By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC shoutout is sent along to Putnam Savings Bank's Bob Halloran.  A devoted sports fan, Halloran is conversant on sports at all levels.  He’s an avid follower of Putnam Town Crier sports.

In the approximately seven years that the Tourtellotte Memorial High School Athletic Hall of Fame has been in existence most of the individuals who have been selected are former athletes or coaches.  That mold is about to be broken this year with the admission of current Tourtellotte Director of Athletics Deb Spinelli.

Although still very active, Spinelli is most deserving of admission based on her record as an athlete, coach and athletic director.  Her legacy stretches back to her days at Woodstock Academy and then to Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.  At SCSU Spinelli was a three-sport athlete, starring in field hockey, track and basketball.  As a four-year member of each sport, Spinelli was noted in all three and set the school record in the mile with a time of 5:12.

Prior to coming to Tourtellotte Memorial High School, Spinelli spent time teaching and coaching at Quabbin Regional High School in Massachusetts.

As a coach at Tourtellotte, Spinelli has distinguished herself in soccer, where she is the owner of a 257-154-26 record and counting.  Her 257 soccer victories are most in school history.  During her tenure in Thompson she’s also found time to coach girls’ basketball and middle school softball.

Spinelli was recognized as the Connecticut Soccer Coach of the Year in 1993 and 2000.  In 2005 she was a finalist for the National High School Coach of the Year.   She was honored in 2006 and 2015 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as the Connecticut Coach of the Year in Division II.  In 2010 Spinelli was recognized by the Eastern Board of Soccer Officials as the recipient of the organizations Distinguished Service Award.

During her soccer coaching career Spinelli has witnessed 22 of her players named All-State.  More than 20 of her players, including her daughters Marie and Candace have distinguished themselves as collegiate soccer players.  She’s coached championship teams in the Quinebaug Valley Conference and Eastern Connecticut Conference.

In addition to her current duties as the high school athletic director, a position she’s held since 1998, she’s also served as the Thompson Middle School AD and president of the Quinebaug Valley Junior Conference.  She’s a member of the National and Connecticut High School Coaches Associations.

Spinelli will be inducted with the Class of 2016 on Saturday, June 25 in a ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Ryscavage Auditorium.  The program is free and open to the public.

Pomfret Player Signs 

Pro Contract…  

 A former Pomfret School standout baseball player recently signed a contract to play professional baseball this summer.  Dan Gagnon, who graduated from Lasell College in May, has signed on with the Old Orchard Beach Surge of the Empire League.

Gagnon concluded a stellar four-year college career at Lasell with 106 hits, four home runs, 53 RBI, and 64 runs scored in 113 games.  He was twice named All-Conference for the Laser.

During the week of May 22, Gagnon joined more than 250 players in Georgetown, Del., for a tryout with the Empire League, which was founded in 2015.  He was one of the 84 players selected to play.  In addition to the Surge, the league has three other entries, New Hampshire Wild, Watertown Bucks of New York and the Sullivan Explorers also of New York.

Gagnon is expected to see action in the middle infield for the Surge at both shortstop and second base.  The team began play on Saturday, June 3 in Old Orchard Beach where they play their games at The Ballpark.  Gagnon is hoping that visitors to the beach area of Maine will take a moment to check out the Surge and say hello.  For information on the Surge visit the team’s official website at http://oobsurgebaseball.com/.

Putnam Man to Make Fenway Debut…

On Sunday, June 19, Father’s Day, a Putnam man will make his debut at Fenway Park, not as a player but as a singer.  Moe Coderre, the voice of Putnam Clipper basketball was recently notified by the Boston Red Sox front office that he’ll sing the National Anthem prior to the game between the Beantowners and the Seattle Mariners.  Game time is 1:35 p.m.

Coderre, who has performed the National Anthem at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket and Dodd Stadium in Norwich, has always dreamed of being and performing on the sacred Fenway turf.  He’ll be standing in the vicinity of home plate where such Boston luminaries as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and David Ortiz have also stood.

The Putnam native’s singing career started quite by accident at a Putnam High School game where the recording device malfunctioned.  He asked the audience to join in with him in singing the National Anthem, he began singing and no one joined in.  The word soon spread of his dulcet tones and soon he was asked to perform at numerous other functions.  The gig at Fenway Park is the icing on the cake.

Moving On…

The Tourtellotte Memorial High School baseball team, which finished strongly this season, had an unusual situation on its 2016 roster.  The Tigers had two sets of twins on the team this spring.  Noah and Logan Putnam comprised one set while Alex and Hunter Angelo were the other brother duo.

In September, Alex Angelo will be moving on to Worcester State University where he will be a member of the Lancers baseball team.  Hunter Angelo is headed to Nichols College in Dudley where he’ll play for the Bison soccer team.

Alex Angelo is a member of the TriTown American Legion Baseball team as are the Putnam twins.

Racing For NOW…

NOW, Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, is preparing for its 3.5 Mile NOW Road Race, scheduled for Sunday, June 26.  The race is billed as a scenic run around Alexanders Lake in Dayville is the 5th in the brief history of the event.

Organizers Jeff Rawson and Sarah Mortensen are urging runners and walkers to register early for the race/walk, which is one of the organization’s biggest fund-raisers.  The morning kickoff with the walker’s event at 8 a.m. followed by the Kids ½ Mile Race at 9 a.m.  The feature of the morning, the 3.5 Mile Run is set for 9:30 a.m.  

The entry fee is $30 with kids under age 10 free.  Participants can register online at www.NOWinMotion.org.  The first 250 entrants in the 3.5 Mile run receive a free T-shirt and NOW water bottle.  Awards will be presented to the top three overall finishers and the top three in each five-year age group.  Finisher medals will be presented to all Kids Race registrants.

The NOW 3.5 Mile Road Race is powered by Putnam Bank.  The male and female winner will also receive a pair of running shoes.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”  Roger Staubach

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