The Before
This photo was taken before the Kennedy Drive commuter lot was closed April 7. The lot will be closed for construction for four to six weeks, according to Mayor Barney Seney. Crews will be removing paving, digging trenches to run electrical lines and more. And then repaving. Seney said said, “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your anticipated cooperation.”  The storm water discharge system is completed. It channels runoff under Kennedy Drive to be filtered before releasing the water into the Quinebaug. Linda Lemmon photo.

More 'Before'
The parcel next door to Gerardi Insurance Hilb Group, is now cleared. A 6,000-foot  addition will get underway soon. Linda Lemmon photo.

Preview - Girls’ Tennis 
Cocozza-O’Hara to guide Centaurs
Dena Cocozza O’Hara is not a new face around the Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis team.
She helped boys’ coach Siana Green coach the girls’ team a year ago and also serves as the coach of the Pomfret School boys’ team, whose facility the Centaurs use throughout the course of the spring.
But now, she is officially the girls’ coach of the Woodstock program.
“I’m thrilled and to be honest, because Siana and I have worked so well together, it’s not like I’m going to try and spread my wings, I love it the way that it is. I have been training some of these kids since they were five or six years-old so it’s really nice to see them go and scaffold to see them do things. I just have never been in a position to do so,” O’Hara said.
But with her own children grown, O’Hara is free a bit more to pursue her true passion- tennis.
O’Hara was an All-American in three sports but opted to play tennis when she attended UConn. She then went off to Spain to play before returning stateside.
‘It’s a great game; a lifelong game. It’s like life. Make a mistake, correct it, and then you can do better, it’s about progress not perfection,” she said.
The players are certainly all for the elevation of O’Hara.
“I love Dena so much. She helps the girls out so much and is super-encouraging and super-kind,” said senior co-captain Linnea Barlow.
“I’m pretty excited for the year and just seeing the girls playing together is really nice,” said fellow co-captain Abby Budd.
The Centaurs will miss some key players from a year ago where they qualified for the state tournament with a 6-9 record and finished with a 4-2 mark in ECC Div. II.
The Centaurs did lose five players from a year ago; Peyton Bentley, Ellie Bishop-Klee, Maeve Lusignan, Emma Massey and Margaux Reck.
But many are  returning including the two co-captains and Katie Bruce as seniors; juniors Gianna Musumeci, Kerrigan Reynolds and Wynter Worth. Delilah Kesselman and Catherine Trudeau are sophomores.
Worth, Musumeci, Reynolds, Trudeau and Kesselman are all vying for singles spots and others could follow.
The program also has four freshmen that may or may not play some official matches as there is no JV team but O’Hara said they are important as she loses the three seniors next year.
The Centaurs do have the advantage of playing at Pomfret School.
Early in the season, it’s a gift as other teams are trapped inside a gym when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
“We are so grateful to Pomfret for letting us use the courts and we’re the only team that has inside courts right now so it’s nice to have this,” Budd said.
The division is what O’Hara has her sights set upon.
 “I would like to continue to compete for the Div. II title and make States again. More so, I look at it as skill-based. I want them to learn some new skills, because it carries over to life. I want them to enjoy themselves. This is a grind. You have to be out here day in and day out, win or lose, and my job is to establish that team culture. I have graduates who come back. That is my gold star,” O’Hara said.
She agrees that playing at Pomfret School is a profound advantage.
 “Our Woodstock families have been phenomenal” helping, O’Hara said.
The other nice thing about Pomfret is that it also has the outdoor option right next to the indoor courts which can be used when the weather improves.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

caption:

Seniors Linnea Barlow, left,  and Abby Budd will serve as captains for the Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis team this season. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.

Preview – Boys’ Track
Seeking elusive dual meet win
While the girls’ outdoor track team has been experiencing a lot of success in Div. I of the ECC, the boys have had a little more difficulty navigating the waters against the likes of Fitch, East Lyme and Norwich Free Academy.
“We have it tough with those three, they are always difficult. East Lyme is always strong in the same events that we are strong in especially this year. That’s always tough matchup. NFA just has so many kids on their team and it’s tough to beat the numbers game. Fitch, generally, has a lot of talented sprinters and jumpers. Fitch and Stonington might be opportunities for wins this year,” coach Gerry LaMontagne said.
The Centaurs were 0-3 a year ago and have not won a dual meet since 2021.
There are 45 athletes who signed up for the team and most have been consistently coming to practice.
That includes 10 who identify as sprinters which has traditionally been a soft spot.
On the opposite side of that, one of the strengths of the Centaurs, middle and distance runners, will remain so as both Christian Menounos and Colton Sallum return for their last campaigns as seniors.
“It doesn’t feel real. I had 11 total seasons before this and this is my 12th and last one. It’s kind of surreal to have all my running here to come to an end- a little hard to digest,” Sallum said.
Sallum is coming off a tremendous indoor track season where he finished with a personal best that, according to LaMontagne, “blew away” anything the senior had accomplished previously.
“I think indoor was a huge confidence boost for me. I had some personal bests and broke some school records,” the senior said.
LaMontagne said he is really looking forward to see what both Menounos and Sallum can accomplish this season.
“They will be stalwarts for this team and they are great leaders as well. All of the other distance runners look up to them. They are great at leadership. They are encouraging, demand a lot of themselves and that translates. The other kids see it and want to mimic it, work hard and follow that lead,” LaMontagne said.
Menounos also holds several Woodstock school records but he wouldn’t mind bettering those.
“I want to bring down my school records a lot to make it hard for the upcoming class to come and get.” Menounos said. "The 400 meter record I have not got yet and I will be working on my speed early, running some 400’s and hopefully, I can snatch that record. It has been up there for 20 years; and lower my record in the 800 to maybe 1 minute, 52 seconds and lower my mile as well.”
LaMontagne also has another source for optimism and that comes from the throws.
Junior Eli Manning qualified for States in both the shotput and discus a year ago and LaMontagne is hopeful that he could challenge for an ECC individual title.
David Sumner threw the shotput over 40-feet during the indoor track season and LaMontagne thinks he can improve on that.
Kayden Menor and Chandler Folkerts have also steadily improved in another lesser known event, the hammer.
In addition to those athletes, the Centaurs also should have a good amount of leadership from a host of seniors as sprinters Aiden Brailsford, Aidan Kane and Gabe Luperon are on the squad alongside senior classmates Eli Susi (pole vault); Michael Susi (throws) and Khang Tran (distance).
“I love the outdoor season,” LaMontagne said. “I’m looking forward to see what all of our returners are going to be able to do. A lot of these guys I have watched for the last four years and it’s going to be fun to see what they can do and how far they can push themselves,” LaMontagne said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

.