obit pg 8 3-31-22
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PUTNAM — Paul B. Thomson, 78, of Sabin St., died March 20, 2022, at Day Kimball Hospital. He was the husband of Ines F. Granville and the late Annie Robertson. Born in 1943 in Hartford, he was the son of the late Benjamin and Jeanne (Battey) Thomson.
Mr. Thomson worked for many years at AT&T as supervisor of quality control and had his own consulting firm.
He enjoyed golfing, sailing, and was an avid reader. Later in life he discovered the game of pickle ball and enjoyed playing it along with the love of his life Ines.
He leaves his wife, Ines F. Granville; his siblings, Stephen L. Thomson of Hilo, Hawaii and Jeanne T. Hislop of Hubert, N.C.; his nieces and nephews, John S. Hislop, Colby B. Hislop, and Kylie H. Butler; his stepdaughter, Maria Gold (Ian) of Boston; and his step grandchildren, Gabriela, Ruby, Nora, and Henry Gold.
A celebration of Paul’s life is being planned in the near future. Donations: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Tribute Program, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or Hospice of N.E. CT, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
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everyone pg 9 3-31-22
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Returning Players
The Woodstock boys’ golf team will be paced by returning players, from left; senior Chris Thibault, senior Kyle Brennan and junior Davis Simpson. Photo by Marc Allard.
The Woodstock Academy boys’ golf team is ready to get back to work. When they will be allowed to is another question. The Centaurs return their entire roster from a year ago with some new additions.
But as it always is with the sport, it’s a case of hurry up and wait.
“I’m pretty excited about the season but I will be more excited when the golf courses start to open up,” said coach Rich Garceau.
Instead, the team has been going over the rules of the game in an indoor lecture hall.
“Usually, I get some sarcastic comments when we’re doing this from the kids but they seem fine with it. They seem like they want to learn and are involved even though we haven’t got to a golf course yet,” Garceau said. “You have to sit and wait. They’re doing a lot of work at Quinnatisset (Country Club) and Roseland (Golf Course) and golf is a patient game anyway. You can’t rush. There is no such thing as a fast break in golf. Maybe it’s a good life lesson to know that things don’t always move as fast as you would like.”
Some chose not to wait.
Senior Kyle Brennan and junior Davis Simpson, despite being involved with other sports – hockey and alpine skiing respectively – started with some captain’s practices in February, getting the indoor range set up to hit into nets.
“We tried to get started early because some other teams are, too. It’s going to be tough this year because Quinnatisset is opening late,” Brennan said. Their home course is not scheduled to open until April 8.
That is after the first two scheduled matches of the season.
The Centaurs are slated to open on the road at NFA on April 5 and were then scheduled to play a home match against Bacon Academy at Quinnatisset on April 7.
“We’re just going to do what we can and hit balls (at the South Campus of the Academy) and make the best of it,” Brennan said.
“Even though we haven’t been able to go out as a team, they’ve been swinging, digging up their backyards with their wedges and I’m fine with that. It’s not my grass,” Garceau said with a laugh.
Garceau reflected back on last year to provide motivation for himself. The team ended the season playing well including a fourth-place finish in the ECC tournament and qualifying to play in the CIAC Div. II tournament where it placed 14th.
“We finished last year with kids who I could tell were motivated to get better. Playing well, wanting to get better regardless of that fact, really bodes well for this season,” Garceau said.
In addition to Brennan, Chris Thibault and John Armstrong return as seniors with juniors Curtis Lefebvre, Anthony Listro, Simpson and Adam Thompson and sophomore Donnie Sousa.
When asked about turnout for the team, Garceau used one word to describe it, “big.” And more potential players continue to contact him. He also has several international players who have signed up.
The only problem is that their golf clubs, according to Garceau, are “on the other side of the planet” and he has reached out to the Woodstock community looking for golf clubs that could be borrowed.
He currently has 22 boys out, close to double what he started with last season.
But he has no idea what to expect from his newcomers, or for that matter, his returning players.
“I see a lot of drive,” Garceau said of his players. “They know they’re good enough to be a threat this year, whether we’re good enough to win everything, I don’t know. I haven’t seen a golf swing yet.”
One change for the Centaurs this season is that they will play in Div. I of the ECC alongside NFA, Fitch and E. Lyme.
“The only thing that has me a little concerned is that being in Div. II for the past couple years, my guys haven’t seen some of the courses that we will be seeing. Other than that, we were competitive with them last year,” Garceau said.
“Our goal is to be No. 1 in the ECC, obviously, just like it is every year and we will try and make a run at States, too. Get up in the top 10 of the States. We will see how it goes,” Brennan added.
Boys’ Golf Schedule: Tues., April 5: at NFA, 3 p.m.; Thurs., Apr. 7: vs. Bacon, 3; Tues., Apr. 12: vs. Fitch, 3; Wed., Apr. 13: vs. Tourtellotte: 3; Thurs., Apr. 14: at Waterford, 3; Tues., Apr. 26: at E. Lyme, 3; Thurs., Apr. 28: at Stonington; 3; Mon., May 2: vs. Killingly, 3; Tues., May 3: at Ellis Tech w/Vinal Tech; 2:15; Thurs., May 5: vs. E. Lyme, 3; Mon., May 9: at Wildcat Invite, TBA; Wed., May 11: vs. Plainfield, 3; Tues., May 17 at Fitch w/Killingly, 3; Thurs., May 19: vs. NFA, 3; Tues., May 24:at Windham/Parish Hill, 3; Thurs., May 26: at Killingly, 3.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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good pg 9 3-31-22
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caption, page 10:
Formidable Battery
Woodstock junior catcher Madison Martinez, left, and junior pitcher Lexi Thompson will comprise a formidable battery for the Centaurs softball team this season. Photo by Marc Allard.
Woodstock Academy softball coach Jason Gerum is feeling good about his program. So is his team.
“When you have a confident team, it helps the culture. When you’re running a program and the program is up, everyone feels good, everybody wants to come out and play, everybody wants to come back. Having a season like last year, makes this season so much better. The girls were fired up for the first tryout, it was wild,” Gerum said.
Softball is back and so is much of the Centaurs softball team.
It’s coming off an 18-5 season where it captured the ECC North Division championship, finished runners-up in the postseason league tournament and played into the second round of the Class L state tournament.
“We are so excited,” said junior pitcher Lexi Thompson. “We held our tryouts and all the freshmen had a great time. One of them actually came up to me and started talking about how friendly we all are. The culture, itself, is so different from other programs. We’re so lucky to be able to do this. We have the facilities, the culture, we all balance each other out, bring each other up and we’re ready to play.”
It helps when a team has a pitcher like Thompson to start with.
She posted a 10-3 record last season, sharing time on the mound with seniors Mackenzie Leveille and Meg Preston.
In 76 innings, Thompson gave up only 63 hits and struck out 128 to finish with a 2.30 earned run average.
“It’s the name of the game – you can’t do anything in softball without a pitcher,” Gerum said. “We haven’t thrown a lot yet but she looks like she is right where she left off. She works hard in the offseason. I know she is working on another pitch and that always helps as they get older, they try to add things in. We’re definitely going to pick up where we left off which isn’t too shabby.”
Thompson can throw hard enough. She also has someone to throw hard to.
Junior catcher Madison Martinez returns to complete the Centaur battery.
“Madison is as good as it gets. I would put her up against anyone in the league as far as catching goes. She is an unbelievable catcher,” Gerum said.
And she and Thompson are also good friends.
“We worked together in the winter to prepare for the season and our connection is really good. We’ve grown a lot since last season and I’m really excited to see where it brings us,” Martinez said.
That connection will not only be important in the field, but at the plate.
Thompson hit .500 last season with 13 doubles, three triples and a couple of home runs and knocked in 20.
Martinez hit .343 with 28 runs batted in, three doubles, two triples and a homer.
The Centaurs did lose four seniors: Marissa Mayhew (.458 avg, 16 RBIs); Preston (.316, 19 RBIs); Leveille (.538, 5 HR, 30 RBIs) and Amanda Bond (.318, 7 doubles).
“You can’t replace Mackenzie’s bat, you just can’t. I’ve coached a lot of seasons and had a lot of great players and she’s as good a hitter as I’ve coached. You can’t bank on replacing that, you just have to hope that a couple of other kids step up,” Gerum said.
The Centaurs do return most of the team otherwise.
Sophomore Sarah McArthur (.333, 22 RBIs) is back at short, sophomore Delaney Anderson (.323, 17 RBIs) returns at first; senior Jenna Bankowski (.340); sophomore Mia Pannone (.263); and junior Emily Goodell (.280) all return in the outfield.
“We may have to manufacture (runs) a bit more this year. Even with the big bats we had last year, I still did some manufacturing. We return all the players who manufactured, those who graduated were all long ball hitters so we will have a backup plan,” Gerum said.
It leaves three holes for Gerum to fill. Second and third base and relief for Thompson in the circle.
“The Achilles’ heel will be who will step up at those two infield positions. Third is as tough as it gets in softball. It might even be the toughest. That’s what (the preseason) will be about, filling in those two spots. We’re in pretty good shape, though, we have good problems,” Gerum said.
The back up pitcher is a work in progress. On the field. Off the field, the Centaurs will have to fill the leadership void left by the seniors who departed.
“We lost some important people but it gives the younger kids a chance to step up and grow,” Thompson said. “The upperclassmen have to step up and take care of the underclassmen and for us to step up, it’s a leadership thing, a confidence thing, a team-bonding thing and we all have to trust each other.”
The Centaurs will also have to deal with some pretty tough competition on the field.
Last year, they played a Northern Division schedule.
This season returns the league to normal with the Centaurs playing in Div. II of the ECC with the likes of Griswold, Ledyard, Killingly and Bacon Academy.
They will also have to play NFA, E. Lyme, Fitch and Waterford from Div. I. Woodstock will also play in the ECC Div. I tournament.
“As tough as always,” Gerum said with a shake of his head. “I didn’t get to see Ledyard last year, I know they return some good pitching. We play Stonington, Griswold, NFA, Fitch, East Lyme – they are all good- and Waterford twice. We have our work cut out for us but when you are good, that’s what you want. I don’t want to step on the field and have easy wins, I want to battle teams and we’re going to battle.”
Softball Schedule: Sat., April 2: at Waterford, noon; Tues., Apr. 5: vs. NFA, 4:15; Sat., April 9: vs. E.O. Smith, 11; Mon., April 11: vs. Parish Hill, 4; Tues. April 12: vs. Montville, 4:15; Thurs., Apr. 14: vs. Ledyard, 4:15; Sat., Apr. 16: at Griswold, 11; Thurs., Apr. 21: at Killingly, noon; Fri., Apr. 22: vs. Bacon, 11; Tues., Apr. 26: at Fitch, 4:15; Sat., Apr. 30: at E. Lyme, 11; Mon., May 2: vs. St. Bernard, 4:15; Tues., May 3 at Stonington, 4; Thurs., May 5: at Ledyard, 4:15; Sat., May 7: vs. Griswold, 11; Tues., May 10: at Bacon, 4:15; Thurs., May 12: vs. Killingly, 3:45; Fri., May 13: at St. Bernard, 4; Tues., May 17: vs. Waterford, 4:15; Mon., May 23: at E. Catholic, 4:15.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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centaurs pg 10 3-31-22
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caption:
Key Players
Senior goalie Sofia Murray (left), senior attacker Shannon Gagnon (middle) and senior Julia Powell will all be key ingredients for the Centaurs this girls’ lacrosse season. Photo by Marc Allard.
Mikayla Jones loved the intensity and commitment of her Woodstock Academy girls’ lacrosse team last season. The head coach of the Centaurs hopes that returns this spring.
One thing that has already returned is the student-athletes. In her first season at the helm, Jones had to sit idle as the pandemic cancelled the season.
Last year, the Centaurs were able to play 13 games.
“We were really out of practice. Half of our team, including some of our starters, had never held a stick before. Now, we have so many players who are doing such a great job and are following directions,” said midfielder Stella Brin.
So many players is a key phrase.
The Centaurs, who had to use some varsity players to fill its JV ranks a year ago, have 35 out for the program this season including a lot of freshmen and some first-year players from the upper three grades.
Jones recalled last year when her players were just happy to be outside on the field and had to wear masks on the field.
“They’re getting back into the routine that they have lacrosse this season and next season and, hopefully, it will never get interrupted again. We don’t have a mask mandate. It’s up to the girls and they’re being careful, but again, they are just so happy to be out,” Jones said.
That means the attention shifts to the activity on the field and Jones is happy with what she has seen early especially on the defensive side of the field.
“Our defense has looked awesome in practice,” Jones said.
The Centaurs’ coach has liked how juniors Lindsay Nuttall, Rori Mackenzie and Bryn Miller have worked in the back together with seniors Brin and Sydney Haskins and sophomore Caroline Harris in the defensive midfielder slots.
“We’ve got a new coach (assistant Sebastian Frimpong) for our defensive plays and Lindsay and Rori are putting in the effort and look amazing. We got about five interceptions from our starting players in a practice (recently),” Brin said.
If an opponent happens to slip through, senior Sofia Murray will be waiting as she returns in goal.
“It’s going to be hard to let her go but I think she is going to have a really good year,” Jones said of her senior in the cage.
Abby Houle, a freshman, will back up Murray.
Up front, the Centaurs did lose some firepower with Rachel Canedy (16 goals, two assists), who now plays for Emmanuel College, and Peyton Saracina (11, 5) having both graduated.
Last year’s leading scorer, Shannon Gagnon (15,5) returns as does fellow seniors Haskins (4.2) and Brin (7,2).
“I have a really awesome attacker coming back in Shannon, a really awesome midfielder in Sydney and Stella who may not be the high scorer but runs the center midfield,” Jones said.
The Centaurs have eight seniors in total with Tegan Perry, Claire Anderson, Julia Powell and Siera Fahey all in uniform.
“I think we have the leadership. Stella is a returning captain and the rest of the seniors and even some of the juniors are ready. They know what is expected of them, what they need to do and they show the new girls how and when to do things,” Jones said.
The Centaurs are also hoping for a few more wins this season than their two last year as they compete in Div. II of the ECC with the likes of Stonington, Waterford, Ledyard and Montville.
“I think this division fits us with the athletes that we have. I think it’s a really good placement for us and I hope we can pull out just a couple more wins and get their spirits up a bit,” Jones said.
The Centaurs are scheduled to play a normal 16-game schedule.
“I feel more comfortable. I feel like I know some of the (ECC) coaches better. I understand the divisions better and understand how it works inside better. It helps that Lauren (Gagnon) is one of my assistants. She is the head coach of our field hockey team and has been for a while. It helps that I have her to help me figure out everything,” Jones said.
Girls’ Lacrosse Schedule: Sat., April 2: at Killingly, 1 p.m.; Tues., Apr. 5: vs. Waterford, 4:15; Sat., Apr. 9: vs. Griswold, 11; Tues., Apr. 12: vs. Stonington, 4:15; Thurs., Apr. 14: vs. Ledyard, 4:15; Tues., Apr. 19: at Waterford, 11; Thurs., Apr. 21: at Stonington, 6:30; Tues., Apr. 26: at Ledyard, 5:30; Thurs., Apr. 28: at Montville, 4:15; Sat., Apr. 30: at St. Bernard, 11; Tues., May 3: at Bacon, 4:30; Thurs., May 5: vs. Killingly, 4; Tues., May 10: vs. NFA, 4:15; Thurs., May 12: at E. Lyme, 7.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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