Club pg 12 5-30-13
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Club Visit
The Rotary Group Study Exchange members from Turkey visited the U.S. recently, spending some time with the Putnam Rotary Club. Those visiting included Omer Oguz, Altug Erbil, Ozge Aytas, Onur Tenel and Dr. G. Basak Kilic. Also pictured are Putnam Rotary Club President Paul Pikora (3rd from left), Cynthia Dunne (4th from left) and Deborah Hoft (far right), co-chairs of the GSE visit to Putnam. Linda Lemmon photo.
Woodstock pg 2 5-30-13
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By Ron P. Coderre
A Woodstock man, 20-year-old Carl Underwood, has been selected to represent the U.S. in international competition this year in the Czech Republic. Underwood has been named to the U.S. Junior World Orienteering Championship (JWOC) team. The JWOC is the equivalent of the Olympics in Orienteering.
Underwood, who attends UConn, where he’s studying Exercise Science in the Kinesiology Department, spent the past spring studying in Cape Town, South Africa. He’s currently living and working in Europe.
This will be the third JWOC for Underwood, who previously represented the U.S. in Denmark in 2010 and Poland in 2011. He was unable to participate in 2012 due to conflicts with is academic courses, although he was eligible. In 2012 he enjoyed a banner individually, winning the North American Orienteering Championship in the M-20 in the sprint course. The M-20 features competition for men under 20 years old. He was also a third-place finisher at the same meet in the long course.
Orienteering is a navigation sport, where the competitors use a map and compass to navigate through the deserts, forests, mountains and some urban parks to locate and check in at electronic controls that are placed in advance in the terrain. Competition winners are based on the fastest individual to locate all the controls in the correct order. Orienteering, which started in Sweden, was introduced in the U.S. in 1971. Orienteering clubs are located throughout the country with a number in the New England region.
Underwood has been orienteering since he was a toddler. He and his family have been orienteering throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. His other interests include camping, canoeing, backpacking, biking, hiking and mountain climbing.
Lighted pg 1 6-6-13
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Lighted from Within
Wild grasses in Pomfret seem to glow from within. Linda Lemmon photo.
Almquist p 1 6-6-13
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Almquist
to jump for
UConn
Huskies
By Ron P. Coderre
WOODSTOCK — Woodstock Academy senior Jake Almquist, a member of the Centaurs track team and the 2013 State Class L boys basketball championship squad, signed a letter of intent May 29 to attend UConn in Storrs. Almquist, who will compete for the Huskies track team, is noted for his high jump skills. He also competes in the pole vault, javelin and hurdles.
This spring Almquist has been a mainstay of Academy coach Len Samborowski’s boys track team. During the team’s grueling schedule, Almquist finished first in the high jump in every dual meet. He also garnered a number of first-place finishes in invitational meets, including The Panther Invitational in Plainfield, Bloomfield Invitational and the Ledyard Relays. He was a Gold Medal recipient at the Eastern Connecticut Conference Championships at Montville High School, where he set a Championship Meet record with a jump of 6 feet, 9 inches.
Almquist also had three second-place finishes this season. He was runner-up at the Greater Hartford Invitational and the Irv Black Meet, where he cleared 6 feet, 10 inches. That jump was his personal best record and ½ inch shy of the Woodstock Academy record held by Joe Patrone. The future UConn Husky also had a second-place finish in the javelin at the Ledyard Relays and a fifth in the javelin at the Irv Black Meet.
The highlight of Almquist’s season occurred during a meet against New London where he took four first-place finishes in the high jump, pole vault, javelin and 300-meter hurdles. His winning effort produced 20 points for the Centaurs a feat that is practically unheard of in high school since athletes are only allowed to compete in four events in a single meet.
Over the winter, Almquist was a valuable member of the Woodstock Academy basketball team on its road to the Class L Championship. He played a role as a key substitute off the bench for coach Greg Smith, where he contributed key rebounds and baskets off the rebound in a number of the team’s big wins.
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