residential facility serving adults with developmental challenges in Copake, New York, hosted a 5k run on their campus. Since many of the residents’ families live great distances away from Camphill, the 5k included a “run where you are” option. This allowed family members to take part in the event almost as if they were there- they paid their entry fee, received a T shirt and ran their 5K wherever in the world they happened to be. They felt included.

This summer the Alzheimer’s Association will host The Longest Day on June 21st, a day that  not only is the literal longest day of the year, but also demonstrates that every day is the longest day for Alzheimer’s sufferers and their caregivers. This will be an entirely virtual event.

Participants will solicit donations as they do for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s, but now they will perform whatever they want to do, wherever they are, and whenever they feel like it. Registrants can run down their own street, play a round of golf on their home course or even invite friends over for a barbecue to raise money for the cause.

As many people now work from home, now folks can fundraise and do their thing from their own surroundings.

I like that notion.

Of course gatherings will always have their place- there is energy in numbers and good things happen whenever kind-hearted people come together. But as an alternative to traveling a distance to a fundraiser, the practice of helping your cause from home I believe will surely grow.

And on June 21st?

I’ll be Mowing my Lawn to End Alzheimer’s.

Til next Time

Willie

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For the Love of the Game

Recent news about rich parents  gaming  the system to get their offspring into the “right” colleges has spawned conversations about the state of things in America.

I, of course, have my two cents to add to the discussion, especially where sports are concerned.

Sports were one of the avenues to acceptance that the offenders employed to get their over-privileged darlings into elite schools- doctoring photos , generating fictitious resumes and bribing coaches. As if collegiate sports were not tainted enough already.

Which led me to ponder, is there any purity left in sports at all?

Money and politics run college sports- that we know.  And even at the secondary level, for every  high school athlete who shows even a modicum of promise, there is a parent- advocate pushing  to position their child for a college scholarship.

And, sadly, even youngsters can’t play a stress free game without “encouragement”  from the stands. At my home town Little League field, years ago officials moved the bleachers from behind home plate out to center field where shouted criticisms  from parents were less disruptive.

So, is there any place where a game can be played simply for the joy of it?

I suggest that there is.

Special Olympics creates opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities. There are 12,000 in Connecticut alone competing year round in 28 different sports. They train to win, of course, but their focus is to do the best they can and enjoy the process. And part of Special Olympics is Unified Sports which partners Special Olympians with elementary, middle and high school students to train and play together in friendly competition.

And here’s  another area where sports are played for the best of reasons. When and wherever everyday folks gather to play for someone else’s benefit. To me that is sport at its most noble, and the pages of sportingAcause.com are full of them.

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Penguin Plunge

They abandoned all of their comfort and a bit of their dignity last Saturday when they jumped into cold water for a great cause. They were the intrepid souls who raised money for Special Olympics Connecticut at the Winsted Penguin Plunge at Highland Lake.

The event is billed as the largest grass roots fundraiser in the state for Special Olympics CT, and they proved it Saturday. The group raised nearly $80,000 for the charity which provides year round training and competitions for 12,000 Connecticut athletes with intellectual disabilities as well as Unified Sports which partners SO athletes with teammates without intellectual disabilities.

Now the real story at the Winsted Penguin Plunge was the number of young people involved. Groups from Torrington and Pomperaug High Schools as well as the elementary schools of Region 7, and the Boy Scouts from Troop 23 in Torrington plunged in full uniform.

All in all, kids made up over 25% of the total participants at the Plunge. And that’s not counting the hundreds, if not thousands of high schoolers who serve as partners in the Unified Sports program

I’ve written before about the significant role that our young people play in local charities , and I’ll surely be reporting about it again. Our young people don’t get enough credit for all they do.

Til next time

Willie

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Bob Frink

Bob Frink passed way in the middle of February. I had only met him once, and from that moment wished that I had known him longer. I met him at the Canaan Country Club last August where he was hosting the 3rd Annual Ice Bucket Open Golf Tournament to raise money for the ALS Association, Connecticut Chapter which provides equipment, transportation, and general support to ALS patients and their families.

Bob sat in a motorized wheelchair. He could no longer speak, but he could smile, and I think smiling is about the bravest thing you can do when you have ALS.

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or, more commonly, Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which means it robs the sufferer of muscular control starting with mobility and manual dexterity and eventually speech and the ability to breath. There is no cure, and it is always fatal. It stole those things from Bob, but it couldn’t rob his spirit, or the spirit of his wife Jeanine and their family. Much is asked of a family when a member has ALS.

Bob had served as greenskeeper at CCC for 27 years, so a golf tournament at the Club was a natural for a fundraiser. Well known and well loved, Bob’s friends organized the Open to raise money to help him out, but Bob decided the proceeds would go to ALS Association CT, the organization that has helped him and his family.

The tournament has raised over $70,000 for ALS research over its three year run. This year the Ice Bucket Open will be held August 10th in Bob’s honor.

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HOUSY Girls’ Basketball

When was the last time you attended a high school sports game at your alma mater? If it has been a while, you may be pleasantly surprised to see folks you know in the stands and names you recognize on the court or field.

Those athletes with familiar names are likely the children or grand children of the people you went to high school with, and your bleacher mates are likely either your classmates or their offspring.

If you live in Region One here in Northwestern Connecticut, you have another good reason to catch a game. Tonight at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (Housy) the girls varsity basketball team begins its class S state tournament run against Ellis Tech.

The girls have had a season for the ages- they won the Berkshire League title as well as the BL tournament, ending their season 22-1, undefeated in league play. The last time that happened, the seniors on this team weren’t even born yet. Housy is among the smallest of the small schools in the BL yet they knocked off Northwestern and Lewis Mills- both Class M schools.

Cheering crowds mean a lot to these kids, so why not take a ride over to HVRHS this evening and support them on their quest for a state title. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

Game time is 6:00 pm.

Til next time

Willie

 

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“Freezin for a Reason” Season

It’s “Freezin for a Reason” Season.

As the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen, so goes the old timers’ adage. We know that winter has a ways to go- it is still skiing, skating, basketball and now…cold water diving season.

Crazy folks throughout the world jump into frigid waters for all sorts of reasons- traditions, celebrations, rites of passage, supposed health benefits, but it is a particularly American trait to endure this kind of discomfort for charity.

But be careful what you call it. Both “Polar Plunge” and Polar Bear Plunge” have been trademarked by Special Olympics.

Three such events are coming up soon to a body of water near you in the sportingAcause Tri-state area.

The format is pretty much the same for all of them- entrants fundraise in the days and weeks before the event and bring a certain minimum amount to the event to qualify to plunge. Both teams and individuals are encouraged to participate.

On March 2nd, the Winsted Penguin Plunge, billed as the largest grass roots fundraiser for Special Olympics Connecticut, will be held at the Highland Lake Boat Launch in Winsted.

Then on March 30th and 31st, the Pittsfield 2019 Super Plunge and Polar Plunge will be held on Onota Lake at Burbank Park in Pittsfield. Now this event takes winter discomfort to a whole new level. In addition to the conventional plunge on March 31st, especially masochistic enthusiasts, who have raised a minimum of $1,000, have earned the right to plunge once an hour starting on March 30th for 24 consecutive hours. Their 24th and final plunge coincides with the one-timers. Now that’s dedication! This event supports Special Olympics Massachusetts.

On April 7th, the Spring Splash will be held at The Grove on Lakeville Lake in Lakeville, CT. This event supports two popular local causes- the Jane Lloyd Fund and the John Rice Scholarship Fund. I must note that 50% of the entrants for Spring Splash are high school students from area public and private schools. Way to go Kids!

By the way, you don’t have to submerge yourself in frigid waters to participate- go to one or more of these events and watch the fun from high ground. Donations are always appreciated.

By the time the Spring Splash wraps up, who knows, maybe we’ll be golfin!

Til next time.

Willie

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This Just In: Friday night of Jumpfest has been cancelled. Saturday and Sunday events will run as scheduled

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Two Must-See Winter Events

If you live within sportingAcause’s territory – Pittsfield, MA down to Harwinton, CT and over to Poughkeepsie, NY, then you are pretty much a hour away from two amazing winter sports events within a 10 day span.

Beginning Thursday, Jan. 31st through Sunday, Feb. 3rd you can witness an honest-to-God curling Bonspiel at the Norfolk Curling Club in Norfolk, CT.

Then, four days later, Friday evening of Feb 8th through Sunday the 10th, you can see the equally amazing and exciting ski jumping during Jumpfest in downtown Salisbury, CT.

Curling first caught American attention several Winter Olympics ago when the sport inexplicably enjoyed a lopsided dose of TV coverage- what is this thing, curling?

Well you’ll have a chance to find out up close next weekend. You will be able to view the action in the comfort of the Norfolk Curling Club’s new state-of-the-art facility, as you snack and perhaps partake of a cocktail. And there will be many curlers nearby happy to answer any questions you have about the sport.

And it is free!

Now the following weekend you’ll get to see a different kind of winter sport- ski jumping at Jumpfest 2019 at the Satre Hill 65 meter tower in Salisbury sponsored by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA).

Now you may be saying “Yeah, yeah, I’ve watched ski jumping on TV – Olympics, Wide World of Sports…”

But listen closely – If you have not witnessed ski jumping live, you have not seen the sport.

These young athletes, some as young as 12, exit the tower’s take off at 50 miles an hour, travel upwards of 200 feet through the air and land, skis slapping on the landing hill right before your eyes. The crowds register their enthusiasm by cheering and ringing cowbells, and you will be one of them.

And another thing- jumpers you see up-close-and-personal in Salisbury will be in future Olympics- they are that good. Sunday will feature the Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships. There will be plenty to eat, beverages from hot chocolate to hot toddies, with bonfires and lots of camaraderie.

Adult admission is $15 but children 12 and under get in free.

Get all of the details for both events here at sportingAcause.com.

So there you have it- two cures for the mid-winter blues.

Til next week, Willie

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Happy New Year !

As we wind down the last few days of 2018 there is a temptation to wax nostalgic about events of the past year as well as voice our predictions for the next.

Instead, I’ll simply offer my hopes that you’ve enjoyed a healthy and happy 2018, and I wish you and your loved ones more of the same in the coming year.

I end this final blog of 2018 with a list of the charities that have benefited from all of the sports-related fundraisers covered in sportingAcause this year. I think you will agree that many deserving causes benefited from the efforts of many giving hearts.

Happy New Year!

Police Activities League (Torrington)

NWCT YMCA

Regional Food Bank of NENY

Youth Mission Outreach (Poughkeepsie)

Brain Injury Association of MA

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (MA, NY CT)

Angels of Light (Hudson valley)

Morris Elementary School PTO (MA)

Barkhamsted Elementary School

Arts Education at Olana Partnership

Bantam Lake Protective Association

Great Barrington Rotary Club

Berkshire Community College Nursing Program

Berkshire South Teen Outreach Nutrition Program

Alzheimer’s Association (MA, NY CT)

Litchfield Community Center

Bethlehem Fuel Bank

Berkshire County ARC

Camp Jewell YMCA

Burlington Community Fund

New Marlborough Cultural Council

Camphill Village

Action For Alex

Nick Biancucci Memorial Basketball Courts

Water or People

Cornwall Consolidated School

Berkshire County Kids Place

Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development

Lee High School Scholarship Fund

Dover Plains High School Scholarship Fund

United Way of Dutchess-Orange Counties

Upton Lake Christian School

Falls Village Volunteer Fire Dept.

St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

People’s Pantry (Great Barrington)

Indian Mountain School

Housatonic Youth Service Bureau

Michael J. Fox Foundation

Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation

Ferncliff Forest Preserve

Free To Run

Make a Friend Be a Friend

Gilbert School Athletics

Junior Women’s Club of Litchfield Hills

Glenholme School

Goshen CT charities

Gould Farm

Porchlight VNA

Panichi Family Center for Communications and Learning

Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association

American Legion Post 178

Millerton Fire/Rescue Squad

EXTRAS (Salisbury)

Salisbury Central School 8th Grade

Right to Dream

Amenia Fire/Rescue Squad

Wassaic Fire Dept

High Watch Recovery Center Scholarship Fund

Litchfield Area Veterans

Running for Rescues

Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshires

Upper Housatonic Heritage Area

Relay for Life- American Cancer Society (MA, NY, CT)

Harwinton Handicap-Accessible Trail Fund

Eagle Santa Toy Fund

Litchfield Parks and Recreation

Berkshire United Way

Kent Food Bank

Julia’s Wings

Special Olympics, MA

Lee, MA High School Cross Country Program

Lenox, MA High School Cross Country Booster Club

Lenox Dale Fire Co.

Litchfield Youth Athletics

Scholarships for Litchfield, Wamogo and Forman Schools

Hartford Marathon Foundation

CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Trail Maintenance)

Making Strides, Litchfield County

Brain Injury Association, NY

Dana Faber Cancer Institute

Miles For Hope Breast Cancer Foundation

Camp Moe Scholarships

Millbrook Early Childhood Education Center

MTM Scholarship Fund

Norfolk Land Trust

Norfolk Volunteer Fire Dept.

Norfolk Rails to Trails

Great Mountain Forest

NWCT CROP

Matt Herring Foundation

Peach Hill Park

Berkshire Medical Center Programs

Brodie Park

Morriss Recreation Dept.

The Little Guild of St Francis

Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation

United Nations Association Adopt-A- Future

Great Barrington Land Conservancy

Culinary Institute of America Scholarship Fund

Northwestern Regional School District 7

Sandy Beach Restoration Fund

Bethlehem Food Pantry

CJ First Candle

Sharon Daycare Center

Sharon Recreation Center

MediShare

Sparrow’s Nest

St Mary’s School

Pine Plains recreation

Moments House

Autism Connections

Torrington Trails Network

Cancer Care Fund of Litchfield Hills

United Way of Dutchess County

Boy Scout Troop 114, Valatie, NY

Ichabod Crane Central School BackPack Program

Family Services Domestic Violence (Poughkeepsie)

Camp Wa Wa Segowea Scholarships

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Berkshire and Litchfield Counties

Prime Time House

Torrington Area Parkinson’s Support Group

National MS Society, MA, NY and CT

Construct

ALS Association

Parks and Recreation Wamogo Scholarship Fund

Sandisfield Library and Community Center

Massachusetts Audubon

Berkshire Humane

Adopt- A – Family

Amenia Fire Co.

Amenia Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund

Ancrum Fire Co.

Susan B. Anthony Project

FISH of NWCT

Community Kitchen of Torrington

McCall Foundation

Open Door of Winsted

Canaan VFW Scholarship Fund

Taconic Scholarship Fund

Charlie Ormsby Children’s Golf Clinic

Coarc

Columbia-Greene Community Foundation

Sheffield Kiwanis Club

Fairview Hospital Med-Surg Unit

College Possible

Boy’s and Girl’s Club, Berkshires

Millbrook Community Pre-School

EPIC Youth Empowerment Program

Grace Latino Outreach Program

Food For Life Pantry

Church Alliance Senior Housing

Harwinton Youth Sports Association

Hearts of the Father Outreach

Immaculate Conception Church of St. Martin of Tours Parish

Isaiah Lamb Fund

Canaan Exchange Club Scholarship Fund

Kara Zinke Emergency Fund

Kent Volunteer Fire Dept.

Knights of Columbus Scholarship Fund

Food Pantries of Woodbury, Watertown and Salisbury

Litchfield Sports Booster Club

Canaan Fire Co.

Maplebrook School Scholarship Fund

Oliver Wolcott Technical High School Scholarship Fund

Help Hope Live Northeast Transplant Fund

Possum Queen Foundation

Salisbury Central School

Salisbury Winter Sports Association

Salisbury Youth Hockey

Sharon Fire Dept.

Region One Athletic Fund

Stockbridge and Lenox Libraries

Torrington Area Families for Autism

St. Anthony of Padau and Our Lady of Grace Churches Scholarship Fund

Litchfield Sports Booster Club

Great Barrington Rotary Club Scholarship Fund

Monument Mountain High School Spartan Football Team

Roeliff Jensen Community Library

Thomas J. Berlinghoff Memorial Fund

Torrington Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund

All Hands Volunteers

Pearson School Playground

Sabin Institute

Torrington Youth Service Bureau

Hurricane Relief, Virgin Islands

Tanzanian Children’s Fund

Mekele School for the Blind

Northwest United Way

Jane Lloyd Fund

Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service

American Cancer Society

Bantam Lake Projects

Helping Hands FILAM Fund

Norfolk Curling Club

Sunday in the County Food Drive

CT Children’s Medical Center

Habitat For Humanity, Dutchess County

NWCT Rod and Gun Club

St. Peter/St. Francis School

Accelerate Brain Cancer Research

CT Brain Cancer Alliance

Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research

Special Olympics, CT

Housatonic Valley Regional High School Basketball Programs

Kenneth Krom Scholarship Fund

Mt. Everett High School Booster Club

Sharon Parks and recreation

Litchfield High School Senior Class

New Hartford Land Trust

Sharon Fire Dept.

John Rice Scholarship Fund

Keri Perotti Scholarship Fund

Hudson River Housing

Donate Life

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