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ECC Winter Tournament Highlights 2011 |
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Dear ECC Athletes, Fans and Friends,
Thank you for participating in another exciting winter sports season! Below are some highlights from the recent tournaments and competitions. We hope you enjoy this newsletter.
Good luck in the upcoming spring sports season! Hopefully we've seen the end of the snow ... enjoy the warmer weather!
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Norwich's Dominique Weigle (left) competes against East Lyme's Erin Lewis (right) during the ECC fencing championship |
Fencing
Wildcat boys and girls win title
By BRETT POIRIER Published in The Norwich Bulletin on February 19, 2011
Dominique Weigel said it was déjà vu in her ECC Fencing Championship finals match against Norwich Free Academy teammate Eleni Provotas.
As a junior last season, Weigel made it to the tournament finals, only to lose to Provotas' older sister, Tina.
This year's match may have provided Weigel with a flashback, but the result this time around was completely different.
Weigel defeated the younger Provotas, 15-10, to earn her first individual ECC title at Griswold High School on Saturday. As a team, the Wildcats won their second ECC championship in as many years for boys and girls.
The NFA girls defeated second-place Griswold, 20-46.
Weigel said the Wildcats haven't accomplished all of their goals yet.
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Wrestling
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Bacon Academy Matt McAlister (right) wrestles Ledyard's Matt Jones in a 112 pound match at Fitch High School.
Photo credit: Tali Greener, Norwich Bulletin |
Bacon - Ledyard battle in ECC finals
By MARC ALLARD Published in The Norwich Bulletin on February 14, 2011
It's not often in wrestling that things go the way they should, both on the mats and on the clock. That's why Dave Nowakowski - who served as the official scorer and organizer of the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship and also as the public address announcer at Fitch High School - proudly exclaimed at 4:45 p.m., Saturday that the ECC championship round was beginning.On time.On target.
The battle that everyone had expected - Bacon Academy against Ledyard - also materialized with Ledyard taking a 71 point lead into the championship round.
For full tournament results visit www.ECCToday.org
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Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, The Bulletin,
Exclusive News Source of the ECC!
Every Tuesday, students report on what's happening in their schools in
"ECC World," appearing only in The Bulletin. Don't miss it!
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Gymnastics
 | | Woodstock's Shaila Sagel competes on the balance beam during the ECC Championship at Deary's Gymnastics |
Woodstock claims second championship
By MARC ALLARD
Published in The Norwich Bulletin on
February 11,2100
The Woodstock Academy gymnastics squad may be younger than a year ago, but it's also better.
In what should be a scary sign for league opponents, the Centaurs easily captured their second consecutive Eastern Connecticut Conference championship with a 143.65-135.2 win over Killingly Friday night at Deary's Gymnastics.
The Centaurs did so with a sophomore and two
freshmen leading the way, and the future only
promises more of the same.
"We have the Deary twins coming up and a bunch of new ones who are competitive gymnasts out of high school," Woodstock freshman Courtney Osborn said. "We're going to have a really good team for the next 10 years."
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 | | Windham's Evan Rouse took 1st place in the high jump competition |
Indoor Track
Griswold wins Small/Medium Division
By MARC ALLARD
Published in The Norwich Bulletin on
February 5, 2011
Windham's Evan Rouse had been stuck below 22 feet in the long jump for most of the indoor track season.
So when he cleared 23 feet, 1 inch at the Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium/Small Division championship Saturday at the Coast Guard Academy, he had a decision to make.
He didn't have to make his final jump because he had already won the event and had a tough 300-meter still to come. But he asked coach Becky Howard, "What's the record?"
"I told him, 'An inch and a half, and you got the record, buddy,' " Howard said
The team competition, as expected, went to Griswold, which won for a second year in a row, 98-81 over Stonington. |
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A big "Thank You" goes out to Platinum Sponsor,
The Connecticut National Guard, for enhancing high school athletic programs through their generous donation to the Eastern Connecticut Conference!
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Indoor Track
Wildcats take home two crowns-
boys, girls earn ECC Large titles
 | | Norwich Free Academy's Chris Green won first place in the high jump competition, clearing the bar at 5'10" during the ECC Large Division Championship at Coast Guard Academy |
By MARC ALLARD
Published in The Norwich Bulletin on
February 5, 2011
It's the time of the season when the talent has to step up.
That's what Norwich Free Academy coach Chad Johnson hoped would happen on Saturday at the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division indoor track championship at the Coast Guard Academy.
"You have to look to your superstars and then you have to fill in," Johnson said.
Johnson got what he wanted. Wahnetah Carty won three events, Brianna Lenehan added 26 points and Allie Sullivan set an ECC indoor record in the pole vault to lead the Wildcats past East Lyme, 152-140. It was the fourth straight title for the NFA girls.
The Wildcat boys had a much easier time in sprinted past the Vikings, 193-101.
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Thank You to ECC Silver Sponsor!
The largest law firm in eastern Connecticut.
Serving the community for over 70 years with a wide range of legal services.
Congratulations to Attorneys Jack Collins, Matt Auger and Matthew Shafner, again named New England and Connecticut Super Lawyers for 2011 in Personal Injury Litigation! |
 | | Special Olympian speed skaters Samantha Burgess of Griswold (right), Appledean Harrison, Ashley Roberts and Alison Galipeau of Griswold and Stephanie Sanon of Norwich start their 300 meter race at the Norwich rink |
Unified Sports
By BRETT POIRIER
Published in The Norwich Bulletin on
February 27, 2011
One of Griswold's Unified Partners, Connor Frizzell, may have broken down Thursday's Norwich Invitational speed skating event perfectly, saying it was like the semifinals.
It certainly was a big deal to the Special Olympic skaters, coaches and volunteers involved.
Alan Hughes, former Special Olympics competition director for the state, held the event to prepare the athletes for what could be coined the finals: The Special Olympics Winter Games in Simsbury on March 5-6.
"It is like the highlight of our year," said Griswold coach Erin Palonen. "We are super-excited." |
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Girls Basketball
 | | Bacon's Katie Mahoney (left) goes for a basket as Windham's Taylor McBride (right) defends at the ECC Championship |
Bacon Earns First ECC Title
By MARC ALLARD
Published in the Norwich Bulletin on
February, 25, 2011
Last season, Bacon Academy senior Katie Mahoney could only watch the Eastern Connecticut Conference girls basketball championship from the bench.
There, her heavily wrapped knee was propped along several chairs, her crutches by her side. She wondered if she would get this chance again.
Mahoney worked through the pain and doubt through the six months after surgery and rehab. On Friday night, she got the reward for her efforts.
For the first time, Bacon Academy walked off the floor with an ECC championship after a 57-46 win over Windham at Norwich Free Academy. And it was Mahoney who left the building clutching the Most Outstanding Player award.
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 | | Norwich Free Academy dethroned three time Champion Waterford to win the ECC Large Division Cheerleading Championship |
Cheerleading NFA ends Waterford's reign atop Large
By TIM EHRENS
Published in The Norwich Bulletin on February 26, 2011
To hear Nikki Beatrice tell it, the Norwich Free Academy cheerleading team could have just skipped the award ceremony.
After their routine at the Eastern Connecticut Conference Cheerleading Championship on Saturday, the senior wasn't thrilled with her team's performance on their home floor. After all, Waterford had won three straight Large Division titles and was the heavy favorite entering the event.
Beatrice described her team's mood as "disappointed" as they walked off the mat. That's why it was extra special when the Wildcats were announced as the Large Division champions, toppling the Lancers, who didn't place.
East Lyme took second in the Large and Fitch and Woodstock tied for third place.
While the Large saw an upset, the other divisions saw repeat champions in Montville (Medium) and Griswold (Small). The Wolverines won their second consecutive Small title and fourth divisional title overall as they won two straight in the Medium before moving to the Small last season. With the win, the Griswold seniors went out in style, winning division titles in each of their four years. |
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220 Year Old Newspaper Renamed To Reflect Growth and
Regional Status While Further Supporting the Local
Eastern Connecticut Community
Formerly Known as the "Norwich Bulletin, Multimedia News Source Now Called, "The Bulletin"Serves 37 Communities and Produces Daily Editions for Both Northeastern and Southeastern Connecticut
Norwich, CT: Paul Provost, Publisher of the former Norwich Bulletin, recently announced the newspaper's name change to The Bulletin. This move is the newest phase in the newspaper's continued progression; just over a year ago, the Norwich Bulletin started producing two editions a day, one for northeastern Connecticut and one for southeastern Connecticut. And, over the course of 2010 the Norwich Bulletin added 27% more editorial staff while other newspapers suffered through furloughs and layoffs.
"The new name is a change that's overdue and makes perfect sense," says Provost. "Our newspaper serves 37 communities throughout Eastern Connecticut, and as a regional multimedia company we felt our name should reflect all of our cities and towns. We have steadily moved toward this moment, and it reflects a natural evolution in the long and proud history of this newspaper," Provost added.
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Boys Basketball
 | | New London's Kris Dunn (right) and Special Rhodes (left)congratulate each other on their ECC Championship win over Stonington, at New London High School, March 4, 2011 |
New London Wraps up ECC Crown
By MARC ALLARD
Published in The Bulletin on March 4, 2011
To prepare for Friday night's Eastern Connecticut Conference championship game, the New London boys basketball team took a little time out of practice on Thursday to watch some movies.
"We watched film on how (Stonington) was holding the ball (when the two teams last met on Feb. 4) and they held it for a good six minutes in the first half and held us to our lowest scoring first half of the season," New London senior Torin Childs-Harris said.
The easy remedy to that: Get off to a fast start.
The Whalers accomplished that and captured their fourth straight ECC tournament title with an 80-41 win over the Bears.
It's become old hat for Childs-Harris.
"To have won all four years means I've done something for the program, done something for the team," the senior said. |
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East Lyme's Adam Opsahl won the 200 yard individual medley. Adam swam the event in 1:59:46
Photo credit: Tali Greener, The Bulletin |
Swimming
East Lyme wins another ECC Title
By BRETT POIRIER
Published in The Bulletin on March 5, 2011
To say that the East Lyme boys swimming team has been dominating in the Eastern Connecticut Conference since Jack Stabach took over 12 years ago would be an understatement. Heading into Saturday's ECC Championship at UConn-Avery Point, the Vikings held seven of the last 11 tournament titles. So it was no surprise that they made it eight of 12 on Saturday, but something can be said about the way they did it. East Lyme broke a pair of school and ECC tournament records and beat its next closest opponent, Fitch, 546-430.
The team that was expected to do great things at the start of the year came through when it mattered.
"We had these (high) expectations and we talked about it," Stabach said. "We talked about these guys' goals and they just stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. They did it."
For senior Kyle Burke, Saturday's win was special. "It's the first time East Lyme has won ECC's four years in a row," Burke said. "It just feels great to be a part of history."
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Thank You to ECC Silver Sponsor!
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Sports Related Injuries
By TARIK KARDESTUNCER, M.D.
Norwich Orthopedic Group, P.C.
Sports related injuries are growing in prevalence as more young people participate in sports. Overuse injuries are becoming more common as adolescents are frequently participating the entire year without much down-time between seasons. Outlined below are just some of the hand, wrist and elbow injuries than can result from overuse or injury from sports. It is important to recognize these important signs and symptoms.
HAND: Falling on one's hand can result in fractures to the small bones in the hand and wrist or to ligament sprains or tears. Pain and swelling that does not rapidly improve may indicate serious injury. Black and blue discoloration of the hand is rare and frequently indicates significant injury. Simply being able to move one's fingers does not rule out fracture or injury.
WRIST: Landing on an outstretched hand can lead to fractures of the Scaphoid (small bone in wrist) or to the wrist itself (Radius and Ulna). These injuries are common in snowboarding, basketball, football and skateboarding. Frequently parents and adolescents ignore these, thinking it's a sprained wrist when in-fact it's a fracture. Pain and swelling which persists more than 24-48 hours may indicate more serious injury. Other torn ligaments can result in the wrist which may lead to further long term problems if left untreated. Pain on the outside part of the wrist or clicking may indicate ligament injury.
ELBOW: Pitchers, or those who participate in throwing sports, may develop overuse injuries to their elbow ligaments, especially their MCL (medial collateral ligament). Pain on the inside part of the elbow, which develops after throwing may indicate injury to the MCL. Following a strict pitch count and using a throwing coach may help avoid this problem. Persistent pain or any clicking of the elbow should be evaluated by your doctor. Numbness in the hand or fingers is never normal and should be evaluated at once.
In order to maintain a healthy sports career, I encourage participants to allow adequate rest time between sports seasons. Also, early recognition of these subtle sports injuries will lead to better overall health and function.
TARIK KARDESTUNCER, M.D. Orthopedic Surgery
Hand & Upper Extremity Fellowship
For an appointment call: Norwich Orthopedic Group, PC at 860.889.7345 or for more information about Dr. Kardestuncer visit www.norwichorthopedic.com |
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In the News
Waterford's Softball Coach, Liz Walker Sutman, will be honored at a Gold Key Dinner on April 17, 2011 at the Aqua Turf. For more information contact www.ctsportswriters.org
Bacon Academy Senior Katie Mahoney has been named Connecticut's Gatorade Player of the Year. She is the second straight ECC female player to receive the award, following NFA's Kastine Evans last year. Stonington's Heather Buck was the award winner in 2007-08.
ECC Fencing teams had a great showing at the State Team Championship with NFA winning the boys foil competition and Ledyard and Bacon finishing second and fourth.
Griswold's Brandon Walsh took home the only New England Championship among local ECC wrestlers.
A day after winning the State Open to end Danbury's ten year run as champions, Bacon Academy was voted as the Number One team in the state in the final Norwich Bulletin High School Wrestling poll.
IAABO, Board #8 basketball officials raised $2,600.00 for the American Cancer Society in their "Blow the Whistle on Cancer" campaign during the week of January 24-29, 2011. Over the past four years, Board 8 has generously raised over $11,000.00 in the fight against cancer. |
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Thank You To All ECC Sponsors!
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