Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Spellman Honors Student Athletes

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Spellman Honors Student Athletes: BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 10- Cardinal Spellman High School recognized the contributions of over 325 student athletes at the Block "S&qu...

Spellman Honors Student Athletes

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 10- Cardinal Spellman High School recognized the contributions of over 325 student athletes at the Block "S" awards dinner held at the school. 

President of Cardinal Spellman, Rev. Trevor Nicholls, and Mr. Daniel O'Keefe, Principal, welcomed everyone in attendance, and acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the coaches in developing the athletic talents of the students. Mr. O'Keefe praised the athletes for developing concepts of self-discipline, motivation, and responsibility as Spellman "Pilots."

The evening included the induction into the Spellman Hall of Fame of  three longtime supporters of Spellman athletics: Linda Mazzo, Chairperson of the Foreign Language Department, and Daniel and Gloria (Perri) O'Connell of the Class of 1972. For over 20 years, Linda Mazzo was the Varsity Cheerleading Coach at Spellman, whose teams won many awards in competitions while also performing at numerous school events. Daniel O'Connell (currently on the school's Board of Trustees) played Baseball and Football as a Spellman student, while his wife Gloria was a member of the Cheerleading squad. The O'Connells have been generous donors to Cardinal Spellman High School and its athletic programs over the years.

The night also featured the presentation of the Schiazza "S", which is given to students who have received eight or more varsity letters over their four year high school career. It is named in honor of the late Salvatore Schiazza, who served at the school as Athletic Director, Moderator of the Alumni Association, and member of the Board of Trustees. Seniors Felicia Cantine, Amanda McKenna and Danielle McKenna were recipients of the 2013 Schiazza "S."

Scholar-Athletes, recognized for their excellence in both athletics and academics, were Yugi Paul, (attending St. John's University in September), Chance Peavy (Ithaca), Angelique Arroyo (Syracuse), and  Michele Mack (Lehman). Athletes of the Year were Colleen Kallop and Kyle Benjamin. The following received the Most Valuable Player award in their respective sports: Baseball: Joseph Colon and Nick Padilla; Boys' Basketball: Dominic Arena and Anthony Williams; Girls' Basketball: Maria Backman; Bowling: Felicia Cantine and Thomas Montilli; Football: Jalen Miller; Boys' Soccer: Malik Cameron; Girls' Soccer: Rebecca D'Aloia; Cheerleading: Kaliyah Burris; Softball: Angelique Arroyo; Boys' Indoor Track: Lamar Gillespie; Boys' Outdoor Track: Luther Gillespie; Girls' Indoor Track: Luana Bowers; Girls' Outdoor Track: Felicia Cantine; Field: Andrea Amorosa; Boys' Cross-Country: Danny Mota; Girls' Cross-Country: Rebecca Mota and Tori Graves Parker; Boys' Volleyball: Jason Darko and Lloydell McCalla; Girls' Volleyball: Colleen Kallop; Girls' Lacrosse: Jioni Mehciz and Caterina Velazquez, and Boys' Lacrosse: Kyle Phillips.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham Athletic Dir. Honored

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham Athletic Dir. Honored: BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 10- Long time former Fordham Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin was among the honorees at the inaugural Irish Spo...

Fordham Athletic Dir. Honored

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 10- Long time former Fordham Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin was among the honorees at the inaugural Irish Sports 50 Awards presented by the Irish Voice newspaper on June 6 at the beautiful American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

They came from California, Dallas, Ireland, and of course, “Frankie from the Bronx,” McLaughlin’s longtime calling card.  Sports and business figures from all the major U.S sports were present. Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President of Major League Baseball, was the keynote speaker, describing the Irish journey to success in sports as an example for every immigrant community.

It has been a year filled with honors for the Athletic Director Emeritus, beginning with his induction into the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame on January 26. He will be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame on June 22.

Mark Tuohey (Fordham Law ’73), a member of the Fordham board of trustees, and Fordham alumnus Bill Smith, were also among the honorees. McLaughlin was joined by his wife Susan, and daughters Tara, Heather, and Coleen.

Born and bred in the Bronx, McLaughlin spent 27 years as Fordham’s Athletic Director before being promoted to associate vice president of student affairs for athletic alumni relations and external affairs. During his tenure as Athletic Director, Fordham’s teams won a combined 26 conference championships while its student-athletes have maintained tremendous graduation rates.  He is a long time resident of Briarcliff Manor, NY. 

Back to Brosnan, who pointed out that our forefathers came with nothing and that sport was one of the first arenas in America where Irish were welcome.

At a time when “No Irish Need Apply” signs were still being hung out the Irish were making it in baseball and other sports he pointed out.  McLaughlin’s sport, of course, was basketball, and he was a bona fide star at Fordham, where he captained the basketball team before becoming the assistant coach in 1970-71, helping the team to a 26-3 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Other ethnic groups would follow the same path and African Americans would eventually break the barrier too.

Sports were one of the first places that Irish were accepted he said. It was an invaluable lesson for other groups who faced discrimination too.

Now, Brosnan pointed out, sports is open to all “If you have the skill you can play it doesn't matter where you came from.”

It is true. The first thing the child of immigrants will do, whether Irish or these days Hispanic, is grab a bat or a ball and try to compete on the only truly level playing field around -- sports. 

Deputy Consul of Ireland Peter Ryan talked about the healing power of sport when it came to the fallout from Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaways.

Some of Ireland’s top athletes, members of the Gaelic Players Association came on their own time to America and rebuilt the sports gymnasium at Breezy Point that had been ruined by the storm. 1,500 members of the Irish community had lent their skills all over the different Rockaway neighborhoods.

GPA Chairman Dessie Farrell talked about the extraordinary response to their gesture including coverage on NBC Nightly News and many other organizations stepping forward to help. This weekend the GPA will conduct a Gaelic sports 7 a side tournament in Breezy Point to aid local charities.

The goodwill engendered between Ireland and America on that trip alone speaks volumes for the power of sport.

The first-ever Irish American Sports 50 was put together by Irish Voice editor Debbie McGoldrick and business manager John Dillon. Judging by the success it won’t be the last!

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Stop-and-Frisk Controversy Continues

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Stop-and-Frisk Controversy Continues: By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, June 7- The very day a federal trial concluded regarding the New York City Police Department'...

Stop-and-Frisk Controversy Continues

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, June 7- The very day a federal trial concluded regarding the New York City Police Department's controversial stop-and-frisk initiative, two men were stopped along Andrews Avenue-- and the pair were sent on their way without a form being filled out, detailing when, where and why they were stopped as per NYPD patrol policy guidelines.

The men were stopped by four officers and two detectives from the 52nd Precinct as they chatted at about 2 p.m., at the corner of Andrews Avenue and North Street, in the rough-and-tumble University Heights section.

The pair were questioned and searched for about 10 minutes, before they were allowed to go.

One of the men stopped, a 49-year old man, offered, "Yeah, they thought we were doing something."

Referring to the NYPD protocol of providing the public with a document detailing the stop, the man continued, "Yes, they are suppose to give us some kind of paper, they didn't give me anything."

The same day the men were stopped, a nine-week, class action lawsuit against the NYPD and its stop-and-frisk policies, came to an end as both sides rested. Supporters on both side continue to wait for U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin's decision.

In New York City the stop-and-frisk program began in the mid 1990's, but officers did not begin to record the stop-and-frisk of civilians until 2002. Local officers recorded their 5-millionth stop in March.

According to NYPD protocol, officers are supposed to fill out a UF-250 after every stop-and-frisk, however, the New York City Bar Association recently concluded, "Not all stops are recorded."

An e-mail request for comment was not immediately acknowledged by the NYPD.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): ‘No’ For Mayor

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): ‘No’ For Mayor: Riverdale Report By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, June 7- On Tuesday May 28th the Ben Franklin Democratic Club held their endorsemen...