A NOT SO ‘OPEN’ SEASON IN GOLF, POLO AND TENNIS ‘GAMES’MANSHIP AT HOME PLAYING THE HAND YOU’RE DEALT — IN SPORTS AND LIFE WAG’S LENS ON LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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8 0 0.9 9 9.9 O N S AUGUST 2020 WAGMAG.COM
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CONTENTS AUGUS T 2020
12 The enduring nature of sport
24 An equestrian star returns
15 A not so ‘Open’ season
28 Triple challenge
16 U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot
18 The US Open by the dollars 20 Emphasizing the ‘social’ in social distancing
22 The multiplicity of Maple Hill Farm
40 Taking a knee for social justice
in the time of Covid
42 Games of home
30 Mad Dogs and an
44 Westchester’s Dr. Dolittle
Englishman on cricket
34 Whither Tokyo’s Summer Olympics?
36 Lessons from the Land of the Thunder Dragon
38 Aspects of grief
56 The need to lead 60 Statues of limitations
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COVER STORY PATRICK MCENROE Playing his best
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FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS
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92 HOME & DESIGN 52 – Classic comfort in Greenwich 62 – Recreation — and re-creation — at home TRAVEL 76 – Vacationing closer to home 80 – Have shoes, will travel 82 – Nature’s playground FOOD & SPIRITS 84 – Live and let dine at The Barley Beach House 86 – A taste trip to southern Portugal FASHION & BEAUTY 64 – ‘Primary’ care from Valmont HEALTH & FITNESS 88 – We have your back 90 – Playing the hand you’re dealt 92 – Working out at home, safely PET CARE 94 - Pet of the month WHEN & WHERE 95 – Swoon for August
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WITS 102 – These days, what do you do to de-stress?
A NOT SO ‘OPEN’ SEASON IN GOLF, POLO AND TENNIS ‘GAMES’MANSHIP AT HOME PLAYING THE HAND YOU’RE DEALT — IN SPORTS AND LIFE WAG’S LENS ON LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
PERSONAL BEST
Visionary Re-creations JUDGED A
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IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
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COVER: Patrick McEnroe.
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WAGGERS T H E TA L E N T B E H I N D O U R PA G E S
Dee DelBello
Dan Viteri
PUBLISHER dee@westfairinc.com
GROUP ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/CREATIVE dviteri@westfairinc.com
EDITORIAL Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com
Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com
ART Sebastián Flores ART DIRECTOR sflores@westfairinc.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
COVER STORY: GEORGETTE GOUVEIA, PAGE 50
Sebastián Flores, John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gina Gouveia, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, Doug Paulding, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Barbara Barton Sloane, Jeremy Wayne, Cami Weinstein, Katie Banser-Whittle
PRINT/DIGITAL SALES PHIL HALL
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Anne Jordan Duffy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/SALES anne@westfairinc.com
WILLIAM D. KICKHAM
Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
MARKETING/EVENTS
RAJNI MENON
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Fatime Muriqi EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR fmuriqi@westfairinc.com
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CIRCULATION Sylvia Sikoutris CIRCULATION MANAGER sylvia@westfairinc.com
JOHN RIZZO
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Billy Losapio ADVISER
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WHAT IS WAG? GREGG SHAPIRO
CAMI WEINSTEIN
BARBARA BARTON SLOANE JEREMY WAYNE
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Brianne Smith CIRCULATION SALES bsmith@westfairinc.com Irene Corsaro ADVISER
Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.” We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.
HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 701 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-694-3600 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call 914-694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at 914-694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com
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EDITOR’S LETTER BY GEORGET TE GOUVEIA
IN THIS MOST UNUSUAL OF SUMMERS WE PRESENT OUR MOST UNUSUAL TAKE ON RECREATION. CALL IT “VISIONARY RE-CREATIONS,’” FOR ALONG WITH THIS PAST SPRING THIS IS A SEASON IN WHICH WE HAVE ALL HAD TO REINVENT OURSELVES. As you’ll discover in these pages, familiar events that we have covered in the past -- such as the American Gold Cup, a prestigious show jumping competition that was held each September at Old Salem Farm in North Salem — have moved on to other pastures, so to speak. Other events have been postponed (the Tokyo Olympics, Phil’s story) reconfigured (the Triple Crown) or streamlined (the East Coast Open at Greenwich Polo Club; the US Open, whose USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, was briefly transformed into a hospital and a staging area for meals for patients, health-care workers and underserved children). Call it a notso-open season, albeit one that will welcome the U.S. Open golf championship back to historic Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck next month and see new equestrian clinics and competitions at Old Salem Farm. As New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo likes to say, “We’ll take it.” Indeed, that philosophy threads this issue. “When someone asks me how I’m doing through all of this, my usual response has been, ‘playing the hand I’ve been dealt, just like everyone else,’” WAG fitness expert Giovanni Roselli writes this month. This has certainly been a guiding principle in the life of Patrick McEnroe, our cover subject. The Davis Cup-winning coach and ESPN commentator realized early on that he would never be the tennis player older brother John was. And that was OK. Instead of dwelling on what he couldn’t do, Patrick took stock of what he could — become a fine player in his own right — a decision that has lead the Bronxville resident (and Covid-19 survivor) to a career of great versatility. (He’s 8
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also the husband of Broadway, cabaret and recording star Melissa Errico, our April cover subject, so his appearance here makes it the first time we’ve had a husband and wife on separate covers.) “Play the hand you’re dealt”: In this issue we interpret that figuratively and literally. Psychotherapist Asha Tarry talks with us about how to cope with grief. Our veteran Sinologist Audrey Ronning Topping discusses her new book, in “Playing the hand you’re dealt” is the mantra of the moment. Here Lucius Kutchin’s “Girl With Cards” (1933), oil. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
which she revisits her 2002 trip to Bhutan. There former Prime Minister Thakur Singh Powdyel summed up the political mindset that has made the country, a former absolute monarchy turned parliamentary democracy, a latter-day Shangri-La: “Gross National Happiness is an aspiration, a set of guiding principles through which we are navigating our path towards a sustainable and equitable society. It is our North Star.” Our essays on the removal of certain historic statues, the existential crisis of leadership and the key role that taking a knee, or genuflecting, has played in sports -- and in cultural history — all speak to society’s urgent quest for racial justice. “Play the hand you’re dealt:” Wares columnist Cami — our own Hestia, goddess of the hearth — has some great tips
for activities you can enjoy alone or with family at home. Jeremy, too, has some unusual games for those hunkering down, along with a visit to The Barley Beach House, a new restaurant in Rye Town Park and Beach; options for spending your summer vacation in the U.S. of A.; and a look at how Greenwich’s Mad Dogs cricket team is doing. (Better than we are at understanding the sport’s complex inout rules.) Debbi makes sure that you’re well-shod wherever you go, even if it’s just to the grocery store, while Barbara takes us to Georgia’s Jekyll Island, a natural paradise. Meanwhile, Doug, our own Dionysus, helps us chillax with some memorable wines from southern Portugal — which you should, of course, savor responsibly, safely. That should go without saying, right? But sometimes we need a reminder. We need to hear it, see it, in writing, just as we need to reclaim the sporting concept of personal best in this moment of global crisis. It’s not as important to be the best or beat the best as it is to be your best. However you spend the last full month of summer, may it be the key to unlocking your full potential and finding your own happiness. A 2020 YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester Visionary Award winner and a 2018 Folio Women in Media Award Winner, Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Burying the Dead,” “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” and "Seamless Sky" (JMS Books), as well as “The Penalty for Holding,” a 2018 Lambda Literary Award finalist (JMS Books), and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes. Her short story “The Glass Door,” about love in the time of the coronavirus, will be published by JMS Aug. 12. Read WAG’s serialization of “Seamless Sky” beginning in the September issue. For more, visit thegamesmenplay.com.
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SCRUNCHIE TIME
You’re playing in a big match and want to look your best while keeping your hair off your neck. Enter the antibacterial active-wear scrunchie from Canadian company Chelsea King. The ChitoSante fabric is soft, fast-wicking and odorresistant. ChitoSante is also the only antibacterial bio-agent certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Game, set and match. For more, visit chelseaking. shop. Courtesy Chelsea King.
WOO-HOO, WOOZOO
If you know anything about us at WAG — or have seen our office — then you know we love a good fan. And we’re a fan of Iris’ Woozoo, which cools us quietly, especially on the lowest setting. The fancy-schmancier ones oscillate and pivot vertically. But we like our desktop version — 10.94 inches long by 8.43 inches wide by 11.54 inches tall with a 70.9-inch cord length. It has three settings as well as 360-degree rotation that allows you to adjust the direction of its delightful breeze any which way you choose. For more, visit irisusainc.com. Courtesy Iris.
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GETTING YOUR GOAT (MILK SKINCARE)
With all the hand sanitizing and extra exercising during quarantine, your digits and tootsies have taken a beating. Dionis Goat Milk Skincare products may be your answer. One gift set includes a .78-ounce Sole Soother Balm and one-ounce hand cream. The products, which are gluten-, parabens-, sulfatesand cruelty-free, also include sanitizers and disinfectant surface sprays for high-touch areas like cell phones and door knobs. For more, visit dionisgmskincare.com. Courtesy Dionis.
NAUSEA, BE GONE
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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you… - Simon and Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” In the spring of 1997, I was working full-time as senior cultural writer for what is now The Journal News; caring for my beloved Aunt Mary, who raised me and was still recovering from two hip replacements; and serving jury duty at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains. I was stressed out beyond belief and, not surprisingly, became ill with a sinus infection, for which my family had little sympathy. Feeling completely at sea that season as well as mightily sorry for myself, I collapsed in bed on the night of June 11 and turned on the TV for some distraction. The fifth game of the NBA Finals was on, with the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz tied two games apiece. I’m not a big basketball fan, but sometimes the greatest relaxation comes from watching an event in which you have no rooting interest, so I decided to leave it on. It soon became clear, however, that this would be no ordinary contest. The Bulls’ central star, Michael Jordan, was clearly not himself. The announcers speculated that he was suffering from some kind of flu or stomach virus. (In the recent ESPN series “The Last Dance” — about Jordan’s career, particularly his last season with the Bulls — he claimed it was food poisoning.) Whatever the problem, you could see he was really sick — sweating profusely and apparently vomiting into a towel. But Jordan had decided to go all in. With the chance to go up
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The air up there: Michael Jordan in action during his glory days with the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s and ’90s.
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on a very fine Jazz team, led by John Stockton and reigning MVP Karl Malone, Jordan endured, building slowly, pacing himself but hanging in. He would finish the game, in which he played 44 long minutes, with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block as the Bulls won 90-88. Two nights later, they would seal the championship. But the “Flu Game” would remain one of the most memorable of Jordan’s career. That night I realized something I had forgotten but often remind myself of now: Life isn’t fair, and it isn’t easy. What matters is the courage to endure, to keep chipping away as you wait for your moment and then try to make the most of that moment. (As it turned out, personally and professionally, 1997 would be one of the best years of my life.) Great philosophers and leaders have said as much about perseverance in adversity, but rarely is the lesson brought home the way it is in a sporting arena. It’s a lesson that athletes and their fans will have to take to heart now more than ever. I don’t have to tell you that these are probably the most challenging times for the sporting community since World War II. Due to the coronavirus, premier events have been canceled (the Spring Horse Shows at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, Wimbledon), postponed (the French Open, the Tokyo Olympics) or moved. (After eight seasons at Old Salem Farm, the American Gold Cup is relocating to the larger Flintfields Horse Park in Traverse City, Michigan.) In the wake of Covid-19, the various disciplines have gotten creative as they scramble to salvage their seasons, exhibiting a Jordan-ian grace under pressure. For the first time since 1931, the Triple Crown is being run out of order, with the last race, the Belmont Stakes, shortened from 1 ½ miles to 1 1/8, having gone first on June 20; the Kentucky Derby, usually the first race, slated for Sept. 5; and the Preakness, the second race, finishing up on Oct. 3. (See Page 28.) Golf’s U.S. Open Championship, which was moved from June to Sept. 17 through 20 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, will feature an all-exempt field, having dispensed with the qualifying rounds (Page 16). Tennis’ US Open will take place as scheduled from Aug. 31 through Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, which has been used as a makeshift hospital and staging area for meals for hospital workers and underserved schoolchildren (Page 18). But just as with the protocols in baseball – which has struggled since its long-awaited return July 23 – implicit in all these changes is the big one, no fans. An exception: Greenwich Polo Club will allow limited public participation in the East Coast Open Aug. 30 through Sept. 13. (Page 20).
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This has led sportswriters, fans and players alike to opine about the loss of spectators to spectator sports. The 2014 US Open men’s singles champion Marin Čilić even suggested that playing the tournament without the fans — the Open’s raucous soundtrack — would taint it, as if it were merely practice. This concern over fan-less games follows along the lines of the thought experiment “If a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?” — the idea being that sound requires perception. (Actually, sound requires vibrations, so yes, it makes a sound.) But here’s something perception requires — imagination. It takes imagination to understand the roles of the player and the fan and their relationship to each other. Like performing artists, some athletes feed off a live audience while others shrink from it. Regardless the player, particularly in a highly individualized sport like tennis or golf, plays primarily for himself, So a Marin Čilić is going to have to fight his way through the US Open draw all by his lonesome. A crowd, no matter how large and supportive, can’t do it for him. Just as an athlete doesn’t really need a live audience, the fan doesn’t need to be in that audience. Unlike a spectator — who has no rooting interest beyond the opportunity to witness an event, live or televised — a fan is someone who has psychological connection with an athlete or a team, whether he knows them or has any physical proximity to them or not. Indeed, long before the days of multimedia and globalization, people who had never set foot in New York were fans of teams like the New York Yankees. That’s true today. One of the greatest explorations of this psychic connection is Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Old Man and the Sea” (1952). It tells the tale of the down-on-his-luck fisherman Santiago, who struggles to land a marlin. For two days and nights, he struggles, injuring himself in the process but – taking comfort in the idea that if Joe DiMaggio, the Yankees’ legendary centerfielder could come back from bone spurs, then he could hold the line against the great fish despite his agony and loneliness. Like the arts, all sports are metaphors for those thoughts and feelings we can’t always confront directly. The “Flu Game” was my “Old Man and the Sea” moment. I realized that if Jordan could come off the bench sick as a dog to help win a vital game, then I could at least meet whatever life had in store for me. And if sports can come back however imperfectly in what has been a cruel season, we can do no less.
A NOT SO ‘OPEN’ SEASON There are three Open tournaments in our area this summer — “open” being the operative word. The East Coast Open is set to gallop once more down the expanse of Greenwich Polo Club,Aug. 30 through Sept. 13. Simultaneously, the US Open is slated to be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, Aug. 31 through Sept. 13, its original dates. And the U.S. Open Championship will now take place at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck Sept. 17 through 20, having been moved from June. However, in each instance, it will be anything but business as usual. The U.S. Open at Winged Foot will be played without spectators and with an exempt field, eliminating the qualifying rounds (Page 16). The US Open at the tennis center will also be played without spectators in a streamlined format (Page 18). And while the East Coast Open will allow fans, they will be limited in number (Page 20). So welcome to the not so ‘Open’ season, in which three beloved summer sports celebrate the remains of the day:
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U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot BY PETER KATZ
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For the sixth time in its history, Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck will play host to the U.S. Open, a premier event of the United States Golf Association (USGA). This year's event takes place Sept. 14 through Sept. 20 without spectators, having been rescheduled from June 15 through June 21 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Founded in 1921, Winged Foot has as storied an aesthetic history as it does a sporting one, so much so that on March 25, 2019, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation had recommended adding Winged Foot to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The clubhouse was designed by architect Clifford Charles Wendehack and completed in 1925. It commands two 18-hole courses. The West Course, where the Open will take place, is a par 72 and totals 7,264 yards. The East Course, also par 72, is 6,750 yards. First played in 1923, they were designed by Albert Warren Tillinghast, better known as A.W. He had a reputation for creating courses that required precision drives coupled
The first hole of Winged Foot Golf Club’s challenging West Course, site of the U.S. Open in September. Photographs courtesy United States Golf Association.
The 18th hole of Winged Foot Golf Club’s West Course against the backdrop of the clubhouse shimmering in the sunlight.
with a variety of skills to reach the greens. Although Tillinghast died in 1942, his legacy, which includes approximately 250 North American courses he designed, has shone to such an extent that in 1998, The Tillinghast Association was founded to share information about him, his golf course designs and writings as a poet, newspaper sports editor and golf magazine columnist. In 2015, Tillinghast was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The East and West Courses Tillinghast designed at Winged Foot are considered by many of his followers to be his finest creations. The USGA, for one, was first drawn to his West Course at Winged Foot for the U. S. Open back in 1929 when Bobby Jones won the tournament. The next U.S. Open held at Winged Foot was in 1959, when Billy Casper took top honors. After that, in 1974, Hale Irwin won, followed by Fuzzy Zoeller in 1984 and Geoff Ogilvy in 2006. The West Course achieved its own sort of notoriety as a result of the 1974 U. S. Open, in which big-name players including Irwin, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus has such difficulty that sportswriter Dick Schaap was inspired to write a book titled “Massacre at Winged Foot.” For its part, the East Course has hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens, a U.S. Senior Open and rounds of the second U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Winged Foot is known, among other things, for its members and golf pros who have achieved national prominence as well as people of national prominence who have been honored with memberships. In 1940, Winged Foot member Dick Chapman won the U.S. Amateur Championship. Club pro Craig Wood won the Masters and U.S. Open in 1941. Claude Harmon followed Wood as professional at Winged Foot. Ben Hogan was awarded an honorary membership to the club. In 1963, Winged Foot named former President Dwight D. Eisenhower as an honorary member, after Eisenhower had visited the club. Some big names in golf are scheduled to participate in this year's 120th U.S. Open Championship. But don’t expect any new faces: The USGA canceled local and qualifying competition for slots in the Open and is inviting participants based on their past achievements in winning competitions and other criteria. Still, 11 U.S. Open champions are expected to participate, including Tiger Woods, who won in 2000, 2002, and 2008. The 2017 and 2018 winner Brooks Koepka, and 2019's Gary Woodland also are on the roster. The USGA said that the field will total 144 this year and will include spaces for 13 players ranked in the amateur class. The size of the field was reduced from 156 players as the tournament adjusted to the pandemic. Not all the changes are virus-related. On June 29, the USGA announced that the U.S. media rights for the Open had been shifted from Fox Sports to NBCUniversal. In addition to its TV network, NBC operates the Golf Channel and was scheduled to have its new Peacock streaming service up and running well in advance of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September. For more, visit usopen.com.
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Serving in more ways than one BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
“So, what’s new at the US Open?” When we ask this question annually of Daniel Zausner — chief operating officer of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens — it usually leads to a discussion about some new piece of infrastructure at the complex to delight players and fans alike. And there will be a new building this season. (More on that in a bit.) But this year, “What’s new?” is as loaded as a question can get, as Zausner himself acknowledged during a recent interview. Not only will the White Plains-based USTA’s presentation of the Open — one of the first live major sporting events to take place in the metro area for some time — be unprecedented, but it will come on the heels of the organization and the site’s key role in stemming the tide of the coronavirus in New York City, once the epicenter of the virus in the world. The Open will be played on its regularly scheduled dates, Aug. 31 through Sept. 13 but without spectators in a streamlined format. There will be no qualifying, juniors, mixed doubles or wheelchair competitions and the draws for the men’s and women’s doubles have been halved from 64 to 32 teams each. (The men’s and women’s singles draws will remain unchanged, with 128 players each.) This year, the tournament will be preceded at the Queens site by the Western & Southern Open (Aug. 19 through 28), another tournament in the USTA’s US Open Series, which is usually held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. “We’re looking to mitigate risks and control as much as possible,” said Zausner, who added that the decisions were made after considering a dozen different scenarios and working closely with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the men’s group and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). To that end, the players will be housed in two hotels, one of which is the revamped TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport, whose centerpiece is Eero Saarinen’s iconic, winged 1962 landmark, the TWA Flight Center. The players will each be given two hotel rooms, one paid for by the USTA, and allowed to bring up to three guests, Stacey Allaster, the USTA’s chief executive, professional tennis, and the recently appointed director of the US Open tournament, said at a press conference. A Realtor will also be available for those who wish to rent a house nearby, population-dense Manhattan excluded. Players and their teams will be tested for the coronavirus upon arrival and periodically. There is a protocol in place for treating
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The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing MeadowsCorona Park played a key role in supporting New York City during the height of the coronavirus this spring and is now ready to welcome back players for the Western & Southern Open and the US Open, an unprecedented double bill. Seen here is “the Louie,” the Louis Armstrong Stadium, which was used as a staging area for meals for health-care workers, hospital patients and underserved children. Courtesy USTA.
any who may test positive, Allaster added. With the absence of spectators on-site, the players will have access to a resort-like atmosphere that will include the outdoor cafés, Arthur Ashe Stadium lounges and a South Plaza that will be transformed into a sports center with everything from soccer to golf, basketball, movies and gaming. On court, there will be fewer officials, with no lines persons except at Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums, Zausner said. (The outer courts will make use of Hawk-Eye Live technology for line calls, an Open first. All courts will have chair umpires.) Ball persons will be age 18 and over, he added, and will wear masks and gloves. They will not hand towels to players, who will each use their own set of tennis balls. The general media will not be allowed to attend the Open, although the USTA is building a two-story, 20,000-square-foot broadcast center in time to accommodate its more than 200 international broadcast partners. (ESPN has its own on-site fa-
THE US OPEN BY THE DOLLARS For the Western & Southern Open and US Open, the USTA has committed to $60 million in total compensation to the players, with an additional $6.6 million in relief grants to offset the reduction of the doubles draws and the elimination of the Qualifying Tournament this year. This money will be split between the ATP and the WTA to determine how to distribute the funds and/or use them for replacement playing or ranking point opportunities. (Previously this year, the USTA gave $1 million to an international player relief fund.) The USTA can keep these commitments despite net operating income being down 80 percent, thanks to its reserves, Michael Dowse, the USTA’s CEO and executive director, said at a recent press conference, adding that this is not a sustainable model for the future. (Last year, the US Open made roughly $370 million, with spectators providing the biggest source of revenue, the others being broadcasting rights and sponsorships. Only sponsors and broadcasters are on board this year. Nonetheless, USTA COO Daniel Zausner said, “We’re fortunate enough to be able to break even.”
cility to carry the matches and conduct interviews.) The new facility, along with everything else will be subject to state-ofthe-art sanitation, created in partnership with ISSA, which bills itself as the leading trade organization for the cleaning industry worldwide. “We wanted to set the standard,” Zausner said. If all of this seems surreal, think back to where the USTA was in the spring. In March, 12 courts in its Indoor Training Center became a temporary hospital with 475 beds. Patients began arriving in April with the last leaving mid-May. Though the makeshift hospital would include 22 ICU beds and embrace 100,000 square feet of space, it was, fortunately, never fully occupied. In addition, “the Louie,” as the Louis Armstrong Stadium is known, became a commissary that prepared 25,000 meal packages a day — containing two days’ worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner — for patients, health care workers and underserved children who would otherwise receive breakfast
and lunch from the New York City public schools. At its height, the Louie served up to 150,000 meals a day, helping to bolster neighboring Elmhurst Hospital, which Zausner described as “the epicenter of the epicenter.” It’s an extraordinary achievement, one that he modestly downplayed. “It felt good, but we have to remember the people who were the real heroes,” he said. “We’re just glad we could do our small part.” Now things are back to normal or rather the new normal. It will be strange not to hear the buzz and the roar of the crowd, which Zausner called “the pulse” of the Open. But he and the USTA team are committed to an experience that will engage the fans virtually. “We see what the PGA and Nascar have done,” he added. “We can create something special.” For more, visit usopen.org.
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Emphasizing the ‘social’ in social distancing BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Photographs by Marcelo Bianchi for Greenwich Polo Club.
Despite a vast green expanse the size of nine football fields, Greenwich Polo Club has never been about social distancing. On summer Sundays, it’s dotted by graceful white pavilions in which the Veuve Clicquot flows freely — along with good eats, laughter and boutique treasures. But with the coronavirus raging in our area this past spring, the club was forced to cancel its Greenwich, Monte Waterbury and American Cup matches. Now the high-goal polo club — founded by businessman, art collector and philanthropist Peter Brant in 1981 — hopes to finish strong with the return of the prestigious East Coast Open Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 and 13. At press time, the plan called for reduced public participation. Reserved, presold tickets for lawn and limited grand-
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stand seating would be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Still, the club will retain the social aspect of the matches with socially distanced circles and tables with umbrellas for attendees. Last year, Postage Stamp Farm — spearheaded by Annabelle Gundlach, one of the few female patrons of a polo team — defeated Monterosso in a taut, thrilling final, 12-10. Santino Magrini, playing for the losing team, was nonetheless named MVP. The Best Playing Pony was Ikana from Los Machitos’ stable in Buenos Aires, ridden by Postage Stamp Farm’s Lerin Zubiaurre. Here’s hoping for another great tournament to end a truncated season on a high note. For more, visit greenwichpoloclub.com.
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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Above,22 aerial view of Maple Hill Farm. WAGMAG.COM AUGUST 2020 Photograph by Daniel Milstein.
An arts center, an equestrian/athletic facility, a sugarhouse and a working farm in a complex with ties to the native peoples, the early days of this country and even “Winnie-thePooh.” Maple Hill Farm is all this and more. Tucked away in rural Redding, the farm is actually a group of revamped buildings that lies along Umpawaug Road, which places it on one of the original Native American trails of the Northeast as well as one of the original post roads for deliveries. Once owned by Joseph S. Montgomery — founder of Cannondale, the high-performance bicycle manufacturer — the farm was the home of a prominent movie director, who prefers to remain anonymous, for 17 years. In 2012, he sold it to the current owners, who worked with architect Andrew A. Bartolotta, principal of Studio Bartolotta LLC, and Amy Zolin, founding interior designer of Clarity Home LLC, to recreate it as a 9,720 square-foot manor house — situating it to embrace expansive views of the landscape and filling its 13 contemporary rooms, which include seven bedrooms, six full baths and three half-baths, with the latest amenities. But the manor house is just the beginning of the 47-acre property’s many structures (and stories). Among them is the Barn At Maple Hill Farm, an 1800s almshouse turned state-ofthe-art private music studio and performing arts venue that has hosted musicians and “Austin City Limits”-style shows as well as fundraising events. The barn’s catering kitchen was repurposed from the house, as was the garage. Now called the Green Room, it is a one-bedroom, one-bath space where musicians can rest between sets, sleep when recording an album or just hang out. The property also has three additional houses, all dating from the 18th century and restored with new interior design by Kelly Mittleman of Kelly & Co. Design. One of them, said to be the fifth oldest house in Redding, contained a pair of machine-stitched shoes that were found in a wall during the 2012 renovation. (In the 1800s, people would put their children’s outgrown shoes in the walls to ward off evil spirits and encourage fertility.) The owners had them repaired and still keeps them there. The other outbuildings are a sugarhouse, where the owners make their own maple syrup from trees on the property; another barn that according to local legend was visited by George Washington’s traitorous general, Benedict Arnold, and was used in the 1900s for town and mason meetings; a coop for pigs and chickens; a boathouse with a dock on the property’s 2-acre pond, which is stocked with largemouth bass and brown trout; a small tennis hut that accompanies a court; and a pool house to go with the pool. The property is well-suited for equestrians as well as swimming and tennis buffs, with a riding ring, stalls, paddocks and acres of trails known as “The Hundred Acre Wood.” Riders will find them adorned with custom wood-crafted depictions of characters from A.A. Milne’s enchanting “Winnie-the-Pooh” books that were created by a local chainsaw artist. Do you think Pooh Bear would forgo his beloved honey for once for a taste of Maple Hill Farm’s own syrup? It would be worth visiting the farm just to find out. For more, visit williampitt.com and thebarnatmaplehillfarm.com.
Top to bottom: Rear view of the manor house, photograph by ChiChi Ubiña; The chef’s kitchen, photograph by Neil Landino Jr.; and the manor house’s family room, photograph by ChiChi Ubiña.
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Alice, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. You grew up in Bedford and began riding at a young age. What drew you to it? “My mother and father were both horse people. In fact, my mother was a very good show jumper in the 1950s. She ran a riding school at our home, so it was quite natural for me to begin riding, which I did so at the age of 3, quite seriously by the age of 4.”
Alice Debany-Clero in action in Europe. Courtesy PVS Studios.
An equestrian star returns BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
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Alice Debany-Clero — who grew up on her parents’ Bedford farm, the ninth of 10 children — earned her stripes in the competitive world of show jumping as one of the riders of the fabled jumper The Natural, owned by Old Salem Farm in North Salem. Aboard “Natty,” she won the Queen’s Cup at Spruce Meadows in Alberta, Canada, and the grand prix at the National Horse Show before marrying and taking off for a big international career in Europe and the Middle East. As an equestrian, she has represented the United States in 10 Nations Cups. As a trainer, she coached the Dubai Jumping Team for 14 years and coaches the jumping teams in Cairo and in Sharja, United Arab Emirates. Recently, Debany-Clero returned to Old Salem Farm for a series of clinics that continue Aug. 17 through Aug. 20. We spoke with her via e-mail:
You made an early hit riding the jumper The Natural, owned by Old Salem Farm. Tell us how that came about. “My very lucky break to ride The Natural was an exceptional circumstance when I worked for Paul and Robin Greenwood just after my junior years. I was running the farm at Old Salem with Brooke Baldwin. (Equestrian) Katharine (Burdsall) had famously won the (1987 FEI) World Cup Final with The Natural. He went lame from a splint injury before the 1988 Olympic games, he had surgery and no one was sure he would come back. Katharine subsequently quit (competing) and Paul and Robin told me, ‘If The Natural comes back, he’s yours.’ You could have knocked me over with a feather.” What were your early impressions of Old Salem? “Old Salem Farm was always a part of my life even before it was called Old Salem. It was called The Hill before that. Then Paul Newman bought the property, and improved it so much. Then Paul Greenwood bought it and improved it even further. I spent approximately eight years of my life working there for Paul (Greenwood). Not only did he give me a job, but he also paid for my university education at New York University, where I studied at night for five years while working full-time six days a week at Old Salem. This really changed my life, to be able to have a university education while continuing to ride at the level I was able to. I could never have afforded a university education if it was not for Paul Greenwood.”
You’ve had a big career on both sides of the Atlantic. What would you say are the main differences between American riders and those in Europe and the Middle East? “The difference of jumping in Europe versus the United States was more sharp 23 years ago when I got there….The exposure to so many different styles of riding was an extraordinary experience over 23 years. I would say the world on a whole rides more homogeneously now than they did 23 years ago since so many Americans come over to Europe, and so many Europeans go to America now. “Riding style is a bit like an accent in a spoken language. Riders developed their styles so much depending on the type of horses that they were breeding. Americans were riding hot Thoroughbreds off the track, while Germans were riding horses that were much colder, perhaps horses that were bred from plow horses. But now, the styles of the riders are, I would say, much more flexible. The best riders can ride the hot horses if they need to be ridden that way, and they can ride the colder horses the way they need to be ridden. That is always been my goal as a rider, to ride the horse in the style that is best suited for the blood and temperament at the horse. “The riding style in the Middle East has changed dramatically over the 15 years that I have been there....As the sport evolved to more of a blood sport with faster time allowed and lighter material, (many older German trainers)… came to the Middle East to sell horses and taught the riders, in my opinion, a very heavy old German style that is not very well-suited to most of the good horses these days. So I believe I had some influence over there and then in the entire region in lightening up the style and modernizing their riding, which I’m quite proud of.” What kind of horses do you have, how many and where are they stabled? “I do not own a lot of horses personally. I bring along a few young horses at a
time. If any of them become valuable, I will sell them, because I have three children and a family to take care of. I have one Grand Prix horse, a mare who was never sold because she is not extremely easy to ride, although I enjoy her tremendously. My favorite type of horse I would say is a mare with a positive attitude. I don’t like mares that are moody, but I do love the mares that are very positive in character and essentially like the job. Geldings, of course, can be lovely. I am not a big fan of stallions, but I have had the pleasure of riding several nice ones.” Tell us how you train them and yourself. “As far as training myself, I reassess my basics every single day. I really believe that a solid position is both beautiful and functional. I think it’s very easy for a rider to lose their basics if they are not reviewed every single day, so I do a lot of work in the two-point position (two points of contact with the saddle) and I do a lot of work without stirrups. “For the horses, I always look for the way to bring out the best in a horse rather than exposing their weaknesses, especially a weakness that they cannot help. I like to teach the horse that this is really just a game we are playing together. I like to look at a course as a puzzle that we both have to solve together. I don’t like the idea of the riders dominating the horse, but rather it’s more like a dance that we are doing together and we have a puzzle to solve together, and it actually can be fun. Work is hard, for sure, just like when you go to the gym, it is hard work. But I don’t like it to be a drudgery or some thing that the horses only submit to, because they have to. I’d like to teach the horse that this sport can actually be quite fun if we work together.”
What’s it like to be back at Old Salem Farm for the clinics you’re giving? “Coming back to Old Salem really feels like coming back home…. And the owner Scott Hakim, was my student when he was 16 and I was 19. So we have known each other for quite a long time.” What do you hope your students take away from these clinics? “My main goal in any lesson or clinic is that the riders and horses come out more confident than they began. The fashion of teaching when I was young was a bit more of a style that would break down the riders by humiliating them and putting them down. Luckily, I had a strong enough character to take it, but over the years I really disagreed with this method. Rarely do I think a rider needs to be shouted at and certainly not humiliated or insulted. I think that the goal is to help riders figure out how to bring the best out of themselves and their horses. That could be discovering a new bit, which is their communication with the horse, or learning to ride more forward yet in good control. Also, how to use their bodies and seats in all of the positions that get the best out of their horses in themselves.” Now that you’re back, do you foresee splitting your time between Westchester and Europe? “It’s a great thing for me to come back to Old Salem, because my husband and I see ourselves back in New York in the next few years. My three children are all in university now in Paris, but we have our roots very entrenched in New York and it is really where our hearts are. I am still very attached to my students in Dubai and Cairo, so I would like to continue working with them when I can.” The Aug. 17 through Aug. 20 clinics have different sections each day at $225 a section. But you don’t have to be an equestrian to attend. Auditors are welcome, with admission set at $75. To reserve your place, call 914-6695610.
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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
With Victor Espinoza aboard, American Pharoah breaks a 37-year drought, winning the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown on June 6, 2015. Photograph by Mike Lizzi.
With David O’Rourke, the chief executive of the New York Racing Association, proclaiming this “the year for traditions to go out the window,” the Triple Crown races are being run out of order for the first time since 1931, due to the coronavirus. First up was the oldest of the Triple Crown races — and the first major sporting event in our area in quite some time — the Belmont Stakes, won in moving, historic fashion by the steady-as-he-goes, fleet-of-hoof bay colt Tiz the Law. The first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont since Forester in 1882, Tiz the Law gave Empire State sports fans something to cheer about in the time of corona, even if they did
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it from the safety of their own homes as no spectators were allowed. Traditionally the last leg of the crown and the so-called “Test of the Champion” at 1 ½ miles, the race — which took place at Belmont Park June 20, two weeks after originally scheduled — was shortened to 1 1/8 miles. The Kentucky Derby, “the Run for the Roses,” usually the first race, will go off Sept. 5, with the Preakness, the usual second race, slated for Oct. 3 as a possible determinant of a Triple Crown winner. Some racing experts consider this a case of making an excellent lemonade out of lemons as the contesting 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will have time to rest and mature, giving all
three races strong fields. (Usually, the Admiral on Nov. 1, 1938 in the “Match of the Derby features a wide field, with some of Century” at Pilmico Race Course, home of the losers then sitting out the Preakness the Preakness, it proved what John McEnroe three weeks later to play spoiler for any once said about playing Björn Borg: It’s not possible Crown bid in the Belmont.) important to be the best, only to beat the Like all grand traditions, the Crown best. itself is a construct. The three races were Man ’o War was also an ancestor, along created independently of one another, with Native Dancer, of the greatest rivalry with the Belmont Stakes first run in 1867; in horseracing history, Affirmed and Alydar, the Preakness, in 1873; and the Kentucky with the laid-back Affirmed beating his highDerby, two years later. Although Sir Barstrung “uncle” to take the 1978 Triple Crown. ton won all three in 1919 and sportswritRecently, Affirmed, who died in 2001, came ers were using the term “Triple Crown” 1919 Sir Barton in fourth in the Virtual Kentucky Derby that by 1923, it wasn’t until Gallant Fox cap1930 Gallant Fox was part of the festivities on May 2, the day tured the trifecta in 1930 that Charles 1935 Omaha the real Derby was supposed to be held. UsHatton of the Daily Racing Form coined 1937 War Admiral ing computer data, this Derby had Secretarthe phrase. 1941 Whirlaway iat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, besting Some of the greatest horses — includ1943 Count Fleet Citation (1948) and Seattle Slew (1977), who ing the greatest according to many polls, 1946 Assault placed and showed respectively. American Man ’o War — never won the crown. (His 1948 Citation Pharoah (2015) finished fifth. Thanks to the owner — August Belmont Jr., for whose 1973 Secretariat beauty of the digital age, the real American family the Belmont Stakes and Park were 1977 Seattle Slew Pharoah was seen watching himself race the named — thought him too young for the 1978 Affirmed other greats on a TV placed before his stall at Derby but did enter him in the Preak2015 American Pharoah Ashford Stud in Kentucky. He seemed to take ness and the Belmont in 1920, both of 2018 Justify a keen interest in the race, perhaps because which he won.) he was clipped by Whirlaway (1941), who, Another great colt never to win the true to his idiosyncratic style, veered wide. Triple Crown was “the Gray Ghost” himBeloved “Whirly” is the only one of the 13 self, Native Dancer, whose flashing whitimmortals to win the Crown and the Travers ish coat helped make him the first equine star in the new Stakes in Saratoga, the so-called “graveyard of champions.” medium of black-and-white TV in the early 1950s. Bred by The May 2 day at the races also featured the Kentucky TurAlfred G. Vanderbilt Jr. in Maryland, the docile yet playful tle Derby, which had not been run since 1945, when the Derby horse known simply as “the Dancer,” lost his only race to was postponed due to World War II. Sponsored by Old ForestDark Star in the 1953 Kentucky Derby. Jockey Eric Guerin er, the Derby’s official drink, the Turtle Derby saw a stunning was roundly criticized for the defeat, with one reporter obupset in which dark, er, horse What the Turtleneck? beat out serving, “He took that colt everywhere on the track except Galapa-GO! and Rocket to Nowhere, who finished second and the ladies’ room.” third respectively. Man ’o War and Native Dancer, however, had their reThe surprising What the Turtleneck? did not so much galvenge. A magnificent stud, Man was the sire of the 1937 lop to the win as saunter out of the circle in which the turtles Crown champion War Admiral and the grandsire of his were placed, proving that slow and steady sometimes does feisty little rival, Seabiscuit. When the Biscuit bested the indeed win the race.
THE
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BY JEREMY WAYNE
First, a confession. I know nothing about cricket, which is sort of disgraceful for an Englishman. OK, that’s not entirely true. I know a smidge. That’s because, in my formative highschool years, too inept to make the school cricket team, I was awarded the dubious honor of being made team scorer instead. The scorer, as may be self-evident, is the poor sap who keeps the score, still traditionally recorded in pencil in a score book, with correlating cards hung on a scoreboard for all and sundry to see. Keeping the score in cricket is only marginally less convoluted, I am told, than keeping the score in baseball and doubtless just as boring, but being scorer was not without its benefits. These included occasionally missing
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afternoon school in order to play away matches; traveling across the county to other schools, something which the curious — not to say voyeuristic — teenage me really enjoyed; and, last but not least, indulging in the traditional, slap-up, mid-match afternoon tea. (See “cricket tea” in the accompanying glossary.) The rules of cricket are notoriously complicated, designed to confusticate the uninitiated. They're best summed up in a novelty tea towel that appeared sometime in the 1970s and still rears its absurd head from time to time on eBay: “You have two sides, one out and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and
GLOSSARY OF CRICKET TERMS ASHES: A metaphorical tournament prize referring to the ongoing rivalry between Australia and England, as in, “Who has the Ashes?” (Australia is the current holder.) BAILS: The sticks placed across the three stumps to form a wicket. BALLS: A cricket ball is made of cork and string and covered in leather. Ut is harder and heavier than a baseball. BOX: Nasty pink, vaguely suggestive, plastic thing — what Americans call a “guard.” CRICKET TEA: Traditional, “slap-up” tea, served at the mid-point of a cricket match, which might include finger sandwiches, cakes and scones with jam and cream. GOOGLY: A devious spin bowl that aims to trick the batsman. LORDS: In residential northwest London, home of the Middlesex County Cricket Club and the most famous cricketing venue in the world. SILLY MID-ON: A fielding position, just in front of the batsman’s wicket (leg side.) SILLY MID-OFF: A fielding position, just in front of the batsman’s wicket (opposite side.)
A game in progress — social distancing naturally observed.
tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. There are two men called umpires, who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out.” But just when you’re reminding yourself how completely mad the British are — and I do not necessarily disagree — let me remind you that, in the 18th century, cricket was a popular game in America, and remained so until the time of the Civil War. A match between Londoners and New Yorkers was recorded as early as 1751 and the first international game of any sport, at least as we understand that term today, was a cricket match played between the United States and Canada in 1844. In the 19th and early 20th century, Philadelphia was the unofficial cricket capital of America.
WICKET: The arrangement of three stumps (sticks) with bails across the top, resembling a gate, which the batsman must prevent from being hit in order to stay in the game. WILLOW: English willow wood, with its special combination of hardness and “springiness,” traditionally makes the best cricket bats.
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A Mad Dogs Cricket 11.
Some of these facts are relayed to me by Sanjay Santhanam, president of Mad Dogs Cricket Club. The Mad Dogs’ home base is Christiano Field in Greenwich and they also play in Norwalk and at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Founded by a bunch of British expats and now in its 30th year, the club has moved from being an “English” club to something of a melting pot of the cricket-playing world, with members from a long list of countries, including many of the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Japan — and, of course, Britain. And while cricket clubs proliferate on the East and West Coasts — reflecting a resurgent interest in the sport among the wider population — Mad Dogs has been a particularly successful one. “Thirty years ago,” Sanjay says, “we would play four or five games a season, piling into our little bus or truck and head to Philadelphia. Last year we played over 80 games, all over the world.” The club has been to nearly every cricket World Cup and, as members of three different leagues, there is hardly anywhere in the U.S.A. they don’t get to play. January saw the Mad Dogs in Sarasota, Florida, and in February they were playing in Hawaii (“Nice work if you can get it,” as they say in the old country.) I wonder if the “golf widow” term can apply to cricket team members. But Sanjay says: “The sport is very inclusive. We get the women out to communal events once or twice month, and they see what their husbands or partners are doing.” Without putting words in his mouth, what I think he is trying to say is that there is generally a sense of wholesomeness about the game. This is true. In cricket, there is generally none of the rowdiness or hooliganism that attaches to international soccer — which is not
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to say that cricketers don’t enjoy their post-game pint, or pints, because they certainly do. It is also an “older” game, because the level of athleticism required makes a cricketing life, amateur as well as professional, possible well past the age of 40. “Mad Dogs,” Sanjay says, “attracts players from all different backgrounds and they run the gamut — professionals with PhDs, laborers, taxi drivers. We hang out and have a lot of fun.” He adds, “and we’re united. We help our members find jobs, we help them and their families if they are sick. It’s like a big, unmanageable family.” Cricket is also a game of great aesthetic appeal, especially a match played on a typical “village green.” Think of the all-white “kit” of the players; the perfect, green pitch; the smell of linseed oil (used to oil cricket bats); the famous “thwack” of leather on willow (the unique sound made when the leather-clad ball comes into contact with the bat); along with gentle clapping of the spectators, relaxing in deck chairs — or, here in the eastern U.S.A., in Adirondack chairs — at the edge of the cricket pitch. A game of cricket, in short, is summer distilled. And in this peculiar summer we are experiencing, it is also the perfect game for social distancing, with batsmen standing at the opposite ends of the pitch and a “fielding” side which, almost by definition, is spread out to cover as much ground as possible. Mad Dogs was the first club to shut down all activities at the onset of the pandemic, but it has now been rebooted. All the new protocols are contained in a six-page document and include players having their temperature taken and a questionnaire that players must complete before each game that is now being used a benchmark for the reopening of sports in the tristate region. Anything less — well, it just wouldn’t be cricket, would it?
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Whither Tokyo’s Summer Olympics? BY PHIL HALL
One of the most dramatic stories to take place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic was the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo until next year. This marked the first time that the quadrennial event was forced to be rescheduled. Yet this is not the first time that Tokyo had problems being able to host the Olympics. Eighty years ago, the world’s greatest athletes were supposed to arrive in the Japanese capital for the competition — but those games never took place. The weird history of the 1940 Olympics began with Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria and its establishment of the puppet state Manchukuo in 1932. Alexis Dudden, professor of history at the University of Connecticut and author of the forthcoming book “The Opening and Closing of Japan, 1850-2020,” noted the United States attempted to lead international criticism against Japan, even though its absence from the League of Nations limited its efforts. The Japanese government believed its creation of Manchukuo fell within “the rules of the road for European and American states at the time” and bristled when the League of Nations criticized it. “So, Japan walked out of the league,” she added. Dudden observed that Japan’s militarist leaders were not losing sleep about being viewed as a pariah by the League of Nations, noting they were “far more ultra-nationalist and speaking in very racialized terms that Japan would lead Asian nations against white supremacy and white imperialism.” But despite these circumstances, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) oddly decided in 1936 to allow Tokyo to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, with the Japanese city of Sapporo receiving the Winter Olympics for that year. According to Dennis Frost, chairman of the history department and director of East Asian Studies at Michigan’s Kalamazoo College, putting the Olympics in Japan was a truly baffling decision. “By that point, Japan was actively engaged in war,” he said. “It had been in military conflict since the early 1930s that escalated to full-scale military conflict with China around 1937. It was at that point that mobilization
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A Japanese woman celebrating Tokyo receiving the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. Courtesy Edo-Tokyo Museum.
A souvenir hand flag for an event that never took place. Courtesy Daderot / Creative Commons.
was starting to escalate in Japan, and the costs of the war were becoming more and more apparent to people until they were cutting costs everyplace.” The world community was also alarmed by what was happening, and Frost pointed out there had been “lots of talk internationally about the possibility of boycotts and protests against the Japanese actions in China.” While several European countries favored a boycott, Avery Brundage, the president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, was vociferously opposed. Brundage had also infamously defended Nazi Germany against a boycott of the 1936 Berlin Games. Nick Kapur, assistant professor of history at Rutgers University, recalled the Japanese themselves solved the crisis by withdrawing as the Olympic host in July 1938, two years before the games were to begin. “I think the word they used is ‘returned’ the Olympics to the IOC,” he said. “I don't think they gave a very clear reason, but the real reason was that the war was so exacting. It was really crazy of Japan to try to invade a huge country like China. They bit off way more than they could chew. The war in China was bogging down and becoming hugely expensive, so they felt they just didn't have the monetary resources to pull off the Olympics. They had no money to spare.” The IOC quickly awarded the Summer Olympics to Helsinki, the runner-up in the bidding for the events, while the Winter Games in Sapporo were first given to Switzerland’s St. Moritz. But a dispute with the IOC led to that event being granted to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the German resort that held the event in 1936. Sadly, it all came to naught: The launch of World War II resulted in no Olympics for either 1940 or 1944, with the eventual resumption of the events in 1948 with the Winter Games in St. Moritz and the Summer Games in London.
Tokyo would host the Olympics in 1964, with Frost defining the moment as a “very successful event that transformed the international image of Japan. It was kind of like a postwar coming out party showing Japan was peaceful and technologically advanced.” (Sapporo received its second chance for the Winter Olympics in 1972.) Today, however, lingering concerns about the medical safety of the Olympics continue to percolate. Japan’s former Olympic minister Toshikai Endo stated that a final decision needs to be made by next March on whether the games will be able to proceed. There has also been talk within the Japanese government about a reduced Olympics with limited or no spectator seating in the venues. On the financial side, the games have become an Olympic-sized money pit. The original budget for the Olympics when Tokyo secured the event in 2013 was $7.3 billion, but that ballooned to $12.6 billion before the postponement. The delay has reportedly cost Japan between $2 billion and $6 billion. “The postponement came quite late, so it’s obvious that a number of leading Japanese politicians and sports officials were not at all happy with the idea of not hosting the Olympics as intended,” said Stefan Huebner, author of “Pan-Asian Sports and the Emergence of Modern Asia, 1913-1974.” Huebner added another global event, the EXPO 2020 in Dubai, was also postponed until next year, and he pondered that “cancellations of such mega-events are the very last resort and would not happen without significant public pressure. The pandemic nevertheless could play into the hands of those Japanese who, like many people in Western countries, oppose hosting the Olympics. For them, the event is a big waste of money, constitutes a serious traffic nuisance and also has a negative impact on the environment.” Yet Joshua Shuart, director of the sports management program at Sacred Heart University, believes the Japanese and the world will be eager for the games to go on, even in a downsized format. “I think people at this point are starving for sports,” he said. “I think if it goes off, it'll be a positive that can be turned into huge global moment with everyone getting together to have a sports party.”
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Lessons from the Land of the Thunder Dragon BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Gross National Happiness is an aspiration, a set of guiding principles through which we are navigating our path towards a sustainable and equitable society. It is our North Star. — Thakur Singh Powdyel, former prime minister of Bhutan In his 1933 novel “Lost Horizon,” James Hilton sets his Shangri-La — the remote Himalayan utopia that his main character discovers, loses and seeks to regain — in Tibet. But he might as well have been talking about Bhutan, where the pursuit of happiness is more important than the pursuit of profit. For April 2014 WAG, Audrey Ronning Topping, our resident Sinologist, wrote about this unusual “Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon,” now a parliamentary democracy. During the pandemic, she has returned to the Bhutan of her 2002 visit and memory to create a photographic book. We recently asked Audrey about the appeal of the topic at this crucial moment in world affairs: 1. Audrey, why did you want to write a book about Bhutan now? “The main reason I created this photographic narrative about Bhutan now is because since my journey to Bhutan in 2002, the ‘Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon’ has experienced an historic transformation from absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy without a revolution or a shot fired. The citizens of Bhutan have exhibited touching, patriotic enthusiasm for the new democracy they proudly voted for. “I am deeply concerned that the U.S.A., governed some 200 years by modern democracy, is in trouble and perhaps Americans might be inspired by this ancient monarchy and the Dragon King who in 1972 coined the motto ‘Gross National Happiness is more important than the Gross Domestic Product.’ The catchphrase went viral: In 2011, the United Nations adopted a General Assembly resolution introduced by Bhutan calling for world leaders to have a “holistic approach to development.” In 2012, the U.N. had another high-level
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meeting on ‘Happiness and Well-being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm,’ designed to bring sustainable happiness and well-being to the planet. “The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon was an absolute monarchy ruled by Dragon Kings since 1907. Then in 1998, the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wanchuk, shocked the world by declaring that Bhutan — the sole remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayans without its own army, wedged between two fortified giants, India and China — would become a democratic constitutional monarchy. His Majesty ordered his legal experts to draft a new constitution based on the world's greatest democracies and began to educate his citizens on the virtues of democracy. The king himself presided at educational meetings at local town halls and held mock elections. “Then on Jan. 2, 2002, the ancient Land of the Thunder Dragon became the world’s newest democracy. The citizens of Bhutan, inspired by the enlightened monarch, went to the polls to elect members of the upper house of Parliament. They later elected members to the lower house and voted on the draft constitution that had been mailed to every household in the nation. “In December 2006, after 34 years of sovereign rule, the fourth Dragon King abdicated and designated his responsibilities to his Oxford-educated son, 39-year-old Jigme Khesor Namgel Wangchuck. The constitution was ratified on July 18, 2008. It opened with the identical words originally penned in 1787 by the American forefathers in Philadelphia: ‘We the people.’ The preamble spoke of safeguarding the ‘blessings of liberty.’ Those principles, which still stand at the heart of American democracy, were understood anew by the citizens. The fifth Dragon King was crowned in November 2008. The people welcomed him with painted street signs and festive banners. Traffic circles were decorated with fresh flowers.
Audrey Running Topping’s new book, “Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon,” revisits her 2002 trip to Bhutan. Courtesy the author.
On the eighth anniversary of Bhutan’s Independence Day, The Wall Street Journal wrote: "His Majesty deserves to go down in history as his country's George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson." 2. What lessons can we Americans learn from Bhutan? “I believe the answer to this is still the same as what His Holiness the Gengteng Rinpoche said when I asked him in 2002 What, if anything, Americans could learn from the Bhutanese lifestyle? “He looked amused and said gently: ‘A lthough Bhutan is a country without military might, it has managed to keep peace with our powerful neighbors, China and India. Militarily or economically, Bhutan has nothing to offer the United States.But in terms of realizing mental happiness and contentment Bhutan has much to offer. Our traditions are about peace, contentment and harmony with each other and our protected environment. With the intense pace of modern existence, our way of life is a powerful example that Americans could learn from.” 3. As a photojournalist, your books and articles teem with color, pattern, life. Which comes first — photographs or words? “It really depends on what I am creating. As a photojournalist, I find photos and captions equally important. But when I am
doing a photographic narrative, like this book, the photos are most vital to express feelings when words fail.” 4. You come from a long line of China watchers. Your grandparents were missionaries there. Your father, Chester Ronning, a Canadian diplomat there. You and your husband (former New York Times managing editor Seymour Topping) have covered some of the most significant moments in Chinese history. Has the pandemic caused you to reassess that country? “Yes. I think the pandemic has caused us all to reassess all the important things in life — especially life itself, our various social systems, attitudes toward each other and especially our leaders. 5. Speaking of leadership, how would you assess both Chinese President Xi Jinping and American President Donald J. Trump, who have found themselves at the center of the coronavirus crisis? “Both China and the U.S.A. are in dire need of enlightened leadership. Power at the end of a gun, extreme wealth, territorial greed and selfish, superior attitudes can only lead to catastrophe. Respect for each other, all sentient beings, Mother Nature and everyone’s God is the name of the game. Obviously, many world leaders could learn from the Dragon King.”
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a continuous basis. Her work as a mindfulness practitioner has been used by professionals in the United States, Asia and Europe, with partnerships through Thrive Global, an Arianna Huffington company, to prevent employees from experiencing workplace burnout. The goal of work is to enlighten, educate and create safe spaces for everyone, from children to the elderly, to live more emotionally empowered and mentally resilient, she says. Her new book is “Adulting as a Millennial: A Guide to Everything Your Parents Didn’t Teach You” (Jones Media Publishing, $14.99). At a time when we’ve lost so many of our countrymen through the coronavirus and police violence against blacks, we asked Tarry to talk to us about how to grieve those losses:
Asha Tarry. Photograph by Tyquane Bates.
Aspects of grief BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Grief is yesterday, today, tomorrow, never, forever, now, always. You turn a corner, hear a familiar tune or catch someone in profile and suddenly, you’re plunged into a world of intense emotion. You may smile or burst into uncontrollable sobs. Grief is funny that way. It is, Queen Elizabeth II said after 9/11 — the day on which she lost more of her subjects than in any other terrorist attack — the price we pay for love. Asha Tarry is an author, an award-winning community mental health advocate, a psychotherapist and a certified life coach who has dealt with grief personally and professionally. Tarry has 20 years of experience providing evaluations, diagnoses, treatment and life-enhancing skills to children, adults, families and couples. A significant portion of her work has been conducted in marginalized communities with survivors of intergenerational trauma, as well as with professionals in search of a fulfilling life. As a writer and speaker for several publications, which once included one of the nation’s largest online medical news outlets in the black community, BlackDoctor.org, Asha has demonstrated anecdotal evidence that therapy works, and that mindfulness is a holistic way of healing yourself on
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First, thank you for taking the time to talk with us via email. The other day, I found a card with a painting of the Twin Towers and burst into tears, even though I never cried when I was covering 9/11. Why is grief so personal and unexpected? “There is no specific reason why grief is so unpredictable. The mind has its way of adapting to things, sometimes at various times in our lives in ways that may be able to cope with unexpected loss at points when we’re in a place to receive and process it. And at other times, depending on what else we may be experiencing, it may have a relapse in accepting loss as finite.” We have been in a season of grief with all the deaths from the coronavirus and police brutality. Does it matter that President Donald J. Trump has not been much of a consoler in chief? “That depends on if you are looking for leadership from someone who’s been consistently unavailable to the general public. Communities across America have repeatedly been offended, disregarded, disempowered and disrespected by the president since his induction into the White House. It’s not in the best interest of people who feel any of the above to expect there to be any difference in his presentation now or later. Our wisdom should come from entities that we feel safe with. For a lot of people, Trump is not one of those people.” Is grief heightened by a sense of an opportunity missed — justice denied or someone dying young? “I believe it can be compounded, sure. Unexpected grief has different meanings to people. It can change the way we feel about the world, our spirituality, our hope in humanity or it can numb us from feeling, too.” Does religious faith, particularly the sense of an afterlife, assuage grief? “For some people, yes, it does. Religion and spirituality have helped people for generations find solace in being able to communicate and convene with loved ones beyond physical death. As we know, there are several religions and
secular groups who practice rituals to honor and solicit responses from their ancestors after death. There are religious texts that talk about death in human form but the continuation of life in spirit.” What is the best way to address other people’s grief? “What I would do is start by asking people how you can be available to them. They may not always know the answer to that right away. Going back to an earlier response about the unpredictability of grief. I would not recommend using your own scope of practice to inform what other people may want or need. Mostly, if you commit to being there for people, let your actions confirm that. That may include that it could take a while. But honor your word to people. Be patient with people as they figure out what they want to do with their grief. Try not to personalize your response to them if they forget to call you sometimes, or they take a while to ask for help. Wait, and then reach out to them again. Let people be who they will discover they are during the various stages (six specifically — denial, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance, as per psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, with the sixth, meaning, added posthumously by her sometime co-author, David Kessler, whom I quote in my book).” What are some strategies for addressing our own? “Take time to be with any unwanted feelings that arise on their own. If you are offered time off from work, think about taking it. For some people, depending on the relationship to the person who died, they may find it hard to be at home or not be active, so working while in bereavement might be helpful. Let each person decide what’s best for them. “Some people like to use their time and energy to memorialize their loved ones. That may look like creating a scholarship fund in the deceased’s name or participating in a specific cause related to the death of their loved one. For other people, creating a small shrine at home to commemorate their loved one’s life may be important. I’ve helped people explore a lot of ways they want to heal through grieving. It takes time and those around us should stay open to being there when the time arises for those who are grieving to choose what ways they want to remember people they’ve lost. “In the meantime, talking about your loved one has helped people to accept death as a natural occurrence in life.” When I lost the aunt who raised me, I read that I would be in a different place with my grief six months later and I was. I still mourned her, but I felt as if a light had gone on. Is there a point at which grieving for a loved one should end? “There is evidence-based literature that points to grief beyond six months as becoming what we call in psychology and sociology as “complicated grief” — that is where the person continues to experience significant signs or symptoms associated with not adapting to their loss, such as talking about their loved ones in present tense, or be-
coming depressed. However, I appreciate the way David Kessler, the author of “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief” talks about the spectrum of feelings and experiences people have with grief. It’s not automatic that at six months people feel better or relieved of their pain. I would consider the role that that person played in their deceased member’s life and their attachment to them. Based on the model of therapy, some may want to medicalize an individual’s experience at six months. But I would like to think we can expand on this and look at relationships, culture, tradition and other support systems that aid in people being able to grieve in a healthy way, before delineating this process to a specific time.” What made you decide to become a psychotherapist? “There were several factors that went into my decision. I wanted to offer people an experience of healing themselves that was not based on a medical model of treatment, and I believed if I did so with creativity, evidence-based therapies and a positive regard for humanity, people would be able to live more abundantly and also be able to live life with more honesty, love and longevity. I wanted to be a part of the process of watching people positively change their lives. And l also enjoy seeing how the mind affects mood and behaviors and being able to use science to create powerful transformations in people’s lives.” How has your own experience of grief informed your practice? “It has made me more sensitive to meeting people where they are psychologically. I am more patient with people who have lived with grief. Before I experienced multiple, significant losses myself last year, I became acquainted with a few different approaches to bereavement. I use mindfulness as a way of healing myself and being present to the physical as well as mental processes of death and dying. It’s also made me more interested in learning how we can find meaning in our lives while we survive grief.” What would you say to those who cannot seem to get past their grief? “As I presently do with people I live among as well as those I provide treatment to, I simply say very little. Instead I listen and watch what’s going on. I watch to see how they continue living with grief or how it may be manifesting into something more complex. I don’t try to do anything for them as much as I wait to see how they adapt and take care of themselves. When I feel inclined to know more about their thoughts, and their unconscious dreams, I inquire and listen some more. What I’ve learned is that people come to their own conclusions about living with grief. If anything, I remind them that they are alive for a reason. When they discover what other reasons there are for living, they survive it, like so many people before them and after them. For more, visit lifecoachasha.com.
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
The horrific murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police May 25 set off a tidal wave of national and global outrage that has renewed interest in and debate on Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protests against racial inequality and police brutality. Many of those denouncing the way police treat people of color can be seen down on one knee, reflecting the position Kaepernick, then quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, and teammate Eric Reid assumed during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the NFL’s 2016 preseason. (Originally, Kaepernick sat during the anthem but was advised by Nate Boyer, a former member of the Green Berets and the NFL, to kneel. ) What began as the protest of a few men snowballed into controversy in 2017 as President Donald J. Trump joined the chorus of those who saw Kaepernick’s gesture as disrespectful of the anthem, the flag, the military and the nation. As Trump exhorted NFL team owners with kneeling players to get “that son of b------ off the field,” more players knelt, linked arms and raised fists before a tense preseason game that September. The NFL, however, closed ranks against Kaepernick, who would lose his position, his job and ultimately his career in the league, which reached a settlement with him in 2019. Context drives perception and time, as they say, is another country. Four years later, after a nation witnessed now former police officer Derek Chauvin knee George Floyd to death, the tide is with Kaepernick as those who were formerly opposed or even lukewarm to the protest, like New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell respectively, have come out in support of Black Lives Matter. They say they now understand what Kaepernick said at the time: "I am not protesting the anthem or the nation, I'm protesting organized brutality. To me, this is much bigger than football and it would be selfish to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Leonardo's "The Annunciation" (1472), oil on panel. Uffizi Gallery.
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Of course, it was about the anthem and the flag that represent the nation, too. It was what is known as gesture politics, but it was superb gesture politics, focusing on an act that resonates across cultures and centuries — the prayerful, respectful genuflection. (Reid poetically likened the position to a flag at half-mast in mourning for lives lost.) The gesture is said to have been introduced by Alexander
the Great (356-323 B.C.) as a compromise between his conquered Persian subjects, who made an obeisance to him as their emperor, and his Greco-Macedonian army, which reserved such tribute for the gods. The Roman emperors, who modeled themselves after Alexander, took up the idea of having their subjects genuflect in homage, beginning as early as Septimius Severus (reigned 191-211). The medieval kings did the same. Genuflecting survives in the high forms of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism and the Western Orthodox Church. It can also be seen in the presentation of the flag to the family of a fallen soldier, in the marriage proposal and, ironically, in athletes praying on the field. (Remember Tim Tebow tebowing?) But whereas you genuflect on the right knee in religious traditions, you propose or present the flag to the seated family on your left.) The act of genuflecting, then, is a profoundly powerful, moving one — more so for its simple grace. Think of Leon-
ardo’s “The Annunciation” (1472, oil on panel, Uffizi Gallery) and the tender way in which the archangel Gabriel kneels and raises a gentle hand so as not to startle the demure Virgin Mary any more than he must with his news that she is to be the mother of Jesus. What Kaepernick did was to fuse that respect with a remove. This makes his gesture vastly different from the flag-burning protesters of the 1960s, Muhammed Ali’s fierce refusal to go to the Vietnam War or runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised a black-gloved fist in the Black Power salute on the medal stand at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Less confrontationally but just as forcefully, Kaepernick’s gesture said, “I will give you your due, even supplicate you, but I will not be bowed.” Indeed, it seems to have taken a page from the playbook of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who exhorted followers to “yield and overcome.” The irony is that when a quarterback takes a knee in football it’s to end a play. Instead, Kaepernick and company used the gesture to ignite a movement.
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BY JEREMY WAYNE
Sardines, anyone? For once, I’m not talking food — although I will be later — and I must say the thought of half a dozen of the little fishes, silvery and squeaky fresh, skewered and grilled over a white-hot parrilla with just a drop of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon for a condiment, enjoyed on a Spanish or Greek island beach, doesn’t half sound like a bad idea right now. But I digress. The sardines I’m proposing do not need to be plucked from the Mediterranean, nor do they need any prep. Taking its name from the way the fish are tightly packed together in a can, Sardines is an old-fashioned and thoroughly excellent British parlor game, originally intended for children but riotously funny when played by adults alone, and which — since it entails the very antithesis of social distancing — has the extra frisson of naughtiness when played in the age of Covid. (Play responsibly — single households only please.) Sardines is a riff on Hide-andSeek and the rules couldn’t be simpler. One person, the hider, hides and after an agreed time, a couple of minutes say, the others in the group set out independently to find her. The first person, or seeker, to find the hider must then remain hidden with her, in exactly the same spot, until joined by the next seeker, until all the group bar one — the last seeker (and thus the loser of the game) finds all the hiders, invariably crammed together in a closet or huddled in the corner of an attic, like sardines crammed in a tin. It’s an ill-wind and all that. Jigsaw puzzle manufacturers, we know, have seen their sales boom during Covid-19 and makers of board games, too, will have had something of a bonanza. But much as I’m always up for Monopoly, a Scrabble-fest, a game of cards, a rubber at bridge or a few hands of mahjong, there’s some-
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thing about “homemade” games I find particularly appealing. To play the “Dictionary Game,” you need nothing more than a good dictionary and a few pencils and paper. Each player takes it in turn to choose a word from the dictionary, preferably one with the most abstruse meaning possible. For example, “fud” (a rabbit’s tail) or “piu-piu” (a Maori gentleman’s flaxen skirt) might be good word to choose. Having established that nobody playing, except the word chooser himself, knows the real meaning of the chosen word (honesty and good sportsmanship are required at this point), each player then proceeds to write a false definition of the word, one which is most likely to fool the other players into believing it is the true definition. The chooser writes down the real definition, and then all the definitions are handed to the chooser, who reads them out, including his own, real definition, at which point voting begins. Score one point for each definition you guess correctly, one point for each vote you receive for your own (false) definition, and three points if you are the chooser and none of the other players goes for your — entirely truthful — definition. Another great game, for which I take full credit for inventing, although since there is nothing new under the sun, some smart kid somewhere will probably write in and say she thought of it first, is what I call Party Rooms. It’s the perfect game for lockdown (please, not again), or post-lockdown, but great fun in any season or circumstance. Each member of the household or shared dwelling plans a themed party in his or her bedroom, the parties to follow consecutively on a given evening. A kind of “party crawl” is thus created, as you move Sardines. Courtesy Lonieke / Pixaby. Jigsaw puzzle. Courtesy josemiguels / 69 images.
from room A to B to C, etc., although you could, of course, have individual parties on different nights, to spread it out a bit. Invitations are sent out ahead of time stating the theme and attire, and half an hour or so between parties allows guests time to regroup, take an Alka-Seltzer or black coffee or whatever and change into their various outfits. At a recent Party Rooms evening chez moi, my theme was Moroccan, complete with gold lanterns made from paper, mint tea (laced with gin in some cases,) burning incense, gnoua music on the sound box, and Yours Truly lying on the marital bed in red pajamas and a fez, looking utterly ridiculous. It was a huge success. Another household member resurrected Studio 54 for his party — strobe lighting, Bianca Jagger’s white horse (in cut-out,) Sylvester belting out “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” but — for better or worse — I must admit there were no waiters in satin shorts, or illegal substances. Party Rooms works best with three or more participants (and rooms,) although, if you live alone, you can create a rather magical themed party and then invite guests via Zoom. Dressing up for the occasion, whether you are the host or a guest, is de rigueur. For foodie families, cooking nights can be a riot — in the best sense. Each family or household member gets to cook on a given night for the rest of the gang. Decide the rules ahead of time. Hot or cold? A single dish or multiple courses? On my most recent cook-night, I made vitello tonnato, followed by pan-roasted lamb with juniper berries, with zabaglione for dessert, mainly because I’m a terrible showoff. But honestly, the recipes are simple enough (shout out to the late Marcella Hazan and her “Éssentials of Italian Cooking”) and if things go wrong — so what? Alternatively, get everybody to have a stab at making the same dish in turn, say once a week over the course of a few weeks, and see which one you all like best. And, by all means, get competitive and introduce voting, although in my view, in the interests of peace and love, I would make the voting anonymous. Just be sure that any members of the group who can’t shop for themselves give you their orders for ingredients ahead of time. And, it goes without saying, you should consider the dietary needs and preferences of the group you are going to cook for when planning your menu. I love old-fashioned games played outdoors, too, like Kanjam (frisbee with a twist,) cornhole and the egg-and-spoon race. The limb-wrenching wheelbarrow race, too, is heaps of fun. Meanwhile, as is true for all popular sports, in addition to showcasing personal or team brilliance, a good outdoor game must offer a high prospect of humiliation and personal loss of dignity and, in this respect, nothing comes near to the sack race. Hopping around in a sack like a demented bunny is far from chic, but it is, almost literally, a sack of laughs for all concerned. And in the age of Covid, anything, which puts a smile on our face without costing a king’s ransom or worse, risking our life, gets my vote.
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BY JEREMY WAYNE
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Laurie Hess, D.V.M., with an Amazon parrot. Courtesy ZuPreem.
That Laurie Hess didn’t scream and howl when she was bitten by a carriage horse in Central Park as a 3 year old could’ve been taken as a sign that she and animals were going to have a future together. Hess, a veterinarian and the founder of the Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics in Bedford Hills, grew up in an apartment on New York’s Upper East Side, where the family kept all manner of pets packed into a couple of rooms. She knew, she says, when she was around 15, that she wanted to work with animals, and then, after veterinary school, that she wanted to work specifically with exotics. She took her time about doing it, however. When she moved to Westchester County, she worked at five different hospitals on a different day each week, until the opportunity came along to open her own facility. “I knew nothing about running an animal hospital,” she told me, during the course of a recent phone interview, “but between college and vet school I’d worked in marketing so I knew how to write and how to advertise.” With those skills, coupled with her professional qualifications, she found some “phenomenal” people and then went quickly from being a one-doctor practice to a three-doctor practice, with 10 staff members. Now in her 26th year of practice, she says no two days are ever the same. She might see a bird, a bunch of reptiles and a rabbit one day and turtles and snakes the next. And the exotic pet business is booming. The medicine has evolved so far in the last few years, says Hess, that vets can now do myriad things they couldn’t do before. This includes CAT-scans and acupuncture as well as all matter of complicated surgery And then there are the owners — as distinct, it would seem, as the pets they choose to keep. “People say vets work with animals, because they don’t want to deal with humans,” observes the Hess, whose ‘pet-side manner’ must surely rival that of the tenderest physician. “But the amazing part of the job is actually the human relationships which you are privy to.” She wrote a book a few years ago called “Unlikely Companions,” in which she talked a lot about the relationships she has with clients. One client, she tells me, “a big lumberjack kind of guy,” had a little sugar lighter (a kind of miniature flying squirrel, actually a marsupial), which he doted on. “It had cancer and he let me do all kind of treatments to try and save it, but I wasn’t allowed to call him at home because he didn’t want his family to figure out how much he was spending on the treatment.” Some owners, she shares, “have all the money in the world” and may have purchased an exotic pet for, say, $5,000, but never think to bring the pet in for preventative care, or are reluctant to spend on its well-being. A less well-to-do family, on the other hand, might mortgage their house in order to pay the bills to look after a sick hamster they have just adopted — even though they could buy a ‘new’ one for $10. “Different perspectives,” she says, benevolently Acquiring an exotic pet can be long in the planning, or it can be an impulsive act, because exotics are cute, or they talk (in
the case of parrots) or whatever. This is unfortunate, says Hess. “Attractive, different and novel” are not good reasons to take on an exotic. Prospective owners need to ask the right questions, she adds: “ ‘Do I have the time to socialize a parrot?’; “Do I have the money to look after this turtle which is going to live for 50 years?’; ‘Do I have to put my pet in my will?’” There are other considerations, too. “If I get a snake, how will I feel about feeding it mice?” Well, precisely. This might be the point at which many would-be buyers step back and rethink their plan. “Exotic pets are great, but they’re not great for everyone,” has become something of a mantra for Hess. We turn to rodents. “There are very cute rodents, like guinea pigs and chinchillas,” Hess affirms. (Guinea pigs, she points out, are tremendous pets for people with elementary schoolage children, as they’re fairly easy to care for and don’t take up a lot of space.) She also thinks rats make terrific pets. “Rats are incredibly smart and incredibly clean — very fastidious animals, not what they’re made out to be. They physically like to sit with their owners — they’ll sit on your lap or on your shoulder. I think it’s the tail thing, which freaks people out.” On the other hand, she’s against pet primates. “Yes, they’re cute as babies — child substitutes, because, let’s face it, they’re human — and you can put diapers on them, you can put a bonnet on them or put them in a stroller, and people do.” The problem is that as they become older and bigger and sexually mature, they completely change and can be dangerous. “Like a raging teenager out of control,” says Hess. She’s “not a fan of” venomous snakes either — a nice bit of veterinary understatement. They can eat an infant. It’s the same with large cats. “You hear horrific stories,” Hess adds. The clue is in the name. They’re not called wild animals for nothing. Like every business and household, the hospital has faced challenges during Covid-19. Comprising only 2,000 square feet, the waiting room and indeed the examining rooms are tiny, so social distancing is virtually impossible. Staff have been working in shifts, while owners have been obliged to stay outside, awaiting news of their beloved pets undergoing an examination or treatment at which they usually would have been present. The center has also had to scale back on its treatment of wildlife. In “normal” times, the staff takes care of literally everything — songbirds, ducks, geese, heron, deer hit by cars that they end up having to euthanize because they’re not salvageable — and all free of charge. “People find injured wildlife in their backyard the whole time,” says Hess, who’s happy to care for it. But if it’s a baby bird that’s simply fallen out of its nest, say — something that apparently happens all the time — the hospital will suggest that in the first instance you try and put it back. All this kindness costs money, naturally, and resources are limited, but if people want, they can, of course, contribute to the care of the injured animal they have brought in. “We would tremendously appreciate that,” says Hess, who, as well as being a dedicated veterinarian, strikes me not for the first time in our conversation as an understated one at that. For more, visit avianexoticsvet.com.
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THE ELEGANT Have you ever heard of Pippa, the cheetah? Pippa’s name used to be Kitten, and thankfully her new owner changed it. Kitten is not an appropriate name for an animal that can accelerate up to 70mph. (For comparison, horse racing speeds are in the 37mph range.) And as the world’s fastest land animal, has an enlarged heart and lungs that allows the enrichment of blood with oxygen in a short time for them to recover quickly. As you may remember, Pippa was the 8-month-old female cheetah who was formerly owned as a pet by a British family who were leaving Kenya and wanted her to remain in her homeland. Who was her new owner to be? Joy Adamson, world-renowned wildlife conservationist who rose to acclaim with the publication of Born Free, her true story of raising and releasing to the wild Elsa, her lioness cub. And yes, like Elsa, Pippa was able to return to the wild, too, as told in Adamson’s book The Spotted Sphinx. During Pippa’s former life with the British family, she was reared with young children in their home near Nairobi. As a new member of the family, the cub would accompany the family on their shopping visits and became a popular guest in the dining room of several restaurants. Due to their timid and social nature, cheetahs show no hostility towards humans. Compared to other African cats such as the lion or leopard, the cheetah is slightly built, slender, elusive, always on the alert and instinctively hides. Although the name cheetah, which comes from the Hindi word cita meaning “spotted one,” originated in India, today they are found only in Africa. With high infant mortality rates due to their preference to hunt during the daytime in open grasslands with little cover, their global population numbers were estimated at 7,100 in 2017. There are so many fascinating things to discover about cheetahs and all the other creatures that can be found on safari with John Rizzo’s Africa Photo Tours. It’s an unforgettable trip to see the “Big Five” (buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinoceroses) – all waiting to be discovered by you. Rizzo, an award-winning photographer, leads a team of experienced guides, specializing in safari and tribal tours within East Africa – Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. His experienced team brings an intimate group of guests of all ages to see wildlife as well as visits with the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana people. For more, visit africaphototours.com
T SPHINX
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
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Patrick McEnroe commentating for ESPN. AUGUST 2020 WAGMAG.COM
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Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. — Henry van Dyke Jr. (1852-1933), author, educator, diplomat, clergyman It is the rare individual who follows his passion while also being realistic about his ability to express it. Such an individual is Patrick McEnroe. The youngest brother of tennis legend John, Patrick says he had a “come to Jesus” moment about his tennis ability at an early age: He would be good, but he would never be number one as his brother had been in singles and doubles. A lesser soul might’ve been crushed. Another person might’ve carved out a career in a different field. (And, truth be told, Patrick — who graduated from tennis and swimming powerhouse Stanford University with a degree in political science and is the son of the late lawyer John McEnroe Sr. — considered following in his father’s footsteps until he saw his law boards, he says with self-deprecating humor.) Instead Patrick did something that his tennis students — or students in any discipline — might consider when at a crossroads. He asked himself a simple, profound question: What did Patrick McEnroe want to do? What he wanted to do was play tennis. And because he was willing to balance his love of the game with realistic expectations of what he could achieve, he created a multifaceted career in the sport that in some ways has transcended his brother’s. A solid singles player and a superb doubles player who had achieved a ranking of world No. 28 and No. 3 respectively by the time he retired from the pro tour in 1998, Patrick would go on to be the longest-serving coach of the American Davis Cup team (2000-2010), capturing the cup against Russia in 2007 with a team that included singles stars Andy Roddick and James Blake and the top doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. Patrick also coached the American men’s team in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. “I love it, and I love it more than I ever have,” Patrick says of coaching, which he does as co-director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academies, a partnership with SPORTIME Clubs, at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester, on Randall’s Island in Manhattan (the flagship) and in Amagansett on Long Island. “It’s very rewarding and it’s another part of the life that tennis has given me as a player, as a coach, as a commentator, as a (former) USTA administrator and as a Davis Cup captain.” Patrick is speaking by phone from the Bronxville home he shares with wife Melissa Errico, the Broadway, cabaret and TV star and WAG’s April cover, and their three daughters. On this day, the whole family is
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going to get tested for Covid-19 antibodies. Such is the new normal that instead of going for pizza, families are going for coronavirus or antibodies tests. It was in mid-March that Patrick tested positive for the virus, developing what he describes as a mild case — fever, aches and fatigue. For a month, he isolated himself in the basement of the family home, which has a separate entrance that enabled him to spend quality time with the family’s Yorkshire terrier, Pepper. A commentator for ESPN, where he’s a triple threat as an analyst, studio host and play-by-play man, Patrick also became intimately acquainted with his podcast equipment, starting his own podcast, “Holding Court With Patrick McEnroe.” It’s not your typical tennis talk show. For every legend of the sport, like Chris Evert, there are a lot more people like actors Alec Baldwin and Ben Stiller, former Louisiana Sen. John Breaux, NBA greats Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki and golfer Sergio Garcia. “They are people who have a passion for tennis, but they are not tennis professionals,” he says. He has yet to have on his frequent broadcast and doubles partner, brother John. We recall a magical, bitterly cold winter evening at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan — World Tennis Day, March 3, 2014 — when the McEnroe brothers faced off against the much younger Bryan brothers in an exhibition that was the undercard for the main event, Novak Djokovic playing Andy Murray. (So special was the night — filled with sparkling play and cheeky humor — that we asked a Metro-North conductor for one of the gazillion posters advertising it on the Harlem line, which we still have framed in our home office.) “Don’t remind me,” Patrick says with a laugh at the drubbing he and his brother took at the hands of the Bryan twins, after John did a little trash talking about the B and B boys. Watching the match was like a step back in time as John was in vintage “You cannot be serious” mode. So it’s fair to ask Patrick: What’s it like to be John McEnroe’s doubles partner? Not what you’d think. “It’s easy playing with him,” Patrick says. “He’s an amazing teammate, a great team player.” While many like Patrick have made lemonade out of lemons in this time of the coronavirus, the losses are almost incalculable. Recently, the USTA decided to move the Western & Southern Open (Aug. 19 through 28) this year alone from Mason, Ohio, to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, where it will be followed in the US Open Series by the US Open (Aug. 31 through Sept. 13). As top players balked at being confined to Queens hotels and no entourages, recently appointed US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster ( July 2019 WAG), who is also the USTA’s chief executive for professional tennis, has announced that players will each be given two hotel rooms, one covered by the tournament and
SERVING THE UNDERSERVED
Top: Frequent broadcast and doubles partners — Patrick and John McEnroe. Bottom: Patrick McEnroe and wife, performer Melissa Errico, with their girls, from left, Victoria, Diana and Juliette.
the choice of bringing up to three additional guests. She also has a Realtor available for those who wish to rent houses for their families nearby, population-dense Manhattan being excluded. (See related story on Page 18.) One point that has not been negotiable — no spectators. “First of all, given the choice between a US Open with limits and no fans and no Open, I’ll take the former,” Patrick says. While the fans are like an additional player at the Open, famed for its raucous atmosphere, Patrick notes that for much of a player’s career — in school, in junior competition and in the qualifying rounds — there are few if any crowds. “The players can easily adjust. As for the top players, and I mean those ranked 15 through 150, I’d say, ‘How much money are you making now? $0.’” It all comes down to what Patrick asked himself as a youth, what he now asks his students, children and adults alike: What is it you want to do? By now, it’s clear what Patrick wants to do: He wants to see tennis back in New York. For more, visit holdingcourt.buzzsprout.com.
John and Patrick McEnroe will join other greats of the sport at the sixth annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project's Pro-Am in the Hamptons on Aug. 29. Participants will compete in a roundrobin tournament alongside former WTA and ATP World Tour professionals, current and former Division I college players and top John McEnroe Tennis Academy pros. Guests can bid on a silent auction blockbuster lineup, including items and experiences donated by Maison Atia, McLaren Automotive, Valmont, Vicki Morav, Hotel Wailea in Hawaii, The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains and Eau Resort Palm Beach as well as tennis lessons with Patrick McEnroe, autographed pieces from Coco Gauff and Andy Murray and much more. Lalique will offer official tournament trophies. This event raises funds for John McEnroe’s nonprofit Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which is designed to change young lives by removing the racial, economic and social barriers to success through tennis. "It has always been my goal to provide as many opportunities as possible in the sport of tennis to people of all backgrounds and there has never been a more important time to do so than now," he said in a statement. "Our sixth annual Hamptons Pro-Am is a great way for tennis lovers to come out and be part of this passion project — to introduce tennis to more young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity and to help create the next generation of American tennis champions." Event sponsors include Maison Atia, Lalique, Bird-In-Hand winery, Head/ Penn Racquet Sports, Nike and BNP Paribas. For more, visit jmtpny.org/ proam2020 or contact JMTP at info@ jmtpny.org or 212-427- 6150.
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WAY
HOME & DESIGN
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The need to lead BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
What makes a great leader? Studies have identified any number of traits — intelligence, diligence, extraversion, open-mindedness and self-sufficiency — but those could describe a fine middle manager or any successful businessman. No, a great leader has something extra, something elusive and almost undefinable — almost. He, or increasingly she nowadays, has the ability to create, communicate and implement a shared vision — and, when the going gets tough, to temper tough love with optimism for the future. The leadership question is perhaps the most important one we can ask right now, as we are in a moment of crisis, not the least of which is a crisis in leadership. The coronavirus — an implacable foe of high contagion and versatility — was always going to be devastating. But it has been greatly exacerbated by the systemic failure of Alexandrian leadership — leadership from the front — a quality that’s been lacking in the bunker mentality of the digital age. (Whatever else you may think of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror of the Persia Empire who inherited the hegemony of Athens and the other Greek city-states from his father, Philip II, he never asked his army or his people to do anything that he didn’t lead and share in.) The irony in this is that to lead from the front you must put yourself last. You must be the servant of all, knowing that with great, incorruptible power comes great responsibility. This is a central tenet of the world’s major religions but particularly Christianity. In Matthew 23:11, Jesus, who washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, says: “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” A great leader, then, leads by example. Does German Chancellor Angela Merkel wear a mask? Run into her at the grocery store and see for yourselves, she offered. Throughout the coronavirus crisis, Merkel, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have been able, in Churchillian fashion, to balance the realistic need for communal sacrifice in the face of grave challenge with the hope that the challenge will be met. It’s telling that these countries are led by humble but confident, pragmatic, quietly efficient women. Meanwhile, many of the countries that haven’t fared well or as well have been led by blustering “strongmen” — tough guys who are not actually strong and dwell in denial — delaying vital supplies, testing and contact tracing; refusing to wear masks and social distance; and putting profits before people in reopening too quickly. This phenomenon, which suggests the need for a new model of leadership that values “feminine” qualities, in the Jungian sense of the word, is not lost on others. In May, Helen Lewis, writing in The Atlantic, identified a pattern: Countries led by women did better in the time of the coronavirus than those led by the strongmen, giv-
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Art historians believe Michael Sweerts’ “Plague in an Ancient City” (1652, oil on canvas) references the plague that devastated Athens in 430 B.C. and ultimately took the life of its great leader, Pericles. Today the painting is part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in a city where the coronavirus has raged recently.
ing lie to the idea that women lack leadership qualities. (In the past they just lacked opportunities, although that didn’t stop England’s Elizabeth I and Russia’s Catherine the Great, two of histories shrewdest, most sophisticated rulers.) In truth, there have been instances of fine leadership from America’s governors and mayors — male and female, white and black, Republican and Democratic. And yet that may not be enough. Cases of the virus haven risen in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsome was proactive early on, just as they are in Texas and Florida, where Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis respectively were not. The complex relationship of leadership to society is one we have seen time and again. In 430 B.C., amid its Peloponnesian War with archrival Sparta, Athens was struck by a pandemic from Ethiopia that came through the eastern Mediterranean
and entered the port of Piraeus. (Historians are unsure of its exact nature. It could’ve been anything from Ebola to smallpox to typhus.) What is clear is that it devastated the city at a moment when its longtime leader, Pericles — the man synonymous with the golden age in Greece — had brought people in from the countryside for safety, thereby swelling the population, straining the food supply and putting the entire city at increased risk of infection. The people rebelled, but Pericles — who had terrific communication skills, a must for a true leader — was able to assuage and rally them. When his two legitimate sons died, however, something of the light went out in him. Pericles himself succumbed to the plague in 429 B.C. at age 66. The disease returned to Athens from 427 to 425 B.C. but the city’s subsequent leaders were no Pericles. Though Athens would recover
sufficiently to mount a military campaign, the losing Sicilian Expedition, in 415 B.C., its star had dimmed. It would never be the same. Nor would the Maya. Across the Atlantic some 1,200 years after Pericles, they abandoned the stunning stone civilization they had created throughout what is now Mexico and Central America. Whether because of war, drought or overpopulation, they lost faith in their kings. One moment they were living in magnificent cities that displayed their intricate knowledge of everything from the arts to astronomy. The next they disappeared back into their lush forests. Great civilizations rest on the shoulders of great leaders, but in the end, that leadership may not stem the tide of history. And yet without real leadership, nations have little chance to survive — and thrive.
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BEGUILING
A
lthough many childhood dreams are packed away in attic boxes with old report cards, school pictures and baseball trophies, some dreams — of being an explorer on an African safari — can live again. Imagine waking in a magical place, far from our digital world, with only the sounds of the savanna to keep you company. Your heart skips a beat as an 18-foot giraffe (the tallest mammal on earth) appears from behind an acacia tree and walks slowly, gracefully and purposefully toward you. Quiet and elegant, they seem to float across the savanna plains with the finesse of a runway model. Their elongated necks seem africaphototours.com
to defy gravity. It’s surprising that they, like humans, possess only seven vertebrae in their necks. Daily, their only task seems to be chomping away on more than 100 pounds of leaves a day needed to fill their bellies. Luckily, their 16-plus inch long black tongues have evolved so they don’t get sunburned. Insomniacs of the animal kingdom, giraffes seem to go without sleep. It wasn’t until the 1990s that scientists discovered they sleep in one to 35 minute bursts. They are the original “power nappers.” So what do they do all night instead of sleeping? They hum. Yes, hum! Just imagine listening to a giraffe’s lullaby. In Kenya and Tanzania, there are three types of giraffes —
AFRICA PHOTO TOURS “THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT SAFARI LIFE THAT MAKES YOU FORGET ALL YOUR SORROWS AND FEEL AS IF YOU HAD DRUNK HALF A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE — BUBBLING OVER WITH HEARTFELT GRATITUDE FOR BEING ALIVE.” – Isak Dinesen
BLONDES
the Reticulated, the Masai, and the Rothschild. The Rothschild giraffes were once so endangered that in 1932 a sanctuary was built in Nairobi, Kenya for their protection. This special place, Giraffe Manor, is open to tourists. The star attraction at the sanctuary are the 12 giraffes in residence who often peek their heads into the second floor windows to share breakfast with the delighted guests. There are so many fascinating things to discover about giraffes and all the other creatures that can be found on safari with John Rizzo’s Africa Photo Tours. It’s an unforgettable trip filled with lions, elephants, leopards, zebras and rhinos — all waiting to be
discovered by you. Rizzo, an award-winning photographer, leads a team of experienced guides specializing in safari and tribal tours within East Africa — Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. His experienced team brings an intimate group of guests of all ages to see the “Big Five” (buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinoceroses) as well as visit with the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana people. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, far more beautiful than any of your childhood imaginings. Some dreams are so worth waiting for. For more, visit africaphototours.com. africaphototours.com
Statues of limitations BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
The murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests have reignited the long-simmering debate over monuments to racist historical figures — thrown into sharp relief by the events of Charlottesville in 2017 when white nationalists marched on that Virginia city to denounce the removal of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue, killing three and injuring 34. The question of Confederate statues — which were erected long after the Civil War in the era of Jim Crow segregation (1890s-1950s) and thus serve no purpose beyond intimidation — would seem to be a no-brainer. Losers do not get to dictate either the terms of their surrender or the trappings of their defeat. There are no statues to Adolf Hitler in Germany. But what about the monuments to the victors, those flawed men — and yes there are almost always men, white men — who created, preserved and expanded this union, often at tremendous cost to others? Should their tributes be removed
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The American Museum of Natural History has asked New York City to remove James Earle Fraser’s 1939 bronze of Theodore Roosevelt from in front of the museum on Central Park West, citing the racial hierarchy of its depiction of the white president on horseback flanked by a Native American and an African-American on foot. Photograph by Edward H. Blake.
entirely, kept in place with contextual materials or moved to museums? Does it depend on the man and the monument? We can’t imagine the Washington Monument being dismantled, although much has been done in recent years to discuss President George Washington as a slaveholder, particularly at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Nor can we see the Lincoln Memorial being destroyed, although President Abraham Lincoln was slow to see blacks as intellectually equal to whites and was first and foremost interested in preserving the union, not freeing the slaves. That he did so and “gave the last full measure of devotion” with his life tilt the scale in his favor. Other monuments, however, have come to their day of reckoning. New York City will remove James Earle Fraser’s 1939 equestrian statue of President Theodore Roosevelt, which stands in front of the American Museum of Natural History on city property on Central Park West. In making the request, museum president Ellen V. Futter said she offers no judgment of Roosevelt, only of the racially hierarchical composition of the statue, which shows him on horseback flanked by an African American and Native American on foot. (Futter’s statement may just be hair-splitting. It’s hard to separate the man — who espoused workers’ rights and imperialism, conservation and big game hunting — from the message.) Opponents have said that by remov-
ing such statues, we are attempting to remove the past. You cannot, they say, read history — the story of the past — backward. True, but we live with the past, not in it as we try to learn from it. Many experts counter that what is needed is the curatorship to put these monuments in the context of their times. But even such scholarship may not be enough. In January 2019, the Museum of Natural History mounted an exhibit “Addressing the Statue” to consider myriad viewpoints on the Roosevelt monument. It is one thing to study the past, however, another to celebrate it. The presence of such statues out of doors in places of prominence suggests an exaltation of the iconographies they espouse. The time for their removal has come. Some of the statues will survive as museum exhibits; others as archival photographs; all as opportunities to understand where we’ve been and where we are going. But there is something else we must understand: What is important or incendiary in one era is lost on another. In his poem “Ozymandias,” Percy Bysshe Shelley contemplates a statue of Ramesses II that lies in ruins. (Ever the iconoclast, Shelley discounted all the many sensuous sculptures of the pharaoh that remain throughout Egypt.) Still, Shelley’s point is well-taken: The “immortality” conferred by stone and metal, like that of flesh, is fleeting indeed.
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WARES
HOME & DESIGN
RECREATION — AND RE-CREATION— AT HOME BY CAMI WEINSTEIN
By the time this issue comes out, I hope that we will find a path forward on some of the more challenging events that we have been dealing with, including the coronavirus, health care inadequacies, massive unemployment and racism. For many of us, summer is a time to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy family and friends with leisure activities, including barbecues, picnics, concerts, sports, travel and home. This summer I’m looking forward to doing at least some of these activities, as we need to unwind more than ever. Although many of us enjoy pastimes in large groups, this summer is different. We have been relishing activities in smaller groups and staying closer to home than we normally do. For me these past few months have felt overwhelming and I am craving ways to unwind and de-stress. A walk or run on the beach, hiking, a bicycle ride, gardening and painting are some of the things I have been doing to relax and recharge. Some other leisure activities that can be played on your lawn in smaller groups — and were actually more popular in the past — are badminton, croquet and bocce ball. They remind me of my childhood and can be so much fun to introduce to younger generations.
Puzzles are a great way to share family time.
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Think about working on projects or leisure activities that you never have had time for in our fast-moving world. If traveling becomes untenable, maybe take some day trips. There are many wonderful places to visit and explore that may be only an hour or two away. The Hudson Valley in New York state, which includes the Rockefeller State Park Preserve; Mystic, Connecticut; and Jones Beach on Long Island are but a few. Most parks and beaches are open now and can easily be done in a day. Or create a picnic in your yard or nearby park with a more exotic theme from a place you were planning to travel to. I enjoy painting and though I had not picked up my paintbrushes in a long time, I took them out and started painting again during the Covid-19 shutdown. Now that the weather is beautiful, I have taken my paints and canvasses outside to paint en plein air. I also love knitting and to date have made some scarves and hats and I am ready to work on some knitted gloves. Creating things has always been a way for me to relax. A fun family activity is to work on puzzles together and during these past months I have seen many on social media. For large puzzles, clear an area in a hardly used dining room and set up a puzzle to complete there. Or use a game table and leave the puzzle set up there. Since we have had the time to make several puzzles, we have traded them with friends once completed. When our kids were younger and we were away on vacation, we worked on crossword puzzles together on the beach and now on Sunday when we are all together at our beach house, we still do them together. A few heads are always better one. Most of us who have been staying close to home might want to try out some new recipes. Take the time to learn a new, more complicated recipe or dessert. I personally don’t love cooking the same thing week after week. When our kids were younger, we would try a new recipe and then vote on it — keep it or leave it. We needed a majority vote to keep it in our arsenal of recipes. It was a great way to get the kids to try different kinds of foods and kept mealtime from getting boring. Cut some flowers from your garden and light some candles to put on the table and pull out your nicest china and recreate a restaurant experience right at home with your new recipe as the feature. Add a new cocktail, dim the lights and have a memorable evening. No matter how you like to spend your leisure time, either alone or with family, there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. For more, call 203-661-4700 or visit camidesigns.com.
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‘PRIMARY’ CARE FROM VALMONT FASHION & BEAUTY
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
WEAR
Perhaps it was that Switzerland was just starting to come out of its coronavirus lockdown. Or the beautiful weather there. But Sophie Guillon, CEO of Valmont, and Faïza Boudhar, her communications manager, were in a most ebullient mood as they introduced Valmont’s new Primary line during dinner time there recently via Zoom, a first for a Valmont launch. Small wonder, then, that they were popping Champagne corks amid the elegant pink and white surroundings of Valmont’s Swiss headquarters after the presentation: The latest in Valmont’s stable of luxuriously radiant skincare products is the brand’s first microbiomebalancing line, designed for any age, gender and skin type, although Guillon said its back-to-basics approach may appeal especially to the younger generation. Since the microbiome consists of all the organisms that make up an environment — in this case, your skin — Primary is formulated around pre- and probiotics to “balance the skin’s ecosystem.” Its products are naturally preserved, using the Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) sterilization process that the agricultural industry applies to milk. “In my time, cosmetics was considered as a repair function,” Guillon said, offering special greetings to New York City as it works to rebound from the crisis. “We would use it as a treatment for wrinkles or sagging skin. Today it’s more considered as a companion for your daily routine for the beauty of your skin or your overall look. “And also in terms of social habits, we have changed. The generations today consider that life is interesting in the way that we have to be balanced — balance inside, balance outside. It’s inner beauty, outer beauty. Instead of really thinking of managing your routine, mastering your beauty in the future, it’s more about the harmony of your life, the yoga of your skin. ” The five products are designed, she said, as a complement, to the Purity line, which was introduced last year to rebalance the skin after cleansing. The “clean, green” Primary line includes: Primary Veil — A milky, sweetly fresh-scented prepping mist made with jojoba esters and Swiss spring water that starts your day. Spray some on your hand, Boudhar
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Courtesy Valmont.
said, and pat it on your skin. Apply it after Valmont’s Prime Renewing Pack moisture cream. ($118); Primary Solution — Guillon describes this as a delicate treatment for minor imperfections such as blemishes, acne scars and discoloration, although not for the eye contour area and thus not for dark circles. (For that, see Valmont’s L’Elixir des Glaciers Vos Yeux Eye Cream.) Apply Primary Solution locally and leave it on for four days. ($190): Primary Serum — A repairing serum that countermands the effects of redness, whether it's due to natural or external factors, soothing and smoothing, Guillon said. ($205): Primary Cream — A “super comfortable” cream that is designed to alleviate irritation when the skin feels sore, hot or tingly. It’s especially good, Boudhar said, for men after they shave. ($200); Primary Pomade — This replenishing balm — made with moisturizing passion fruit unsaponifiables, mimosa wax, shea butter, jojoba esters and carrot and evening primrose oil — is, Guillon said, a special product created to provide the most intense nourishment for even the driest skin. That includes English and American skin, which she finds particularly dry, and skin that has been worked on cosmetically. ($275). Just as important to Guillon is giving back to the community, one of the Valmont Group’s core values. For the launch of Primary, Valmont continues its philanthropic partnership with One Drop Foundation, an international nonprofit dedicated to providing access to safe water around the globe. During August, Valmont will donate $5 to One Drop for every product sold within the Primary collection. For more, visit lamaisonvalmont.com.
Spotlighting the most elite private and boarding schools in our region
WAG COUNTRY'S PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS PREPARING THE NEX T GENER ATION
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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
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CUSHING ACADEMY
ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL 950 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, New York 10605 914-946-4800 // stepinac.org Top administrator: Thomas Collins, president
39 School St. Ashburnham, MA 01430 978-827-7000 // cushing.org Top administrator: Randy R. Bertin Cushing Academy exists for students and develops curious, creative and confident learners and leaders. The Academy’s college preparatory program is designed to ensure a transformative experience for each individual, at every level. Students are challenged to think critically and creatively, write effectively, express ideas persuasively and collaborate with respect. Outstanding teaching, enriched by a remarkable breadth of offerings, allows students to discover a passion for learning and build skills for college and beyond. As a pioneer in learning support, Cushing strives to meet students where they are and provide them with a powerful toolkit for academic success. Outside of the classroom, Cushing’s longstanding tradition of excellence in athletics is paired with expansive visual and performing arts departments. Students with a range of talents, abilities and interests thrive in this supportive, diverse and community-oriented environment that promotes and values intellectual challenge, the arts, athletics and cultural competence.
THE BI-CULTURAL SCHOOL 2186 High Ridge Road Stamford, Connecticut 06903 203-329-2186 // bcds.org Top administrator: Jacqueline Herman BRUNSWICK SCHOOL 100 Maher Ave., Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-625-5800 // brunswickschool.org Top administrator: Thomas Philip THE CHAPEL SCHOOL 172 White Plains Road Bronxville, New York 10708 914-337-3202 // thechapelschool.org Top administrator: Michael Schultz CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SCHOOL 575 White Plains Road Trumbull, Connecticut 06611 203-261-6230 // kingsmen.org Top administrator: Brian Modarelli
DARROW SCHOOL 110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon, New York 12125 518-794-6000 // darrowschool.org Top administrator: Simon Holzapfel EAGLE HILL SCHOOL 45 Glenville Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-622-9240 // eaglehillschool.org Top administrator: Marjorie E. Castro FAIRFIELD COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1073 N. Benson Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 203-254-4200 // fairfieldprep.com Top administrator: Rev. Thomas M. Simisky FAIRFIELD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2970 Bronson Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 203-259-2723 // fairfieldcountryday.org Top administrator: John R. Munro Jr. FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, New York 10458 718-367-7500 // fordhamprep.org Top administrator: Christopher Devron
CUSHING DEVELOPS CURIOUS, CREATIVE, AND CONFIDENT LEARNERS AND LEADERS.
FOUNDED IN 1865
•
GRADES 9-12, PG
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LOCATED ONE HOUR FROM BOSTON
CUSHING ACADEMY • 39 SCHOOL STREET • ASHBURNHAM, MA 01430 • 978.827.7300 • ADMISSIONS@CUSHING.ORG •
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WWW.CUSHING.ORG
PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
FORMAN SCHOOL 12 Norfold Road, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759 860-567-8712 // formanschool.org Top administrator: Adam K. Man FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK Preschool and Elementary School 111 Larchmont Ave. Larchmont, New York 10538 914-250-0469 Middle and High School 145 New St., Mamaroneck, New York 10543 914-250-0451 fasny.org Top administrator: Francis Gianni GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORK 50 Partridge Road White Plains, New York 10605 914-948-6513 // gisny.org Top administrator: Ulrich Weghoff
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GERMAN SCHOOL OF CONNECTICUT Campus located at Rippowan Middle School 381 High Ridge Road Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-548-0438 // germanschoolct.org Top administrator: Renate Ludanyi GREEN MEADOW WALDORF SCHOOL 307 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge, New York 10977 845-356-2514 // gmws.org Top administrator: Bill Pernice, pedagogical administrator GREENS FARMS ACADEMY 35 Beachside Ave. Greens Farms, Connecticut 06838 203-256-0717 // gfacademy.org Top administrator: Janet Hartwell GREENWICH ACADEMY 200 N. Maple Ave. Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-625-8900 // greenwichacademy.org Top administrator: Molly H. King
GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 41 North St., Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-869-4000 // gcsct.org Top administrator: Patrice Kopas THE GREENWICH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 401 Old Church Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-865-5600 // gcds.net Top administrator: Adam Rohdie THE GREENWICH SPANISH SCHOOL The O’Connor Center 6 Riverside Ave., Riverside, Connecticut 06878 203-698-1500 // greenwichspanish.org Top administrator: Rosario Brooks, director THE GUNNERY 22 Kirby Road Washington, Connecticut 06793 860-868-7334 // gunnery.org Top administrator: Peter W. E. Becker HACKLEY SCHOOL 293 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, New York 10591 914-366-2600 // hackleyschool.org Top administrator: Michael C. Wirtz
DREAM IT. BE IT. Program a robot. Sing a song. Lead a team. No glass ceilings here. Whether your future is in finance or on the soccer field, we’ll give you the tools you need to explore the world—and run it. We inspire young women to be thoughtful global leaders.
FALL OPEN HOUSES
Upper School—October 15 at 6 p.m. K–12—October 24 at 9 a.m. Barat Center—November 20 at 9:30 a.m.
ADMISSION TOUR DAYS October 8, November 12, December 10, January 14 9 a.m.–11 a.m.
SHGREENWICH.ORG
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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
THE HARVEY SCHOOL 260 Jay St., Katonah, New York 10536 914-232-3161 // harveyschool.org Top administrator: Bill Knauer IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL 73 Southern Blvd. Danbury, Connecticut 06810 203-744-1510 // immaculatehs.org Top administrator: Mary R. Maloney
IONA PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Lower School, grades PK-4 to 8 173 Stratton Road New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-633-7744 Upper School, grades 9-12 255 Wilmot Road New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-632-0714 // ionaprep.org Top administrator: Brother Thomas Leto An Iona Preparatory education is one of the best investments you can make for your son’s development, beginning with prekindergarten and setting the stage for a lifetime of personal and professional success. With a 100-year tradition of academic excellence, Iona Prep empowers young men to become thoughtful, committed and connected leaders in the workplace, in their communities and in the world. We develop moral and ethical
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leaders who are dedicated to Christian service and who strive for spiritual, intellectual and physical excellence. Each boy receives the care and attention he deserves while rising to the challenge of a rigorous and well-rounded program that promotes the growth of the whole person, fosters the development of critical thinking and prepares students for lifelong learning. With seniors earning more than $130 million in academic college scholarships over the last five years, Iona Prep has its graduates #IONAPREPared for college and beyond! JOHN F. KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 54 Route 138, Somers, New York 10589 914-232-5061 // kennedycatholic.org Top administrator: Father Mark G. Vaillancourt THE KARAFIN SCHOOL 40-1 Radio Circle Mount Kisco, New York 10549 914-666-9211 // karafinschool.com Top administrator: Renee L. Donow
KING SCHOOL
1450 Newfield Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-322-2496 // kingschoolct.org Top administrator: Dr. Karen E. Eshoo King School’s personalized approach to teaching and learning is the essence on which students thrive. King, a pre-K through grade 12 independent school, has embraced the “person” in personalization – the student’s passions, goals and challenges. Underpinning the teachers’ deep understanding of each student is a comprehensive student learning profile, introduced in pre-K and developed through senior year. LÉMAN MANHATTAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School 41 Broad St., New York, New York 10004 Upper School 1 Morris St., New York, N.Y. 10004 212-232-0266 // lemanmanattan.org Top administrator: Maria Castelluccio MAPLEBROOK SCHOOL 5142 Route 22, Amenia, New York 12501 845-373-8191 // maplebrookschool.org Top administrator: Donna Konkolics
THE URSULINE SCHOOL 1354 North Avenue | New Rochelle | 914 . 636 . 3950 | ursulinenewrochelle.org
Our innovative campus enhancement will soon be completed and we’ll have a new look!
Visit us Virtually! www.ursulinenewrochelle.org/AdmissionsCenter
Our challenging college prep curriculum, dedication to STEAM & Growth Mindset, commitment to spirituality & service, competitive athletics, and uninching SPIRIT remain unchanged. Contact our Admissions Ofce to schedule a visit: johnstone@ursulinenewrochelle.org 914 . 500 . 6212
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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
MARIA REGINA HIGH SCHOOL
500 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, New York 10530 914-373-8191 // mariaregina.org Top administrator: Anna Parra Since its founding in 1957, Maria Regina High School has been a distinguished leader in education for young women, providing a rigorous learning environment and strong social and moral guidance in a faith-based tradition. Celebrating more than 60 years of excellence, MRHS is committed to the values of Scholarship, Service and Spirit. We challenge young women intellectually, spiritually, athletically and through extracurricular activities. By embracing the diverse personal, cultural and intellectual backgrounds of its students, MRHS develops young women so that they can make a significant contribution to their community and society.
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THE MASTERS SCHOOL
49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522 914-479-6400 // mastersny.org Top administrator: Laura Danforth Founded in 1877, The Masters School is a leading co-ed day, 5-and 7-day boarding school for grades 5-12 located on a beautiful 96-acre campus. Masters is distinguished by its renowned teaching method, an accessible residential faculty and a welcoming and inclusive culture. Students find their own voices through the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transformative seminar-style learning approach, which builds collaborative and confident learners. All students benefit from the boarding school environment featuring true global diversity (students from 30 countries) and a vibrant 24-7 campus life with the majority of faculty living on campus. The result is students who are empowered to realize their greatest potential across academic, athletic and artistic disciplines and emerge ready for success in college, career and life. Visit our Open House on Oct. 20: grades 5-8 at 9 a.m., grades 9-12 at 1 p.m. To RSVP or learn more, contact us at admission@mastersny.org or 914-479-6420.
MILLBROOK SCHOOL 131 Millbrook School Road Millbrook, New York 12545 845-677-8261 // millbrook.org Top administrator: Drew Casertano THE MONTFORT ACADEMY 125 E. Birch St. Mount Vernon, New York 10552 914-699-7090 // themontfortacademy.org Top administrator: David Petrillo NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL 635 Frogtown Road New Canaan, Connecticut 06840 203-972-0771 // countryschool.net Top administrator: Robert P. Macrae NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NEW YORK 44 E. Second St., New York, New York 10003 212-600-2010 // nordangliaeducation.com Top administrator: Adam Stevens, interim principal NOTRE DAME CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 220 Jefferson St., Fairfield, Connecticut 06825 203-372-6521 // notredame.org Top administrator: Christopher Cipriano
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What price education? BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Early this month, Connecticut and New York will make their decisions regarding the reopening of schools — as fraught a subject as any related to the coronavirus. At the heart of the issue is the desire to have students resume the education required to meet the demands of this challenging world balanced by the need always for them to do so safely. With regard to elementary and secondary schools, the questions are fourfold: How are families and schools going to navigate staggered openings and closings when classes have to take place and parents have to be at work at certain times? How will students, particularly those in
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densely urban schools, socially distance in classrooms that are often filled to capacity — thanks in part to a decline in the birthrate that began in the 1980s and led to many school buildings being repurposed? How will everyone from the famed “lunchroom lady” to the superintendent protect himself with PPE when teachers have to buy things like crayons, because there’s no money for supplies? And how will schools quarantine, test and contract-trace everyone who comes in contact with an infected member of the school community? For some school districts, a status quo return can’t be done. Already, New York City, with the nation’s
Harvard Yard, center of the Harvard University campus, seen last year. The school is planning to let only 40 percent of its students return to the campus this fall.
largest public school system, is going to have students attend parttime. California will keep most of its students online, while Texas, another hard-hit state, will have online-only classes until November. Is any of this ideal? Of course not. This may prove disruptive not only to day-to-day learning but to parents’ ability to work, especially outside the home. It may also disfavor disabled and poorer students, who might lack the at-home resources that others have. Privileged parents can, of course, afford to send their children to private schools, which say they are wellprepared to cope with the challenges of educating students in the pandemic. (See accompanying list.) But this presupposes that those in affluent suburbs, who are already paying high property taxes for schools that rival anything in private education, are emotionally and financially prepared to abandon their public schools. In
reality, all property owners — indeed all citizens — are invested in their local public schools, whether they use them or not. With regard to higher education, the questions are different but no less complex or urgent. More than elementary and secondary education, college and graduate school are about making connections. Many low-income and foreign students in particular count on the housing, employment, mentorship and networking that campus life and in-person interaction provide — which is partly why Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were among those colleges that recently filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s attempt to deny foreign attendees their student visas. (The Trump Administration has since stepped back from that plan.) While roughly 60 percent of American institutes of higher learning
have said they would allow all students back into the classroom this fall, some of the most prestigious — including Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Stanford — will hold most classes online. Harvard, the oldest and richest of American universities, will allow only 40 percent of its students back on campus, mainly freshmen and those who can demonstrate the academic hardship of online learning, thus pitting one student against another, as The New York Times put it, in a contest to see who’s the most disadvantaged by the current circumstances. Call it “Queen for a Day,” the old game show of the downtrodden, for the modern age. It’s a sorry, muddled state of affairs guaranteed to satisfy few in which one thing nevertheless remains clear and paramount — the safety of students, which is key to the health of the school community and our future economy.
An Iona Prep education is one of the best investments you can make for your son’s success. C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S
IONA PREP CLASS OF 2020! INVEST. INSPIRE. IGNITE.
As Coronavirus reshapes education, Iona Prep continues to shape Catholic learning. Be strong. + Graduating classes have earned more than $130 million in academic, merit‑based college scholarships over the last five years. + Lifelong alumni network that enhances college and career trajectories. + Seniors have been accepted to their top choice schools, including Boston College, Cornell, Fordham, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Vassar and many others.
Begin your IONA PREPARED journey this Fall. Admissions@IonaPrep.org | IonaPrep.org AUGUST 2020 WAGMAG.COM
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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL 22 Spackenhill Road Poughkeepsie, New York 12603 845-242-2340 // oakwoodfriends.org Top administrator: Chad Cianfrani REGIS HIGH SCHOOL 55 E. 84 St., New York, New York 10028 212-288-1100 // regis.org Top administrator: Fr. Daniel Lahart RIDGEFIELD ACADEMY 223 W. Mountain Road Ridgefield, Connecticut 6877 203-894-1800 // ridgefieldacademy.org Top administrator: James P. Heus RIPPOWAM CISQUA Lower School 325 W. Patent Road Mount Kisco, New York 10549 914-244-1200 Upper School 439 Cantitoe St., Bedford, New York 10506 914-244-12500 // rcsny.org Top administrator: Colm MacMahon
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RUDOLF STEINER SCHOOL Lower School 15 E. 79 St., New York, New York 10075 Upper School 15 E. 78 St., New York, New York 10075 212-535-2130 // steiner.edu Top administrator: The College of Teachers, a group of faculty and staff, serves as the school’s governing body RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 3 Cedar St., Rye, New York 10580 914-967-1417 // ryecountryday.org Top administrator: Scott A. Nelson
SACRED HEART GREENWICH
1177 King St., Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-531-6500 // shgreenwich.org Top administrator: Margaret Frazier Founded in 1848, Sacred Heart Greenwich offers a rigorous and integrated program in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). Upper school students can enroll in a three-year science research program, which offers internships at medical colleges and research institutions. Students interested in the arts have use of a full performing arts theater, art studies for the lower,
middle and upper schools, a storytelling room, an outdoor amphitheater and a broadcast journalism studio. SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL 34 Convent Ave., Yonkers, New York 914-966-3144 // sacredhearths.org Top administrator: Rev Maurice Moreau SAINT BARNABAS HIGH SCHOOL 425 E. 240 St., Bronx, New York 10470 718-325-8800 // stbarnabashigh.com Top administrator: Theresa Napoli SAINT JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL 2320 Huntington Turnpike Trumbull, Connecticut 06611 203-378-9378 // sjcadets.org Top administrator: William Fitzgerald SAINT LUKE’S SCHOOL 377 N. Wilton Road New Canaan, Connecticut 06840 203-966-5612 // stlukesct.org Top administrator: Mark Davis
PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS
SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL 148 E. Main St., New Rochelle, New York 10801 914-632-0248 // salesianhigh.org Top administrator: John Serio SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD 2225 Westchester Ave., Rye, New York 10580 914-967-5622 // holychildrye.org Top administrator: Melissa Dan SOLOMON SCHECHTER SCHOOL OF WESTCHESTER Lower School, K-5 30 Dellwood Road White Plains, New York 10605 914-948-3111 Upper School, 6-12 555 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, New York 10530 914-948-8333 schechterwestchester.org Top administrator: Michael Kay SOUNDVIEW PREPARATORY SCHOOL 370 Underhill Ave., Yorktown Heights, New York 10598 914-962-2780 // soundviewprep.org Top administrator: Ken Cotrone
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THE SPENCE SCHOOL Lower School 56 E. 93 St., New York, New York 10128 Middle and Upper School 22 E. 91 St., New York, New York 10128 212-289-5940 // spenceschool.org Top administrator: Bodie Brizendine THE STANWICH SCHOOL 275 Stanwich Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-542-0000 // stanwichschool.org Top administrator: Charles Sachs THE STORM KING SCHOOL 314 Mountain Road Cornwall-On-Hudson, New York 12520 845-534-7893 // sks.org Top administrator: Jonathan W. R. Lamb
THE URSULINE SCHOOL
1354 North Ave. New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-636-3950 // ursulinenewrochelle.org Top administrator: Eileen Davidson The Ursuline School in New Rochelle is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). Its mission is to educate, inspire and empower a diverse population of 770 young women in grades 6 – 12 by providing them with a 21st century Catholic, college preparatory education. Ursuline transitioned seamlessly to distance learning when required. Their prior investment in technology and creative teachers allowed students to fully continue their education from home during the pandemic. Virtual showcases featured student musicians, artists, global scholars, and science researchers. The school motto, Serviam, “I will serve,” focused recently on supplying food pantries. The school will be ready for fall reopening whether all in person, distance learning, or a combination of these. Personal counseling and their unique personal cevelopment program will support students virtually or in person.
Open minds. Courageous thinking. Build an educational foundation of selfdiscovery, creativity, and student-centered learning. We set a better standard for education so King students are unstoppable.
PreK-Grade 12: LEARN MORE kingschoolct.org
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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS WESTCHESTER HEBREW HIGH SCHOOL 856 Orienta Ave. Mamaroneck, New York 10543 914-698-0806 // whhsny.org Top administrator: Rabbi Jeffrey Beer THE WINDWARD SCHOOL Lower School 13 Windward Ave. White Plains, New York 10605 Middle School 40 W. Red Oak Lane White Plains, New York 10604 Windward Manhattan 202 W. 97 St., New York, New York, 10025 914-949-6968 // thewindwardschool.org Top administrator: John J. Russell THORNTON-DONOVAN SCHOOL 100 Overlook Circle New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-632-8836 // td.edu Top administrator: Douglas E. Fleming Jr. TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 926 Newfield Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-322-3401 // trinitycatholic.org Top administrator: Dave Williams
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TRINITY-PAWLING
700 Route 22, Pawling, New York 12564 845-855-3100 // trinitypawling.org Top administrator: William W. Taylor Director of admission: JP Burlington In such challenging times, we cannot think of a stronger argument for the relevance of a dynamic, personalized and transformative educational experience in the lives of adolescents who are preparing to successfully navigate the demands of an ever-changing world. Learning happens best when it happens in community. While this is true of all learning, it is particularly true in the case of Trinity-Pawling School, where the relationships between the students and faculty and the availability of extra help are catalysts to the learning and growth processes. Through creativity, disciplined hard work, and collaboration, it is essential that we work to forge a safe, adaptable environment that allows for students to return to campus in measures that are compatible with the health and safety demands associated with COVID-19.
WHITBY SCHOOL 969 Lake Ave., Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-869-8464 // whitbyschool.org Top administrator: Simone Becker, head of lower school; Jonathan Chein, head of upper school
WOOSTER SCHOOL
91 Miry Brook Road Danbury, Connecticut 06810 203-830-3916 // woosterschool.org Top administrator: Matt Byrnes Wooster is a school built on relationships — particularly between students and teachers, and among students — and we’ve designed our online learning system to reflect that. We have prioritized time for teachers to meet with individuals and in small groups. We’ve also prioritized students' ability to collaborate as they learn. Wooster School has built a blended foundation for our classes over the last five years or so. The pandemic is serving as an accelerant, but not for anything that we did not already hope to do. A blended foundation simply means that we are best utilizing all of the resources at our disposal, as intelligently and efficiently as possible, to create the best possible learning for our students.
Boarding and Day for Boys - Grades 7-12 / Postgraduate
To educate and instill a value system that prepares young men to be contributing members of society amidst the challenges of an ever-changing world — it’s our mission!
SCHEDULE A VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION TODAY!
admissions@trinitypawling.org 845-855-4825
This educational experience could make all the difference in your son’s future. Learn more about the benefits of a Trinity-Pawling education at www.trinitypawling.org
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Own Your Future Congratulations to the Class of 2020
When students and families engage in the college process using their values, interests, and goals as foundational elements, they can better target colleges and universities where students will thrive. At King School, our four-year developmental program enables students to identify and apply to the schools that will take them where they want to go.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 on their acceptances! Babson College Bentley University Boston College (3) Bucknell University Clemson University Colby College (2) Colgate University College of the Holy Cross Connecticut College Dartmouth College (2) Denison University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University (3) Elon University Emory University Fairfield University Fordham University
Indiana University (2) Marist College Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University Middlebury College (2) New York University Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University Pennsylvania State University Providence College (4) Purdue University Rochester Institute of Technology (3) Roger Williams University Rollins College Salve Regina University
Santa Clara University Sewanee: The University of the South Skidmore College Southern Methodist University (3) Syracuse University (2) The Ohio State University Towson University (2) Tulane University (3) University of Connecticut Stamford United States Military Academy at West Point University of Alabama (2) University of Miami University of Minnesota
University of New Hampshire University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Rhode Island University of Richmond (2) University of Southern California (2) University of Toronto University of Virginia University of Wisconsin Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Washington and Jefferson College Washington and Lee University Yale University
Explore how King sets better standards: kingschoolct.org
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VACATIONING CLOSER TO HOME BY JEREMY WAYNE
Apologies Peter, Paul and Mary (and composer John Denver), but I’m not “leaving on a jet plane.” At least, not any time soon. If airports weren’t bad enough before Covid — security lines; standing stock-still in full body scanners, hands above one’s head, like the most maladroit child in the gym class preparing for a jumping jack; personal humiliation as one’s underwear is forensically examined in public — one can only imagine the fandango now. And don’t get me started on masks, which are, by the way, utterly necessary. The last time I wore a mask in public — at least until a couple of months ago — was 30 years ago when I attended the glamorous Volpi Ball in Venice. Well, I say “attended,” but what I really mean is gate-crashed. I borrowed a tuxedo from an usher at La Fenice opera house and my girlfriend jazzed up a little black number, which cost around $20 from H&M, I recall, with a feather boa — quite fetching,
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but so synthetic that once false move with the cigarette lighter and the entire Palazzo Volpi would have gone up in flames. If she looked conspicuous amid the Valentinos and Versaces, everybody was far too polite to say. This summer, by contrast, there will be no airports for me, no high jinx on the Grand Canal. Instead, I will be rebonding with my car, which has been standing idle in my driveway for far too long, undriven, unloved. First up, I’d like to get back to Maine, if the Maine-iacs will have this not-so-native New Yorker, to check out The Tides, a 21room Victorian inn, dating from 1899, in a prime position looking over the Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport. Two of its suites have been decorated by Jonathan Adler (whom we profiled in March WAG,) while in the main lounge, soothing cream and taupe upholstery along with shell lamps and rope chandeliers appear to reference the ocean, without any navy-blue seaside clichés. The Tides is said to have a terrific restaurant too, where executive chef
Left: King room at The Épik, Montréal. Courtesy ÉPIK Collection. Right: Chairs on Goose Rocks Beach (The Tides). Photograph by Doug. Merriam. Bottom: Lobby at Hotel Uvillle. Courtesy ÉPIK Collection.
Taylor Stanton treats classic Maine fare such as crab and lobster with winning simplicity and respect. Over on the Cape, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, meanwhile, the centrally situated 170-year old Salt House Inn, which I visited briefly last year, is my kind of inn. Historic in look but modern in outlook, guest rooms and bathrooms are scrupulously clean (bathrooms almost to the point of seeming clinical — a plus in the age of Covid-19) and the answer to virtually every question you might ask is “Yes.” There’s also plenty of outdoor space, rare in the center of Provincetown and, owing to the geniality of the hosts, a kind of party atmosphere prevails. Breakfast is served outside beneath a charming pergola. And although Tanglewood is shuttered this summer in Lenox in the western part of the state, the magical, Gilded Age Blantyre, which we wrote about in WAG last August, is not only open for business, but has famed chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud hosting a Café Boulud popup, running through October, for some of the very best grub in the region. If the USA border with Canada reopens before summer’s end — and the situation seems to change on a daily basis — I would love to spend a couple of days in Montréal. A six-hour drive from southern Westchester, Montréal may be a North American city but it has a really continental vibe. The restaurant scene, slowly returning to a semblance of normality, is the best in any city in Canada, and I’m longing to try out Hotel Épik, a 10-room boutique hotel in Old Montréal opening Aug. 1, as well as the 1960s- and ’70s-themed Hotel Uville. Both are in the collection of Épik Hotels, which specialize in converting historic oldtown properties into luxury hotels and residences.
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The Tides’ dining room. Photograph by Meredith Perdue.
Still in Montréal, you’ll find one of the best urban beaches anywhere, should the fancy take you. La Plage d’Horloge is a glorious expanse of white sand beach under the clocktower of the Vieux-Port, with chairs and umbrellas and even showers, although at the time of this writing, swimming is still suspended. Of course, saying what constitutes a reasonable drive is a bit like estimating the length of a piece of string. Some people think nothing of jumping into their cars and driving for eight hours or more. Others balk at a 40-minute hop. If you’re the long-distance type, Florida, especially northern Florida, may be feasible, again with the proviso that (a) non-Floridians are welcome in the state and (b) that we are minded to go, with the virus still raging in the South and Southwest. I’ve always had a soft spot for Amelia Island, where the pace and vibe are attractively Southern, but the “pizzazz” factor is unmistakably Floridian. For a vast but extremely tasteful resort, full of Florida razzmatazz, try The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island. One of my favorite Ritzes anywhere, despite being 25 years old, this one feels like it opened yesterday. The property sits on 13 miles
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of glorious coastline and every inch of the hotel’s interior sparkles and shines. The sporting facilities and possibilities are endless and the hotel staff, from the managers to the front desk agents to the housekeepers to the newest runner on the restaurant team, are nice as pie. If, on the other hand, your taste runs to somewhere smaller but still on Amelia Island, the 25-room Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, a charming B&B on lovely Fernandina Beach, is a gem. Decorations are light and airy, the breakfasts will set you up for the day, and once again the hosts preside over a communal get-together for a glass of wine each evening, which is a good way to make new friends, or to feel included if you are traveling solo. If you’re up for driving long distances but Florida is just a highway too far, consider South Carolina’s Kiawah Island. At the five-star Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which sits right on the beach, you can combine a beach or golf vacation with a visit to historic Charleston, a mere 20 miles away. Or, as museums start to open in local phase fours, and if perhaps you have history-buff kids in tow, Virginia’s Historic Triangle (Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg) or indeed the nation’s capital itself, make wonderful getaways. It may not be Europe but your little darlings will always remember the summer of the year many camps were closed. Very much closer to home, meanwhile, the recently opened South Harbor Inn in Southwold, on Long Island’s North Fork, has a wonderful pedigree. Its owners are ex-Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental and the delightful inn they’ve created in a converted 1897 farmhouse in the heart of North Fork wine country is the last word in comfort. And last but not least, if you find you can’t resist the Hamptons, Topping Rose House near Southampton, with its excellent JeanGeorges Vongerichten-headed restaurant, is still winning rave reviews. What’s that you say? You didn’t have me pegged as a Hamptons person? Oh dear — I fear my mask has slipped. For more, visit tidesbeachclubmaine.com, salthouseinn.com, blantyre.com, epikmontreal.com, ritzcarlton.com, elizabethpointeameliaisland.com, kiawahresort.com, toppingrosehouse.com and southharborinn.com.
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For program details, visit: artsw.org/jazzfest
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HAVE SHOES, WILL TRAVEL BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM 1
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Let’s start with a “footnote”:* *I’ve been wearing Bass Weejuns since high school — that was in the 1970s — and they still are my go-to shoes for every day and especially when traveling and sightseeing. I like to look sharp when I’m in a foreign destination, and you’re certainly not going to see me wearing a T-shirt, running shorts and athletic sneakers when I’m out and about, especially in fashion-conscious places like Italy and France. Instead, no matter what I wear for clothes, I’m typically in Bass Weejuns — either the traditional mahogany $110 “Estelle” penny loafer or, my new favorite, the $110 “Whitney” black loafer with white kiltie. Bass Weejuns are the quintessential American shoe, worn by everyone from Cindy Crawford to the late President John F. Kennedy, and they couldn’t be more classic. ghbass.com/home.do That said, in my travels, I’ve discovered some amazing and fabulous other brands of footwear that you should definitely stash in your Samsonite — for whenever you take your next trip. Let’s hope the coronavirus quarantine comes to an end soon. Here’s my salute To All The Shoes I’ve Loved Before (with apologies to Willie Nelson): Take your footwear cue from royalty — that would be Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Her famous tootsies are typically shod in Sole Bliss shoes, designed for maximum style and comfort. “Camilla wears our brand regularly, when she's on engagement,” says Sole Bliss founder and designer Lisa Kay, who created her company in England and just launched it in the United States. And then you have another type of royalty — the Hollywood A-lister, specifically Helen Mirren (who won an
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1. The "Imogen" from Sole Bliss is as super comfy as it is stylish, in bone with a black tip. 2. Sarah Flint's perfect black pump is expertly engineered to be ultra comfortable. 3. The Sole Bliss "Debut," seen on the model here, is de rigueur for fall. 4. Canfora's linked, custom-made "Jackie Kennedy" sandal was a favorite of the first lady in 1962. 5. The bejeweled "Sophie" by Canfora in Capri is available for purchase on the internet.
Oscar for playing Camilla’s mother-in-law, Elizabeth II, in “The Queen.”) “Helen has been a fan of ours since Day One,” Kay adds. “She wears our peep toes, high heels and block heels and our boots.” She created Sole Bliss shoes with clever construction to cocoon your feet in comfort. Each pair features three separate layers of foam and a bunion bed “that can stretch forever,” she says. “The trick is to make them deep and spacious but to make sure that the shoes fit at the back as well. They are the result of a lot of research-anddevelopment and expertise.” The shoes are manufactured in Spain, and “50 to 60 pairs of hands make every pair of shoes,” Kay adds. The “Imogen” black-and-bone spectators — ideal for your Chanel dress — are popular, but the best sellers are the Pandora high heel and the Carmen classic pump. (The ballet flats and kitten heels are also must-haves.) And take note of the $325 snakeskin “Debut” booties for next season. Another style to wow your wardrobe is the stunning “Erin” $315 black patent leather flat boot, which will be gorgeous on your gams, even if you have a wide foot. solebliss.com
OPRAH’S FAVORITE SWIMSUIT In this sunny month of August, I would be remiss if I didn’t let you all in on what Oprah Winfrey has categorized as one of her favorite things — the Genevieve swimsuit by Hermoza. With prices beginning at $128, this special “slimsuit” is the epitome of polished sophistication. The Genevieve’s highneck halter is balanced by a playful single-tie accent across the hips. The high-back style is well-suited to providing comfort and movement without sacrificing shape or support. Lots of bodies will look just beautiful in this swimsuit. thehermoza.com
And if you just can’t get your fill of comfy high heels, check out those handcrafted in Italy by Sarah Flint. Consider the $355 Perfect Pump where form and function are beautifully entwined. Each pair of Sarah Flint shoes features arch supports; an additional 6 millemeters of footbed padding; a sexy V-shaped vamp; wider toe boxes to ease crowding of your toes; and heels with a center steel and rod to ensure durability and wearability. And have I mentioned the proprietary rubber sole, for the utmost TLC for your toes? These are handmade in Italy, with the artisan responsible for your shoes sending you a little card with his or her signature for the ultimate personal touch. I’m also crazy about the $345 “Natalie.” The white is superb for summery resorts — and the perfection pointy toes feature adorable little leather bows. sarahflint.com. For fantastic style and comfort with every step, consider the “Alice” from Arcopedico for your travel go-to shoe in any season. Available in super colors like lemon, red and denim blue, this trendy, yet practical Nubuck loafer makes the perfect seasonal transition shoe for your wardrobe. The “Alice” is a superb solution if you know you are going to spend a lot of time on your feet, and a pair in black is a must with your designer jeans. You will love Arcopedico’s comfy and patented twin arch support system. arcopedicousa.com. No travel shoe wardrobe, of course, would be complete without a pair of stylish sandals handmade in Capri by Canfora. Now, even though there is limited travel to Italy, you can still offer la dolce vita to your toes. The adorable Canfora shop in Capri — where Jacqueline Kennedy visited in the 1960s to purchase innumerable pairs that she was subsequently photographed in — now offers oceans of styles online. From those with simple leather straps to those bejeweled with rhinestones, they are handmade and custom-made for your feet, with the type of heel that you prefer. Whenever I wear mine, I am constantly stopped and complimented for my footwear, and they are très chic with any outfit — from bathing suits to ballgowns — wearable everywhere from Boston to Barcelona. Canfora.com. And if you just can’t get enough of that lovely European country shaped like a boot — consider some other footwear made there. Maria Gangemi founded M. Gemi, making simply elegant shoes like the woven “Ballare,” priced around $248. “With every shoe, I truly think about how I can bring the magic of Italy directly to you,” she wrote me in an e-mail interview. “I consider how an authentic, everyday woman will wear (the shoes) — through every possible activity or scenario. In a single word, women are busy, which is why I uphold that each and every silhouette is undeniably comfortable while also uniquely luxurious and beautiful. Our newest arrival — the Ballare — was inspired by one of my most cherished coastal towns, Forte Dei Marmi. My favorite thing to do is pedal to the beach and stop at the market on my way home. Influenced by the timeless woven leather totes created there, I updated our best-selling, addictively comfortable flat in a buttery-soft, statement-making woven texture.” And make sure to say ciao to the elegant $198 “Fortuna” pointytoe flat in black patent leather with all-important sexy toe cleavage. They will become your newest sole-mates. Mgemi.com. For more on Debbi, visit Debbikickham.com.
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NATURE’S PLAYGROUND BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE
From sprawling beaches, marshes and maritime forests to historic ruins, Georgia’s Jekyll Island is a beautiful blend of serenity and discovery. Situated within the chain of the Golden Isles, it is just a few miles from St. Simons Island, Sea Island and Brunswick — and from the moment I spied the “turtle crossing” signs, I knew I’d arrived somewhere special. As I drove through a canopy of live oaks and lush lawns on this 5,700-acre island, something told me I was in for a unique experience — and so I was. GILDED AGE GLAMOUR Jekyll Island was purchased in 1886 by a group of wealthy families as a private retreat. By 1900, The Jekyll Island Club membership included the Rockefellers, Morgans, Cranes and Goulds and represented more than one-sixth of the world’s wealth. The Club closed in 1942 and Jekyll Island was purchased by the state of Georgia in 1947. Today its development is limited to just 1,609 acres to preserve the critical barrier island ecosystem. Since most of the island is protected, there’s plenty of nature, wildlife and familyfriendly amenities, including 10 miles of white sand beaches, 63 holes of golf, an outdoor tennis complex and the Summer
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Top: The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Right: Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island. Bottom: A Jekyll Island wedding. Photographs courtesy Sloane Travel Photography.
Waves Water Park. There’s also a fishing pier, dolphin tours, horseback riding, 20 miles of bike trails and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. For the extended multigenerational family, this retreat is ideal as most of the activities are geared for everyone from tots to grandparents. The Westin Jekyll Island is a serene hotel just two years old, located right on the beach and adjacent to the convention center. Nearby is Beach Village with lots of shopping and dining options. After checking out my digs, including the oceanfront rooftop lounge, and noting that I’d be sleeping on the Westin’s famous Heavenly Bed that evening, I made a beeline for the Jekyll Island Club Resort. A quote from the Brunswick News on Jan. 30, 1917 tells us that “Mr. Rockefeller never feels so well as when he’s enjoying the secluded and exclusive life which only this Paradise on earth affords.” Well. In the gilt-age time of a century ago, the country’s rich
journeyed to places like Saratoga, New York, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and, of course, to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The Club, a Natural Historic Landmark and a retreat for the nation’s elite, was the site of events and meetings of historic significance, including the first transcontinental phone call, which was initiated in 1915 from the island to Theodore Vail, then president of AT&T. There were several things I wanted to see and experience at the resort. I paid a visit to the spacious period-restored vacation cottage of Almira and William Rockefeller, a home they “enjoyed more than any other,” and to which they were devoted for 36 years. Nearby was the charming Faith Chapel built by the club in 1904. The structure is that of an early Colonial meeting house, decorated with Gothic style elements. The church’s tiny interior is made of shingles with carved animal heads topping the roof trusses and gargoyles embellishing the exterior steeple. The treasures of this chapel are a pair of extraordinary stained-glass windows, one a signed Tiffany, fabricated of several layers of glass and giving the illusion of depth and perspective. These windows are two of the most outstanding pieces of stained-glass art in the nation. SAVE THE TURTLE Jekyll Island is home to a $2.5 Million Sea Turtle Center whose mission is to enhance public awareness of this endangered species and to provide rehabilitation for injured or ill sea turtles. As a rehab, research and educational facility, it offers the public a chance to learn about sea turtles and see the center’s good works in action. They offer year-round indoor and outdoor programs for guests of all ages. I watched turtle feeding and observed a huge animal being moved onto a gurney by no less than four workers. I hope to return someday during sea turtle hatchling release (between JuneAugust) as I hear it’s a most amazing sight. The next day, I couldn’t resist an invitation to try out the island’s famed Red Bug electric cars. The vehicles pride themselves as being an alternate mode of environmentally friendly transportation. Open to ocean breezes, they’re small, they’re cute — and they’re red. Tooling around the island in a little bug was the highlight of my day. ALL THAT GLITTERS HERE IS GOLD On departure day, I made sure I was up early enough to take a sunrise walk on the beach, a meaningful way for me to say farewell to my few outstanding days on nature’s playground. I loved its pristine stretches of marshland; its sparkling rivers teeming with birds and fish calmly flowing to the Atlantic Ocean; and its rich and storied history. Four hundred years ago, Spanish explorers descended upon this territory seeking gold. Instead they found astonishing beauty in serene forests, mild weather and a vast expanse of ocean. I, too, found all this. You could say that here, in a sense, I truly did find gold. For more, visit westinjekyllisland.com, jekyllclub.com and redbugmotors.com.
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LIVE AND LET DINE AT THE BARLEY BEACH HOUSE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY WAYNE
WONDERFUL DINING
FOOD & SPIRITS
For the first time in 14 ½ weeks, I am going out to lunch, gingerly making my way towards the restaurant entrance like some inept villain in an Ellery Queen detective story. If I were wearing a raincoat, the collar would undoubtedly be turned up, but the mercury has just hit 86 degrees and the sky is a cloudless blue. So, I’ve no raincoat and no collar, although, somewhat ironically for someone who is neither about to commit a crime nor investigate one, I am wearing a mask and gloves. The former Seaside Johnnies in Rye Town Park and Beach overlooking the Long Island Sound changed hands in 2018 and, having installed heating, is now open year round as The Barley Beach House. Still, nothing beats the beach on a summer’s day. Arriving midweek without a reservation, we approach a romper suit-wearing hostess, inscrutable behind a mask of her own, who bids us follow her and, despite two lines of empty tables, shows us to what is undoubtedly the worst table on the outdoor deck. So far, so mediocre. But, heighho, the sun is shining, the ocean is sparkling and The Foundations are belting out “Build Me Up Buttercup” over the speaker system, so as they say in the classics, what’s really not to like — so far? Heavy silverware, wrapped in a paper napkin, is already set at each 84
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place, although salt and pepper, as I have already gleaned from reading a 10-page directive on Phase-3 restaurant openings, will be available only on demand. A server appears almost immediately, shorts so short we had to wonder why she had gone to the trouble of putting them on, but full of summer cheer. For me, fish and chips, a generous slab of piping hot, beerbattered cod, brought with hand-cut French fries and a tangy coleslaw. Others in our small group tucked into crisp, fried calamari, golden trinkets piled high in their light summer coat
Top: The Barley Beach House terrace. Below: Connecticut Lobster Roll at The Barley Beach House.
of breadcrumbs, served with a chilihot marinara for a touch of heat and a redundant slick of hot honey. In another dish, served with isosceles triangles of lightly toasted white bread, the teeny-tiny whiskey peppercorn mussels seemed a little slack and in the doldrums, as if they had had a bad start to the day and needed a hug (metaphoric, of course, for our socially distanced times) and a few words of encouragement to liven them up. The whiskey sauce, meanwhile is a little too light, the whiskey — or what might have been better yet, some white wine or vermouth — not coming through. There is compensation in a Connecticut lobster roll, a generous amount of lobster meat served openface, with celery, on buttered brioche. (In the New England version, the lobster is mixed with mayonaisse and cucumber. “Is the mayo homemade, by any chance?” my guest asks the server. “Nah, don’t think so. I think it’s just regular,” comes the disappointing reply.) The meat, however, is sweet and tender, although the precious coral didn’t have quite the glossy texture or mild brine my guest is looking for. She awards it 8/10. Over on the beach, the lifeguard is making announcements. Parents and guardians are cautioned to watch toddlers to see they don't toddle off. And beachgoers are reminded that alcohol is not permitted on the beach. The Covid warning comes last but is drowned out by George Harrison who has just started singing “Here Comes the Sun.” Funnily enough, the sun has gone in at this very moment, nobody on the beach appears to be social distancing and an adjoining table, which the guests have just vacated, is being distractedly spritzed and listlessly wiped down by an unmasked server. “It’s all right, it’s all right,” sings Harrison. Well, let’s hope it will be. Still, location is nearly everything and you can’t take that away from Barley Beach House — which, by the way does a good line in draft beers
and beachy cocktails. In addition to the dishes we try, the menu proposes jerk chicken, buttermilk-marinated fried chicken, a panoply of salads with add-ons, chowder, burgers, wraps and pizzas. You could have lunch or dinner at Barley Beach every day for a week and never get bored — at least, not of the food. Desserts are announced rather than flaunted on a menu. Tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake, ice creams by the scoop. We listen without enthusiasm as the staples are trotted off, disinclined to order. Then a sudden madness takes hold of me and I ask for the chocolate cake, despite knowing if it is going to disappoint — a monumental, calorific error of judgment, surely. And then it arrives — a chocolate slab, surrounded by spritzes of already drooping, shavingfoam-like substance, decorated with two blobs of acidulated green lemon curd. Am I right? The hell I wasn’t. This is the most heavenly chocolate cake I have eaten in a decade, rich and moist, with a velvety mouthfeel and a chocolatiness that other cakes can only dream of. I ask if this cake is made in-house and after some teeth-pulling (not literal), I learn that it is. The responsible party is Chrissy, the restaurant’s pastry chef. Chrissy, I don’t know you, but I salute you. Take a monumental bow. Remove the pointless decoration and you have a dessert of rare perfection. Diligently made espressos bring lunch to a close on a high note, even if we do have to wait nearly 20 minutes to pay the bill, since the restaurant’s Wi-Fi is down. Oh well, it makes a pleasant change — it’s usually my credit card which is “down,” so I have some sympathy for the management. One of my guests has the final word. “A good restaurant, which could be great, if it just believed in itself.” There you have it — and do not on any account forget that chocolate cake. For more, visit thebarleybeachhouse.com AUGUST 2020 WAGMAG.COM
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A TASTE TRIP TO SOUTHERN PORTUGAL STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING
WINE & DINE
FOOD & SPIRITS
When is the last time you opened five bottles of wine at once — just for you? Last night I participated in a Zoom webinar, hosted by the Wines of Alentejo of southern Portugal. In these Covidcrazy times, the wine world is reinventing itself, like everyone and everything else. It’s a bit funny, because anecdotally I am hearing of wine sales in this shutdown meeting and exceeding previous high-water marks. So if sales are booming, why the need for additional educational and advertising attention? The answer probably is that people tend to buy what they can easily find and what they already know. Purchasing wine from unknown origins or unheard of mystery grapes can be daunting for some and a bit prohibitive for others. In the past, several of the 50 attendees of this webinar, most of whom I have met or was at least familiar with, would have received a plane ticket and a press invite to fly to Lisbon where a driver would usher them to the Alentejo region. There winemakers and PR people would pour many wines, show them the geological, historical and cultural specifics of the region, and they’d all dine in wonderful restaurants with precise food and wine pairings unique to the region. By mid-July I would have likely visited three, maybe four, international wine regions and returned home to reflect and write about my discoveries. But that is all on hold for now. Twenty-five years ago, there were few organic or sustainable wine producers in the world and their wines were largely uninteresting. Most organic wine producers back then were farmers of other agricultural products first, and they saw a demand for organic wines and went to work. They didn’t know the intricacies of grape growing or wine production and their resultant wine showed the lack of experience. But the wine world took notice of the interest and slowly moved toward organic and sustainable production. Currently, worldwide, there is increased attention to pesticide and herbicide reduction, creating an environment to attract beneficial predators to keep predictable vineyard pests to manageable numbers and to create and maintain a living vineyard. And these resultant wines show lifetimes of experience. In the past five years the Wines of Alentejo people have initiated their own sustainable practices abbreviated as WASP (Wines of Alentejo Sustainable Program). In 1995, the Alentejo region had just 45 producers. Today the region is exploding with 1,800 grape growers and 260 wineries. Alentejo represents 30% of all of Portugal’s land mass and has been producing wine for more than 4,000 years with Roman, Christian and Moorish influences evident everywhere. 86
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A small assortment of the Wines of Alentejo we tasted at home during a Zoom meeting.
There are many UNESCO World Heritage sites, notably Évora and Elvas, two ancient cities there, with Roman temple ruins, aqueducts, castles and fortifications. Wine producers involved in WASP account for 45% of the regional vineyards. Alentejo is hot and dry, which makes organic and sustainable practices relatively easy. Wet regions are more susceptible to fungal problems needing attention. But because of global warming these producers feel vulnerable to rising temperatures and the scorching of their land and grapes. Healthy soils created by introducing organic matter, such as manure and cuttings and leaves, will be better able to withstand climbing temps. This webinar was hosted by Evan Goldstein, master sommelier, João Barroso, director of sustainability and Tiago Caravana, director of sales of Wines of Alentejo USA. Goldstein told us, “Alentejo, in centuries of wine production but just a few short years with WASP, has become one of the most progressive wine regions in the world regarding sustainability.” We were given a solid background in the region and then invited to taste the wines I had opened a bit earlier. The ratio of regional wine production is 25% white, 73.1% red and 1.9% Rosé. Esporão Colheita 2018 white wine was my first taste, showing a crisp acidity, lively tropical fresh fruit with a long and lingering mouthfeel. My next pour was São Miguel do Sul, a brooding red wine expressing dark fruit, particularly blackberry with a backdrop of pleasant tannic dustiness. Herdade dos Grous 2018 presented a fresh red cherry with a lovely spicy cinnamon accent. The Coelheiros from 2017 showed raspberry and blackberry freshness and hints of balsamic vinegar with a pleasant earthiness contributing to finish length. And the final red, my personal favorite of the four reds, was Reguengos Garrafeira dos Sócios from the 2014 harvest. Showing a tart blackberry and a spiciness of pepper and licorice, as well as a great tannic and acid balance with a generous nose and palate, this lively red will impress. All of these wines may be difficult to find. You may have to request or order them. Bigger stores may have a small selection of Alentejo wines but certainly any Portuguese restaurant should have many options. These are lovely wines, largely sustainable and leaning toward organic, from a rich historical region and well-priced. Take a rewarding taste trip to Portugal. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.
ARTIS SENIOR LIVING & JOHNS HOPKINS Partners in Advancing Safe Living In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Artis Senior Living launched many new protocols in an effort to ensure resident health and safety. As we continue to navigate these challenging times, Artis is proud to lead the way through our partnership with renowned physicians from Johns Hopkins. Together, we have created the Artis Safety Council, a dedicated initiative to enhance our already high level of care and commitment to the safety and well-being of the residents, associates and families that make up our extended Artis family.
THE ARTIS SAFETY COUNCIL
Michelle Bellantoni, MD, CMD, Gerontology – Johns Hopkins
Morgan Katz, MD, MHS, Infectious Disease – Johns Hopkins
Ravi Passi, MD, FACP, CMD, Internal Medicine, Advanced Primary & Geriatric Care
CORE AREAS OF FOCUS Refine Protocols and Ongoing Safety Recommendations • Cleaning and sanitation protocols • Use of PPE as effective tools against risk of infection or virus spread • Testing approaches that will help Artis residents, families and staff Addition of Artis Safety Officers • Ensure proper training for all Artis associates across all communities • Continually monitor safety protocols and identify opportunities for enhancements • Act as a resource to implement new procedures as they are needed Provide Artis with the Latest in Scientific Data • Place our residents first-in-line for scientific breakthroughs and approved vaccines • Proactively look ahead and prepare for other issues that could arise
“Working with Johns Hopkins medical experts—who have been at the forefront of the national pandemic response—means that we have access to the latest science and guidance as it continues to emerge. This is an incredible benefit that provides assurance to our residents and their families that they have access to the safest Memory Care available.” — Don E. Feltman, Artis Senior Living President and CEO
For more information on the Artis Safety Council and full physician bios, go to TheArtisWay.com/WAG Artis Senior Living of Briarcliff Manor 553 North State Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Check out our other nearby community in Chestnut Ridge.
WE HAVE YOUR BACK BY KALIQ CHANG, M.D.
WELL
HEALTH & FITNESS
The pandemic has made 2020 the year of working from and working out at home. With all of the makeshift home offices and at-home exercise challenges, along with fewer in-person doctor visits, protecting your back has never been more important. According to the National Institutes of Health, 80% of Americans will experience lower back pain and discomfort during their lifetimes. The key right now is avoiding exacerbating existing back issues or creating new ones while working out or just sitting at a computer. Pain and stiffness in the lower back that’s worse both in the morning and evening is quite prevalent in my older patients. They may complain that their pain even wakes them up at night or intensifies with too much motion during the day. It can hamper their ability to bend comfortably and do all their favorite activities. While back pain is more common in older adults, many young people also experience spinal discomfort, especially as related to exercise and sitting too long or incorrectly. EXERCISES FOR A HEALTHIER BACK AND SPINE “Motion is lotion” for the spine, as the saying goes. This means that for people struggling with lower back pain, one of the best strategies is to maintain a regular form of exercise, even just 20 to 30 minutes a day of movement like walking or jogging. For those looking to strengthen and protect their backs and reduce spinal pain, here are five exercises that can help:
1. Side bends: Sitting in a hard chair with your feet flat on the floor, keep one hand behind your head and, bending to the opposite side, reach the other hand toward the floor. As you lean over, tighten the muscles running along your ribs, waist and hips. Return to your original position and then do the same movement, reversing arms and direction. Repeat five times.
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2. Bridges: Lying flat on your back on the floor, bend your knees and place feet flat against the floor. Tighten abdominal core muscles, raising your hips until your pelvis forms a straight line between your knees and chest. Avoid arching your back. Hold for three breaths, then lower your pelvis to the floor. Repeat five times. 3. Pelvic tilts: Lying on your back on the floor, with legs straight in front of you, tilt your pelvis in toward your chest while keeping the middle of your back on the floor. Hold for three seconds and release. Repeat 10 times. 4. Knee pulls: While standing and steadying yourself at a nearby table, slowly bend one knee and pull it up to hip level, holding for several seconds. Then lower and do this with the other leg. Repeat five times. 5. Supermans: Lying face down on the floor with your arms stretched out in front of you — like Superman — raise your head, right arm and left leg about two inches at the same time. Lower and repeat the same movement on the opposite side. Repeat five times. PAIN RELIEF AND PREVENTION Since most cases of back pain can be attributed to mechanical causes — meaning the ache is not caused by infection, fracture or other serious medical problems — exercise is often the missing link that can help resolve the pain. We remind our patients of all ages that exercise is essential for maintaining bodily health and preventing back pain. Exercises, including those recommended here can both alleviate existing issues with back pain and prevent new cases from occurring. Kaliq Chang, M.D., is an interventional pain management specialist, double board-certified in interventional pain management and anesthesiology, at Atlantic Spine Center, a nationally recognized leader for endoscopic spine surgery with several locations in New York City and New Jersey. For more, visit atlanticspinecenter.com.
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PLAYING THE HAND YOU’RE DEALT BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI
“Sometimes you need to talk with a 3 year old so you can understand life again.” - Unknown It is hard to believe that I am already in year three of fatherhood, as I write my annual WAG article chronicling my journey to beat the dubious Dad Bod. Needless to say this has been a year like no other, and the remainder of the year continues to be filled with the unknown. My precious baby girl has become a little person already. She is verbal and already has a caring personality. Every few months I say to myself, “This is the best right now. There is no way it can get any better than this.” And then lo and behold she’ll say something or do something even more extraordinary and cute, and then that’s the new best. At times throughout these last several months it has been challenging to keep her occupied, as you can imagine. One thing is for sure; She’s definitely gotten plenty of daddy time.
HEALTH & FITNESS
WHEN THE GOING GET TOUGH When situations get tough, here’s one piece of common advice that I’ve grown to hear over the years from some very successful businesses, managers and colleagues: Focus on what you can control. We’ve all heard it before. Sounds simple enough too, right? And let’s face it, there is a lot out there right now out of our control. Add in hypersensitivity at all time highs, with doctors/psychologists talking about how this pandemic creates emotional/ mental issues. With still no end in sight, it is easy to lose track, focus and motivation.
WELL
WHAT CAN YOU FOCUS ON? When it comes to my daughter, Juliet Rose, and our famil,y here are a few things I know I can control: • How we treat each other; • How we speak to each other; • How we can make the best out of each day; • How to manage the extra time that we’ve all been given; • How I can manage my personal time; and • How we can manage our family time. Going from year two to year three, I feel like it has still come down to time management. Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden often used to say, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Now more than ever, it is important
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The author with daughter Juliet Rose. Courtesy The Roselli Family.
to have some type of plan and schedule for the day, as opposed to just aimlessly going through another day with no direction and no productivity. PLAY OUT THE HAND When someone asks me how I’m doing through all of this, my usual response has been, “playing the hand I’ve been dealt, just like everyone else.” I’ve used this expression a lot over the years and it resonates with me in so many ways. Some days, weeks, months or even years, we are dealt a bad or mediocre hand. In life, you have to play out that hand and do the best you can with it. A good player knows how to play with weak cards, just as someone can get a good hand and blow it. Over these last few months I have gotten to projects that I’ve been meaning to get to, taken education courses that I wouldn’t have normally been exposed to, learned new health and wellness techniques that I can utilize with both myself and my clients — all while having daily quality time with my daughter. One day Juliet will look back on these times and learn about it in school and through all other means. In a way maybe it’s best that she is at an age where she doesn’t really fully understand what’s going on and every day is still a carefree day of play time and fun. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss. It does make me sad when she asks me every week about our weekly trips to the library, the carousel and gymnastics and why we can’t go. All I can continue to do is focus on what I can control and play the hand I’ve been dealt. With that being said, another Dad Bod-less year is in the books. Wishing everyone health and safety now and for the future. Reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.
CELEBRATING LIFE, LOVE, & THE POWER OF FLOWERS SINCE 1925 4th Generation, Locally Grown & Locally Owned
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WORKING OUT AT HOME, SAFELY BY SRIDHAR YALAMANCHILI
WELL
HEALTH & FITNESS
With many of us spending more time than ever at home, DIY gyms and workouts have become all the rage. New fitness challenges, living room routines and kitchen yoga flows are popping up all over the internet. This new wave of exercise has brought with it a lot of opportunities to get moving in fun and creative ways. However, there is also potential for injury. Among the most common injuries from DIY workout sessions are pulled or strained muscles, sprained ankles and injuries of the knee, shoulders or spine. While many may experience soreness post-workout, these injuries can prove to be disruptive and uncomfortable. As a physical therapist, I always recommend that my patients include a warm-up and cool-down component to their workouts. Each includes light activity designed to prepare or relax muscles and joints and acclimate your heart rate. While many are finding themselves frustrated by gym closings and limited fitness opportunities, I want to emphasize that WoFH (working out from home) has many benefits, too. For many essential exercises, no weights or props are needed. Your body weight will do. Another benefit to working out from home is that no one is watching you, so it can be the perfect time to experiment with new movements that may be intimidating or awkward to do at the gym. Avoiding common exercise-related injuries is now more important than ever, which is why I want to share some tips for keeping your spine, joints and muscles protected while you get your sweat on at home with the following exercises, chosen because of their ability to target major muscle groups. WARMING UP Warm-ups are a huge part of working out from home and should be a part of every workout you do. They give you an enormous kinesthetic bang for your buck, increasing your heart rate, mobility, blood flow and flexibility, all while decreasing your chances of injury. Warm-ups should be dynamic, meaning that you should be engaging your muscles while moving. Save the static stretches for after your workout. For a warm-up, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to do five to 10 minutes of movement that stretches your muscles, like jumping jacks, squats, lunges or jumping rope. Warm-ups
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are also a great way to activate the muscle groups you are trying to strengthen, establishing a mind-body connection. UPPER BODY 1. Rows, using a rowing motion, are a great exercise for strengthening and training your postural muscles without causing pain or aggravating injuries. They can be done with or without resistance, meaning you can practice rows with just your body weight or you can use weights, cans or other weighted objects from your home or resistance bands. 2. Another upper body exercise that can strengthen the whole body is the plank. Planking can have several variations, but the standard plank involves holding yourself up on forearms or hands while keeping the entire spine straight and elevated so that your body forms a straight line. Beginners can modify the exercise by using the knees instead of the feet to plank â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or using their forearms. Planks are easy to do at home, require no equipment and can be modified in intensity by how long you hold them. Side planks, variations of planks that involve tapping the arms, knees or hips are also great to try. CORE/ABDOMINALS 1. Mountain climbers are a favorite abdominal exercise that helps build strength and stability in the core. Beginners and people with shoulder pain should modify using the forearms instead of the hands to bear weight. To do a mountain climber, assume plank position and then lift a single leg and drive it toward the arm of the same side of the body, generating a crunch sensation in the abdominals. Repeat this movement, rotating right and left legs. 2. Another spine-friendly abdominal exercise is leg lifts. This gym-class classic has been around for decades for a reason. It works your lower abs without threatening your spine. Lie on your back on a firm surface. Raise one leg upward to the ceiling, return it to the floor and repeat on the other leg. You can flex your feet or point your toes for a different kind of stretch. Beginners may place their hands under the small of the back to protect the spine further as you alternate legs. (You can also bend your knee slightly as the leg is being raised to make the exercise easier.) COOLING DOWN The goal of a cool down is to return your heart rate, body temperature and breathing rate to normal, pre-workout levels. Cool downs are their most effective when they achieve all of these things and stretch/relax the muscles you mobilized in your workout. The best cool downs are simple: Complete five to 10 minutes of low intensity movement (like walking) and then do static or dynamic stretches of your target muscles. Sridhar Yalamanchili, PT, MSPT, is with Atlantic Spine Center in West Orange, New Jersey. For more, visit atlanticspinecenter.com.
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Nationally certified and recognized fitness trainer and Precision Nutrition coach. • Mention this WAG Magazine ad and receive 20% OFF the program. As a thank you, veterans receive 50% OFF. • Daily nutritional habits and reminders guide you through your transformation. • Workouts come complete with videos and modifications specific to the individual. • At the end of the program, if not completely satisfied, you will receive a full refund. Visit www.GiovanniRoselli.com for more info or contact him directly at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com.
Annie is a purebred Blue Tick Coonhound, perfect for an active family. Courtesy SPCA.
PET OF THE MONTH
PET CARE
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE
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That face! Those ears! Those eyes! We are totally baffled how beautiful 6-month- old Annie hasn’t been scooped up yet. Not only is she gorgeous, but she loves people and is terrific with other dogs. Annie is a purebred Blue Tick Coonhound, so she’d be a wonderful addition to an active family and a home with a big yard as she enjoys the great outdoors. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. To meet Annie, email an application to shelter@spca914.org. Applications can found at spca914.org. Please note that the SPCA is receiving a high volume of applications at this time. Adoption appointments are scheduled in the order in which they are received and based on the best match. If you do not hear back within a few days, please e-mail the SPCA to follow up.
WAGMAG.COM AUGUST 2020
WAG
WHEN & WHERE
THROUGH AUG. 28 City Lights Gallery celebrates 10 years of Greater Bridgeport Pride with “OUTwork,” an exhibition of artwork by Carlos Bautista Biernay, Dolores Dégagé Hopkins, Mariana Calvao, Ricky Mestre and others. 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. 265 Golden Hill St, Bridgeport; 203-334-7748, citylightsgallery.org. THROUGH SEPT. 27 Lyndhurst will host a series of “Ramble Tours” that will offer a twohour complete overview of Lyndhurst’s historic landscape. The guided tours will visit the Lord and Burnham greenhouse frame, historic Civil Warera rockeries with views of the Hudson River and more. 10 a.m. to noon. Fridays through Sundays, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown; 914-631-4481, lyndhurst.org THROUGH OCT. 31 Enjoy the New Canaan Sculpture Trail — eight juried sculptural installations across six New Canaan Land Trust preserves, the front lawn of the New Canaan Town Hall and the courtyard of the Carriage Barn Arts Center. Each sculpture was evaluated for its ability to respond to the geography of the individual properties while meeting the crite-ria of being visually engaging, interactive and distinctive. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 203-972-1270, newcanaanlandtrust.org.
THROUGH JAN. 3 Norwalk's Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has reopened with 45-minute guided tours and the exhibition "About Women,” organized with Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan and organized by Silvermine Gallery curator Roger Mudre. The exhibition celebrates women's artistic contributions as they find their voices and have an effect on the professional world, and will feature selected works by members of the Silvermine Guild of Artists. Tickets must be reserved and purchased in advance. Noon to 3 p.m., 295 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-838-9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com. AUG. 1 The Fairfield Theatre Company presents actress and standup comedian Rachel Feinstein, known for her character-driven, story-based, personal-impression-filled style of standup. She has appeared on the TV shows “Red Oaks,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and the upcoming HBO series “Crashing,” as well as in several movies. 7:45 p.m., 70 Sanford St.; 203259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.
Rachel Feinstein, Aug. 1.
AUG. 1 AND 8 Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts will present its summer “Concert on the Lawn” series, featuring live open-air concerts on Friends Field. The participating groups include Charles Turner & Uptown Swing and Flor de Toloache. 7 p.m., 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-1252, caramoor.org AUG. 2 Pelham Art Center presents an outdoor “Community Art Day” for all ages, featuring live painting demonstrations with artists. Attendees will also be able to participate in the center’s collaborative community art project, “Pelham Art Rocks.” 1 to 3 p.m., 155 Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525, pelhamartcenter.org The Katonah Museum of Art will host a virtual conversation with artist Bisa Butler, who will discuss her work and influences. Butler will also describe how narrative and identity inform her luminous, multilayered works, which chronicle African American history. 4 to 5:30 p.m.; katonahmuseum.org
Caroline Bergonzi's "Feminist Fatale" in "About Women," Through Jan 3. AUGUST 2020 WAGMAG.COM
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AUG. 6 The Bruce Museum presents “Energy Storage Technologies for Earth — and Other Planets,” a panel discussion via Zoom webinar. Humans will someday reach for Mars — a seven-month journey each way. What will power people there and back is a revolutionary, near-indestructible battery possessing more energy than any other battery currently in existence on planet Earth. Meet the scientist spearheading its invention, the CEO driving its production and a senior member of the NASA leadership team who will determine how this extraordinary battery will catapult mankind toward the stars. 7 p.m., 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org. AUG. 7 Take a field trip with your family to The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art and its “Spectacular Sculptures” exhibit from the comfort of your home. Join Aldrich educators for a tour highlighting the unusual sculptures from the museum’s current and past ex-hibitions, culminating in a series of suggested art-making activities to enrich your family’s in-home learning, perfect for a Friday afternoon. Registration required. 203-438-4519, aldrichart.org AUG. 7 AND 8 Bedford Playhouse will present two "Drive-In Movie Nights" on the grounds of John Jay Homestead, featuring the 1985 American adventure comedy “The Goonies.” 8:45 p.m., John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St, Katonah; bedfordplayhouse.org, johnjayhomestead.org
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AUG. 8 The Bruce Museum opens its exhibition "House on the Hill: The Changing Face of the Bruce Museum,” exploring how the views of the Bruce Museum have been transformed over the past century and a half. Numerous historical images will show the evolution of the structure from its conversion from mansion to modern museum, highlighting the intersections of art and science. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, One Museum Drive, Greenwich; brucemuseum.org; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.
AUG. 10 THROUGH 14 The Stamford Museum and Nature Center presents a virtual version of a cooking camp for ages 6 and up, “Heckscher Chefs at Home.” The schedule includes a daily one-hour educator-led program, a curriculum for additional at-home activities and a materials kit available for curbside pickup at the museum that contains needed materials for the week. Cooking projects will be easily adaptable to home with everyday kitchen tools. 2:30 p.m. 203-977-6521, stamfordmuseum. org AUG. 11 “Project Music” — an intensive, free-of-charge, after-school music education program for Stamford youth, inspired by the El Sistema model, that provides musical instruments and training while addressing some of the extensive social challenges affecting young people — holds a virtual fundraising concert, to honor its founders, Joyce DiCamillo, Christel Truglia and Mort Lowenthal. 6 p.m. 914523-6077, projectmusic.org
WAG
WHERE & WHEN
AUG. 12 AND 26 The Coastal Arts Guild of Connecticut presents its biweekly “Long Pose Figure Study,” on Zoom. The extended pose, with a professional figure model, allows artists to focus more deeply on the finer details of the figure and explore light and shadow. 5:45 to 9 p.m.; 203-685-5348, coastalartsguildct.org
AUG. 16 Jazz Forum Arts’ Jitterbugs @ Home program will host an interactive, virtual jazz class via Zoom for families with kids ages 2 through 7. This class will explore the jazz rhythm section and introduce children to influential jazz figures such as composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington. 11 a.m., jazzforumarts.org
AUG. 14 THROUGH 23 M&M Performing Arts Company and Red Monkey Theater Group will present site-specific performances of “Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum. The production will follow Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on a journey to the sinister Copper Beeches, where a desperate young governess finds herself at the center of a mystery. Times vary, Bartow-Pell Mansion-Museum, 895 Shore Road, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx; bartowpellmansionmuseum.org
AUG. 18 THROUGH SEPT. 22 The Ridgefield Playhouse offers “Write Your Screenplay,” a six-week screenwriting Zoom course with awardwinning screenwriter/filmmaker Katie Torpey (MFA, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television), in which you will learn how to turn your story idea into a well-told, formatted screenplay that you can sell to Hollywood. Students will learn the basics of screenwriting, storytelling, story structure, script format, theme, plot, characterization, dialogue and conflict. 7 to 9 p.m. 203438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org
AUG. 23 Celebrate the life of legendary local Fairfield guitarist Charlie Karp with “Givin’ It All I Got: The Charlie Karp Story,” a documentary, followed by a reception and live music, featuring Christine Ohlman. 4 p.m., Faitfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford St.; 203259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.
Left to right: Charles Turner & Uptown Swing and Flor Toloache, both part of Caramoor's. "Concert on the Brown" series, Aug. 1 and 8. Flor photograph by Andrei Averbuch.
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WE WONDER:
THESE DAYS , WHAT DO YOU DO TO DE-STRESS ?
Emily Devoe
head of marketing and communications, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Brewster resident
“These days to de-stress I've been taking a lot of long walks around my neighborhood and the nearby reservoirs. I've also been baking a lot and have been perfecting my bagels and pizza dough and am trying to balance my news intake by reading fiction.”
George Drapeau
Sheila Smith Drapeau journalist Armonk resident
director of communications Tarrytown resident
Tony Fasciano
Miriam Gordis
“I play Bach, on the violin, viola, mandolin, radio, online, on YouTube. Day and night. Sheila, my wife, is also a big fan of Bach. It makes for a happy household”
“These challenging months have required a steady focus on finding a calm core. Prayerful meditation is one of my mainstays, but I also immerse myself in 1940s films on British life, such as 'The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'; 'How Green Was My Valley' and Brief Encounter.” Reaching out to nature, I find peace in feeding the birds. It has become such a ritual that the cardinals, woodpeckers and blue jays now come when I whistle.”
“There's no greater reset than going outside and taking a walk and experiencing nature. A few minutes can totally change your day and outlook.”
“I've always taken long walks to unwind and luckily, I'm still able to do that right now. Sometimes, I listen to music while I'm walking or have very long phone conversations. I talk on the phone all the time and sometimes I wish I had a landline because its only function is for phone conversations. It's easy to get distracted with a smartphone. I also like to doodle or sketch when I'm at home.”
public affairs and publishing Armonk resident
Becca Latham
Peter Makris retired Fishkill resident
director of client services, Co-Communications Bronxville resident
director of marketing and communications, Bruce museum, Westport resident
Scott Smith
Rebecca Solomon
“To de-stress, I love to go for walks around my neighborhood in Chicago! Getting outside and moving my body has helped to keep my mood up during quarantine. While on my walks, I love to listen to audiobooks or my favorite podcasts by Brené Brown and Rachel Hollis.”
“During this time of unprecedented turmoil — a global pandemic and widespread civil unrest — destressing is tough. I look back at history — 50 million people dying worldwide from the Spanish flu in 1918 - 1920 — and the Great Depression that started in 1929. I look at how my ancestors got through those difficult times and that gives me hope. I try to stay positive.”
“I find peace in the early evenings, sitting on our terrace with Mariel, my daughter. Mariel likes to make bubbles, which we watch drift up in the sky as we pick out characters in the clouds. We enjoy the magnificent hawks, playful finches and brilliant dragonflies — and I enjoy a bit of chilled Rosé! Simplicity.”
“Like many WAG readers, I'm fortunate to live close to Long Island Sound. Having beach access is a blessing, especially in this summer of social distancing and such uncertainty. After a long day spent hunched over my computer while working on museum matters from home, I can't wait to jump in the car or — better yet — hop on my bike for a jaunt to the beach. A quick swim and leisurely walk are just what I need to unwind, soak up some sun and stretch my sight to the horizon.”
“De-stressing has always been a main priority in my life. These days, it's even more important to find my inner calm and strength as we push through a pandemic. Plus, I had to postpone my dream wedding twice, for the safety of my loved ones, so needless to say I am open to anything that puts my mind and body at ease. Exercise is my go-to stress reliever. It provides instant gratification and the benefits last even longer. Personally, I love long-distance walking, pure barre and jumping rope.”
public relations account executive Chicago, Illinois, resident
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WAGMAG.COM AUGUST 2020
Caryn McBride
publicity assistant Brooklyn resident
TV news reporter White Plains resident
A WRITER TRYING TO OUTPACE HER PAST A DELIVERY MAN ON THE FRONTLINES AND THE GLASS DOOR THAT DIVIDES YET CONNECTS THEM
AVAILAB JMS BOO LE AUG. 12KS
FROM WAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EDITOR COMES A BRIEF TALE OF LOVE AND LOSS IN THE TIME OF CORONA THEGAMESMENPLAY.COM
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