Excelsior

Richard A Ross
Posted 8/21/12

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — “Excelsior,” the motto for the state of New York, is a Latin phrase that means Ever Upward. For those special athletes regardless of their age or experience, be they young …

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Excelsior

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SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — “Excelsior,” the motto for the state of New York, is a Latin phrase that means Ever Upward. For those special athletes regardless of their age or experience, be they young gymnasts or high school senior ball players, track and field mavens or golfers, aspiring for success, particularly at the state level means much more than wishing or dreaming about attaining such lofty goals.

It is about grueling practices, unwavering commitment and the will to overcome the inevitable inner voices of resistance that at times will whisper, “I can’t.” But to that suggestion of doubt, those who aspire to greatness respond with the mantra of “Yes, I can.” Building such determination and confidence takes years, and so for young boys and girls blessed with encouraging, talented and loving coaches who impart not just incisive instruction but also relentless affirmation, the journey towards the zenith to be occupied by the elite is one that can be rewarding, fun and life altering. Having had years of experience with Pedro “Pete” Tweed while my son was on his Monticello Gymnastics team, I got to witness first hand the magical changes that such love and attention can marshal. The following is a brief summary of the next crop of Tweed’s Gymnastics rising young superstars: Over the past several months the boys and girls competitive teams from Tweed’s Gymnastics of Monticello have competed all around New York State with great success. As the season comes to a close Pete Tweed, head coach of 35+ years cannot deny that the hard work of all these athletes is paying off quite well. The boys team featured Michael Dicarlo for the first time this February. Teammate Quintin Herzog placed second all around in the previous competition in Syracuse, NY in January. Both boys finished their season exceptionally well at the State competition in Binghamton, NY. The girls competitive teams are still active in competitions and within the last five team encounters, Tweed’s has been at the top of the podium including first-place all around trophies for Hannah Kaplan, Ashley Campbell, Grace Gaebel and many more first-place individual event finishes for Madison Carnell, Alice Handel and Mikayla DeGraw. Many other gymnasts have received medals in competitions including Brooke Huebner, Layla Mack, Gianna Giglio, Kaylee Romer, Brooke and Brianna Roth, and Kara Fredell. At our highest levels are Laurel Parker-Chan and Shannon Brucher. Parker-Chan placed in the all-around this past weekend where the entire team brought home many medals and trophies. This meet was bittersweet for Brucher who competed for the last time this past Sunday. Brucher has been one of Tweed’s gymnasts for over 10 years; she leaves for college this fall. A big thank you to all the coaches in the gym: Amanda Tweed, Melissa Moreno, John Kolarik, Dyan Roberts volunteer India Walsh and of course Pedro “Pete” Tweed. While a group of Sullivan County baseball teams made sectionals, the road turned out to be a short one for Sullivan West, which had its 10-9 season ended via a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to Highland in the Class B tourney. Senior hurler Owen Andrews pitched a gem, but the one unearned run garnered by the Huskies in the first inning would stand up in the quarterfinal defeat. A similar fate was suffered by Tri-Valley, which came up on the short end of a 6-4 loss to Webutuck in the Class C quarterfinals. Monticello was ousted 11-0 by Wallkill, while Livingston Manor fell to John A. Coleman Catholic by the score of 15-4 in the Class D title game. In Class A softball, Monticello lost to Marlboro by the score of 16-0, while in Class B, Fallsburg was ousted by Highland 9-0. Eldred lost a 2-1 game to Chapel Field in Class D. At the Section IX Track and Field State Qualifier, the following Sullivan County athletes punched their ticket to the state meet at Cicero North High School in Syracuse this coming weekend: Monticello’s Terry Duncan’s Division I win in the 200 (22.35) was the first by a Montie in at least the past 50 years. Teammate Trevon Rainey qualified in the shot put, breaking the school record with a heave of 47-08.75. In Division II, Sullivan West’s Mitch Paciga made it with a leap of 6-4 in the high jump. Tri-Valley’s Mohib Khan won the hammer (127-02). The hammer is not a state event. Fallsburg’s Candhace Forrest will make her third consecutive trip to states after winning the 200 (12.35). Tri-Valley’s Katlynn Greffrath won the Division II high jump (4-8), while teammate Colleen Jones heads to state for the discus (108-04). In the state boys golf tourney, Eldred’s David Powers was tied for 39th place after the first round. He fired a 10-over-par 81. In girls golf, Fallsburg’s Madison Levine finished third in the Section IX championships with an 88-82-170. The state meet will take place at SUNY Delhi beginning on June 13. For ongoing stories visit: www.sportsinsightsny.com. For photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

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