SPORTS

Sports

What did you do last weekend?

She ran 100 miles in 21 hours

By Steve Lawrence

Ihave been to a number of “watch parties” for various sporting events over the years. I recall a large gathering of friends pooled money in the 1970s for a pay-per-view event to watch a highly anticipated boxing match, and 1 minute and 38 seconds into the bout, one guy knocked out the other and we were tasked with guring out what to do with 2 hours worth of food and beer while listening to the announcers rehash the ght two dozen times.

Saturday's watch party at the Finger Lakes Running Company would not face such a challenge, as the event was the Western States 100 ultra-marathon, and the fastest runner would nish in 15 hours, 13 minutes and 48 seconds. e winner – Adam Peterman – has now won all ve of the ultras he has entered (though this was his rst 100-miler) but those gathered at the Ithaca store were not there to watch Mr. Peterman. ey were there to watch one of their own – Ithaca's Ellie Pell – who drew a big burst of cheers when she reached the top of the escarpment at the 3.5 mile mark in second place, hot on the heels of world record holder Camille Herron.

By Mile 10, Ellie ( I love the fact that her Twitter handle is @gazellie) had slipped to seventh place, and she would ultimately nish in 14th place among women (39th overall), nishing with an impressive time of 21 hours, 37 minutes and 12 seconds. She started the race around 5 am on Saturday and nished at 2:37 am on Sunday. It was an incredible e ort on a day the race's website called “a scorcher.”

According to the race's website, “ e Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race. e Run starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California. In the decades since its inception in 1974, Western States has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world.” e race was canceled in 2020, and travel restrictions limited the turnout last year, but this year, 380 competitors from 32 countries showed up to celebrate its return.

If Pell's name is a familiar one, it might be because we have been covering the 30 year-old's various running endeavors for several years. My former colleague ,Cassandra Negley, wrote about Ellie's performance at the Bu alo Marathon in 2016, and I have covered her numerous times, from a story about runners training during the pandemic to her participation in the Olympic Trials. To see a local runner climb the ranks to become an elite ultra runner and enter – and nish – her rst Western States 100 is indeed a real treat.

Knowing that this was her rst 100-miler, I asked Ellie what distance had been her previous longest, and she said, “I had run a 100-K (62 miles), and my goal here was to nish and not walk it in, to keep running throughout.” Asked to share to most unexpected development in the 21-plus hour endeavor, she said, “Starting around Mile 60, I was in so much pain I didn't think I could keep going. My le calf hurt so much – especially on the downhills – I thought it would snap in half.”

Ian Golden (who is the owner of the Finger Lakes Running Company and has arguably done more for the local distance running community than anyone) was one of Ellie's support crew members, and he said, “ e runners descend into a valley, and then ran along a spine. e terrain was such that two of the areas we wanted to get to were 25 miles apart, but took 3 hours to drive to.” He added, “ e Western States is the oldest 100-mile race, and it really is a well-oiled machine, so some runners don't really need a crew, but others (like Ellie's team) utilize four crew members and two vehicles.”

It was a great learning experience for Team Pell, and Golden said, “One of the veterans said, 'You really need to rst run 100 miles to be able to race 100 miles,' and for Ellie's rst 100-mile race, she really did an incredible job.”

Ithaca’s Ellie Pell braved the elements racing up and down California mountains for 100 miles to compete in the Western States 100+ Ultra-marathon

UPS DOWNS &

Ups

Don’t you love it when a holiday like Independence Day makes a 3-day weekend?

Downs

Do we miss the old community reworks at Schoellkopf Field?

HEARD SEEN &

Heard

The Commons Concert got great weather and a large crowd for an outdoor concert the way it is supposed to be. After COVID and many weather uncertainties, it was a nice new normal.

Seen

Police are seeking a man who damaged several vehicles last Friday from the Commons to the 300 block of South Cayuga. He is described as a Hispanic Male in his 30s in blue genes and a grey t-shirt with “salt and pepper” hair.

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write news@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Do you miss the Lime Bikes?

28.0% Yeah, they were a good option to get around town.

68.0% No, I’m glad I don’t have to trip over them on the sidewalks anymore.

4.0% The what bikes? Didn’t even notice.

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION: What’s your favorite popsicle flavor?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

The Talk at

YOUR LETTERS

Re: Dozens protest ICSD School Board

She criticized the superintendent and he retaliated. not only does HE need to go, it should have happened years ago.

Tom Mot

When accusations are made against a Superintendent, they should be supported by facts but I don’t see any being o ered. Luvelle Brown has done an excellent job as a Superintendent and is entitled to due process, to be treated as innocent of charges unless you have hard evidence to the contrary. Henry Kramer

Board members are bound by law not to discuss personnel matters in public session. So there is always a problem when the public rallies around a popular district employee. e employee can be a wonderful teacher, coach, or administrator and still do something wrong. e Board knows facts they can’t discuss. So, it comes down to trust and accepting that Boards will seldom act from malice or retaliation but will try to give due process while conforming to law. e sad thing is that because of the law Board members cannot explain the situation and people protest without facts.

Henry Kramer

Re: Trouble Brewing: Baristas fight back after Starbucks closes College Ave. location

Starbucks charges 75 cents extra for plant milk!! What a stupid company? Progressive? What a joke! I’d rather buy a gas station cup of co ee.

Nevin Sabet

When you operate a business, you have to consider liability risks since they greatly impact the bottom line. Defending your business against lawsuits is so costly and stressful, as is dealing with unions. Radical le ist priviledged college kids are probably the riskiest type of people to hire. ey think they’re so smart. I bet in order to x that grease trap, the new tenants at the former Collegetown location will hire a down to earth dude who grew up on a farm, is comfortable dealing with nasty smelly stu , and who has more common sense and practical skills than your typical blue haired college aged liberal

Continued on Page 10

Summer Reading

By Charley Githler

I’ve been elding inquiries about the Surrounded By Reality Book Club, and it’s my great pleasure to share the committee’s choices for the summer and early fall months. e club is open to all a cionados of books and alcohol, and meets monthly (second ursday) at the southwest corner of the bar at Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar. Not having read the selected book is no bar to participation, but I think we’ve come up with some pretty good choices.

July’s book, Odyssey, by Dwide Shrude, is an apocalyptic debut novel with a local setting that traces the moving journey of a father and his young son as they traverse Ithaca’s West End on foot during the rst quarter of the 21st century. e entire story takes place during a single hot summer day, their desperate plan being to walk from the Dandy Mart, known in an earlier time as “Pete’s”, on State/MLK Street to the Ithaca Commons, where the man hopes there will be a more hospitable environment. Shrude is particularly masterful in evoking the desolate landscape between Albany and Plain Streets, where the father and son escape crack zombies while gunshots echo o abandoned houses. Not going to lie, it’s a little grim, but it un inchingly imagines a world in which hope is a scarce commodity, where the father and his son are sustained only by their love for one another. July’s theme drink is Skol Vodka in a paper bag.

We go a little lighter in August with a classic: Plucky Elon. Half rags-to-riches story, half quirky bildungsroman, this picaresque novel by Horatio Alger traces the fortunes of the fast-talking, quickwitted son of an emerald mine owner who has no one to depend on but himself. Determined to make a name for himself and become “respectable”, his political transformation into a supporter of a demented Florida demagogue is gripping reading. ough inspirational by design, the book is not without episodes of humor as the protagonist manipulates cryptocurrency markets for fun while criticizing the practice of short-selling stocks. We’ll be sipping Louis XIII Remy Martin Cognac from crystal goblets with our pinkies extended, so budget accordingly.

September’s choice, On Lake Powell, is a sentimental favorite. e plot focuses on aging couple Ethel and Norman Cornstarch, who spend each summer at their home on Lake Powell in Arizona. Norman is a crotchety, grouchy retired professor who’s kind of a pain in the hind quarters, but Ethel is a decent sort. She, of course, knows Norman better than he knows her, or himself, for that matter. During the summer the story takes place, they are visited by daughter Chelsea with her ancé Billy Ray and his son Billy Ray Jr. Also, the lake dries up. e book explores the o en turbulent relationship the young woman shared with her father growing up, and the di culties faced by a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage. Chelsea feels that her father has never really given her a chance. en, she tells her parents that she’s spending a month in Europe with Billy Ray, and asks if they could leave the kid with them. Ethel talks Norman into it. He gets lost looking for the lake shore, which moves every day. In the central passages of the movie, Norman and the kid grudgingly move toward some kind of communication and trust. ere is a crisis involving Norman and the boy on a boat that is stranded on the dried, cracked former lake bed while scorpions close in, and a resolution that brings everybody a lot closer to the realization that life is a precious and fragile thing. rough learning to relate to the young boy, Norman learns how to love. September’s drink is dry martinis, just because I like them.

In October our book is more of a pamphlet (72 pages), very recently published by the National Ri e Association - Com-

bat Readiness: A Concealed Weapon

Primer. It’s short, but likely to generate lively discussion! In the wake of our scripture-guided Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Ri e & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, this work is just brimming with tips: how to tastefully carry a weapon while shopping for groceries, when to display a weapon while confronting the driver who cut you o on Meadow Street, deciding on the appropriate caliber pistol to bring to a co-worker’s wedding. We’ll be discussing the paragraph on where Jesus might conceal a pistol in his raiment were he alive today. Opinions di er widely, apparently. Maxie’s Engagement Consultant Michael Belmont has agreed to allow us to redecorate the bar area like the OK Corral for the evening, and the bartenders will be serving up a special drink called ‘collateral damage’, made from a secret recipe of moonshine, bitters and a dash of Hoppes Elite Gun Oil.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Jorge Cuevas and The American Dream

By Marjorie Olds

Growing up in Puerto Rico and Astoria Queens, whenever Jorge Cuevas and his family gathered, there was always delicious Puerto Rican food and pulsating, salsa music. “Every anksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthday celebration our family danced to Salsa, Merengue, Cha cha music. ese were the rhythms I grew up with.” It was in high school that Jorge, started learning bass and percussion on his own.

Jorge came to Ithaca to study Physical Education at Ithaca College, but he eventually switched his major to Sociology. He found his niche working with outstanding faculty and role models like local hero Jules Burgevin. When not studying, Jorge worked at a liquor & wine store, which he managed full-time for 3 years. at’s where he learned a lot about ne wines, the NYS wine industry, and wine pairing with gourmet foods.

Jorge then worked at Somadhara Natural Foods Bakery for 3 years, where he learned about healthy foods and the local farmers and producers. He also spent 3 years teaching video production to community members at Cable 13’s Community Access Studio.

At that point Jorge was ready to share his social work skills, becoming an integral part of the civic community. Jorge devoted twelve years working with teens at the Learning Web “Learning by Doing” as they grew into adulthood. He arranged apprenticeships and career exploration tours for teens, which provided hands-on experiences.

At the Community Dispute Resolution Center Jorge was a mediator and mediation trainer with students in middle school and high school. One by one, as a student learns how to mediate disputes and resolve problems peacefully, the community fabric was strengthened. ree years ago, Jorge came with his many community connections to the Finger Lakes Independence Center on Fi h Street in Ithaca. Anyone who has been searching for a shower chair, wheelchair, gait belt for a disabled loved one or client, knows FLIC’s Loan Closet. A call to Jorge, and he can tell you where one can locate just the right walker, scooter, wheelchair or rollator. If your family member no longer needs an electric hospital bed, FLIC may know who does need it. Jorge: “I love working at FLIC. Over and over, I meet people who are relieved, happy, grateful to nd the equipment, tool, advice they need at FLIC. It’s great to work with people who leave happier than when they arrived.”

Space available, FLIC hosts a range of items they also loan out through the 30 day “Try It Room”, like specialized pill holders, transfer boards, magni ers, phone accessories for the blind or for the hard of hearing, sit to stand cushion assists, to name a few of the exotic sounding, essential equipment about which Jorge and colleagues can advise.

But the main focus of Jorge’s work at FLIC is his service as an Employment Advocate for the Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program, administered by the American Dream Employment Network (ADEN). “People between the ages of 16-64 who receive Social Security’s SSDI (Disability Income) or SSI (Supplemental Security Income) due to a disability, can work with me to explore opportunities for employment. Together we can achieve employment that will provide more income than received from a monthly disability bene t…We can together consider the world of work, create a current resume and cover letter for jobs we nd through our job search.”

Currently, many employers are seeking applicants eager to work. “With the ADEN incentives, disabled workers can enhance their income and statistically, disabled workers have the highest job retention rates, attributable to their earning incentives and eagerness to play an important role in their community.

Across the country people attend an ADEN workshop via zoom and then begin working with an ADEN Employment Advocate, like Jorge.

Jorge also gets Ticket To Work referrals from Social Security, DSS, the Mental Health Association and many other agencies.

Jorge invites community members to contact him and learn about Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program. Jorge Cuevas jorge@ iconline.org.

The Spirit of ’76: Protecting us against the Putin Playbook

By Ken Paulson

As we gather to celebrate Independence Day, it’s a good time to re ect on how our most fundamental freedoms have served this nation well.

It’s an even better time to think about what would happen if those liberties were taken away.

Sadly, the latter doesn’t take much imagination in 2022. Your closest video screen will show you scenes of Russian troops pummeling Ukraine with the support of a majority of the Russian people. e Russian public has been told that their country is doing noble work ferreting out “Nazis” and that the West is engaged in its usual persecution of Russia and its people. Surveys say most Russians believe it.

In times of war, people always want to see their government as the good guys, but it’s still a little hard to grasp how that many people can be so thoroughly misled. at’s the power of the Vladimir Putin playbook. e Russian president quickly and with little opposition eliminated the freedoms of speech and press.

First, Putin bandied around allegations of “fake news,” undermining domestic news media that had far more latitude than their Soviet Union counterparts. en he coordinated a plan with the national legislature to pass a law imprisoning those who “lied” about the war, including even calling it a war. Russian media of integrity had to close up shop, and international journalists in Russia had to temper their reporting. at le the internet as the one avenue for Russians to learn the truth about their country’s misdeeds. Putin then banned social media outlets and sharply limited access to international news sites.

In short order, the Russian people were isolated, le to believe the lies of their government.

It took just weeks for Putin to wipe out freedoms of press, speech and dissent.

Could anything like that ever happen in the United States? As unlikely as it may seem, there are some areas of concern.

A er all, over the past 60 years, certain presidents from both parties have been known to mislead the public about the purpose and progress of wars. And the use of “fake news” claims to evade responsibility began with politicians in this country, only to be adopted by totalitarian leaders around the globe.

Today there are active e orts to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, the 1964 Supreme Court decision that made investigative reporting viable in the United States. And there are many politicians, again of both parties, who want to control how private social media companies are run.

Do I believe that America could fall victim to something resembling the Putin playbook? No. But it’s also no longer unthinkable.

It’s not a coincidence that the rst step would-be dictators take is to shut down the press. at eliminates questions and accountability, both of which are anathema to those who abuse power. ere are some today who choose not to be informed, saying the media are biased. Well, there are tens of thousands of media outlets in this country, including manipulative cable channels, partisan sites that masquerade as news providers and those sites that would entice us with clickbait. But there are also many core news organizations of integrity, including e New York Times, Wall Street Journal, PBS and the very newspaper you’re reading right now. ey’re the ones we need to support with readership and subscriptions.

From the very beginning of this nation, Americans understood the importance of a free press aggressively reporting on people in power. In an era when newspapers were ercely partisan and unfair, that rst gener-

Ken Paulson