Archive: Sports

Jake Sangren, All-American swimmer for Lansing, has decided to join the UB Bulls' swimming and diving program.  The University of Buffalo athletics news has the following information listed on its web site.

"Buffalo, NY – University at Buffalo swimming and diving coach, Andy Bashor, has announced the addition of 14 student-athletes to the swimming and diving program. Four women and 10 men representing six different states are set to join the Bulls for the upcoming season.

The Cortland Regional Sports Council has just released the line up for the upcoming Cortland Celtic Festival Heavy Athletics Competition being held on August 23rd at Cortland's Courthouse Park.

"We are pleased to announce the return of last year's Ferguson Cup Overall winner - Mike Zolkiewicz. Making a trip back to Cortland is Harrison Bailey, III who is a former World Champion. Will Barron, the inaugural winner of the Ferguson Cup Overall Competition and brother Dave Barron are always in the field and will be this year as well." said Machell Phelps, Executive Director of the Cortland Regional Sports Council. "In fact, all four of those competitors are ranked in the Top 10 of the USA National Championships. Hosting four of the top ten ranked professionals attests to the quality of our venue and competition."

The Cortland Regional Sports Council has just released the line up for the upcoming Cortland Celtic Festival Heavy Athletics Competition being held on August 23rd at Cortland’s Courthouse Park.   “We are pleased to announce the return of last year’s Ferguson Cup Overall winner – Mike Zolkiewicz.  Making a trip back to Cortland is Harrison Bailey, III who is a former World Champion.  Will Barron, the inaugural winner of the Ferguson Cup Overall Competition and brother Dave Barron are always in the field and will be this year as well.” said Machell Phelps, Executive Director of the Cortland Regional Sports Council.    “In fact, all four of those competitors are ranked in the Top 10 of the USA National Championships.  Hosting four of the top ten ranked professionals attests to the quality of our venue and competition.”

After 23 years at Lansing High School Ed Redmond left to take a position at Ithaca High School.  That left a pretty big hole in Lansing's athletic program, and left officials scrambling to fill what everyone agrees are big shoes.  Monday the Board Of Education approved the hiring of John Taylor as Athletic Director and Assistant Principal.

"I knew that we were going to struggle," Grimm says.  "The New York State regulations state that we have to have a Director of Physical Education that is a certified physical education teacher and school administrator.  Even Ed was not certified to fill that role.  As a district we were out of compliance because we did not have a Director of Physical Education."

Tompkins Girls Hockey Association (TGHA) announced its plans for the 2008-09 season which concludes the program's 35th anniversary year. The TGHA Board is making arrangements for travel team formation sessions September 13-14 for 19U, 16U, 14U and 12U Ithaca Shooting Stars teams; and for Initiation, House, and Recreation programs that begin in October.
 
The Ithaca Shooting Stars will be hosting its annual tournament December 5-7; last year 24 teams played in the four different age groups.

Sailing in high winds and heavy seas on Lake Ontario, the Ithaca Yacht Club racing team competed in the 2008 Junior Olympics, coming home with an impressive number of medals. Abi Light (10) and Philippe Williamson (13) won silver medals, respectively, in the White and Red Optimist fleets, Philippe also gained a bronze overall for the combined Optimist fleets. In the highly competitive Laser fleet, Ithaca's Luke Miller (14) placed an impressive eighth overall, and in the 420 fleet, the brother team of Christopher Rogers (15) and Jack Rogers (16), secured the silver medal. The regatta was a two day event sponsored by the US Sailing organization, held at the Rochester Yacht Club.

Ithaca Yacht Club Racing Team from left to right: Luke Miller, Chris Rogers, Jack Rogers, Abi Light, Philippe Williamson

----
v4i31

This year heralds some key changes in Lansing's Athletic program.  One of those changes is the new varsity football coach.  Bob Brantner will be following in Ed Redmond's shoes  as coach this year.  With past successes under Redmond, Brantner is looking forward to the challenge of continuing that success.  "It isn't often that a coach will leave a very successful program with a very successful team," he says.  "I am happy to try to meet that challenge, but it will be a challenge."

Brantner played center on his high school football team in Durand, Wisconsin under Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Pete Adler.  After graduating he helped scout for the team for a few years.  He got both a teaching degree and an athletic coaching degree from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls.  "I had a great coaching experience there," he recalls.  "It was a very hands-on coaching experience."

Lansing Athlete Shanna Swanson placed first in her category at the Cayuga Lakes Triathlon last Sunday.  With times of 12:32 for the 750 yard swim, 54:13 for the bike course, and 25:45 for the 5K (3.1 miles) run, Swanson,14, won the first place medal for the 15 and under girls category.  The triathlon, held at Taughannock Falls State Park, was a national championship event this year.

Swanson placed 317th overall, 75th among all females, and 1st in the Female 15 and Under catergory.  She placed impressively in swimming (124th overall, 25th among all females, and second in her age group) and running (266th overall, 51st among females and first in her age group).  "That isn't the greatest for bike," she says.  "Comparatively my swim and run times are about the same as people that placed better than me.  But the bike time was about ten minutes or so behind most people, so that set me way back."

Lansing's Board Of Education approved most of this year's coaching lineup at Monday's school board meeting, but a new Athletic Director was not on the roster.  After a dozen years in that Role Ed Redmond closed the door on that chapter a week ago when he left Lansing to take a position at Ithaca High School.  His last act as Athletic Director was to interview and recommend the hiring of the coaches for the 2008 - '09 school year.

Before the vote board member Richard Thaler said he had received phone calls questioning the hiring process, particularly as it effected the head football coach position.  Bob Brantner is slated for that position this year, following in the footsteps of Redmond, who coached football last year.  Brantner is married to High School Principal Michelle Brantner.  But Superintendent Stephen Grimm assured the board that the principal had no involvement in the hiring process, and that in the absence of a new athletic director Brantner will be reporting directly to Grimm.

Lansing High School will start this season with a big hole in its athletic program.  With the departure of Ed Redmond after 12 years as Lansing's Athletic Director, the district is scrambling to fill his position and some coaching positions for the Fall.  Principal Michelle Brantner says that his will be tough shoes to fill.  "People had no idea what Ed did here," she says.  "I think that's what happens when someone does their job very well."

Redmond was also Dean of Students, and coached baseball for 23 years and football on and off including last season.  Brantner says that she hopes to be able to name a replacement as soon as possible in this busy pre-season time.  "I hope soon," Brantner says.  "I hope we'll at least have an interim in place in the next week or so if we can find a viable interim candidate.  We are hoping to have a permanent person starting some time in September if we have a successful search process."

Monday evening saw what appeared to be a miniature soccer game in the middle of Myers Park.  Closer inspection proved that it WAS a miniature soccer game, with Kindergarten through Third Graders learning skills and playing games.  This was part of Mini-Soccer Camp, an annual offering of the Lansing Recreation Department, and coached by Lansing Varsity Soccer Coach Adam Heck.  "Every year we get about 50 kids and the high schoolers get to be on the other side of things where they get to organize the kids," Heck says.  "The young kids really enjoy being with the older kids."

Senior Lansing distance runner Ryann Cretney, saved the best for last.  In the final race of an already outstanding high school career, the talented harrier hurdled her way to a 2nd place showing in the Division II girls 2000m Steeplechase Saturday morning at the University of Buffalo.  When results were merged (all school sizes combined) she was able to sneak out a 6th place finish among all schools in NYS, earning her her first NYS Ferderation medal, a feat not easy to do coming from a small school.

Cretney’s time of 7:01.63 (FAT) smashed her own school record by more than 8 seconds.  Friend and rival, Erin Cawley of Newark Valley also had an outstanding day winning the Division II title in 6:53.19 (FAT).  Both ladies broke the Section 4 steeplechase record this weekend of 7:02, set by former Horseheads standout Alexis Lake.  Cawley and Cretney’s performances were the two fastest steeplechases Section 4 has ever seen.  They also rank among the top 10 fastest in the United States this year.