Centaurs pg 1 5-23-24
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Centaurs repeat as ECC Div. I champs
For a second consecutive year, the Woodstock girls’ track team claimed the ECC Div. I championship with an 88-62 win over Norwich Free Academy last week.
“It felt absolutely amazing to go undefeated two years in a row,” junior Juliet Allard said. “I felt it was a really big goal for this season. As defending champs from last year, we knew we had to come back even stronger this year and I thought we did that. It felt really, really good.”
Coach Josh Welch did not go in with as much confidence as he came back with from Norwich.
He and the NFA coaching staff talked briefly prior to the meet, both had scored things out prior and it looked pretty even going in, maybe a 10-point differential.
“We ended up walking away with a lot more than I thought we would walk away with. We had some stellar performances and some surprises. It made for a really exciting meet,” Welch said.
Allard and Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain both had fantastic performances, each figuring in four first-place finishes for the Centaurs (3-0, 3-0 ECC Division I).
“I think it felt about equal (to last year),” D’Alleva-Bochain said of the team repeating as champs. “Not to say there was pressure, we knew it could be done, so I felt like it had to be done. Maybe that made for a little more pressure, but it didn’t away from the fun of it.’
Allard joined Ella Lidonde, Elise Coyle and Emma Weitknecht to win the 4x100m relay and shattered the Woodstock Academy school record in the process. The quartet crossed the line in 50.3 seconds.
The previous record, set in 1999, was 50.91 seconds. “I was so happy about that and it felt so good,” Allard said.
Welch, obviously, called that time “smoking fast” but he was most happy to see the quartet continuing to move in a positive direction. He thinks the group could lose another half-second and get under the 50-second mark.
Allard also placed first in the 100m, 200m (where she tied her own school record) and 300m hurdles.
“It was a pretty solid day,” Allard said. “I haven’t run the 200m in a long time. It was my first time running it in over a month and only my second time all season but it felt really, really good. I felt strong. It was a good day. I felt confident in all my races.”
All Welch has to do now is clone her.
“I wish she could do more events, she is killing it,” Welch said. She could finish in the top three in a handful of events.”
D’Alleva-Bochain was first in the 800m and javelin and was a member of the winning 4x800 and 4x400m relays.
Which one did she like most?
“I liked the 4x800 because I’m mostly an 800 runner and I like the idea of doing it as a team,” the sophomore said.
It would not have been Welch’s choice.
“We had some surprises and Izzy is a great example. She has thrown the javelin, roughly, twice at this point and she went from 60-something feet to the high 90s which is competitive at the state level and it came out of nowhere. That was exciting to see,” Welch said. “She’s an absolute workhorse. She hasn’t had the opportunity to really set personal best performances for her own 800 but she has been amazingly consistent with her 4x800 and 800 times being always where we need them to be.”
Julia Coyle was also a part of the 4x800m team and also won the 1600 and 3200m races.
Weitknecht was also first in the 100m hurdles and second in the 300m hurdles.
The Centaurs needed the performance in the 100m hurdles from Weitknecht.
Senior Jillian Edwards was well out in front, but tripped in the event.
“I didn’t think we were going to get it (a first-place) and we kind of needed it. For Emma to be able to back up Jillian (after the trip) and still get the winning points was amazing,” Welch said.
Talia Tremblay, despite some shin issues, was a part of the winning 4x400 and 4x800m relay teams.
Fellow senior Reegan Reynolds won the triple jump.
Olivia Tracy was also a member of the winning 4x800m relay team and was second in the 800, 1600 and 3200m races.
Avery Plouffe was second in shotput and Lily Morgis was second in discus.
Next up for the Centaurs is the ECC championship meet on Monday at East Lyme High School (the meet ended too late for this edition).
“I think we have a really good shot at ECC’s,” Welch said. “Scoring breaks out a little differently with the larger number of places and, in most instances, will benefit us. The break up of Division I and Division II which means five other teams will also be taking points which should help. I think we have four, five or six events where we are a strong lock for first or second place.”
Welch admitted he is also feeling good about the Class MM state championships which will take place on Tuesday, May 28 at Willow Brook Park in New Britain.
“I don’t know if we have a state championship team but it’s not far from it,” Welch said. “The NFA coaches think we have a shot at it. Could be, could be, but I don’t want to think too far ahead.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Sophomore Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain finished with four first against Norwich Free Academy last week.
Junior Juliet Allard was first in the 300m hurdles, 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay against Norwich Free Academy. Photos by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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Fairy pg 1 5-23-24
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Fairy & Magic Fest
The rain didn't matter at Putnam's Fairy & Magic Festival May 18. From left: Lily Collins, 1 1/2, mom Bethany Collins and Thea Collins, 4, of Danielson had a great time. More photos on page 4 and an expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.
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vet pg 1 5-23-24
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caption:
Proud Sign
The Veteran's Park sign was installed last week. From left: Mike Vassar, Mayor Barney Seney, Robert Challinor Jr. and Alan Joslin. The sign was taken down this week so that the apostrophe could be removed. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Ellis Tech students are in the home stretch this week.
Most of the masonry work is finished. The past few weeks the students have formed and poured concrete walkways, bases for current and future monuments, and installed 500 honor pavers. Robert Challinor Jr., chair of the Veterans Advisory Committee, said more pavers are on order and if the pavers arrive before the end of school, Ellis Tech students will be back to install them — otherwise they will do it in the fall.
Challinor said when the pavers arrived veterans working on the project laid them out in groups and put a wet look sealer on them. “We spent a couple nights sealing.”
Electrical students roughed in all the electrical and will be tying it into the panels. The work includes lighting for each monument, lamp posts (the four that were in the park are being refurbished) and more.
Some of the monuments that were in the park were put away while the renovation was going on. Mayor Barney Seney said the two large monuments that have been ordered might arrive in September or October.
A dedication on Veterans Day might be possible.
The irrigation work should also be finished this week.
Highway Superintendent Travis Sirrine said if the work is done, he hopes to work with a contractor to spread loam May 22 and May 23. After that, hydro seeding will be done by Ron Baribeau Lawn and Tree of Killingly. It will then be fenced off.
Sirrine hopes to have the work done before the Memorial Day holiday. Seney said traditionally the town’s veterans lay wreaths at the park the day before Memorial Day.
In addition, the sign that was created quite a while ago for the park was installed last Friday. It matches the color and style of all the other town signs, including the Putnam logo.
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Because pg 2 5-23-24
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Recently, I was invited for coffee at a neighbor’s home. To be even clearer, the invitation came from a retired neighbor while we were in Germany. In Germany, between the hours of approximately two and five o’clock, coffee and cake are a bit of a social ritual and, certainly, a long standing tradition. The Spanish may siesta, but the Germans drink coffee and eat cake. Our coffee time was scheduled for three o’clock.
Of course, I accepted the invitation, but my conundrum was that I only drink coffee in the mornings. For me, any sort of caffeine consumption, typically, after the 11 o’clock hour, leads to an eyes wide awake situation for me throughout the night. But in accepting the invitation to coffee from an older, traditional German woman, I knew that declining the cup of coffee would be rude. And I didn’t want to be the American who was insulting. In addition, in having already accepted the invitation with the information that I am gluten free, I understood that if I wanted to imbibe in a decaf coffee, I would have needed to place this demand as a preorder as well.
Ironically, Germans mastered the process of decaffeinating coffee. It was Ludwig Roselius who first created the commercialized blend of coffee that removed, as he thought, the poison from the bean. I note that this is ironic because in all my time spent in Germany, I cannot ever recall being offered a decaf coffee anywhere. I am sure that decaf coffee exists and can be purchased in the store. But I have never seen it. Plus, in Germany, coffee machines are a trophy household appliance. My coffee machine prefers coffee beans and as most Germans enjoy caffeinated coffee, there isn’t a compartment for decaf beans. Rather there are only buttons for coffee type such as espresso or cappuccino, and coffee strength. I assumed that my hostess would, also, not be in possession of decaf coffee beans.
I decided that I would accept the coffee offered during our late afternoon scheduled coffee and cake gathering. As noted, I did not wish to be offensive and, more importantly, I wanted to try her coffee. If Germans enjoy being judged on their coffee, I was willing and able to pass judgment. Upon arrival, I was delighted to see that her table was set with not just smaller sized coffee cups, but also, water glasses. Phew. I was happy to accept a small cup of coffee and pour myself a larger glass of water. The coffee was delicious and the conversation delightful. I was complimentary to my hostess on both her strawberry (cakeless) cake and her delicious coffee. She seemed pleased.
Later, in the evening, as my eyes grew heavy, signifying that I may, indeed, be tired, I considered going to bed. Then I thought about my late afternoon coffee and decided to stay up just a bit longer. I also took an Advil PM. Just one. But it did the trick because soon after, I fell asleep. The next morning, waking after a restful night’s sleep, I wondered if my neighbor is a distant relative of Herr Roselius?
To Bean? (or) Not to Bean?
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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