ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â AUGUST Â 22, Â 2013
MATT DICKERSON
SPORTS
CORRECTION:  Middlebury  Union  High  School’s  Tyler  Provencher  also  saw  action  for  the  Vermont  basketball  all-Âstar  team  that  defeated  New  Hampshire,  89-Â84,  in  the  Twin  State  Basketball  Classic  on  July  13.  Provencher  plans  to  play  basketball  for  Green  Mountain  College  this  winter. Â
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
Salerno experienced odyssey in baseball
Fledglings  in the  wilderness This  past  weekend  I  had  the  privi- lege  of  watching  at  close  range  a  pair  of  bald  eagles  walking  along  a  gravelly  beach.  One  was  a  mature  bird  with  a  snowy  white  helmet.  The  RWKHU D Ă€HGJOLQJ VWLOO GDUN JROGHQ RQ the  head.  They  were  scavenging  pink  salmon  spawning  up  a  small  stream  in  Kachemak  Bay  in  south  central  Alaska.  After  my  son  Thomas  and  I  watched  for  a  while  from  our  tandem  kayak,  the  older  eagle  ÀHZ RII WR D quiet  perch  on  an  old  skeleton  of  a  spruce  tree.  The  younger  one,  however,  chose  instead  to  run  off  down  the  beach.  It  ran  far  enough  that  I  wondered  whether  it  had  even  OHDUQHG WR Ă€\ %XW HYHQWXDOO\ LW WRRN to  wing,  sailed  low  over  the  beach,  and  then  up  and  over  the  bank  disap- pearing  into  a  wide  coastal  meadow. Thomas  and  I  were  on  a  four-Âday  sea-Âkayaking  adventure  in  Halibut  Cove  at  the  southern  end  of  Alaska’s  Kenai  Peninsula,  about  four  hours  by  car  from  Anchorage  to  Homer  fol- ORZHG E\ DQRWKHU PLQXWH VHD WD[L ride  across  Kachemak  Bay.  This  trip  had  been  long  in  coming.  Thomas  graduated  from  Saint  Michael’s  Col- lege  this  year,  and  a  few  weeks  af- ter  that  got  engaged  to  his  long-Âtime  sweetheart.  In  about  one  week  he  ZLOO RIÂżFLDOO\ PRYH RXW RI WKH KRXVH and  into  his  own  apartment  in  Prov- One idence,  where  he  amazwill  begin  gradu- ing thing ate  school.  At  that  about the point,  he  will  cease  to  be  a  legal  depen- vastness of Alaska dent.  Now  over  the  23  is that one years  that  Thomas  can disap- has  lived  at  home,  pear reor  gone  to  college  markable nearby,  we  have  spent  a  fair  amount  quickly — even in of  time  together  outdoors.  When  a deadhe  was  a  young  end valteenager,  our  fam- ley above ily  took  a  30-Âday  timberline camping  trip  to  Yellowstone  Na- where tional  Park  and  nothing back.  I  have  also  grows brought  Thomas  on  taller than a  pair  of  canoeing- a few camping-Âfishing  trips  to  Maine’s  Al- inches. lagash  Wilderness  Waterway.  We  have  backpacked  and  camped  on  several  peaks  in  Vermont  and  Maine,  and  done  a  number  of  Boy  Scouts  outdoor  adventures  to- gether  including  canoeing,  summer  camping  and  winter  camping.  Cross- country  skiing  and  snow-Âshoeing  have  also  been  favorite  family  activi- ties.  In  addition  to  reading,  spending  time  outdoors  was  our  quality  family  time  together.  So,  given  that  I  now  have  a  brother,  sister-Âin-Âlaw,  and  two  nephews  just  a  bit  older  than  Thomas  living  in  An- (See  Dickerson,  Page  2B)
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
Journey fell just short of Major Leagues By  MARSHALL  HASTINGS Dodgers,  present  to  watch  Podres,  PORT  HENRY,  N.Y.  —  In  1950,  a  hard-Âthrowing  lefthander.  For  Major  League  baseball  fans  across  the  entire  night,  Podres  was  nearly  the  nation  watched  the  New  York  unhittable,  that  is  unless  you  were  Yankees  capture  their  second  of  Salerno.  Podres  scat- ¿YH FRQVHFXWLYH tered  three  hits  in  a  Min- world  champi- eville  victory,  but  Saler- onships,  Bos- QR ÂżQLVKHG ZLWK WZR RI ton’s  Ted  Wil- those  hits. liams  become  And  while  Podres  the  highest  paid  took  off  on  a  path  to- player  in  history  ward  baseball  immor- at  $125,000,  and  tality,  Salerno’s  path  Cleveland’s  Bob  led  to  more  bumps,  Feller  capture  his  pain  and  heartbreak. 200th  victory.  TOUGH  ROOTS Meanwhile,  base- Salerno,  still  a  ball  fans  in  eastern  Port  Henry  resident  New  York  saw  a  his- who  for  24  years  WRULF EDWWOH ² WKH ÂżUVW has  been  a  famil- night  game  ever  at  iar  face  at  Fer- Mineville  High,  a  bout  risburgh’s  Basin  between  unbeaten  ri- Harbor  Club  as  a  vals  Mineville  and  Port  golf  course  work- O N R LE Henry. er,  grew  up  with  PAT  SA For  Mineville,  the  star  KLV SDUHQWV DQG VL[ VLEOLQJV LQ was  Johnny  Podres,  a  future  Hall  of  his  hometown  on  Kennedy  Row,  a  Famer  and  World  Series  champion,  dangerous  neighborhood  there  at  the  while  Port  Henry  was  led  by  power- time. KLWWLQJ FHQWHU ÂżHOGHU 3DW 6DOHUQR “It  was  a  tough  street,â€?  recalled  On  that  night,  one  career  bound  Salerno,  now  81.  “In  fact,  it  was  so  IRU JUHDWQHVV RIÂżFLDOO\ EHJDQ ZKLOH bad  that  our  priest,  when  he  got  up  PORT  HENRY,  N.Y.,  native  and  resident  and  long-Âtime  Basin  Harbor  another  career  that  teetered  on  the  on  the  altar,  he  told  all  the  families  Club  golf  course  worker  Pat  Salerno  made  it  to  the  higher  levels  of  edge  of  glory  was  also  just  begin- in  Port  Henry  to  keep  their  kids  off  that  street.â€? minor  league  baseball  in  the  1950s  with  the  Brooklyn  Dodgers  organi- ning. zation.  Salerno  had  success  with  teams  around  the  country  but  never  $WWHQGLQJ WKH JDPH ZDV $OH[ His  father,  an  Italian  immigrant  made  it  to  the  big  leagues. Isabelle,  a  scout  for  the  Brooklyn  (See  Salerno,  Page  3B)
Vergennes  resident  throws  for  gold McConnell  earns  Masters  medals By  JILL  D.  WELLS Stowe  Reporter VERGENNES/LISLE,  Ill.  —  Throwing  some  weight  around  has  proven  very  rewarding  for  Ron  Mc- Connell  of  Vergennes. McConnell,  51,  recently  earned  two  gold  medals  and  a  bronze  at  the  USA  Masters  Throws  Champion- ships.  The  USA  Track  &  Field  event  took  place  Aug.  3  and  4  at  Benedic- tine  University  in  Lisle,  Ill. He  won  golds  in  the  Men’s  50-Â54  Division  for  Throws  Pentathlon  and  Superweight,  and  took  bronze  in  the  “The Ultra  Weight  Pen- javelin tathlon. is my McConnell,  who  ZRUNV DV WKH ÂżW- favorite ness,  pools  and  event operations  direc- and tor  at  the  Swim- PLQJ +ROH ÂżWQHVV it’s my specialty. center  in  Stowe,  started  compet- I was ing  in  pentathlons  able to —  contests  with  ¿YH WUDFN DQG ÂżHOG gain events  —  as  a  way  some to  stay  in  shape.  points The  contests  also  there.â€? allow  him  to  con- — Ron tinue  competing  in  McConnell his  favorite  throw- ing  event  —  jav- HOLQ +H WRRN ÂżUVW SODFH LQ KLV DJH group  in  javelin  at  the  2011  World  Masters  Athletics  Championships  in  Sacramento,  Calif.,  after  launching  his  spear  58  meters. In  the  Throws  Pentathlon  this Â
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Sodbusters claim  many  state  crowns BRISTOL  —  Two  Bristol  residents  GRPLQDWHG WKHLU UHVSHFWLYH ÂżHOGV LQ the  men’s  and  women’s  divisions  of  the  Vermont  State  Horseshoe  Pitch- ing  Tournament  held  in  Bristol  this  past  Saturday  and  Sunday. Brian  Simmons  posted  a  perfect  8-Â0  record  with  a  sparkling  84  per- cent  ringer  percentage  to  claim  the  Men’s  A  title.  Nearly  three  out  of  every  four  pitches  that  Deb  Brown  made  were  ringers,  which  helped  her  to  the  Women’s  A  title  with  a  6-Â0  win-Âloss  record. Also  claiming  state  champion- ships  were  Brianna  McCormick,  the  Girls’  champion;Íž  Boys’  title  winner  Jordan  Draper;Íž  Elders  A  champion  Don  Batchelder;Íž  and  Junior  cham- pion  Dakota  Santor. The  Sodbuster  Horseshoe  Pitching  Club  hosted  the  state  tournament,  which  had  105  competitors. 7KH 6RGEXVWHUV ZLOO QH[W KRVW WKH Glen  Norris  Tournament  this  Sunday  at  their  courts  near  the  Bristol  Recre- ation  Field.  Check-Âin  is  at  9:30  a.m.,  with  play  starting  at  10. The  results  of  the  Vermont  State  Tournament,  with  each  pitcher’s  number  of  ringers,  win-Âloss  record  and  ringer  percentage,  were  as  fol- lows: MEN’S A 1.  Brian  Simmons,  205,  8-Â0,  84.02%;  2.  Gale  Greene,  193,  7-Â1,  58.13%;  3.  Kevin  Fisher,  189,  5-Â3,  50.27%;  4.  Dan  Atwood,  165,  5-Â3,  49.70%;  5.  Ray  Gokey,  175,  5-Â3,  49.44%;  6.  Leon  O’Dell,  153,  3-Â5,  42.74%;  7.  Lester  Sanderson,  145,  2-Â6,  39.84%;  8.  Nick  Preston,  95,  1-Â7,  30.25%;  9.  Jordan  Draper,  206,  8-Â0,  54.50%. MEN’S B 1.  Joe  Forgues,  150,  7-Â1,  45.45%;  2.  Bruce  Rublee,  138,  5-Â3,  37.50%;  3.  Shawn  Coots,  132,  5-Â3,  36.26%;  4.  Michael  Brown,  125,  5-Â3,  33.97%;  5.  Wade  Hill,  130,  4-Â4,  37.57%;  6.  David  Hall,  114,  4-Â4,  34.76%;  7.  Ken  Cassidy,  124,  4-Â4,  34.44%;  8.  Kevin  Greene,  116,  2-Â6,  33.33%;  9.  Dave  Trayah,  99,  0-Â8,  28.45%. MEN’S C 1.  Scott  Santor,  143,  7-Â2,  34.21%;  2.  Kirk  Olcott,  150,  6-Â3,  36.76%;  3.  Robert  Richling,  141,  5-Â3,  37.30%;  4.  Aaron  Martin,  119,  5-Â3,  32.87%;  5.  John  Remy,  108,  4-Â4,  29.83%;  6.  Dan  Cassidy,  107,  4-Â4,  28.61%;  7.  Steve  Knudsen,  97,  3-Â5,  (See  Sodbusters,  Page  2B)
Sports BRIEFS Foursome  earns  one-Âstroke  win
VERGENNES  RESIDENT  RON  McConnell  releases  the  35-Âpound  weight  during  competition  in  the  USA  Mas- ters  Throws  Championships  in  Illinois  this  month.  The  51-Âyear-Âold  won  two  gold  medals  at  the  national  event.
PRQWK 0F&RQQHOO ÂżQLVKHG ZLWK an  overall  score  of  3,749  points,  more  than  200  points  higher  than  WKH VHFRQG SODFH ÂżQLVKHU DQG D SHU- sonal  best.  His  distances  were  42.47  meters  in  the  hammer  throw,  12.29  meters  in  shot  put,  40.05  meters  in  discus,  55.53  meters  in  javelin,  and  15.34  meters  in  the  weight  throw. His  javelin  throw  was  more  than  24  meters  farther  than  his  closest Â
competitor. “The  javelin  is  my  favorite  event  and  it’s  my  specialty,â€?  McConnell  said.  “I  was  able  to  gain  some  points  there.â€? In  the  Superweight  event,  McCo- nnell  heaved  a  56-Âpound  weight  7.9  meters  (about  26  feet)  to  take  gold. ,Q WKH ÂżQDO HYHQW RI WKH ZHHNHQG he  won  a  bronze  in  the  Ultra  Weight  Pentathlon,  in  which  competitors Â
throw  objects  of  25,  56,  98,  200  and  300  pounds.  McConnell  threw  personal  best  distances  of  3.31  and  .73  meters  in  the  98-  and  200-Âpound  implements,  respectively.  He  actu- DOO\ OHG WKH ÂżHOG DIWHU WKH DQG 56-Âpound  weights. “The  trick  is  to  remain  upright  in  that  event,â€?  McConnell  said  with  a  laugh.  “I  threw  the  300-Âpound  weight  (See  McConnell,  Page  2B)
MIDDLEBURY  —  The  foursome  of  John  Quinn,  John  Davis,  Howard  Kelton  and  Marsden  VanOrder  won  a  one-Âstroke  duel  in  Aug.  15  action  at  Ralph  Myhre  Golf  Course.  Their  score  of  143  edged  the  144  carded  by  Bert  Phinney,  Dayton  Wake- ¿HOG 7RP 0D[ZHOO DQG &KDUOLH *ULJJ Taking  third  at  147  was  the  quartet  of  Eric  Bergland,  Mike  Davis,  Greg  Humphrey  and  Frank  Punderson. :DNHÂżHOG HDUQHG WKH GD\ÂśV ORZ LQGL- vidual  net,  while  Phinney  was  closest  to  the  pin  on  Hole  No.  4,  a  distinction  earned  by  Mike  Schoenfeld  on  Hole  No.  12.  Earning  skins  during  the  competi- tion  were  Bob  Kirkpatrick,  Quinn,  :DNHÂżHOG DQG &KDUOLH *ULJJ
Masterson  has  big  night  at  Bowl WEST  HAVEN  —  Bristol’s  Lance  Masterson  edged  Middlebury’s  Hunt- HU %DWHV ZLWK D ÂżQDO ODS SDVV WR ZLQ D 25-Âlap  Late  Model  feature  and  high- light  local  drivers’  efforts  on  Friday  at  the  Devil’s  Bowl  Speedway.  Masterson  also  took  second  in  the  other  25-Âlap  Late  Model  feature,  PRYLQJ XS IURP ÂżIWK RQ DQRWKHU Âż- nal-Âlap  maneuver  in  which  the  cars  ran  four  wide  and  he  passed  three  other  drivers,  a  move  that  race  orga- nizers  said  drew  a  loud  ovation  from  the  crowd.  Finishing  behind  Masterson  and  %DWHV LQ WKH ÂżUVW UDFH ZHUH WZR UDF- ers  from  Claremont,  N.H.,  Chris  Bergeron  and  Luke  Hinkley,  and  ear- ly  leader  Ricky  Bly  of  Sunapee,  N.H. Bergeron  won  the  second  Late  Model  race,  with  Masterson  second,  ROOKIE  JOSH  MASTERSON  of  Bristol  earned  his  second  Late  Model  win  of  the  season  at  Devil’s  Bowl  followed  by  Brandon  Atkins  of  AuS- Speedway  last  Friday  night. Photo  by  MemorEvents able  Forks,  N.Y.,  Bly  and  Bates. Â
Lance Masterson took second in the 25-lap Late Model feature, moving XS IURP Ă€IWK RQ DQRWKHU Ă€QDO ODS PDQHXYHU LQ which the cars ran four wide and he passed three other drivers, a move that race organizers said drew a loud ovation from the crowd. In  two  25-Âlap  NASCAR  Whelen  All-ÂAmerican  Series  features,  Jessey  Mueller  and  Joey  Roberts  split  vic- tories.  Mueller,  18,  of  Olmstedville,  N.Y.,  posted  his  third  win  of  the  sea- son  in  the  opening  event  for  the  Bond  $XWR 3DUWV 0RGLÂżHG GLYLVLRQ At  lap  20,  a  multi-Âcar  crash  blocked Â
WKH WUDFN DQG EURXJKW RXW WKH UHG Ă€DJ Due  to  the  lengthy  cleanup  and  a  pre- determined  time  limit,  the  race  was  cut  to  22  laps.  Mueller  rocketed  past  leader  Ron  Proctor  of  Charlton,  N.Y.,  on  the  restart  to  grab  the  lead  and  cruise  to  the  win.  Proctor  took  sec- ond  for  his  best  result  since  June,  with  Leon  Gonyo  of  Chazy,  N.Y.,  third.  Vince  Quenneville  Jr.,  of  Brandon  was  fourth.  Fletcher’s  Joey  “Fireballâ€?  Roberts  won  the  25-Âlap  nightcap  after  rebuild- ing  his  car  twice  from  hard  wrecks  earlier  in  the  season  and  crashed  in  his  qualifying  heat.  But  his  team  repaired  the  front  end  of  his  car  in  time  for  feature  racing.  Once  he  took  the  lead  at  lap  8,  Roberts  sailed  to  the  second  ZLQ RI KLV FDUHHU *RQ\R ÂżQLVKHG VHF- ond,  ahead  of  point  leader  Todd  Stone  of  Middlebury,  who  crashed  twice  in  (See  Devil’s  Bowl,  Page  3B)