Raiders Fail to Tame Byram Hills Bobcats
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Success seems to be evading the Scarsdale Varsity Boys Basketball team who suffered another disappointing loss on Tuesday January 24. The Byram Hills Bobcats came to Scarsdale with an 8-3 record and Junior Jeff Lynch in their lineup. Lynch made the Bobcat’s Varsity team as a freshman and was named a Super 7 Player by MSG Varsity after he lead his team to the State Class A Semifinal last season. Though he has been suffering from ankle injuries this season, he started in the game against Scarsdale.
The game started out close -- and a minute and a half into the first quarter, the score was tied. Since the Bobcats are known for taking a fast lead at the start and cruising through the balance of the game, it was good to see the Raider’s holding them in check. However, the Bobcats quickly turned the tables and went on a 17-0 run, leaving the Raiders down by 17 points as the buzzer rang.
During the second quarter, the Raiders fought back. The score narrowed as Larsen, Plummer, Squadron and Hewitt scored. Junior Jon Cohen, the leading scorer in the game against White Plains on Friday was subbed in, fouled and scored two points by sinking two foul shots. Point Guard Squadron was also fouled and scored again, bringing the score in the second quarter to 18-26 for Byram Hills. Right before the half, Plummer made an acrobatic leap and scored gracefully again and the Raiders were down by only six points at the half. Overall, in the second quarter the Raiders hardnosed defense was able to check the Bobcats’ pure shooters and limit them to 1 out of 13 shots from the field.
When they played “That’s Life,” by Frank Sinatra during half time, the song said it all. The Raiders began the third quarter by scoring, narrowing
At that point, the Bobcats took out their starting team and brought in players from the bench. Scarsdale took this opportunity to rally back and Aleks Larsen and Greg Scacchi brought the score to a seven-point spread with a minute left on the clock. However, it was too late to close the gap. Similar to the ending of the White Plains game, Scarsdale desperately tried to foul their opponents to stop the clock.
With only a minute left, and the score at 47 to 58, Byram Hills was given the ball for yet another foul, and scored two baskets bringing the final score to 50 for Scarsdale and 60 for their visitors. Scarsdale now stands at 4 wins and 9 losses for the season.
Scarsdale plays again at home at 4:15 pm on Friday 1/27 where they’ll meet Gordon, who they beat decisively earlier in the season. Hopefully this week will end with a win. (Pictured at top: Raider's Greg Scacchi)
Heartbreaking Loss for Raiders
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Following a narrow loss to White Plains at White Plains last week, the Scarsdale Boys Varsity Basketball team was hoping for a win against the White Plains Tigers at home on Friday January 20. And the score was close for most of the game as the Raider’s played aggressively and fought hard for the ball.
During the first half the Raiders led. Near the end of the second quarter Greg Scacchi intercepted a pass and dunked a fast break lay-up that brought the score to 26-25 Shortly thereafter, with just 45 seconds left before halftime, junior Jon Cohen scored putting Scarsdale ahead by 29-25 when the bell rang. Playing his first starting game, Cohen showed promise, displaying his quick release and shooting 6 for 9 from the 3-point line. He was the game’s leading scorer.
A technical foul proved to have a big impact on the game. During the second quarter Scarsdale’s Andrew Crean was called from the bench to enter the game but his number was entered incorrectly in the stat book. This resulted in a technical foul for Scarsdale. White Plains’ Akeem Williams was given two free throws and possession of the ball. He made one of the two foul shots and White Plains scored quickly again thereafter. This was not the first time this season there was an error in the stat book. At the Mt. Vernon game on January 11, junior Peter Simon’s name was entered incorrectly resulting in another technical foul.
Those three points may have made the difference in the game.
After halftime, White Plains turned the game around and at the end of the third quarter, the Raiders trailed by 4 points. The crowd was hopeful that the team could pull together and score a victory in the remaining minutes of the game but Scarsdale’s progress was snared by fouls.
The Tigers had several opportunities to score foul shots in the final minutes of the game and they were successful – dashing Scarsdale’s hopes to pull out a win.
If not for the three points scored as a result of the technical foul in the second quarter, the teams might have been tied at the end of the game. But as they trailed by three points in the final minutes of the game, the Raiders sought to foul White Plains and stop the clock. This resulted in several foul shots for White Plains and a heartbreaking loss for the Scarsdale.
Junior Jon Cohen was the leading scorer with 18 points, followed by Jack Hewitt with 12 and Greg Scacchi with 11. Point guard Alex Squadron was also impressive as an elite Section 1 point guard.
Go Hard or Go Home: EHS Girls Tennis Turns Heads At NYS Championship
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“Go hard or go home,” was the phrase printed on the T-shirts of the Edgemont girls’ tennis team this year, and there isn’t one person in New York State who can deny that the girls went hard. The doubles team of sophomore Alexa Goldberg and freshmen Tomo Iwasaki turned heads this year when they fought all the way to the finals of the Section I tournament, played at Sound Shore Indoor Tennis in Port Chester, guaranteeing them a spot in the state tournament. Although the young duo didn’t pull out the Section 1 title, there was no disappointment as they lost to their teammates, seniors Christine Ho and Casey Rogovin. While coach Jim San Marco was proud of his girls for dominating the section, he knew that they were capable of so much more.
“There were only six to eight teams that could’ve won it all,” said San Marco about the state championship, played just outside of Syracuse. “We had two.”
San Marco was right. Ho and Rogovin, the top seed at the state tournament, came out firing as they trounced the Hewlett team of Paula Faltynowcisz and Alana
Davidson in a commanding 6-0, 6-1 massacre. Both Ho and Rogovin were on the varsity team as 7th graders, and the girls were not strangers to playing at the state level.
“Casey and Christine made states as sophomores,” San Marco exclaimed. “As juniors, they may have felt a little entitled. When they lost as juniors, they learned that they would have to work even harder if they wanted to make an appearance in the finals.”
San Marco made a point to remind his girls that there are no guarantees in tennis. Losing, as sophomores and juniors, provided Ho and Rogovin with an edge when they returned to states as seniors.
“Our experience helped us prepare,” stated Ho. “We learned to stick together. In previous years, we let our nerves take over; but this year, we remained concentrated on staying relaxed.”
Staying relaxed appears to have been the game changer, as the girls entered a difficult quarterfinal match. Ho and Rogovin found themselves down a set to the eighth seeded team of Gabriella Leon and Veronika Paikin from Pittsford Mendon.
“We went into the tournament with the same strategy as always,” said Rogovin. “No mistakes, get the ball back, never give up, and always believe in yourself.”
Sure enough, being two points away from defeat, Ho and Rogovin stayed true to the words on their shirts. They were not ready to go home just yet. The girls began working in tandem, as they elevated their games to a whole new level. Not only did they come back and take the second set 7-5, but they also persisted to dominate the remainder of the match, winning the third set in a commanding 6-3 performance.
“We’ve come back so many times that we knew we had the confidence to beat anyone,” said Rogovin. “The support we got from our coaches and teammates really helped us during the change overs.”
Goldberg and Iwasaki, the fourth seed in the tournament, did not show any weakness as they triumphed into the quarterfinals, losing a mere six games in two matches. In a similar fashion to their older teammates, the underclassmen found themselves struggling to fight for their spot in the semis against the sister team of Bridget and Mickey Harding from Vestal. After taking the first set 7-5, a few strings came lose as they dropped the second set 6-2.
“Tomo was not serving well,” stated San Marco. “However, we had been working on her first serve in practice, so when the time came, she was prepared to make the adjustment. She started slowing down the pace of her serve and placing it, and she started serving beautifully.”
The adjustment paid off as Goldberg and Iwasaki punched their ticket to the semis with a 6-4 victory in the third set. The girls displayed a tremendous amount of 
maturity for their age, and part of that should be credited to the leadership of their captains.
“They taught us to never give up,” Goldberg said of Ho and Rogovin. “We just played our game, hung in there, and capitalized on our opportunities.”
While both doubles teams valiantly earned their places in the state semi-finals, only one team could possibly make it through to the finals. Since the bracket sets up for the second seed to meet the third seed in the semis and for the first seed to play against the fourth, both of San Marco’s pairings were forced to go head to head in a rematch of the Section 1 finals. One might think the girls would’ve turned against each other at this point; however, one would be wrong.
“Were always going to be friends first,” said Goldberg. “We were so happy that one team from Edgemont would be represented in the state finals; and win or lose, we knew that we would still love each other.”
Although tennis is commonly thought of as an individual sport, these girls have proven that a team is still a team, even when forced to compete against one another. The seniors won the rematch 6-3, 6-4, and for the second time in a week, there was no disappointment from anyone involved in the match. The girls proceeded to smile and hug each other, as if the match had never happened.
“Were all really close on and off the court,” Iwasaki stated with a humbling smile. “We are a big family.”
Although you may find this quote to be a bit cliché, I will testify that, as a former tennis player for Scarsdale, I’ve never seen such a strong bond between high school teammates. And, in my opinion, this is a testament to an outstanding coach.
“Coach taught us to believe in ourselves,” said Ho. “Many of coach’s lessons could apply to real life as well.”
All of the girls clearly feel passionately about the coaching staff. Rogovin made it very clear that assistant coach, Jeff Menaker, should also be given credit for helping all of the girls achieve their success.
“Coach Menaker was always there to support us when San Marco was working with some of the other girls,” said Rogovin. She then stated the following about the great coach, Jim San Marco, “Instead of trying to make us better tennis players, coach did everything he could to make us better people.”
The seniors’ final match came against a familiar foe, the seventh seeded Cruz sisters of New Rochelle High School, another Conference 2 school. Cassidy and Jessie Cruz, who had lost to Goldberg and Iwasaki at the Section 1 tournament, won the match 7-5, 6-2. Although Ho and Rogovin ultimately lost in the finals, there is still something to be said for the second best doubles team in the state; furthermore, Goldberg and Iwasaki won the third place match, giving Edgemont High School the second and third best doubles team in the state of New York.
“On any given day, any of those teams could’ve beaten each other,” said San Marco. “It shows the strength of our conference.”
San Marco said that the goal going into every season is for every player to work as hard as possible, so that by the end of the season, each player should be the best that she can be. He also stated that if this goal is achieved, winning takes care of itself. Before I left his office, coach told me something that will resonate with me for the rest of my life. He said:
“We don’t lose matches. We either win or we learn.”
Have you ever heard a more accurate coaching philosophy in your life? His players clearly carry this mentality, and you know what they accomplished. The girls made a combined statement about coach San Marco, and I’ll leave you with this:
“Coach always said to have no regrets. He told us never to underestimate or overestimate an opponent. Coach said to never fear your opponent, but to respect your opponent. Lastly, he told us that all you need to succeed is ‘Guts, enthusiasm, and a little bit of luck.”’
Best of luck next year, girls. You’ve been taught by the best.
Author Michael Kanner is a graduate of Union College with a background in English and a passion for the written word. He worked at Scarsdale Golf Club as a tennis pro before offering his services to a private clientele, and he loves hearing constructive criticism from anyone willing to speak their mind. Michael can be contacted at Michael.Kanner4@gmail.com
The Second Annual Home Run Derby
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The Second Annual Home Run Derby benefiting ALYN Hospital will be held at Scarsdale Little League Field on Sunday, November 20, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The event began last year when Will Eisler, a 14 year old Scarsdale High School student organized a benefit Home Run Derby in honor of his Bar Mitzvah. The Home Run Derby was a fund raiser for ALYN Hospital, a non-profit, non-denominational rehabilitative hospital in Israel which treats children who are physically disabled due to accidents, congenital conditions, terror attacks and illness. ALYN's mission is to treat every child so that they can reach their potential, whatever that might be.
Will was inspired to raise funds for ALYN Hospital after his father Nathan, completed the ALYN Wheels of Love Bike-a-thon in Israel four years ago. ALYN's slogan is "Do something because you can for the kids at ALYN who cannot!" Will loves to play baseball and thought it would be great to hit some home runs for the kids at ALYN. Last year's Derby raised $4,488.00. Will and his family visited ALYN hospital in August and Will was inspired to continue his fund raising efforts for ALYN. Will is committed to making the Derby an annual event and his goal this year is to raise $5,000.
At the event, participates get up to bat and receive pitches until they reach ten outs. Anything that isn't a home run, is an out. The person with the most home runs is the winner.
To participate in this year's Home Run Derby, go to www.alynhospitalfriends.org/HomeRunDerby. Registration is $25.00. 100% of registration fees will go directly to ALYN. Will and the Eisler family are covering all of the costs to run the Derby. Every participant will receive a free T-shirt. Trophies and prizes will be awarded. Walk-up registrations will be accepted the day of the derby for $30.00. Participants may bring their own pitcher or choose one at the event.
Several businesses have sponsored the Derby. They include: The New York Yankees, The New York Mets, Frank's Sport Shop, Seasons Kosher Supermarket, Steiner's Last Licks, Lexus of Manhattan, Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate, Katonah-Lewisboro Physical Therapy and Capital Building Development, Inc. If you can not attend the Derby, please consider making a donation to this worthy organization at www.alynhospitalfriends.org/HomeRunDerby .
Nominating Committee Encourages the Best Candidate to Serve
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Here is a response from Edgemont's Marc Ackerman to a piece posted this week about Nominating Committees: Regarding " The View from Edgemont: Do Contested Elections Make the System Stronger ?" by Caroline Tzelios, I agree that it is valuable to publicly debate the merits of the SBNC or any other system that performs a public service to our community. As the current Chair of the Edgemont SBNC, therefore, I feel compelled to respond to and correct several statements contained in the article.
First, it is not correct that the "purpose of the SBNC is to put forth the exact number of candidates for the vacant seats on the Board of Education each year." As a technical matter, the SBNC rules provide that the SBNC may recommend Board candidates for the exact number of vacancies, or less. But more importantly, the true "purpose" of the SBNC -- since its formal establishment in 1958 -- is to provide the opportunity for duly elected representatives of Edgemont's civic associations to encourage qualified candidates to run for the board, and to discuss candidates in a face-to-face setting that encourages debate in a thoughtful, respectful and deliberative manner. The SBNC process serves the community in large part by getting people to step up for Board service, and SBNC members devote numerous hours each year talking to community members in an effort to accomplish this. Even with these efforts, it is a challenge to find enough community members willing to step forward for the vacancies on the Board in a given year. The SBNC helps insure that the vacancies are filled, and that committed, qualified community members fill them.
Second, the SBNC does not operate in the dark. Community members are urged to (and do) participate in the process by serving on the SBNC, nominating candidates, discussing candidates with SBNC members and attending certain SBNC meetings. SBNC conducts several public, noticed meetings throughout the year at which members of the public are invited and encouraged to provide their views on what would make a strong Board candidate. Once candidates are nominated to the SBNC by members of the public, the Committee formally seeks letters of comment from the entire community. Many such letters are received every year and all are considered by the full Committee. In addition, community members are encouraged to express opinions to SBNC members as to particular individuals and/or qualities that would benefit the Board. Importantly, once the SBNC makes its recommendations, the SBNC conducts an open forum prior to the election at which all candidates, whether recommended by the SBNC are not, are invited to present themselves to the community and answer questions from the public. Perhaps the unnamed individual who "had no idea where either one of the [candidates] stood on any issue" would benefit from attending the SBNC's open forum.
Third, the risk of Board elections being coopted by "private agendas" is much greater with contested elections than with the SBNC process. The SBNC process is explicitly fair and non-partisan, guided by a neutral set of posted rules and procedures, and with elected members representing every neighborhood in Edgemont and a wide diversity of backgrounds and opinions. The SBNC even has a high school student that is a formal designee and voting member. The public campaign, on the other hand, leaves the door open to those who would co-opt the election in order to further political agendas that are unrelated to the board candidacies, and even unrelated to Edgemont. This scenario played out starkly when the author conducted a public campaign two years ago, when a small number of Edgemont community members attempted to portray the school board election as a referendum on Edgemont incorporation. This was not only a false portrayal, but a calculated attempt to use the public debate to further an anti-incorporation agenda, with no regard for the detrimental impact that such an attempt could have had on our treasured school system.
Fourth, it is not true that "a Nominating Committee runs contrary to what a democracy is all about." The SBNC process indeed closely resembles democratic processes used commonly in our country. We do not, for instance, select our federal judges through direct election. Rather, we directly elect our Senators, who are charged with vetting and confirming or rejecting the President's nominees for the federal bench. Our SBNC process, in which SBNC designees are directly elected by community members through their civic associations and are charged with vetting and recommending school board nominees, is notably similar.
Fifth, the SBNC process does not discourage diverse candidates from stepping forward to run for the Board; indeed, the opposite is true. A harsh public campaign deters qualified school board candidates from running. It already takes a considerable amount of self-sacrifice to commit the time and effort necessary to serve on the school board. Add to that the potential that candidates would be subject to public attack of a personal nature by one's neighbors, and it is understandable that qualified candidates would hesitate to step forward. True, Edgemont did not "fall apart" when the author ran outside of the SBNC system, but we may never know how many qualified candidates decided that it would be better not to seek nomination to the School Board as a result. Through the SBNC process, candidates can present their qualifications in a civil, deliberative, thoughtful vetting process. Candidates that are not recommended by the Committee are almost always well-qualified and certainly have demonstrated commitment to the community by stepping forward for Board service. Such candidates are encouraged to, and often do, step forward in future years.
The best way to incent the best candidates to agree to serve on the school board is to preserve and continue the civil, inclusive and deliberative SBNC process, and to encourage all in the Edgemont community to participate in it. The historic success of the SBNC process is evident in the highly qualified school board members who have been nominated by the SBNC, and in the thriving of our schools under Boards with members elected via the SBNC process over the past 50 plus years.
Marc Ackerman, SBNC Chair
