The students of Patchogue-Medford High School competed on Feb. 25 for a cause better than Olympic gold.?Rallying in support of a community member with cancer, 157 students participated as team members in a floor hockey tournament, the first of its kind held at the high school.

Twelve teams of students arrived at the tournament, an event called Stick it to Cancer, on Tuesday evening, dressed in uniforms of various colors and armed with hockey sticks.?They were there not only for friendly competition, but also to benefit Danielle Fischetti, a 10th-grade student diagnosed with cancer last year.? The fundraiser was suggested and organized by Patchogue Medford senior Ryan Murphy.

Although Murphy had never met Fischetti prior to the night of the tournament, he had heard about her diagnosis and saw the event as a way to send her and her family a positive message.

“I wanted to help put her and her family at ease,” he stated at the tournament, “And to prove that she has a whole community backing her fight and helping her cause. I wanted her to know she’s not alone in this.”

Murphy began to consider the idea of a school-wide floor hockey tournament after observing students’ enthusiasm while playing the game in gym class. ?“I thought, why not take something fun and put it towards a great cause?” he said.

The turnout exceeded his most optimistic expectations; the number of teams signed up to compete was twice the anticipated number before Murphy and his faculty advisors closed the tournament to further competitors. Equally shocked by the student body’s overwhelming response was Fischetti, who attended the event.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” she said, looking agog at the attending crowd. “It’s nice knowing I have something to come back to, and nice to know there are people who care.”

Word of the tournament reached as far as the New York Islanders. During a brief ceremony at the event, faculty advisor Angela D’Amico presented both Murphy and Fischetti not only with certificates of achievement sent by the NHL team, but also with VIP tickets for an upcoming game.?

Murphy was proud to present Fischetti with $1,450, earned solely from event presales.?Ticket and T-shirt sales during the tournament brought in another $1,435, which will also be donated to the Fischetti family.

The floor hockey tournament served the additional purpose of uniting the diverse Patchogue-Medford High School community by the common bonds of its passion, both for taking care of its own and for friendly athletic competition.

“I’m busting with pride that so many students are participating,” said D’Amico before the event began. “We have all social groups here, even ones that wouldn’t normally interact with one another. Students who don’t normally participate in anything are getting a chance to shine, to leave high school having been a part of something.”

Participants shared D’Amico’s excitement, playing one another with enthusiasm and sportsmanship as the bracket narrowed. Between playoffs and semi-finals, a special game was held between the Patchogue-Medford faculty and custodial staff, the latter team emerging as the clear victors.

Student team HCL won the tournament championship in a 1-0 game against the Benders after an impressive showing throughout the evening. The team consisted of Captain Frankie Lewando, Chris Bowe, George Hansen, Martin Strunk, Eugene Stumme, Dom Cassella, Mike Ida, Remy Smith, Dan Reyes, Kevin Morrissey, coach Jessica D’Amico, and manager Michaela Collins.

Stick it to Cancer was made possible by wide support from members of the high school community. Faculty, security and student volunteers came together and collaborated to ensure the success of the event, demonstrating the strength of a united front in furthering a worthy cause.

Story By: MARGARET-ANNE LOGAN ,
26 February 2014

Source: http://www.longislandadvance.net/articles/2014/02/27/Pat-Med-students-Stick-it-to-Cancer-in-hockey-tournament

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Student-athletes from the Southern Connecticut State University athletic department traveled to the Beecher School in New Haven on Thursday for another session of the interactive academic program with sixth grade students at the school. Members of the softball team took part in the event, which featured small group sessions. The program will continue weekly throughout the remainder of the academic year.

This program is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2012-13 academic year.

Source: http://www.southernctowls.com/news/2014/2/27/SB_0227143607.aspx

WOODBRIDGE, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University volleyball team took time out on Saturday to assist at the Easter Seals Volleyblast event at the Connecticut Sports Center in Woodbridge. Student-athletes from the squad assisted with officiating, scorekeeping and administrative duties during the course of the event.

This event is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2012-13 academic year.

Chapel Hill- Cricket Lane asked Leigh Williams’s fifth-grade class, “What makes you TOPPS?”

Lane is the assistant athletic director for student-athlete development at UNC Chapel Hill and part of a pilot program between the university and Northside Elementary that brings student athletes into the classroom to mentor students.

Lane said that TOPPS – traits, opportunities, passions, praise and skills – allow the student to take personal inventories of themselves allowing them to come up with ways to be their best.

Along with Shelley Johnson, director of UNC’s Richard A. Baddox Carolina Leadership Academy, Lane and four student athletes help the elementary students work on leadership skills that will help them throughout their lives.

UNC football players Jarrod James and Alex Bales along with Lauren Colberg of the rowing team and track and field athlete Ryan Walling serve as mentors.

The athletes work with the students on the activities guided by Lane and Johnson but they also get a chance to connect with the students and show them what’s behind the person they see on television.

“I like it a lot,” Colberg said of mentoring. “I like interacting with the kids and giving back to the community.”

In between their visits, the athletes send inspirational quotes to Williams to share with the class and check on them to see how they’re doing.

“It’s been a really good character-builder for them and they enjoy talking to college students,” Williams said.

The group visits the school once a month for three days, one day with each of the fifth-grade classes. Last month the students were challenged to make structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows with their mentors.

This month Lane talked to the students about the Golden Buddha and the importance of finding the good inside themselves and showing it to the world.

Johnson said that the program teaches the students good “habitudes,” or habits and attitudes, that will guide them through life.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “It’s always great to get out into the community. With the close proximity of Northside to the university, it’s great for us to come over on our lunch break and give back.

“We’re doing our best to make sure we’re impacting these students and by all accounts it seems to be very well received,” said Johnson.

School counselor Virginia Fox said that this is just one way Northside is preparing its students to transition to middle school.

“Through this program, our students will get to see that being an athlete requires much more than just skills on the field or on the court,” she said. “These athletes are students first and their character is just as important as their athletic ability.

“We as educators can tell them every day how important character is but I think having these student-athletes, whom they admire so much, tell them will make a huge impact.”

When Johson announced that the mentors would visit just one more time, there was a collective sigh of disappointment among the students. Josh Singleton was among them.

“I love it,” Singleton said of the program. “I like talking about all the things we talk about. I like the mentors, they’re kind.”

Source: http://www.heraldsun.com/news/x112097750/UNC-leadership-plays-role-at-Northside

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University field hockey program conducted a clinic at the Church Street School in Hamden earlier today as part of the ‘You Go Girl’ program by USA Field Hockey.

The You Go Girl program is an initiative that will expose the sport of field hockey and enhance the lives of girls, ages 10-18, in urban or non-traditional areas. With the help of current NCAA student-athletes, USA Field Hockey will look to introduce field hockey to over 1,000 young women in metropolitan areas.

The You Go Girl program is a part of USA Field Hockey’s greater campaign, Grow the Game. The Grow the Game campaign will expose the sport and inspire participation in both male and female athletes, coaches, umpires, parents and fans. Each of the selected colleges possessed an astonishingly strong commitment to community service, a clear comprehension of the program or a distinctive opportunity to work with urban or at-risk girls, but most possessed all three.

This event is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2012-13 academic year.