Twelfth Annual Dr. Don Games

Bright smiles abound at Dr. Don games

Flood management newest wrinkle to kid Olympiad

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY - Not only is dentist Don Simkin a walking encyclopedia of Olympic history, he continues to create some of his own. Simkin, who once carried the Olympic torch through Mamaroneck in 1996, has been an ardent spectator at numerous summer and winter Olympics for decades.

His son Vinny is a formidable luge rider, who may become an Olympian in his own rite. Simkin once formulated the mouth guards for Olympic hockey players.

No doubt Simkin’s love of the Olympics provides the inspiration for his creation of the zany annual rite-of-passage known as the Dr. Don Games. This year for the game’s 12th anniversary, Simkin introduced a new game known appropriately as “Flood Management.”

After opening ceremonies, which included a sterling rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Liberty’s own Gary Siegel, the Olympic torch was lit and passed among the 16 or so young participants, who were clad in their red or green Dr. Don Games t-shirts.

Following a lunch of hot dogs, cooked on a barbecue grill that was thrice sent over the fence by three floods in the last year and half, the kids took their turns at Flood Management. Staged across from the barn where the water marks of the recent flood are still in evidence high up on the walls and the antique tractor stands on its lift, which saved it from the raging devastation, the kids carried cups of water from the “flood zone” to the “safe zone.” From three-year old Davey Diaz of Roscoe to nine-year games’ veteran Don Princiotto of Livingston Manor, the kids raced with their water cups to try and dry out the flood zone.

Up next was the traditional “Brush ‘em Up” game held at the George Silverman Arena, where kids diligently brushed “plaque” made of a gooey fusion of shaving cream and molasses off the table with toothbrushes.

Other games followed including the legendary shoe kick and the sports suitcase race wherein participants had to don all of the sports gear, remove it and zip it back up in the suitcase so the next team member could quickly follow suit.

Concluding activities included a tug-of-war and the staging of the renowned pyramids by each of the team. Judges on hand to assess the pyramids for their style and rigor were the esteemed Mark Meddaugh, Burton Ledina and Robin Meadow.

By any standard of judgment, this year’s games were the best ever, until next year that is.

Visit riverreportersports.com for additional pictures of the games or copy this link into your web browser to get to the album directly.

http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=tr12764&p=paid&AID=3774076 .