Vernon Edition January 18-31, 2011

The Sports DepartmentServing • Ellington • South Windsor • Tolland • Vernon

Also Serving • East Windsor • Enfield • Somers • Stafford

Columnist Jon Buzby talks about supporting

your local teamduring the Winter

blues. See Page 3

Community MVP keeps the Stafford sports scene alive.

See Page 5.

InsideThe SportsDepartment

Andrew Roussey goes up for the strong finish during Tolland’s game against Rockville on January 11. Tolland won the game, 52-41. See what happened with all of the high school teams beginning on page 8. Photo by Sher-rene Wells, The Sports Department, www.wellsphotogal-lery.com

Former EWHS Coach Found PlayingAs A Team Is The Key To SuccessBy Steve SmithThe Sports Department

Despite the many great players Mel Kleckner coached in his 28 years as East Windsor’s boys’ basketball coach, he al-ways taught his squads to play as a team.

“Basic fundamentals, teamwork, ball-handing discipline,” Kleckner said, “was what led to most of our success. “We seemed to work with that. We didn’t have a lot of self-made players.”

Kleckner had a 398-276 record, and won six league titles from 1960-88. He was named CIAC Coach of the Year in 1979.

Kleckner’s teams also narrowly lost Class S State tournament games to Ellington in 1972, and St. Thomas Aquinas in 1975.

Former UConn coach Hugh Greer also employed that type of coaching philosophy, and Kleckner said he patterned himself after Greer.

It was always about having a plan, and sticking to it, no matter who is on the court,

with the idea that the players with better skills would make the team bet-ter anyway.

“We just liked to play as a team as best we could,” Kleckner said. “We always had a few players who were better than the other ones, ability-wise, but they’d

always work toward helping the other guys out. That’s the way we worked.”

Over the years, Kleckner would alter the game plan, according to personnel, and he looked at each year as a new challenge.

“If we had a lot of quick players, we’d do a lot of pressing,” he said. “It would depend on the players’ abilities.”

Among his many great memories, Kleck-

ner recalls a season that went from night to day.

“My first year at East Windsor, we started off 1-8, and ended up 8-1 the sec-ond half,” he said. “We beat Bloomfield in the last game of the season, at Bloomfield, and then they went on to win the state championship that year.”

Chris Corkum was a history teacher at EWHS, and Kleckner’s assistant coach from 1976 to 1982.

“I was a young guy just out of college,” said Corkum. “He was the greatest person I could get around at that time, because he helped me focus. As a coach, the number one thing I learned from him was how simple to keep things.”

Corkum said Kleckner eschewed com-plex offenses because he knew they were difficult to execute, especially with a Class S squad.

“He was very good at sizing up how the See “KLECKNER”, Page 4

Taking It Strong ToThe Rack

KLECKNER

Where Are They Now?

January 18-31, 20112 The Sports Department

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January 18-31, 2011 3The Sports Department

Support Your Community Teams During The Winter

By Jon BuzbyThe Sports Department

To nobody’s surprise, winter has hit Connecticut in full force. And while pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in less than three weeks — to Florida and Arizona — the cold tem-peratures at home will be sticking around for a bit longer and can make weekend days stuck indoors seem as long as an entire baseball season.

If your kids play youth sports over the winter, indoor practices and games can help pass the time a little. But during the many hours spent at home before and af-ter, what’s a child to do? Or, should I say, what’s a parent to do with the child?

I’m not going to suggest you clear the living room furniture, throw down bases and hope the television doesn’t get

whacked with a ball. Nor would I suggest trying to figure out what piece of furniture to use as a soccer goal.

A ping-pong or pool table or any other similar basement game is a great resource if you have one, but let’s be seri-ous, how many of us do? And even if you do, that’s not getting you or your kids out of the house.

So instead of letting the winter blues encapsulate the imaginations of your chil-dren — images of the children in “The Cat in the Hat” on that rainy day come to mind — consider going to watch a local high school or college game and support the dedicated amateur players in your area.

While attending a basketball game at UConn may not always be feasible, you can take your children to the local high school or small college game for less

than a night out at the movies.Basketball, wrestling, swimming and

hockey seasons are in full swing and there are most likely games or meets in your area almost every night of the week and during the afternoon on the weekend.

Taking your little basketball player to see a high school hoops game is a great way for him or her to see the game at a different level. Imagine how great it will be for him to actually see players in a zone defense with their hands up in the air. My guess is it will have a much big-ger impact than any of the times you’ve yelled “hands up” from the bleachers.

The winter months are also a chance to take your kids to watch a sport they’ve never played or seen. Hockey and swim-ming are perfect examples. Given the costs and accessibility issues of these sports, many kids aren’t afforded the op-portunity to participate in them. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be exposed to these sports. Just don’t be surprised, or caught off guard financially, if you return home and one kid wants skates and a stick, and the other a Speedo and

goggles. And don’t forget how important it is for

boys to see girls play. Imagine the look on your son’s face when he realizes girls can not only skate, but handle a puck while doing so … and lay out some pretty mean checks. It’s important to teach boys about girls playing sports at an early age

to eliminate stereo-typing in the future. This is especially important if there are no female siblings playing youth sports.

As mentioned in a previous column, go-ing to a roller or ice rink, indoor batting cage or other sports-related place where your child can be active is a great idea too. But, let’s face it, not everyone has that opportunity, and doing it often can get very expensive.

Winter is already half over, so hurry up and take advan-

tage of the opportunity to go cheer on a local team. It will get you and your kids out of the house to a warm place.

Reach syndicated columnist Jon Buzby at jonbuzby@hotmail.com, and be sure to read his weekly Sports Buzz online at www.thesportsdept.com.

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So instead of letting the winter blues encapsulate the imaginations of your children — images of the

children in “The Cat in the Hat” on that rainy day come to mind — consider

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dedicated amateurplayers in your area.

January 18-31, 20114 The Sports DepartmentWhere Are They Now?

Kleckner Put Team Ahead Of IndividualContinued from Page 1 other team was taking advantage of us, and making adjustments,” Corkum said, “very simple adjustments that anyone could understand.”

Kleckner was also cooler under pres-sure, Corkum said.

“The tighter the game got, the more clearer he thought,” Corkum said, “espe-cially compared to the opposing coach. He was the best at managing time with two minutes to go in the game.”

Corkum said Kleckner was, and still is, a “supreme gentleman,” “honest to a fault,” and when asked advice on a personal matter, “you knew it wouldn’t go any fur-ther than right there.”

“If we didn’t have good players,” Corkum said, “he’d say, ‘look, we don’t have good players, and here’s how we’re going to have to go about this now.’”

Before coaching in East Windsor, Kleck-ner coached for three years at Peoples Academy High School in Morrisville, Vermont. “There was a lot of traveling when you played up there,” he said. “In the wintertime, we’d go play Bradford, near the New Hampshire line. We’d leave at 1 in the afternoon for a 7 o’clock game.”

Peoples won the state title the year after Kleckner left to come to Connecticut – a testament, perhaps in part, to the type of program he liked to build.

Kleckner stopped coaching in 1988, and retired from teaching Phys. Ed. four years later. He also served as EWHS’s Athletic Director.

Today, Kleckner still lives in East Wind-

sor, and said he sees a lot of his former players around, with whom he still has a great rapport.

He spends his free time hunting and fishing, traveling with his wife, and visiting his children and grand-children.

Two of Kleckner’s daughters live in California, and one in Florida. His son, Mel Jr. lives outside of Boston, where one of Kleckner’s grandsons has picked up the basketball, and may be a natural.

“An 8th-grader, he’s 6-foot-two-and-a-half,” Kleckner said, “with a size 13 shoe. He’s going to be a big one.”

Kleckner has visited Hawaii, Califor-nia, and Alaska with his wife. In his days in the military, he visited everywhere in Europe, and “everywhere down to Saudi Arabia.”

Kleckner said he can recall a time before the NCCC, and there were fewer teams around.

“We had to go out looking for games,” he said. “When I first came [to East Wind-sor], we belonged to the Charter Oak Conference, but that was too far away. I asked our principal to get us out of there. We went from 20 games to 15 games for a while. But, later we were all set.”

Nowadays, Kleckner said the competi-tion between high schools is “fouled up,” because school enrollments fluctuate, with some of the smaller towns having large student populations (and therefore, larger pools of players), and vice versa.

“I remember when Enfield and Fermi were some of the largest schools in the state,” he said. “Now they’re talking about

merging them. I remember playing [now-class LL-powerhouse] Glastonbury when it was what we called a ‘D’ school.”

Kleckner said he watches the NBA and the UConn Huskies, but said his ap-preciation for the game on that level has diminished.

“It’s become too physical,” he said. “The height and speed factors have made it so much one-on-one that the team concept is gone.”

Kleckner added that in his observa-tions, when a smaller school plays a top-level college team like UConn, they’re far out-matched because the larger ones re-cruit the big athletes and the smaller ones are still focusing on the team concept.

Kleckner will still check in on East

Windsor’s team once in a while.A few years ago, when the team was

headed for its Class S title in 2007, Kleck-ner drove to see the semifinal match vs. Granby, which was played on a neutral court in Suffield, despite having a tear in his Achilles’ tendon.

“I was ready to go into the hospital to have it operated on, because it wasn’t completely severed,” he said. “It severed that night. It was dangling. I had to use my left foot on the gas. They won that night, but I missed the final game.”

Kleckner said he misses his East Windsor High School days, and retired because he just didn’t have that “give it all you got,” anymore, and decided to “let someone else try it.”

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January 18-31, 2011 5The Sports Department

Local Dentist Raises Funds For Hoop ProgramsBy Reid L. WalmarkThe Sports Department

There are two ways to deal with bad news. One is to accept it and try to learn from the bad news if there’s a lesson to be gained. The other is to try to fight it and undo the injustice.

Neil Hoss, a Tolland-based dentist who lives in Stafford, learned the Stafford Board of Education’s budget trimming led to the decision to cut out the middle school boys and girls basketball teams. Instead of allow-ing more than two dozen aspiring hoopsters to lose out on a competitive season, Hoss reacted to the news by trying to raise funds to reinstate the teams. The Stafford Middle School teams are still around, thanks to Hoss, even though not quite all the money has been collected.

This act of determination, though, is not the first time Hoss’s commitment to youth sports has been recognized and appreci-ated by the citizens of Stafford. For his many years of active participation in a variety of sports in town, Hoss, the president of Stafford Youth Basketball, has been named Community MVP for January by The Sports

Department.Many of those players could have

turned to the established travel teams for seventh- and eighth-graders for 2010-11 and not missed out on a season, but Hoss recognized the cost of joining these teams is prohibitive for some families, while playing on the school team is not. He thought it only fair to give the players the option to choose between the two programs.

Do you know someone that should be recognized as an MVP in your com-munity? Send us your nomination today!! You may submit nominations online at www.thesportsdept.com. Be sure to include a few sentences as to what makes the person a Community MVP and remember; an MVP can be anyone who has helped to make a difference by working with young

athletes in our community.

Rockville Bank is proud to sponsor this month’s

Community MVP

Community MVP (Most Valuable Person)

“If they didn’t play [middle school bas-ketball], that would be OK,” said Hoss, a basketball and baseball player at Tolland High School (Class of 1979) who played a year of junior varsity basketball at Clark University. “But I figure, the more they play, the better they get. I didn’t want those who wanted to play for the school team to miss the opportunity.”

The teams Hoss, 49, and his associ-ates helped to bail out at the middle school needed $6,500.00 to operate this season, af-ter the initial cost was projected at $8,000.00. Most of that has been raised and a deadline for balance of the payment has no firm date. Hoss turned over a check for $5,200.00 in early December. The group is accepting donations.

Mark Fontanella stepped down as presi-dent of Stafford Youth Basketball after last season. “I was looking for someone I would feel comfortable handing it over to,” said Fontanella, in his fourth year as the Stafford Board of Education chairman. “He has the same passion and dedication to make the program better. He has been all over youth sports for years.”

In addition to running Stafford Youth Basketball, Hoss is vice president of the Stafford Little League. Prior to that, he was the league’s safety director for five years as well as serving on the board of directors. Hoss is head coach of the travel basketball team for fifth- and sixth-grade girls, on which his daughter, Catherine, 11, plays. He is

assistant coach for the eighth-grade boys travel team, where his son Alex, 13, plays. His oldest, Luke, 15, is on the Stafford High School JV team.

The growth of one of Hoss’s sixth-grade players, Ashley Dempsey, in a short span this season typifies what Hoss enjoys about coaching youth sports. She showed bravery and then confidence through his encourage-ment.

Dempsey had proven she is an accurate shooter in practices but was timid to launch shots in games. “‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it,’ she would keep saying to me,” Hoss said about trying to get Dempsey to display her skills in games. “I said, ‘You can do it, you can do it.’ Well, I got her into a game and she made two shots.

“She had the biggest smile on her face that I had ever seen,” Hoss said. “That was great.”

Fontanella says Hoss makes great con-nections with his players. “He focuses on the strengths of the players and draws it out of them, and he makes them see that.”

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Stafford Middle School students hold a check presented by Dr. Neil Hoss, who helped spearhead the fundraining effo. Pictured with Hoss (back right) are students Jessica Simp-son, Alex Hoss, Catherine Hoss, assistant principal Marco Pelliccia and Stafford MIddle School basketball coaches Ed Jakus and Don Bergeron. Photo provided by Neil Hoss.

January 18-31, 20116 The Sports DepartmentOur Kids, Their Sports

Talking With A Coach: Taking the Stress OutBrooke de LenchSyndicated Columnist

If the world were a perfect place, talking to your child’s coach would be as natural and stress free as talking to your child’s teacher. Parents should feel free to let the coach know anything we feel will affect our younger child’s participation, such as stress in the child’s home life or school, the fact that he has chron-ic asthma, or has to miss a game to attend a family wedding. With our older children there are also times a parent needs to step in.

We also should be able to expect that the coach will share any concerns with us about our child at any time. Unfortunately, many coaches may not know the benefits of open communication with parents. As I travel the nation talking with groups of parents, it strikes me that the teams with the least amount of issues are the ones where a coach has an optional weekly parents meeting. The more a coach is able to be pro-active in their com-munication the more successful the sport season will be for everyone. With clear and open communication many assumptions that may be false are eliminated at every level, including high school.

Unfortunately, as I know all too well from my conversations with parents and coaches over the years, there is not much that worries and confuses parents more than how to talk with a coach-especially if we feel our child is being mistreated.

Since it simply isn’t possible to shield our children completely from bad coaches, when we feel that we have something to say, no matter how unpopular, we should speak up. If your intuition is to speak, speak. There is

no dishonor in voicing an opinion; there is no dishonor in trying to protect your child. Here’s advice on how to take the stress out of the experience.1. Regardless of the issue you may have with

your child’s coach, talk to your child first to find out what they’re feeling and thinking before you talk to the coach. Your child’s feelings may be very different than yours and they deserve your respect.

2. Encourage your child to talk to the coach himself. For instance, if your child is not getting as much playing time as he or she thinks they deserve, the child should ask, “Coach, what do I need to work on so that I can earn more playing time?”

3. Hold up speaking until you see a pat-tern and after you have gathered all the facts with an open mind. Check with the assistant coaches and other parents. Be patient. Give the coach the chance to get to know your child before you intervene. Even if your child’s feelings mirror your

own, don’t conclude that you have to talk to the coach. Consider the effect your talking to the coach may have on your child’s relation-ships with his teammates and the coach. Sometimes, it may be better to keep quiet until you have given the matter more thought and, perhaps, talked to other parents to see if they have concerns similar to yours. If so, you may be better off going to the coach as a group.

If your child can’t resolve the problem with the coach on her own, it is time for you to become your child’s advocate and meet with the coach. Your child should be present, even if you end up doing most, if not all, the talking

because it will help them learn how to speak for themself in the future with other coaches and authority figures.1. Choose the right time and place: If you

have criticisms, or want to voice a negative comment to your child’s coach, the best time to talk to the coach is after the game and alone, not in front of the players and other parents. Right before, during, or immediately after games or practices are not great times to have a heart-to-heart with the coach. If a face-to-face meeting is warranted, set a time and place which is free of distractions where you can talk and maintain good eye contact.

2. Check your body language: Are your arms tightly folded across your chest or are your hands loose and comfortable? Are you making direct eye contact and are your eyes open without the “evil eye” appearance that you may really want to be expressing?

3. Avoid words that block open communica-tion. What you say can make a big dif-ference in how you are perceived. Avoid words like “but”, “try,” “should,” “have to ...,” “always,” “never,” and “obviously.”

4. Be assertive, not aggressive. Be firm but polite. You want the coach to hear you, believe you, and help resolve an important problem, not feel like he is being attacked. Yet, common communication techniques almost guarantee the opposite result. Too often, we lead with personal attacks, exag-gerations, and pre-judgments. Opening salvos such as “You told Allison that she would be the starting goalie” beg for debate and rebuttal, rather than inviting problem solving and empathy. Instead, send a powerful message that can get through the

coach’s defenses because it focuses on the problem, not the person.

5. Practice active listening. After the coach has stated their thoughts you may want to paraphrase what the coach has just said, such as saying, “What I hear you say-ing is that .....” Saying to a coach, “What I understand you to be saying is that some of the girls will play the entire game while most will only play half the game or less,” may make him see how unfair he is being. Try to see things from the coach’s point of view; it is likely to vastly improve the quality of the discussion.

6. Look for common ground. Usually, we think we have the solution all figured out, before we know enough about the problem. Making a single, non-negotiable demand prevents discussion of other creative options and makes it harder to back down in favor of a better idea. A more constructive approach is to accept that there are many ways to solve a problem. Then, generate as many options as possible that combine the coach’s inter-ests and your own. Some people are likely to be indirect when it comes to admitting fault or weakness, so pushing for an admis-sion of fault, which forces a coach into the uncomfortable “one down” position may not be the best approach

Brooke de Lench is a youth sports expert. She is the author of HOME TEAM ADVAN-TAGE: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (Harper Collins) and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MomsTeam.com-the trusted source for youth sports parents.

Copyright: © 2011 Brooke de Lench/MomsTeam.com

January 18-31, 2011 7The Sports DepartmentVernon

Dodgeball In Full EffectBy Amy LocandroThe Sports Department

The dodgeball program is for anyone ages 8-13 years old. Participants will meet once a week.• Weds., through Feb. 16, 7:00 -8:00pm,

Lake Street Gym• Fee: Residents $40, Non-Residents $45

WrestlingLearn self-discipline, self confidence and

fortitude. The program will also help to de-velop strength of character in young people. This program will be taught by Zach Odell. This is an 8-week program.• Ages: 5-12• Sats., RHS Wrestling Room• Time: Ages 5-7; 12:30-1:30 pm (sect. A);

Ages 8-12; 1:30-2:30 pm (sect. B)• Fee: $43 Residents, $48 Non-Residents

PilatesDesigned to develop a strong core while

maintaining loose, limber limbs. The exer-cises provide multiple variations to meet the needs of different body types. It strengthens the body while keeping all the joints mo-bile and flexible. Bring a mat, comfortable clothes, and water. This is a mixed-level class so all are welcome to attend.• Mons., through Feb. 28 (no class Jan. 17,

Feb. 21), 5:30-6:30pm• Vernon Teen Center Big Room• Fee: $53 Residents, $58 Non-Residents

Cardio/Strength ClassThis class will improve self confidence,

speed up your metabolism, strengthen your heart and so much more. This program is a 6-week class taught by W.I.T.S. certi-fied Personal Trainer, AFAA Group Fitness Instructor Holly Pellegrino.• Through Feb. 16• Wed. morning class will be held from 9

a.m.-9:45 a.m., Vernon Teen Center Fit-ness Room

• Wed. evening class held from 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m. at NEWHOCA Lodge (located on Gri-er Rd, use Anchorage Rd back entrance)

• Fee: $48 Residents, $53 Non-Residents

Small Group Personal TrainingGet the close attention from this small

group class (max 3) to get the full ben-efits from a personal trainer. You will get amazing results from this exercise class. Avoid overcrowded classes and learn what

your particular body needs to get the most satisfying results. This program is a 6 week class taught by W.I.T.S. certified Personal Trainer, AFAA Group Fitness Instructor Holly Pellegrino.• Weds., through Feb. 16, 10 a.m.-10:45

a.m.• Vernon Teen Center Fitness Room• Fee: $175

YogaLearn to relax, reduce stress, stretch,

strengthen muscles and joints, and develop a more flexible body. Special attention is given to the spine, as the focus is on proper alignment, posture, and limbering up. Relaxation with deep breathing is em-phasized, so that both mind and body feel restored and rejuvenated. Classes are ap-propriate for all ages, levels of ability, and belief systems. Please wear loose clothing and bring a mat or towel for extra comfort. Classes meet for eight weeks. The classes are for ages 17 and older.• Tues. morning class held Feb. 8 - April

5 from 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m., no class Feb. 22.

• Thurs. evening classes through March 24 (no class on Jan. 27, Feb. 3 and Feb. 24). 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m.

• Vernon Teen Center Fitness Room• Fee: $56 Residents, $61 Non-Residents

ZumbaRoutines feature interval training ses-

sions where fast and slow rhythms, plus re-sistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Instruc-tor Marlene focuses strongly on increasing your strength and flexibility in the core. This program is for those 13 years old and up.• Tues., through Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.-7:30

p.m., Vernon Teen Center Gymnasium (Center 375)

• Fee: Residents $55, Non-Residents $60

Thank You Youth Basketball SponsorsThe Vernon Parks and Recreation De-

partment would like to thank our following sponsors: Visual Perceptions, Sawicki Insur-ance Agency, Dunbar Jewelers, Guillermo’s Hair Studio, Ray Seraphin Ford, Beni’s Restaurant, Vernon Pizza, Panda Palace, TicketNetwork, Mr. Sparkle Car Wash, The Garden Barn, Between Rounds, New Eng-land Pizza and Restaurant, Olender’s Body Shop and Rein’s Deli .

RockvilleStudent Athlete of the Month

Angus Deane Hockey

Accomplishments: High Honors stu-dent, Assistant Captain(Hockey 2010-2011), two-time letter winner (Hockey), one-time letter winner (Lacrosse) GPA: 3.7 Other sports: Lacrosse How do you prepare for a game: I try not to socialize too much, so I usually listen to music or just keep quiet to stay focused. Thoughts on the season: We’re an older, more experienced team than last year, with a lot of potential. If we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can be a huge threat. Toughest team to play against: Bolton-Coventry-Lyman, we always have a good game with those guys. Favorite sports memory: Going to New-port for a Christmas tournament every year of youth hockey. Favorite memory of high school: Playing in a state tournament game my freshman year; hopefully I get the chance to do it again this year. Role model or inspirational person in your life: One of my youth hockey coaches Tom Ford. He took a huge part in developing me into the player I am today. Most embarrassing moment: Forgetting to take off my skate guards before I got on the ice for a game. That never ends well. Toughest challenge I’ve overcome: Proving myself to be a varsity player my freshman year.

Favorite athlete: David Krejci Most famous (or near famous) person I ever met: Gordie Howe Person I’d like most to meet: Wayne Gretzky Favorite way to relax: Watch a funny movie with a few friends, or watch Sports-Center Favorite class: U.S History Favorite snack food: Definitely my mothers cookies. Everybody loves those. Favorite band: Dave Matthews Band Favorite restaurant: Bills Seafood Red Sox or Yankees: Red Sox Favorite movie: Happy Gilmore Favorite television show: The Buzz on NESN Plans after high school: Go to a good school with a good education, and hope-fully make some time to play club hockey or lacrosse.

Vernon Parks and Recreation

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January 18-31, 20118 The Sports DepartmentRockville

Rockville Hockey Has Sights Set On State TournamentBy Reid L. WalmarkThe Sports Department

The Rockville/Manchester/Stafford United co-op hockey team is 4-3-0 and aiming for eight victories to qualify for the CIAC Division III state tournament. Last year, the team was 5-14-1. Stronger defense has been the foundation to the improvement. Opponents power plays have been successful less than 10 per-cent of the time against United.

Senior goaltender Ryan Villandry, a transfer, has two shutouts, against Northwest Catholic and Hall/Southington. He has a 2.99 goals against average. Senior Jack Johnson leads the team with eight goals. Junior Angus Deane is tops in assists (8) and points (10).

“If we continue to move forward,” coach Christian Stevenson said, “we should be able to pick up four more wins.” Rockville/Manchester/Stafford held on for a 5-4 victory over Wethers-field on Dec. 21 after trailing three times during the game, which impressed Stevenson.

Boys BasketballRockville’s boys basketball team

is 1-7 through its first 8 games (3-17 last season) but were showing signs of becoming more competitive, although they are shooting close t o 25.0 percent from the floor. Rockville beat Rocky Hill 42-36 on Dec. 20 then extended RHAM to overtime on Jan. 14 before losing 70-61. Tyler Green’s second put-back at the buzzer in regulation was discounted

by the officials or the Rams would have won.

Rockville has not had someone identi-fy himself as the go-to player for scoring. There was balance in the loss to RHAM, with four double-digit scorers – Tavi Kelly and MJ Faniel each had 11 points and Tyler Green and Vince Desilets each added 10. Senior Jori Dumais grabbed 11 rebounds. Junior Neil Gentile, a JV player a year ago, has shown much im-provement and has become a starter.

“This was our best game,” coach Peter McCann said. “We are getting better. We might be turning the corner. Turnovers in the half-court are hurting us. Teams and players adjust to take away first and second options in our offense, so we need to consistently run our offense to get to the third, fourth and sometimes fifth option.”

Girls BasketballThe Rams were 0-9 through its first

nine games, but are making tangible progress for such a young team. Senior Melissa McCann, the only starter with experience, missed three games and her leadership was not replaced. The Rams just completed a stretch of playing four of the top teams in the CCC in a row.

“We’re definitely becoming more con-fident,” said coach Craig Archambault. “We’re definitely starting to play more together. This process [of improving] won’t take overnight. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.”

Freshman Courtney Joubert scored 12 points against Southington and has been contributing defensively as well, Archambault said. The other starting freshman guard, Wendy Weston, has provided offensive energy. Two fresh-men are starting at forward – Danielle Wemmell and Daphne Botteron. Wem-mell has helped out on the boards and is slowing adding to the scoring.

“It’s about learning and growing, and the freshmen have done a great job.”

WrestlingRockville is 0-7, coming closest to

victory on Dec. 30 in a 36-33 loss to Enfield. Rams’ junior Josh Gluz, a first-year wrestler, won the last match of the

contest at 135 pounds but a pin would have given the Rams the win.

The two seniors have been working the hardest and supplying leadership, coach Tim Gardiner said. Chris Castin-guay is 5-7 at 160 pounds and Sean Hayden is 6-4 at 189 pounds.

Indoor TrackThe Rams boys’ team finished last

among six teams on Jan. 15 at the CCC East meet at Hartford Public, scoring 8 points. Bloomfield won with 150. The Rockville girls team finished fifth of six teams. Hartford Public won with 112. Both Rockville teams will compete in the CCC Championships on Jan. 29 at the New Haven Athletic Center at Hillhouse.

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Jori Dumais tries to box out an Ellington de-fender during a recent game. Photo by Andre Dumais, The Sports Department, www.imaging-byandre.com

Courtney Joubert shows perfect form while taking a jump shot. Photo by Andre Dumais, The Sports Department, www.imaging-byandre.com

Freshman Courtney Joubert (dribbling) and Daphne Botteron have been a pleasant sur-prise for the Rams this season. Photo by Andre Dumais, The Sports Department, www.imagingbyandre.com

Joshua Gluz makes sure his opponent can’t move during a match at the Rock-ville Duals. Photo by Sherrene Wells, The Sports Department, www.wellsphotogal-lery.com

January 18-31, 201110 The Sports DepartmentTolland

Veteran Girls Basketball Team Poised To Make Noise In State TourneyBy Katy SproutThe Sports Department

The Eagles girls basketball team has gotten off to a tremendous start as the team is 8-2 through its first 10 games of the season, including a great performance against Rockville, as the Eagles won 67-26 on Jan. 11. Kristen Schatz-lein led Tolland with 22 points, while Allison Gallo added 10 and Chelsea Domian chipped in with eight. The girls are ranked 20th in the state and chances of advancing far in the state tournament look promising. Standouts include juniors Jenna Lovett, Jess Olson, Gallo and Schatzlein, and senior Sara Anischik. The team mostly consists of return-ing players so team synergy in addition to talent will carry them far as long as they work hard during the season.

Boys and Girls TrackThe Girls Track and Field

team is performing well so far and are looking good going into the competitive portion of the season. Kristin Carr is the leading performer in middle distance and Amber Morrone and Alexa Krause are showing good starts to its season. The Boys Track Team is off to a strong start as well, transitioning from the success of the State Open Cross Country Championship. Trevor LaFontaine and

Bryan Fowler are leading distance per-formers so far. Head Coach Corey Bernier is looking forward to the development of Connor LaFontaine and Colin Sauter. Also showing improvement is Jarrin Jones in sprints and Austin Shelton in high jump and long jump.

Coach Bernier said that goals for both the girls and the boys are to continue to prepare for the CCC Meet and to have

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solid performances at the upcoming H-K Invitational. Additional goals are to stay healthy, prepare for a competitive Class M Championship.

HockeyThe hockey team, partnering with E.O

Smith and Windham, is having a promis-ing start to its season as well. Currently 2-2-1, Coach Victor Hurtuk says the team has performed above expectations but still have room for improvement. Hurtuk also says that the camaraderie and leadership is improving, and that technical skill is being addressed every session in order to succeed this season. The team would like to qualify for the state tournament and to do this they will have to control the play.

Boys BasketballThe boys basketball team is mak-

ing progress winning three of its last four games, evening its record at 4-4. Head coach Mike Lewis said the team is learning the system and that they have a better understanding of what is being asked of them. He also said that the team must work at playing hard for 32 minutes and learn to play tougher and more physical. Coach Lewis says the team to beat so far is Hartford Public, whom they lost to early in the season and play again January 24th. To beat Hartford Public they will need senior leadership by Andrew Roussey and Kris Strobel, and the whole team will have to continue their progress.

Sarah Anischik makes a pass during a recent game against Fermi. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports De-partment, www.stevepalmerphotography.com

January 18-31, 2011 11The Sports DepartmentTolland

Veteran Girls Basketball Team Poised To Make Noise In State Tourney

Jessica Olson looks to make a pass as she brings the ball up court. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.stevepalmerphotography.com

Junior Kristin Schatzlein looks to make a pass during a recent game. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.stevepalmerphotography.com

Tolland’s Chris Byam looks to box out an Ellington defender during the Eagles 66-61 loss to the Knights. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.stevepalmerphotography.com

Taylor Fortin tries to start Tolland’s half court offense during its game against Ellington. Pho-to by Steve Palmer, The Sports Depart-ment, www.stevepalmer-photography.com

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January 18-31, 201112 The Sports DepartmentEllington

Savannah Kresge tries a runner in the lane against two Suffield defend-ers.

Ellington’s Mike Gresh rushes the ball up court, a step ahead of the Tolland defenders. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.stevepalmer-photography.com

Ellington’s Dan Schofer goes up for a layup while avoiding contact against the Tolland defender. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Depart-ment, www.stevepalmerpho-tography.com

Claudia Perez gets past a Suffield defender en route to the hoop.

January 18-31, 2011 13The Sports DepartmentEllington

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Tri-Town Showing No Signs Of Slowing DownBy Dan SchoferThe Sports Department

There may not be a better team playing in all of the winter sports than Tri-Town’s hockey team. The team, which is a co-op consisting of Ellington, East Windsor and Somers is off to a 7-0 start and have no signs of slowing down any time soon. The squad, along with New Canaan, is one of two teams that have won every game this season. Currently, Tri-Town is ranked 8th in the CIAC Division I point rankings.

The team has notched big wins against Greenwich (in overtime), BCL and North Branford and have outscored its oppo-nents 33-15. The team is being lead by top goal scorer Mike Hanna, Billy Cheva-lier and goaltender Mitch Diresta who is becoming a brick wall in the net. Also con-

tributing to the team’s success has been Zack Palmer and Brian Borbas. Hanna scored four goals in the team’s win over Greenwich, including the game winner in overtime.

Upcoming on Tri-Town’s schedule is Amity, Simsbury, and maybe its toughest opponent, Daniel Hand, which is currently ranked third in the CIAC Division III stand-ings.

Boys BasketballEllington’s boys basketball team has

started their season with a record of 5-3 including an exciting win over long time rivals, Tolland. So far they’ve had to ad-dress some early problems, but lately they have really started to focus and realize their roles. Coach Flint believes as the

Marianne Anderson

team matures and hits its stride, it will be a fun team to watch. So far the team knows what it will get from its starters, so the bench has become a major factor. So far the bench has been better than anticipated

providing solid scoring, defense and energy when it is needed most. As long as they don’t take any steps backward and they continue to receive good production from everyone they still look like one of the better

teams in the conference.

Girls BasketballIt has been an up and down season for

the Knights thus far during its 2010-2011 campaign. After winning its first three games against Woodstock Academy, Bolton and Suffield, Ellington dropped two games to Avon and Hall. But the team is back to its winning ways, winning four of its last five games, including a 58-46 win over East Granby on January 14. In that game, Kelly Conley poured in 25 points and Julie Gage added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds to help Ellington to a key NCCC victory. East Granby remained close through the first three quarters and closed to within one point in the fourth. But some clutch free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference for the Knights. Savannah Kresge chipped in with 13 points for Elling-ton while freshman Megan Milliken hauled in 10 rebounds.

Tri-Town’s Brian Brobas hustles for a loose puck during its matchup against Greenwich. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.ste-vepalmerphotography.com

January 18-31, 201114 The Sports DepartmentOutdoors

By Keith ColliThe Sports Department

Best wishes for a Happy New Year to all. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. That snowstorm brought winter in with a great big bang. As bad as it was, there were about 25 diehard ice fisherman and women out on the lake during the height of the blowing snow and wind, but those who endured were well rewarded.

While 13 inches of snow was blowing 35 miles per hour, the salmon bite was on. At the store we took pictures of 12 different salmon that weighed between 8 and 13 pounds. The largest fish was a 12.5 lb beautiful silvery female Atlantic salmon that was caught by a woman from Maine who was down for the holidays with her family in Ellington. She fought the fish for over 35 minutes before sliding it through an eight inch hole on to the ice to the cheers of 15 very jealous guys.

The salmon fishing has been exception-al. The ice on most of the lake as of Jan. 4 was about 7 inches with 4-5 inches of strong black ice under the white ice. Along Rt 140 a homeowner has a bubbler to keep the ice from his lake wall, and the wind whipped water has kept the area in front of the beach open. Caution is recommended when fishing near the beach. At the store we keep an update on ice conditions at most of the local waters.

Salmon fishermen have been having the best luck in 8-10 feet of water leaving their shiners 1-2 feet below the ice. Jigging for trout with a small jig head lure tipped with

Enjoying The Outdoors: Tis The Season For Ice Fishingeither a waxworm or mousie has been very productive. Many of the 4-5 pound brown trout that were part of the 200 broodstock breeder browns (say that fast) that were stocked in the lake in October due to the low water levels in all the local rivers has been a bonanza for several Crystal Lake fishermen. The largest brown that I took pictures of was 6.25 pounds caught on a 24’ jigging rod by a 13 year old boy fishing with his 85 year old grandfather.

Fishing when the first ice forms is tradi-tionally the best of the year and this season has been no exception. Mashapaug, Bigelow Hollow, Staffordville Lake and Cov-entry Lake have all been very productive. At Coventry, two anglers caught 5 walleyes over 20 inches in one morning’s outing. Those fishing after dark has have had equally good result at Mashaphaug (Union). Multiple folks stopping by the store for bait have stories of 30-40 fish catches on a regular basis jigging the new hot Grizz Bait lures and the Crushed Ice colored Swed-ish pimples. Tip-up fisherman using small shiners just under the ice (18”-24”) in 8-10 feet of water have been taking plenty of perch home for a great fish fry. Bass fishing in Lower Bolton, Middle Bolton, Staffordville and Halls Pond has been better than aver-age. In Lower Bolton it appears the state stocking of channel cats has taken hold with fish up to three pounds being reported.

On December 5th Crystal Lake Outfitters caught and released a 10 pound Salmon in the lake. We placed a special tag on the fish and there is a cash prize for the person who catches this fish through the ice and

brings the tag into the store. Details are available at the store. The upcoming ice derby schedules are available at the store or on the DEP inland fisheries website. Two local derbies are put on by the Stafford Fish and Game and Rockville F&G . Rockville Elks/Rockville Fish and Game Derby is February 12, from 7 a.m. until 2 pm. First place wins $500. Entry fee is $20 and regis-tration is available at Crystal Lake Outfit-ters (860-875-3773). On site registration will start at 5:30 a.m. at the clubhouse on Crystal St. Ellington. Bring the whole family to visit, skate, fish, eat, cross country ski or whatever, its a perfect great mid winter festival. During the derby we are having a “best and most interesting“ ice fishing sled and shanty contest.

Most of the local towns are offering

many outdoor winter activities that can be found by visiting the parks and recreation department websites or calling the town halls. Cross country skiing, ice skating and organized winter hikes are some of the family oriented events. Take advantage of the vast state park and state forest systems located within the boundaries of Tolland County and North Central Connecticut to do some outdoor exploring. Winter has some of the best of natures viewing opportunities and a day out in the fields and woods is fun for all.

Keith Colli an experienced outdoor writer, fisherman and hunting guide is the owner of Crystal Lake Outfitters store at the south end of the lake, 292 Sandy Beach Rd. Ellingon.

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January 18-31, 2011 15The Sports DepartmentSouth Windsor

New Bobcats Swimming Team Surprising The CompetitionBy Reid L. WalmarkThe Sports Department

The new boys swimming and diving team won its first two meets. The Bobcats first-ever meet was a 94-92 win over E.O. Smith/Tolland at the Starhill Aquatic Center in Tolland on Jan. 4. They defeated Bulke-ley, 100-78, on Jan. 11. Their next meet is Jan. 25 at East Hartford.

Coach Heather Vendetta said eight to 10 swimmers among the 19 swimmers and two divers (Tori Russo, a girl, is one of the divers) on the team have already qualified for the CIAC Class L trials on March 9.

Senior Nick Purrington won the 10-yard backstroke, in 55.19 seconds, and the 100 freestyle (49.9) against Bulkeley, qualifying for the states in the freestyle. Sophomore Tim Savidge placed first against Bulkely in the 500 freestyle (5:14.0). Freshman Pat Savidge won the 200 freestyle (1:53.2) against E.O. Smith/Tolland. His time in that meet in the 500 freestyle was 5:01.2. “He’s been a huge bonus,” Vendetta said about Pat Savidge. “I’d say he’s our top dog, our best swimmer. He’s quite versatile.”

HockeyThe Bobcats are 7-2, including a pair of

wins over teams from Maine (Portland and York) during December, outscoring their opposition by 47-21. They are 3-1 in CCC Division I. Its 11-2 win over Fermi on Jan. 15 was its sixth straight victory.

Junior center Joe Bonazelli leads South Windsor in scoring with 11 goals. Senior Nate Waldeisen is next with seven goals. Kyle Benson, a senior, has contributed six. Two juniors have been alternating in goal. Ryan Serksnas is 4-0 with a 2.45 goals against average and an 88.2 save percentage. Christian Marchi is 3-2 with 2.20 GAA.

“We’re off to a good start,” said coach Neil Rodman. “The biggest positive is the way the team has come together. There’s a lot of camaraderie. We’re using our depth – three forward lines and four or five defensemen.”

Girls BasketballThe Bobcats (6-5) have improved by a

wide margin over last year’s 2-18 record, but the strides could be larger if they weren’t playing in such a competitive divi-sion, the CCC North. South Windsor has seven games against team ranked in the state poll. The team has been led by their

post players, junior Savanna Gray and freshman Maxine Offiaeli.

Senior forward/guard Amy Bellone has been averaging close to 10 points a game. Freshman Christine Rozie, who has been strong in their press, scored 12 points in a 36-32 win over Wethersfield on Jan. 14. Junior Rachel Karlins, at point guard, has been impressive.

“The team plays hard,” said coach Don Leclerc, who is using many players off the bench. “They’re not afraid of anyone. Stay-ing within ourselves will help us get over the hurdle. We’ve surprised a few teams in the conference and that’s mainly due to our stature. As a group, we don’t look beyond the next day.”

Boys BasketballSouth Windsor is 0-8. Coming off a 2-18

record in 2009-10 and with a new coach, an adjustment period was expected by all. “We’re playing hard. Even if we are down by a lot, we’re competing hard all the way buzzer,” said coach Brendan McClay. “I’m seeing progress every day but we’re not seeing it fast enough. We don’t have our half-court offense in total control yet but we’re making progress.”

The Bobcats, who have been focusing on the fundamentals, have struggled at defensive rebounding and their transition game has not been reliable. Senior John Pelkey has been battling tough at center despite being outsized. “He’s a tough-nosed kid,” McClay said. “He clogs up the middle and boxes out; he’s definitely a leader. He does all the small things.”

South Windsor missed senior point guard Jordan Jones when he was out with an injury for three games. “He’s fast and quick and able to create his own shots.” Gymnastics

The Bobcats are 0-2, with their next meet Jan. 27 against Southington, possi-bly the best team in the state. Coach Toni Langevin was impressed by their improve-

ment, losing to Wethersfield 112.1-79.7 in their opener Jan. 4 then performing much better in a 128.15-104.45 loss to Farming-ton two days later.

Sophomore Maddie O’Brien scored a 32.4 all-around (beam, bars, vault, floor exercise) against Farmington, placing sec-ond in the vault (8.40) and beam (8.30). Sophomore Kileigh Nassau was fourth in the vault (8.20) against Farmington. Freshman Katie Noske raised her all-around from a 21.4 against Wethersfield to a 25.25. Senior Sharraye Matthews improved from a 5.0 to a 6.9 on the vault.

“Overall, we’ve done a nice job of im-proving,” Langevin said.

Girls Indoor TrackThe Bobcats finished 17th of 26 teams

Jan. 8 at the 68th Lindy Remigino Ini-vtational at Wesleyan University. Junior Preethi Vaidyanath won the high jump at 5-feet. Junior Alisha Barrett, returning from an injury, finished 13th in the shot put with a throw of 28-6. Senior Jennifer Dean placed seventh in the high jump Dec. 17 at the New Haven Invitational with a jump of 4-8; Vaidyanath was second.

South Windsor will compete in the CCC Championships Jan. 29 in New Haven.

Boys Indoor TrackSophomore Sean Doolady qualifed

in the 55-meter dash at the Remigino Invitational on Jan. 8 with a time of 6.92 seconds. Senior Patrick Seypura quali-fied in the 600 in 1:32.93. Senior Brendan Gauthier qualified in the 1,600 in 4:48.57. Senior Sam Kaczmarek was 10th in the shot put at 39-2.

WrestlingSouth Windsor opened at 8-0 and 2-0 in

the CCC North. The 2009-10 CIAC Class LL and State Open runners-up, the Bob-cats were ranked seventh in The Norwich Bulletin’s state wrestling coaches poll on Jan. 9.

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All the Manchester basketball team can do is watch as South Wind-sor’s Jordan Jones coasts in for the layup. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Department, www.stevepal-merphotography.com

South Windsor’s John Pelkey takes a mid-range jumper in between two Manchester defenders. Manchester won the game, 75-42. Photo by Steve Palmer, The Sports Depart-ment, www.stevepalmerphotography.com

South Windsor’s Kayla Celentano works on her floor exercise. Photo by Sherrene Wells, The Sports Department, www.well-sphotogallery.com

The South Wind-sor swimming team has gotten off to a flying start in its first season.Photo by Sher-rene Wells, The Sports Depart-ment, www.wellsphotogallery.com

January 18-31, 2011 17The Sports Department

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Hammick Tournament Honors One Of South Windsor’s FinestBy Danny LombardThe Sports Department

Twelve boys basketball teams, sixth through eighth grade, traveled to Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Wind-sor. for the annual Fred Hammick Boys Basketball Invitational this past weekend during the Martin Luther King holiday. The tournament ran from January 14th-16th. The teams were from Ellington, Vernon, Southington, and South Windsor. Each town brought three teams from each grade. The teams played 3 games, and there was a championship game for each grade held on Sunday.

In 1989 the annual boys travel basketball tourna-ment was named after Coach Hammick. His wife Maureen Hammick said “ he couldn’t believe that the league had named the event after him, that’s just how humble of a guy my husband was.” Craig Zimmerman the tourna-ment director said, “Coach Hammick was that guy that every town needs. It goes beyond words on how helpful, and just great of all around guy he was. Coach would do little things like go-ing to McDonalds every Saturday morning with the team. It was a big deal to the kids because they spent extra time with their

coach.”Hammick started coaching the South

Windsor travel team in 1972. He also coached Little League and American Le-gion Baseball for more than 20 years, as well as midget football. Coach Hammick was also the first basketball coach of the Catholic Youth Organization League for St.

Margaret Mary’s Church. Maureen said that her husband just

enjoyed being out there helping kids. “He never cut anyone from his teams because he believed in everyone” his wife said. He

Check out more action from the Fred Hammick tournament in our photo gallery at www.thesportsdept.com

South Windsor took home 8th grade title at the Fred Hammick tournament.

Kyle Luginbuhl flies in hard toward the hoop during 6th grade action. Ellington’s 6th and 7th grade teams won championships at the tournament

never wanted to leave anyone out of a game.

Coach Hammick touched hundreds of kid’s lives by mentoring them on and off the court. He was a great role model to the youth South Wind-sor. Coach Hammick also refereed for more than 20 years in both youth basketball, and high school levels.

The tournament is based on good com-

petition, focus, and sportsmanship. Coach Hammick would be proud to know that the

tournament is going on strong with the right mind set each and every year to carry out his tradition.

In this year’s tourna-ment, South Windsor defeated Southington 47-41 for the 8th grade title. Ellington won the 7th and

6th grade titles with 43-41 and 55-32 wins over South Windsor, respectively.

Coach Hammick touched hundreds of

kid’s lives bymentoring them on and

off the court.

January 18-31, 201118 The Sports DepartmentKid’s Activities

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One Streak Ends, Another BeginsThe 9 & 10 year old South Windsor Squirt A’s tallied 22 wins without a

loss before losing their last game in December. The Squirt A’s who are back to back State Champs as Mites, look forward to the second half of the season as they have already started their next streak by beating the Springfield Pics 4-3.

The South Windsor Pee Wee B’s scored five goals in a five minute span in the third period as they defeated Simsbury 6-1 to start 2011. Andrew White scored two goals for South Windsor.

The South Windsor Midget Minor Tier 2 Team defeated West Ha-ven 7-3 to win their 2nd consecutive state championship. The team fell behind 2-0 in the 1st period, but overwhelmed West Haven with 5 goals in the 2nd period, then played solid defense in the 3rd to win the game. The team won their semifinal game against the Southern Stars, 7-3. The team will represent Connecticut in the 16U Tier 2 Nationals in Reston Virginia (March 30th - April 3rd, 2011).

Pitkat To Drive New CarStafford’s Woody Pitkat will drive a car owned by indoor TQ-Midget

expert Lou Cicconi, Jr. in the upcoming Coffee Cup Race at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, RI, on Feb. 5th. Pitkat will join Ted Chris-topher as Stafford SK Modified regulars who will be in the field.

Ellington Little League RegistrationRegistration information and forms for Ellington Little League (ages

6-16) can be found at eteamz.com/ELL/handouts. Costs are as follows: T-Ball (6 years old) $40, Instructional (7-8) $50, Farm and Minors (9-11) $75, Majors (10-12) $75, and Junior/Senior ($85). All fees have an ad-ditional $35 refundable concession stand deposit. In person registration will be held at Ellington Middle School on Jan. 29 (9 a.m.-noon), Feb. 2 (5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.) and Feb. 5 (9 a.m.-noon).

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January 18-31, 2011 19The Sports DepartmentHealth & Wellness

Michael Bidwell ATC, CSCSCertified Athletic Trainer/Strength & Conditioning Specialist

Are you a skier or snow boarder who wishes you had more stamina? Do you

consider burning thighs to be an unavoid-able consequence of recreational downhill skiing/boarding?

Whether you’re going on a short trip, or skiing every weekend, training and con-ditioning during ski season can improve your endurance and reduce your risk of ski-related injuries even if your preseason preparation was minimal.

Powerful Legs + Strong Core and Upper Body + Endurance = Optimal Perfor-mance

Skiing and snowboarding require that muscles work in ways unlike any other sport - explosive action, side-to-side weight shifts and instant balance changes. Thus, it’s critical to incorporate exercises that target all parts of the body working on leg strength, core strength, balance, stabil-ity, and cardio in your weekly routine.

Powerful LegsThe best way to build hip and knee

strength is by doing squats and lunges.1. Incorporate deep squats by standing

with your feet shoulder-width apart and keeping your head up. Do two to three

Ski Safely: Fitness Tips for Skiers and Snow Boarderssets of 10 two or three times per week.

2. Add a single leg ball squat to strengthen the quadriceps. Stand with a gym-ball behind your back against the wall. Bal-ance on one foot, then slowly lower into a squat position and repeat. To increase the challenge, come up out of the squat and switch legs, then continue to al-ternate. Do two to three sets of 10 two or three times per week.

3. Do old-fashioned lunges to strengthen your legs and glutes. Stand with your legs hip-width apart and your head up. Step forward on your left leg and drop straight down until your thigh is parallel to the floor, then repeat with your right leg. Do three sets of 10.

4. Use circuit machines to strengthen your leg muscles as an alternate strategy – a leg press for quads, a leg curl for ham-strings, and a calf raise all target the muscles you need.

Strong CoreDon’t forget to incorporate exercises to

strengthen your core muscles to help you manage the torso twists and turns required in downhill sports.1. Start with side plank twists – lie on

your left side supporting your weight on

your elbow. Lift your torso up until your shoulders, hips, and legs are in a straight line. Maintain this position while twisting and reaching underneath your right hip. Do two or three sets of 10 on each side,

three times per week.2. Include bridges with a straight leg raise. Lie on the floor and put your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdomen and raise your hips to keep a straight line, then extend one leg at a time. Do three sets of 10.3. Finish with alternate leg and arm raises. Get down on all fours and, with a tight stomach, raise one leg and the opposite arm for 15 seconds. Return to all fours and repeat on the other side. Do three sets of 10.

Strong Upper BodyTone your biceps and triceps to be

ready for pole planting and the occasional climbing that is required when skiing.1. Do three sets of bicep curls with 12 reps

in each set. Stand with feet hip-width apart, abs engaged as you hold medium-heavy dumbbells in front of the thighs. Squeeze the biceps and bend the arms, curling the weights up towards the shoul-ders. Slowly lower the weights, keeping a slight bend in the elbows at the bottom (e.g., don’t lock the joints and try to keep

tension on the muscles).2. Follow with three sets of seated triceps

exercises with 10 reps in each set. Sit on a bench or ball (more challenging) and hold a medium weight at one end with both hands overlapping one another. Take the weight straight up overhead with the arms next to the ears. Lower the weight behind the head until elbows are at about 90 degree angles. Squeeze the triceps to straighten the arms without locking the joints.

Cardio ConditioningThe final component of an injury-free

day of skiing is endurance. To prepare for a day on the slopes, you’ll want to include an interval cardio program in your exercise routine. Alternate the aerobic machines you use and increase the length of the intervals and the total length of time you exercise as you increase your endurance.1. Start with an interval ratio of 1:3. For

example, if you are running, you should run as fast as you can for one minute followed by a slow jog for three minutes. Repeat this pattern for 15-30 minutes. Increase the interval ratio to 2:2 – gradu-ally – as you become more fit.

2. Don’t forget to change the machinery you use because the more cross training you do, the more stamina you’ll have for the start and stops inherent in skiing.

Mike Bidwell is a Certified Athletic Trainer at Integrated Rehabilitation Services and can be reached at (860) 645-3810 or by email at mbidwell@integrehab.com

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