caption, page 2:
The Woodstock Academy gymnastics team proudly displays its seventh State Open championship plaque in eight years after winning it at New Milford High School March 6.
Ali Crescimanno on the balance beam at the State Open championship at New Milford High School.Photos by Marc Allard/The Woodstock Academy
Centaurs win
state crown
The trophies just continue to pour in for the Woodstock Academy gymnastics program.
The Centaurs already finished with another spotless regular season, won their 10th straight Eastern Connecticut Conference championship and ninth straight Class S championship.
March 6, the Centaurs added another plaque to the collection.
They won their seventh Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference State Open championship in the last eight years, 142.475 – 135.350, over Fairfield-Ludlowe High School at New Milford High School.
“We were working for it all season, losing last year, coming back this year. It was really amazing for all of us, especially the seniors. We’re pretty proud of ourselves,” said senior Maddie Grube.
The State Open was the one that got away from the Centaurs last year when they lost to Greenwich.
Woodstock Academy coach Kasey Tocchio said it was special to take back the State Open title despite what she described as an “interesting” day.
“We started out strong and there were a lot of good plusses (Wednesday). Even though, individually, everybody didn’t put it together for themselves. We still had some good routines in there,” Tocchio said.
The Centaurs showed Tocchio what they were capable of earlier in the season when they finished with a 146.85 score in the opening meet against Norwich Free Academy and the Killingly Cooperative.
“We haven’t really come close to that since,” senior Ali Crescimanno said. “We’ve hit 143 quite a few times, but we’ve been stuck there. We just need to hit our routines, hit our bonus and not count so many mistakes. If we do that, we can get right back up there.”
Since that first meet, the highest Woodstock Academy has scored is a 144.8 on Feb. 11, again against Killingly.
“I don’t think we’ve had our best day,” Tocchio said. “I think our first meet of the season kind of showed where we could go, but we haven’t really got back there yet. I think we can put it all together and really hit big.”
It looked like that possibly could be the case early at New Milford.
The Centaurs started on vault and Crescimanno finished with a 9.425 routine. Emily Arters finished with a 9.1, Lydia Taft a 9.0 and Grube an 8.9 to give them a 36.475 total as a team.
But things unraveled a bit on bars.
Taft (9.05) and Jenna Davidson (8.75) didn’t have the best bar routines.
Crescimanno again performed well, leading the team and finishing best in the field with a 9.5.
Crescimanno finished with a 36.0 individual total, second to Merritt Stevenson of Trumbull who won the individual All-Around with a 36.3 score.
“My first three events went well,” Crescimanno said. “My beam routine (8.7) was the best I’ve done all season.”
Crescimanno was in the lead going into the final event, the floor, but fell and finished with an 8.375.
She wasn’t the only one with foibles.
Taft and Grube both suffered through tough beam routines and finished with 8.45 and 7.35 totals respectively.
“We had some mistakes on every event. I’m going to go back into the gym on Friday and really clean that up,” Grube said.
Those miscues kept things interesting among the team members.
“It was neck-and-neck between (Crescimanno and Davidson) because one would be off and the other would hit a good one. I really want to see all three of them (with Taft) have an awesome meet and see what happens. They are all so high-scoring and we haven’t really put it all together yet,” Tocchio said. “Hopefully, they can figure it all out. All three of them need to keep taking care of their bodies.”
Davidson, the ECC champ, finished third in the State Open with a 35.875 total. She was best on the beam with a 9.3.
Taft placed fifth with a 35.475 total.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
captions, page 6:
Saw Readied
Andy Quigley, left, and George French dismantle 19th century Lane #1 saw in Vermont, readying it for shipment to Connecticut’s Chamberlin Mill. Saw box and pulleys. Courtesy photos.
Mill
restoring
1870 saw
WOODSTOCK — This winter a group of expert volunteers has begun working in earnest to resurrect the 19th century circular saw that for many years produced lumber at Woodstock’s historic Chamberlin Mill.
Andy Quigley, George French, and Nate Rosebrooks bring solid experience to this task. Quigley, a member of Pomfret School’s Facilities Mechanical Department, owns and operates Timberworks Sawmill in Pomfret. His saw, almost identical to the one found at Chamberlin Mill, is one he rebuilt years ago from a “heap of parts.” French is in charge of saw maintenance at Hull Forest Products in Pomfret, and has worked most of his adult life in the lumber industry. He grew up near Chamberlin Mill. Rosebrooks, retired founder of Putnam’s Fluid Coating Technology, Inc., brings a multitude of welcome skills and connections to the task.
For a number of years this group, spearheaded by Quigley, has carefully stored important parts of the Mill’s original saw, and searched for replacement parts they would need. Several years ago, a generous donor, Jim Tumel, an acquaintance of a Chamberlin Mill, Inc. board member, made a quantity of parts available to the restoration effort.
Then, in November, 2018, while making a daily internet check for remaining parts, Quigley spied an identical 1870 vintage Lane #1 saw for sale. He sprang into action immediately and within four days began retrieving parts of the saw from a snowy Vermont woods. Using Rosebrooks’ truck and trailer, Quigley, French and Rosebrooks, hauled two more loads of parts to Connecticut. All necessary metal parts for rebuilding the saw were finally in place.
All that was needed was a replacement “set beam” to which all the metal parts attach. While the original beam still exists, it had been exposed to the elements and was too deteriorated for use. Such a beam, however, is not an everyday find. Here Rosebrooks’ connections came into play.
In his retirement, Rosebrooks has volunteered regularly in the machine repair shop at Mystic Seaport, working on projects connected to the Morgan, its great whaling ship, refurbishing with others the 1928 Studebaker engine that provided power to the Chamberlin Mill saw in its late years of operation and, more recently, helping to support the Seaport’s restoration work on Mayflower II for Plimoth Plantation. Through this last connection, he secured a timber large enough and strong enough for Chamberlin Mill’s set beam. This timber had originally been part of the Groton Pier built in the 1890s. After the pier was dismantled in 1980, this timber was shipped to a Virginia dealer. It was brought back north in connection with the Mayflower II restoration. The remainder of the original timber will be used for the Mayflower II.
With all metal parts available and the new set beam on hand Chamberlin Mill, Inc., the non-profit steward for the historic Woodstock sawmill, hopes to bring the saw back to life within a year. Once rebuilt, it will be reconnected to the rebuilt Studebaker engine that once gave it power, and begin to produce lumber again, though this time for public education and enjoyment.
Chamberlin Mill is one of the last surviving sawmills in Connecticut that was once powered by water. Following “The Great Flood” of 1936, with its lower dam and penstock compromised, the Chamberlins kept the saw operating by using a powerful and steady Studebaker engine, connected directly to the saw’s arbor shaft. This allowed them to operate their Mill for another three decades. The surviving mill structure dates to around 1900, though the site has been used for grist mill and sawmill operations since the 1700s. Chamberlin Mill is listed on the State Register of Historic Places.
Visitors will have an opportunity to observe the saw under reconstruction and to learn about the process of its rebuilding at an event at 1 p.m. May 4, with rain date of May 5. Further information about this event is available on Chamberlin Mill’s website: www.chamberlinmill.org.
.
Marianapolis
wins NEPSAC
championship
THOMPSON — Some late game free throws earned the Marianapolis girls’ varsity basketball the NEPSAC Class A Championship.
The gym was packed as the Marianapolis Golden Knights faced Loomis on their home court. Loomis came out strong with a quick basket off the tip, followed by a dominant and-1 play by their post player that would allow them to take the lead early. Sophomore Sydney Masciarelli pushed the transition break and scored the first seven points for Marianapolis to keep it a one-point game.
Sophomore Rachel Ullstrom proved to be a force at the top of Marianapolis’ zone, deflecting and pressuring every pass. Unfortunately, Loomis senior forward Reilly Campbell continued to dominate the inside, forcing Marianapolis senior Olivia Summiel to pick up her second foul early in the first. Junior Juliette Golden came in off the bench and got a big block that pushed the transition break for an easy conversion by Rachel Ullstrom that gave the Knights a 4 point lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
Loomis went on a run of their own, and with tough play on the offensive glass; they went on a 7-0 run to capture a 19-16 lead with 4 minutes to go in the first. Senior captains Chyna Bullen, Olivia Summiel, and Kara O’Neil sparked an 18-4 run for the Knights that would send them into half time up 35-23.
Both teams came out fired up to start the second half, with aggressive defenses forcing turnovers on both ends of the floor. Smart defense by senior Olivia Summiel forced senior post player Reilly Campbell to pick up her fourth personal foul with 13 minutes remaining in the second half, which resulted in Loomis losing a big inside presence.
Freshman Felicia Fongemie got back to back assists to senior Olivia Summiel to give the Knights a comfortable lead with 8 minutes to play. The Knights continued to dominate the second half, but Loomis would give one final push. Loomis sophomore, Anahi-Lee Cauley would lead a 12-3 run for Loomis to cut the lead but fell short as Marianapolis knocked down some late-game free throws and claimed the NEPSAC Class A Title with a 67-58 victory over Loomis.
MVP sophomore Sydney Masciarelli led the Knights with 23 points, shooting an impressive 9-13 from the floor. Senior Olivia Summiel had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Sophomore Rachel Ullstrom recorded a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and a game-high 6 steals, while shooting a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Senior Chyna Bullen chipped in with 9 points and 7 boards for the night.
..
The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 963-0000.
Feb. 23
Sarah Hull, 39, Kinney Hill Road, Union; speeding.
Feb. 25
Melissa Amlaw, 34, Pinecrest Lane, Woodstock; speeding.
Feb. 26
Abigail Duval, 28, Holmesea St., Woodstock; speeding.
Feb. 27
Ian Peterson, 38, Cleveland Street, Putnam; disorderly conduct, third-degree assault.
March 2
Sophia Pontbriand, 18, Rt. 198, Woodstock Valley; failure to obey traffic control signal.
March 3
Wayne Riendeau, 62, Vandale Street, Putnam; OUI, operating without headlights.
.