Sports
A whale of a game
Front row kneeling: Lizzie Jacobs, Kate Cecilio, Genevieve Hammond, Olivia Gross, Abbey Entner, Jessica Kelleher. Middle row: Taylor Perrotta, Gail Herman, Niki Alexander, Amanda Rose, Hayley Pierce, Brianna Davies, Lonni Phillips, Savannah Lawson. Back row: Head Coach Lisa Knight, Jillian Sedlier, Katie Hines, Martha Scheffer, Michaella Gaines, Emma Forbes, Leah Selby, Jill McHugh, Angela deBettencourt, Jenna Lambert, Alicia Oliveira, Coach Jessica Morris. Photos by Ralph Stewart With an 8-4-4 record, the Martha's Vineyard high school field hockey team has qualified for MIAA post season tournament play. The Vineyarders are seeded 12th in Division 2 and have drawn the 5th seeded Whalers of Nantucket for their first test tomorrow, Friday, at Nantucket. The Whalers' season record is 13-2-2. The Island teams have not yet met this year.
Illness caused the M.V. team to cancel practice on Monday. According to a Nantucket teacher reached by telephone on Monday, that school has been spared the influenza scourge. It remains to be seen just how many Islanders from which Island will be available to play on Friday.
The Vineyarders list 24 players on the team, all upperclassmen, 13 seniors and 11 juniors.
Bart Kent searches for a teammate to whom to pass closely guarded by Anthony Cappelli. Ice hockey, here and there
Hockey League
Two of the four Senior and Intermediate Hockey League teams played a double header at the Arena, Sunday. The Blues won the first game, 7-2. The Reds took the second, 5-4.
Youth Hockey update
At the Hetland Arena, Sunday, the MV Squirt B squad ganged up on host Hetland, 7-2. Everyone contributed to the win but the scorers were Josh Forend (a hat trick), Colin Buckley (2), Tristan Araujo, and Jackson Mahaffey. Assists were recorded by Mahaffey (2), Forend, and J.J. Mendez. Zach Fullin was in goal.
Saturday at the Kennedy Arena, the MV PeeWee Bs dropped Nantucket, 5-2. Saturday the Vineyarders were shut out by Barnstable, 3-0, despite strong games by Andrew Wiley, Steven Brown, and Chris Perry.
The MV Mites suffered their first loss of the year to the Barnstable Red Wings, at Barnstable, 7-2. Hunter Ponte had both of the M.V. goals assisted by Zack Vukota and Michael Metcalf.
Also Saturday, the MVYH PeeWee Bs handed Nantucket a 5-2 whippin' but the Whaler Junior High's blanked the Vineyard Jr. High team, 3-0.
Jean Marc Dupon of the Reds robs Mike Hegarty of a Blue goal. In a Neponset Valley League game, the MVYH Midgets were too much for Walpole, 5-1. At the Hetland Arena the MVYH Squirt B bunch had its way with Hetland, 8-2.
Sunday at Foxboro the home team Warrior Junior Highs licked the visiting Vineyarders, 5-3.
The Martha's Vineyard Squirt C hockey team lost a 3-2 game to Hetland, Sunday, October 24, despite outstanding defensive efforts by Ellie Hanjian and Cabot Thurber, while Ian Trance and Kylie Hatt were putting pressure on the Hetland goalie. Wilson Slayton and Ian Trance scored for the Vineyard. and Cathal Robinson played a strong game in the net.
Left to right, seated: Leslie Craven and Jennifer Fragosa. Standing: Coach Bob MacDonald, Liz Fox, Rainy Goodale, Les Cutler, Coach Bill Steele, Chris Perleberg, Kirsten Gannon, Kate Grandfield, Bob Geary, Holly Lawyer. Not shown: Bill Ewan, head of NEM Video Clinic, and Wayne Guyther of the Mansion House Masters. Move over, Michael
The Mansion House Masters swim team hosted the Island's second video swim clinic, Sunday, October 18 at the Mansion House pool.
The first clinic last year had been an eye-opener for the Swimmers and they were eager to see if the lessons learned last year had been incorporated into their stokes.
Three of the swimmers who had participated in the initial clinic had significantly improved their times in the year following.
Rainy Goodale became the number two ranked U.S. woman in her age group in the breast stroke. Leslie Craven swam the tenth best 1500 meter freestyle in the nation in her age group. Les Cutler ranked among the top 20 distance swimmers in the nation in his age group.
Eleven swimmers, including three of the Vineyard's top swim instructors - Jennifer Fragosa, Holly Lawyer, Leslie Craven - attended this year's clinic. Coaches from the New England Masters Video Clinic were impressed that the swimming instructors were interested not only in improving their own strokes but also in learning new techniques they could use in working with their students.
Swimmers were filmed doing all four strokes: breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and freestyle, both above and below the water.
Afterward, there was a teaching session in the pool. Using video and computer technology, swimmers were given instant feedback on their strokes including insights regarding body and head positions and the finer points of arm, elbow and hand positions as they moved through the water. The underwater films were especially helpful as it is very difficult to see things happening under water, where all the things that propel a swimmer happen, when observing from the pool deck.
Participants agreed that the clinic was a significant learning experience.
Soon each of the swimmers will receive an individual DVD showing their strokes, plus a written analysis including tips and drills for improvement. For the competitive members of the group, the value of the clinic plus the subsequent training, should become apparent when they dive into the water at the New England Short Course Yards Championship to be held at Harvard in March.
Ospreys to fly
The Ospreys, a Martha's Vineyard women's ice hockey, team plays their first games of the new season on Sunday facing off at 10:45 with the Cape Cod Hurricanes and following that with another game against another opponent.
Angie Grant and Paula Rego are the Osprey co-captains.
Skaters at Hyannis
Three skaters, all members of the Martha's Vineyard Skating Club, Competed at the Cape Cod Skating Club's basics skills competition on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center Rink.
First-time competitor Sally Caron was second in Basic and Elements and fourth in Basic & Program.
Amanda Bernard won Beginner Compulsory Moves and Beginner Competitive Test Track Freestyle.
Lily Davey was third in Preliminary Showcase and Preliminary Competitive Test Track Freestyle.
The skaters are coached by Jane Elizabeth Taylor, Figure Skating Professional, PSA rated.
Skating at Rockland
Seven skaters from the Island Ice Skating School traveled to Rockland for the 23rd annual Halloween Classic, competing with skaters from 15 other New England skating clubs.
Haley Meader, 8, won a gold medal in Interpretive Freestyle 3 and was fourth in Artistic Solo 3.
Lacey Dinning, 10, won a silver medal in Interpretive Freestyle 3. She was fourth in Freestyle 3.
Jacqueline Hegarty won a gold medal in Solo Compulsories Freestyle 3 and a silver medal in Artistic Solo 3.
Megan Hurley, 9, finished fourth in her first competition in Freestyle 2.
Alyssa Whitney won bronze medals in Interpretive Freestyle 4, Artistic Solo 4, and Freestyle 4.
Darci Whitney won a gold medal in Footwork 4, a silver medal in Interpretive Freestyle 4, and a bronze medal in Artistic Solo 4.
Coaches Julie Meader, Diana Woods and Stephanie Andrade Rogers were very proud of their skaters' accomplishments. Island ice skaters skate on Saturday mornings at the M.V. Arena, and they welcome newcomers
Kia shines for Rams
Kia Minor, a talented athlete and '09 graduate of Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, now a freshman goaltender for the Framingham State College soccer team, shut out UMass Boston, Thursday, making the single goal, scored by teammate Megan Gangell of Lee, enough to claim the 1-0 victory. UMass dominated the first half outshooting the Rams, 11-4 before the break.
Some 15 minutes into the second half, Kristin Mulry, the UMass top scorer threatened a breakaway goal but Kia came off her line and made a sliding tackle to put an end to the threat and preserve the whitewash. Kia stopped a season-high 12 shots on goal.
Kia was in goal Saturday when the opposition was Fitchburg State. She made 10 saves, but the Bears roared, 3-0.
Kia made ten saves on Saturday, not enough, however, to prevent Emerson College from claiming the 3-0 win.
Ogden's odyssey
Among the 747 Massachusetts runners who completed the New York Marathon, Sunday, was Robert Ogden of West Tisbury, a captain in the Sheriff's Department. Mr. Ogden finished the course in 3:49:03. He was the 8678th male and 1,884th in his age group. He was 19,522nd overall.
The New York was his third marathon this year having previously run the Disney and the Chicago marathons. It was his sixth overall.
In the Bubble
Nine-year-old Kat Roberts won the Grand Prix Tennis Tournament at the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center, Sunday, with a 6-1 defeat of Aiden Aliberti, 10, of West Tisbury.
The Grand Prix was the culmination of four tourneys. Players with the top four point totals qualified for the semifinals. Lizzie Williamson, 9, of Edgartown, was third with a 6-3 victory over Benny Binder, 8, of Katama.
A PeeWee Tennis Carnival will be held at the VYT Center this Saturday from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Children in Kindergarten or Pre-School are invited to attend free of charge. If interested, please call Nicole at 508-693-7762.
Flag Football
The Boys & Girls Club Flag Football season draws to a close on Sunday, Nov. 11. The two leading teams, Cowboys (5-0) and Jets (3-2) have completed their season of scheduled games, finishing first and second in the league.
The Cowboys were led by twins Joshua and Jordan Tate and speedy Ennis Foster. They were as apt to score on defense as offense. The Jets soared high on the backs of Silas Berlin and the Moreis boys, Zach and Phillip.
The play off qualifying 3 and 4 spots are up for grabs Sunday as the four other teams of the league play make up games. The Seahawks are 2-2 and a win over the Colts (1-2) assures them of a playoff spot, but a loss could send them as low as 5th. Last week the Seahawks dropped the Patriots, 11-0. Owen Hess scored the only touchdown on a bomb from Sam Bresnick and later kicked the first ever field goal in B&G Flag Football history, splitting the uprights from 20 yards out.
The Colts, led by Jeremy Mercier and veteran Max Santos, have two make up games to play Saturday. They have a shot at nailing down the third seed position. Also playing two games Saturday are the 0-3 Bears. Behind Tucker McNeely and Tabor Caron, they can be spoilers and end their season with strong showings.
The Patriots, led by Morgan Michalski and Michael Chaves can join the party by defeating the Bears, especially if the Colts lose to the Seahawks and Bears.
Current standings
Cowboys 5-0
Jets 3-2
Seahawks 2-2
Colts 1-2
Patriots 1-3
Bears 0-3
On Saturday, the Bears vs. Colts game kicks off at 9 am. The Seahawks tackle the Colts at 10 am. Also at 10, the Pats and Bears go at it.
All games are played at the M.V. Boys and Girls Club.
Miscellany
Michelle Alton of Edgartown, a junior at Stonehill College in Easton, led the school's equestrian team in the UMass-Dartmouth Home Show at Hobby Horse Farm last weekend....The Gay Head Renegade, a 13.1-mile tour of Aquinnah, starts at 10:30 am on Sunday, Nov. 15. Call Pat Parker with questions: 508-901-0850.... The RCBL, a basketball league for men 18 years and older, begins play at the B&G Club on Monday, Nov. 30. Men interested in playing should call Peter Lambos, 508-627-3303...The interscholastic girls basketball season starts Tuesday, Dec. 8, with Edgartown at Tisbury, Oak Bluffs at West Tisbury. The boys season begins two days later, Thursday, Dec. 10: E-town at Tisbury, O.B. at W.T....The MVRHS cross-country teams have three meets left in their schedule on successive Saturdays: The Coaches, the Divisional, and the States.
Birdies hit a homer
The sun shined brightly on the fifth annual Birdies for Baseball golf tournament at Mink Meadows, Saturday, October 24, especially on the REMAX team of Duncan Cooper, Joyce Cooper, Wes Nagy, and Chris Chvatal who beat out the second place team of John Dutton, Bob Murray, Andy Downs, and John Rancourt playing for Island Propane Inc.
Third was the Breeze Architect team: Cheryl Crowther, Cindy Anderson, Sasha White and Steve Pogue.
The real winners, of course, were the Island's numerous baseball teams and programs.
Round ball registration
Peter Lambos. Director of the M.V. Boys & Girls Club, has announced that registration for the 5th and 6th grade Boys and Girls Recreational Basketball Leagues will open on Friday, Nov. 20, for the season beginning Monday, Nov. 30, and continuing until Feb. 5, 2010.
Boys practice on Tuesdays or Wednesdays with games played on Fridays. Girls practice Mondays or Tuesdays with games on Thursdays.
3rd and 4th grade boys and girls leagues registration opens for the season beginning February 8 to April 9,
Registration fee is $40, siblings $20. All players must have active an MV Boys & Girls Club membership ($20).
Registration forms are available at the B&G Club and online at www.mybgclub@vineyard.net. Call 508-627-3303 with questions.
Wanted - coaches!
1st and 2nd grade boys and girls Biddy Ball season begins Sunday, Dec. 5, and goes to February 6. Registration fee is $20. All must have an active MV B&G membership.
3rd and 4th grade boys and girls leagues registration is open for the season beginning February 8 and running to April 9.
Registration fee is $40 (siblings $20) and all must be active members of the B&G Club.
