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By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to Putnam resident Jane Flynn. The mother of a number of former Putnam High School athletes, she’s been around playing fields and running tracks for many years. It’s so nice to know we have an avid follower in Putnam’s North End.
Most golf tournaments that benefit charitable causes are usually put on by civic or social organizations with large memberships. On Sunday, August 18 Connecticut Golf Club hosted the US Challenge Cup 3rd Annual Charity Golf Classic. The major difference between this tournament and the many others is that it was organized by one young lady with a great future, either as a golfer or a professional in the career of her choosing.
Nicole Scola, formerly of Putnam and a current resident of Watch Hill, organized the event for the benefit of the US Challenge Cup Junior Golf program and juvenile diabetes research. The dual purpose benefit is close to Miss Scola’s heart and it’s for that reason that she’s embraced this endeavor.
The daughter of Atty. Nick and Jill Scola, Nicole has been a member of the United States Challenge Junior Golf Program for almost a decade. The goal of US Challenge Golf is to perpetuate the growth of junior golf and provide young people with opportunities to further themselves through the game of golf, under the direction of a well organized and administered program.
Through the program, young male and female golfers not only improve their game on the links but are the beneficiaries of opportunities to grow as young adults. They’re encouraged to understand fair play and sportsmanship as well as the importance of being good students. Many of the participants have gone on to further their education because of the program.
In the summer of 2008, during a US Challenge Golf event, Nicole Scola became ill and had to withdraw from the tournament. Later that day she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She was 13 years old, when this happened without warning. No one in the Scola family ever had a history of diabetes, so the news came as a total shock.
Through the support of her family and the people of the US Challenge Golf, Nicole was able to mange her diabetes, which required 24-hour attention, seven days per week. Today with constant monitoring and careful attention to diet, she’s healthy and her golf game is also in great condition.
Her gratitude was evident on Sunday as she stood before the golfers and gracefully thanked everyone for their support of her causes. When the final numbers were announced there were two stunning surprises. The first announce was that the tournament raised $20,000 for the beneficiaries. The second was that the winning score of 12 under par 59 was produced by the foursome captained by the person who organized the tournament, Nicole Scola. The members of the foursome were her friends Spencer Salvas of Putnam and Colin Corey Zegarzewski.
Scola, who graduated in June from Prout School, is headed to Quinnipiac University on a golf scholarship, where she will study in the honors program. The adage, “good things happen to good people” was evident on Sunday.
High Jumper Recuperating…
Woodstock Academy high jumper Jake Almquist, who graduated in June and is headed to the University of Connecticut, encountered a snag this summer when he broke an ankle. Almquist, who was heavily recruited by UConn admitted that he was a little careless when his mishap occurred. According to his latest prognosis, the ankle is healing fine and ahead of schedule. He’s confident that he’ll be ready for the upcoming collegiate season.
Almquist enjoyed a stellar senior season advancing through the regular season, the conference and class championships and moved on to the State Open and New England Championships. He was also a member of the Woodstock Academy Class L State Championship basketball team.
Trivia Question – Who Won PHSAAA Trivia Event?...
A full house of trivia players ranging in age from recent grads to some old-timers filled Athens Pizza for the initial Putnam High School Alumni Athletic Association trivia night. According to organizers Willie Bousquet and Dave Vitale the evening was a financial success realizing more than $1000 for the Association.
Although the competition was heated there was one team that stood head and shoulders above the noisy crowd, walking away with the championship trophy. Baptizing themselves with the moniker, T – Ferguson, the group of Dan and Casey Collins, Rob Loomis and Derek Coderre proved they were worthy champions as they breezed through every category including sports music songs.
The major sponsor of the evening was Bob Breault of Cargill Chevrolet. Posing the questions was the sometimes humorous often edgy and risqué Trivia master Peter “Bud” Hayes.
Old Friends Visit Home…
Spotted around Putnam this summer were former residents Donald “Beansie” Chenail and his wife Evelyn, who are in the area for a couple months from their home in Florida. The Chenails, who produced a number of standout athletes for Putnam High School, say that the warm weather of the Sunshine State agrees with their lifestyle.
“Beansie” who grew up in the North End when that area of town produced Putnam’s great athletes, is remembered as a top notch softball player. He was one of the best third basemen that Putnam softball leagues ever produced. He continues to play in Senior softball leagues in the Sunshine State and still dazzles with the leather. Evelyn was a long time employee at Day Kimball Hospital.
Return Of The Headmaster…
If you visit the Woodstock Academy campus and think you’re seeing ghosts from school years past, you’re not. That is former headmaster Rich Foye who is currently serving as head of school while the Academy searches for someone to fill the seat permanently. Foye, who retired after five years at the helm, was asked to serve once again and because he enjoyed his initial experience he was happy to fill in temporarily.
Foye, as a young man, was an all-state football lineman at New London High School. He later went on to an outstanding four-year career at the University of Connecticut. Rested and ready for action, Foye is eager for the return of students in a few days.
From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History…
October 15, 1915: After two defeats by Moosup, Putnam defeated Moosup 5-3 in Putnam before 2000 fans. Putnam had three New York Giants on the team – Pol Perritt on the mound, Lew Wendell catching, and Ben Dyer at third. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.