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Centaurs win
9th straight
championship
Ali Crescimanno and Jenna Davidson have cast their injuries aside and are pressing forward.
The two, along with Maddie Grube, combined to lead the Woodstock Academy girls’ gymnastics team to its ninth straight Eastern Connecticut Conference championship Feb. 14, 141.7-131.85 over Stonington at Deary’s Gymnastics.
“We’re very happy,” said Woodstock Academy coach Kasey Tocchio. “They finished strong. The last couple of weeks have been really good for them and (Wednesday) was another good one. We still have some things to fix, so it’s exciting to see where we can go.”
The Centaurs did have some rebuilding to do.
They lost their top two scorers in Paige Stuyniski and Grace Logan to graduation.
But the streak of championships continued.
“It’s awesome. I’m very happy with how the team has come back after losing Grace and Paige. I think we’ve done a great job,” Davidson said.
Davidson had been limited to just a couple of events for most of the season due to injuries to both of her knees.
“It was very tough to come back from. Everything was a challenge including just getting back into the gym. It’s nice to come back and be able to do what I was doing before. It feels nice,” Davidson said.
Crescimanno got off to a slow start due to injuries suffered in an automobile accident over the summer.
“It was unexpected and unfortunate, but I’m glad to be back and be strong again,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno finished as the ECC individual champion.
She finished just ahead of Grube with a 35.6 total.
“There were definitely mistakes in my routine so I wish it was a little higher, but I really can’t complain,” she added. “Being ECC champion was definitely a goal this year and I’m glad I accomplished it.”
Crescimanno felt very good about her opening routine. She finished with a 9.4 on the vault and followed that up with a 9.1 on the bars.
But Crescimanno slipped to 8.6 on the beam and fell on her floor routine, finishing with an 8.5.
“It definitely was not Ali’s best meet (Wednesday), she knows that. She has a couple of things to work on. (Maddie Grube and Jenna Davidson) had great meets (Wednesday). I’m so excited for them,” Tocchio said.
Grube was right behind Crescimanno with a 35.5 while Davidson logged a 35.45.
“We’ve all been working really hard in practice, boosting our start values, and it’s starting to pay off,” Grube said.
Grube upgraded her vault and it showed in the scoring where she finished with a 9.0.
“All of my routines were very consistent. I was just happy to nail them all,” Grube said.
Her best was the beam where she hit a 9.15. She finished with an 8.7 on the beam and an 8.65 on the floor.
Davidson had a pair of 9.2 scores in the vault and beam, an 8.75 on the floor and an 8.3 on the bars.
“We’re pretty close. We’ve been working hard and we’re neck-and-neck. It’s been pretty fun,” Davidson said.
Those performances helped push the Centaurs, who also won the ECC regular season title, to a 141.7 total.
It was the highest point performance of the season for The Academy and Tocchio hopes it means good things for the upcoming state competition.
“It does say good things. I think they are in good spirits and they know it’s reachable (both a state championship and a State Open title), because it is reachable. We have to have our best meet so that puts the pressure on a little bit. We just have to stay confident and we will be all right,” Tocchio said.
Abby Vaida posted a 33.7 and was best in the floor competition with a 9.05 score.
Grace Gronski finished with a 32.85 and Elise Boisvert had a 32.8 for the Centaurs.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director

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Winner
The red-hot Putnam Science Academy Lady Mustangs used a strong second half to top Redemption Christian Academy 83-51 Feb. 6. Kayla Robinson had a strong game and finished with 24 points, 6 steals and 4 assists to lead PSA (17-8) to their seventh straight win. Ari Koivisto scored 13 points and added 8 rebounds for PSA, while Abby Robinson added 13 points and 5 rebounds. Niya Fields is pictured. Courtesy photo.

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Donation
The Putnam Rotary Club donated $500 to TEEG Feb. 6. Left to right: Anne Miller, Rotarian and TEEG executive director; Putnam Rotary Club President Rick Place; and Christopher Burke, president of the TEEG Board of Directors. Linda Lemmon photo.

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Wreath Making
Liana Ward, 5, of Putnam, creates a Valentine wreath during the Fire and Ice Valentine event Feb. 10.  Crafts were available for kids in the Congregational Church of Putnam. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.

By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- It was the "best day ever" all around at the 8th annual Fire & Ice Valentine event in downtown Putnam.
Sheila Frost and Jenn Beckett of the Fire and Ice committee guesstimated that there were at least 8,000 in attendance Feb. 10.
Warmish temps inspired ice carvers to rethink their designs.
Restaurants such at the Courthouse and 85 Main, and others, reported high numbers as well.
The winners for the wedding cake competition were:
1st place Novice: Emma Walsh
1st Place Professional: Jonathan Salvas
People’s Choice Winner: Jonathan Salvas
Ice Carving Competition:
Amateur:
1st place: Matt Gibeault
2nd place: Marie Agresta
3rd place: Kayla Costabile
Group:
1st place: Salvatore and Jae Marano
2nd place: Woodstock Academy students
3rd place: Akanksha and Joel Tretheway
Professional:
1st Place: Steve White
2nd place: Arrik Kim
3rd place: Silvino Quengo.
"We are very pleased with this year's event," Frost added.