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By Ron P. Coderre
It’s great to be getting back into the groove following a semi-hiatus from the everyday hustle and bustle as we celebrated Christmas and the turn of the year 2013 in a relaxed manner with family and friends.
Our “New Year’s eve baby” for 2013, so to speak, is Bill Salvas. Happy birthday, Bill, as RPC extends his initial 2013 sports shoutout to you, birthday boy.
The New Year came in on the rough side for a couple of local good sports who encountered medical issues. RPC extends get well wishes to former Putnam High School three-sport standout and all-around good guy Gerry Vaillant and Tony Pasiakos.
Vaillant, known for his active participation in many local charitable and volunteer ventures, was sidelined by chest pain that required surgery, rehabilitation and recuperation at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.
His good friend Michael “Peach” Campbell reports that he speaks with Gerry regularly. According to the latest Campbell-gram, Vaillant was expected to be out of ICU Dec. 3. He’s been rehabbing and itching to move from St. Francis as soon as his post-surgical pain subsides. He was expected to be moved to Matulaitis Rehab in Putnam over the past weekend. He’s in great spirits and says hello and thank you to all of his friends for their prayers, concerns, get well wishes and cards.
Send Gerry a note at his home address, 13 Memorial Terrace, Putnam. It’s certain to get to his bedside and will definitely cheer him along on the road to recovery.
Pasiakos, owner of Someplace Special Restaurant, prepared for the upcoming golf season with one-day surgery to take care of some back issues that have been plaguing him and limiting his mobility. The successful surgery and the recuperation process is ahead of schedule. If you see Pasiakos, wish him well or better yet, stop by Someplace Special and say hello.
Visitor From The Far West…
The Christmas holiday season witnessed the appearance of former Putnam Clipper basketball and cross country standout Ross Franklin. He was in town with his wife and son all the way from Arizona spending time with his dad, Roger Franklin.
Spotted in the Putnam gym for the Clipper Classic, Franklin revealed it was the first time he’d been in the locale where he played since he graduated from high school. He used the opportunity to show his son what Putnam basketball was all about and to “see where dad played.”
Franklin is currently a sports photographer for a major wire service. He covers all sporting events in Arizona and New Mexico. His next assignment upon returning to Arizona was the Fiesta Bowl in Mesa.
Volleyball Gaining Notoriety…
Volleyball is rapidly becoming a major sport in the U.S. with the advent of the game in the Olympics and TV coverage of beach volleyball contests on prime time television.
Woodstock Academy sophomore, Kendall Wilcox was recently selected as co-captain of her high performance U-16 volleyball team. The Huskies and Wilcox will be competing throughout the country in the coming months at the highest level of volleyball play.
Kendall Wilcox is the daughter of Erin and Keith Wilcox of Pomfret and the granddaughter of Deb and Bob Darigan of East Mattunick, R.I., and Florida.
Trinity College Softball Clinic…
Trinity College in Hartford is once again running its Bantam Hitting Clinic for middle school and high school softball player,s according to word received from coach Caitlin Hitchcock. The clinic is an opportunity for young aspiring softball players to work on fastpitch hitting skills with the coaches and players from the Trinity College softball program.
The program is scheduled for Feb. 10 at the Ferris Athletic Center Field House on the Trinity campus , 300 Summit St., Hartford. Interested players are urged to sign up by Feb. 3 as space is limited. There are two sessions. Session #1 is for players grades 6 through 8 and runs from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. Session #2, for grades 9 through 12, is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m.
Participants are urged to bring their own bat and helmet. If they don’t have the equipment, it will be provided at the clinic. For more information, interested individuals or coaches should contact coach Hitchcock at 860 297-4032 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Caitlin Hitchcock, the successful softball coach at Trinity College, an NCAA Division III program, is a resident of Putnam where she lives with her husband, Bryan and their daughter, 2-year-old Ryleigh.
Hoop Shoot and More…
The Putnam Lodge of Elks is once again sponsoring its annual Hoop Shoot contest for local boys and girls ages 8 through 13. Take note, the event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 12 at Putnam Middle School. Registration opens at 9 a.m. According to Exalted Ruler Shawn Tessier, the participants will be divided into three age groups: 8-9, 10-11, and 12-13. This annual event is an opportunity for kids to have fun with an opportunity to advance to the next level and possibly on to the National competition.
Winners of Saturday’s local competition will move on to District level competition scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 27 at Killingly High School.
A reminder for baseball enthusiasts, the National Baseball Coaches Clinic is this weekend Jan. 10, 11, and 12 at the Mohegan Sun. A great line up of presenters will be on hand, including former Boston Red Sox leftfielder and Hall of Famer Jim Rice. For more information visit www.BaseballCoachesClinic.com or call 860 674-1500.
And for the football players in the reading audience, from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 13, NOW is presenting a free Football Clinic at the Tourtellotte Memorial High School gym. The program, which will feature many local high school coaches, is for anyone ages 5 through 14, according to NOW publicist Atty. Ed Higgins. For more information go to www.NOWinMotion.org or call 860 928-3404.
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: If you wish to make success of life, try using the advice you give to others.