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Empire State Games Still Great Till Proven Otherwise
Naysayer will see superb product hit Westchester County
by Ray Gallagher
The Empire State Games may not feature giant names like NBA All-Star Elton Brand (shown here speaking at the Brewster Sports Dome last week) on the hardwood anymore, but they remain a positive experience for most Hudson Valley region athletes.
Here we are just a couple of weeks away from the 30th annual Empire State Games making its way to Westchester County for the first time in history beginning with a Wednesday, July 25 fireworks display and opening ceremony at Kensico Dam. The opening day parade, which packs some 6,000 marchers from six NYS regions (Hudson Valley, NYC, Long Island, Adirondack, Central & Western), will be followed by four furious days of sporting events from as close as Peekskill to as far south at the Bronx. When done right by the host region, the Empire State Games have provided a spectacular array of fantastic competition. When done wrong, they can be quite the drag… downright dreadful (see Long Island 1999).
There is a lot being said about the state of the Empire Games these days, most disturbingly that their time has come and gone, which I am not in total agreement with. However, I do believe it is vital to the survival of the Games that Westchester put forth a good show in the coming days. Despite the fact that Westchester will never be confused with the hub of amateur sports: If the Games go off big here in Uppityville, it could have a lasting impact.
Nowadays, the youth of New York State have far better opportunities provided in some sports than the Empire State Games, which were once flooded with college scouts and a known breeding ground and showcase for budding enthusiasts in all sports.
These days, AAU basketball has flooded the hoops market, leaving the Empire State Games as a hardwood outcast. You won't see names like Mookie Jones (Peekskill), Kevin Jones (Mount Vernon) or Sean Kilpartick (White Plains) on the Iona campus this summer. But you will see Ralph Watts and Lou DeMello (Lakeland), Ed O'Connell (JFK), Ryan Sawyer (Croton), Alex Gulotta and Kyle Beechum (Briarcliff), just to name a few from this side of the river.
Indeed, the men's scholastic and open basketball ESG venues have suffered some in recent years. There was a time when the Elton Brands, Ben Gordons and Chris Mullens of the world were front and center on the Empire stage, but those days are seemingly gone as AAU basketball and NBA camps have stolen much of the ESG thunder.
Certain sports still draw the top players, but even lacrosse has taken a hit this year in our neck of the woods. John Jay All-American Chris Bocklet has opted not to participate this year due to other lacrosse-associated commitments, leaving the Hudson Valley region without its best player - bar none. Having won its first medal (a bronze) in five years last year at Rochester, the Hudson Valley lax team will have to make a go of it without the Virginia-bound Bocklet when the green and gold hit the lax green at Iona College.
Baseball has never been a hot-pocket for the ESGs, as fewer and fewer of the area's premier baseball players take to the diamond each year. In other words, you won't be seeing anyone like Andy Van Slyke (1978), Bobby Blevins (2002) or Matt Morris (1991) on the diamond because the areas top baseball players are primarily in pay-to-play leagues where parents are shelling out big bucks for Junior to play baseball. This year was an exception for the Hudson Valley region due to the proximity of the games, which will be held at Pace University and Manhattanville College.
Girls hoops still seems to attract the big guns, though, including Haldane senior-to-be Brittany Shields. 'Captain Shieldsy' will take the Westchester Community College floor for Coach Dan Ricci's scholastic Hudson Valley team, which hopes to improve upon the silver-medal showing of last year. HV has medaled every year since 1999, taking home three gold, two silvers and three bronze during that stretch. The 2007 team looks solid on paper, according to Ricci, a stout believer in the Empire experience.
"I think naysayer has no idea how great the Empires are," said Ricci, who coaches basketball at Ossining High. "I am glad the Games are in Westchester this year and hopefully the naysayer will come out and see what it is all about. I think it is an outstanding event and is unmatched by any AAU Tournament.
"I like how the team has been coming along," he added. "We could do very well. We are young, though, with six underclassmen, but what I think is terrific is that we have 10 kids from 10 different schools coming together."
The scholastic field hockey venue still seems to draw the big names, including Putnam Valley's Brittany Kinsley, Erica Fisher and Ashley Morgan, who will attempt to lead the two-time defending gold medalists to the HV regions first three-peat. Coach Sharon Sarsen, who lives in Putnam Valley and coaches at Lakeland, runs what is widely considered to be among the most successful team programs in Empire State Games history: Who could argue looking at her ESG résumé? The great Sars has copped seven gold, five silver and three bronze medals (16 in all) during her 18 years as boss of the HV scholastic field hockey team. That total has been equaled by Hudson Valley's arch rival, the Central region, which has won the exact same amount of medals in each category since 1990.
Sarsen did not medal in 1990, her first year, but has medaled every year since except 2004. Whatever you do: Don't tell Sarsen the Empire State Games have fizzled.
"For field hockey, it is still the greatest tool we have," said Sarsen, who coached Lakeland to its third NYS field hockey title last fall. "It has most definitely not worn out its welcome. I know some kids that would drop anything and everything for one last chance at Empires. It is one of the greatest sports experiences ever. I know for some sports that have extensive club and AAU programs and pay-to-play, some of the tournaments have come in to conflict. These players in other sports spend money out the kazoo, but for these Hudson Valley field hockey players they are getting hundreds of hours of instruction and coaching, and all for free. Gosh, that's the way things were for everyone a few years ago; playing sports for free."
Imagine that!
Here's a list of some of the PCN&R-area locals competing in the ESGs.
SCHOLASTIC DIVISION: (Boxing) Artan Muriqui - Putnam Valley; (Girls Basketball) Brittany Shields - Haldane; (Rowing) Rosa Kemp - Putnam Valley; (Field Hockey) Erica Fisher, Brittany Kinsley, Ashley Morgan - Putnam Valley; (Soccer) Tara Gleason - Putnam Valley; (Girls Volleyball) Danielle Etta, Caitlyn McConville, Megan Lyons - Haldane.
OPEN DIVISION: (Girls Basketball) Kristi Dini - Putnam Valley; (Girls Soccer) Jen Knoblich - Putnam Valley.
In the "Coming Soon" department, former Hen Hud sophomore Jackie Gallagher, a stud softball player and superb field hockey goalie, has officially transferred to Putnam Valley for the upcoming fall. First-year PV field hockey coach Tonianne Cortina couldn't ask for more, what with the loss of All-NYS goalie Kim Kastuk to graduation after five years of stellar netminding. Now, Gallagher appears the frontrunner to replace the great Kastuk. Gallagher should also give a solid boost to Coach Heather Meinch's softball program. As a sophomore, Gallagher hit second in the Sailor lineup, to the tune of .408 with 20 RBI and a home run. She scored 31 runs and sprayed 42 hits, the second-highest total on the Section 1 Class A champions. Her speed helped her cover a lot of ground in center field and she could instantly become the Tigers' most versatile weapon.
Be sure to check out www.yourdirectrays.com for Section 1 sports photo galleries.
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