State Champs
Members of the Woodstock Academy gymnastics team proudly display their Class S state championship plaque. Courtesy photo.
Gymnasts
win 10th state
championship
There have been times when Woodstock Academy has traveled to the Class S state gymnastics championship and the outcome, barring a disaster, was preordained.
This was not one of those years.
The Centaurs knew they had to hit their routines to raise the string of consecutive state titles for the program to the double digits.
“The girls were definitely feeling the pressure especially after losing an in-season meet to Stonington this year. They didn’t want to be the ones to end the streak; no one does although it may come down to that at some point. The streak was riding on their shoulders but we kept telling them that it was just like the (Eastern Connecticut Conference championship), we had to beat Stonington,” said Woodstock Academy coach Kasey Tocchio.
Feb. 29 Woodstock Academy accomplished that.
The Centaurs recorded their second best total of the season, 140.425, and downed St. Joseph’s, which finished with a 138.325 total, to win their 10th consecutive state title. Stonington finished third with a 136.6 total.
It was the eighth straight Class S championship for Woodstock Academy.
Two Class M state titles preceded the run in Class S.
“It was probably more rewarding,” Tocchio said of the latest state title. “It wasn’t easy and the girls have worked so hard for it.”
Without their top gymnast, freshman Taylor Markley, and minus gifted athletes like Paige Stuyniski or Grace Logan, to carry the team, Woodstock Academy could hardly afford to make any mistakes.
It was coming off an ECC championship in which it beat Stonington by less than a point and the Bears were itching for a little payback.
The Centaurs weren’t about to let that happen.
ECC champ, Jenna Davidson, led the way again for the Centaurs. The senior found her groove, according to Tocchio, and stayed confident and calm.
Especially on the balance beam. Without question, the hardest apparatus for most gymnasts, Davidson sparkled, finishing with a 9.5.
That was .025 better than Lindsay Capobianco of St. Joseph’s.
Davidson was above 9.0 in all of her events.
She finished with a 9.375 score for her floor routine, added a 9.2 on the bars and a 9.1 in the vault.
She would have been the individual champion had the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference recognized individual champions in the state championship. Individual titles are reserved for the State Open competition.
The remainder of the Woodstock Academy gymnasts also scored above a 9.0 in one event each.
Lindsey Gillies did so in the vault (9.050); Emily Arters (9.350) and Elise Boisvert (9.025) both accomplished their best in the floor exercise.
Tocchio said there was never any real comfort during the meet as far as a feeling that the championship was theirs.
After the Centaurs finished beam, they watched St. Joe’s post some good team scores of their own on the apparatus.
“We were getting a little nervous, but I told them, there was nothing we could do about it. All we could do was go to the floor and do our best. That’s the weird thing about gymnastics, you never know,” Tocchio said.
A 36.35 performance as a team on the floor, better than the Cadets by almost a point, guaranteed the Centaurs the trophy they so desperately wanted.
The streaks are done.
There will be no pressure to keep a streak alive going into the State Open championship where the Centaurs have won seven of their last eight.
They will, however, once again go in as favorites. Southington is the nearest competitor.
The Blue Knights won the Class L state title Feb. 29 with a 139.32 total.
“I think that is just a huge confidence boost for the girls,” Tocchio said of the favorite status. “This week, I think we can just focus on beating ourselves. There are some really great teams but if we just do the same thing that we did, it will be all right.”
The Centaurs did record a 141-plus in a home meet against NFA earlier in the season.
But that was with Markley and without the freshman, the Centaurs may be close to their peak.
“The vault was a little tight (Saturday) so we could possibly score a little higher on vault. But for the most part, I think we did the best we could. I think 140, possibly 141, is the best we can do. I know we were hoping for the 140 on Saturday,” Tocchio said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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PUTNAM — Ryan Cowles, electrician in the facilities management department at Day Kimball Hospital, has been named employee of the month for November by Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH).
Day Kimball Healthcare’s employee of the month program is sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Cowles began working for DKH in September 2017. Prior to joining DKH, Cowles worked in the field as an electrician for 12 years. In his role, he is responsible for performing highly skilled maintenance, installation, repair and troubleshooting work with electrical systems in a number of areas.
Cowles received his electrician license from Independent Electrical Contractors of New England in Rocky Hill in 2003. He holds an E-1 license in the State of Connecticut and Journeyman License in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Originally from Old Wethersfield, he lives in Woodstock with his wife of 12 years, Jen, his 11-year-old daughter, Lyla, and their cat, Cal.
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DAYVILLE — For the 12th consecutive year, Westview Health Care Center, a 103 bed inpatient and outpatient skilled nursing facility has once again been reported to be among America’s Best Nursing Facilities in the U.S. with a 5 Star overall rating, according to US News & World Report and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The ratings come from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Nursing Home Compare data on over 15,500 nationwide Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the country. CMS sets and enforces standards for nursing homes enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid nationally. The facility’s overall rating is geared to its performance in state conducted health and fire safety inspections, nurse and therapy staffing, and quality of medical care. Westview has remained one of the United States’ Best 5 Star overall rated facilities since the inception of the US News and World Report published article 12 years ago and since the inception of the CMS 5 star ratings program.
Additionally, Westview is one of only seven nursing facilities in Connecticut and the only facility in Windham, Tolland, New Haven and Litchfield counties to achieve a perfect 5 star rating in every category from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for staffing levels, quality indicators, inspection results and fire safety inspections as of Jan. 1. The facility is also the highest staffed facility for nursing and therapies in Windham County and ranked the 16th highest staffed nursing facility in the State of Connecticut.
“This mark of distinction is a direct reflection of the dedication and work ethic of our remarkable team of health care professionals,” said Westview Administrator David T. Panteleakos. “This National achievement would not be possible without our amazing staff; and we will continue to work hard in order to provide a better quality of life for the patients and residents we serve, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our efforts.”
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Then
The Medbury and Trowbridge office off Main Street in Putnam was awash in mud following the Hurricane of 1936. Putnam Town Crier file photos.
& Now
This is the approximate location today.
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