Magician
With grand gusto, professional presence, and magnificent magic, David Reed-Brown delivered a remarkable show for the patients and residents of Westview Health Care Center. Through slight-of-hand and deft definitions of his tricks he wowed the population at the Dayville skilled nursing facility. David’s performance was highly interactive; involving residents, patients, and staff alike. Not only a performer, David now delights in teaching his talents to younger magicians in the Las Vegas area. One of the best moments of his show was not a trick—it was when he commented on the moment he fell in love with magic. Simply put: he said all that mattered was when he saw certain acts as an adult, it made him feel like he was 11 years old again. Stay youthful, friends.
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DKH recognized
PUTNAM — Day Kimball Health (DKH) received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Stroke is the fifth cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the nation.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts.
When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, and brain cells die.
Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.
“We are committed to improving patient outcomes by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Kyle Kramer, DKH CEO. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to utilize proven knowledge and guidelines on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to help ensure more people in northeast Connecticut can experience longer, healthier lives should they suffer a stroke.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
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DJ Dormu wins
Mustang Mile
The undefeated season, the third national championship…it’s all in the rearview mirror now.
After a month-plus of workouts and open gyms, the boys’ prep basketball team will hold its first official practice Tuesday. But Monday morning marked the unofficial start of the new season, as the team ran the 10th installment of the annual Mustang Mile.
DJ Dormu was the winner, crossing the finish line in five minutes, 27 seconds. Wadeng “Pop” Wel finished second at 5:43, just a tick ahead of Tarique Foster at 5:44. Will Lovings-Watts (6:00) and Darryl Simmons (6:02) rounded out the Top 5.
Anyone 6-foot-9 or taller must finish in seven minutes or less. Everyone else must be in by 6:15. Those who does not finish in time must run it again until they do. This year however is the first time everyone crossed the line in time on their first run.
In the afternoon, the team played a spirited game of softball in lieu of being on the court.
“It’s a great way to kick off the season,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “They’re two great traditions that we have been doing for many years.”
Sotirios Nafpliotis holds the Mustang Mile record of 5:14, set last year.
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To put it simply, Kagiso Mathabatha has been as advertised.
The postgrad center back on Putnam Science Academy’s Prep soccer team first impressed coach Ryan Dunnigan at a summer showcase in Atlanta with his solid technique, strong athleticism, and the intangibles that coaches like to see.
A month-plus into PSA’s season, KG as he known, is showing all the same qualities and has been the team’s most consistent player through the team’s 1-3 start. That includes Saturday’s difficult-to-swallow 1-0 loss at South Kent, a game in which PSA got the better of game play but didn’t finish the multiple scoring chances it had.
“He’s just been solid,” Dunnigan said recently. “He just doesn’t really make mistakes. His positioning is what it should be. His aggressiveness toward the ball is what it should be. He doesn’t get beat one-on-one.
“He just has such a mature approach to everything.”
That maturity was one of the intangibles Dunnigan noticed in Atlanta. When the games were over and the players had free time, most did the things that teenagers do – sleep, video games, scroll endlessly on their phones. But the Pretoria, South Africa native who was at Layton Christian Academy in Utah last school year, put all that aside to take online courses.
To be fair, KG said, he needed to get a couple more credits to finish off his high school diploma, so online courses over video games wasn’t a particularly difficult choice. Still, the decision reflected his character.
“That just comes from my parents,” he said. “The way I am now reflects on the way I was brought up. My parents have taught me to work hard on an off the pitch, that school was important to do well in. I’ve always taken that with me when I came to the States.
“Taking those courses, even though I was there for (soccer), I had to focus on my assignments so I could actually graduate.”
Dunnigan said KG is a Division I player, but the financial side of college soccer (where scholarships aren’t as readily available like they are in basketball and football) means he will likely end up in either Division II or III and really thrive as many former PSA players have.
For now though, the soft-spoken KG is trying to help his team get its season turned around.
PSA conceded a goal with 14 minutes to play off a set piece from just outside the box. PSA was without one of its top defenders on the play because the referee ordered him and a South Kent player to “take a break” after the two were jostling for position. This after PSA was unable to capitalize on three or four good scoring chances throughout the game.
“Losses like (Saturday) stay with me for a while,” he said. “I didn’t do much, talk much (Saturday night). That was a tough one. I’ve never seen anything like that before, to be honest. But we have to just keep learning from mistakes, keep it switched on at all times.”
Elite team wins one, drops one
PSA’s Elite team split a pair of games last week, taking down St. Thomas More 2-0 Wednesday two days after dropping a 2-0 decision at Woodstock’s second team Monday.
Shemeza Rubeya scored both PSA goals, the first coming about 15 seconds into the game and the next about 15 minutes later.
“I think that really helped us to be more confident,” Rubeya said of his quick strike. “We felt like the other team was a little bit scared because they conceded a goal so early. That was crazy.”
Angel Miguel played well in goal and Carlos Paniagua had a strong all-around game in the midfield for PSA.
It was an all-around better effort by PSA, which was outworked for much of the Woodstock game.
“They were much more physical than we were,” PSA coach Kurt Lunzmann said after that one. “We didn’t match that, and in some cases, we didn’t try to match that. We didn’t challenge balls in the first half and the ones we did, we didn’t win. So we need to be better with that.
“The second half was better. These are learning experiences for us.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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