Category: Ridgewood Sports

Posted on by — 10 Comments

Removing trees from Schedler site would be wrong

maple+field1-300x19911

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print

Removing trees from Schedler site would be wrong

To the Editor:

A matching grant application from the Village of Ridgewood for the development of the Schedler property was sent to the Bergen County Division of Open Space on Sept. 1. Once again, two council members were not informed of it (seemingly a pattern on many issues) and no resolution had been presented for council approval prior to the submission of the application.

This became evident at the Sept. 9 council meeting.

In addition, I understood that the $100,000 that was referenced in the grant under funding sources was from the Ridgewood Baseball Association. After reviewing the application online, I see it actually comes from municipal capital funds. Other questionable statements appear in the document as well.

Regardless of one’s opinion on the 90-foot baseball diamond proposed at the Schedler property, the process has been greatly flawed. Not a single comment both written and stated in public expressing concerns about the project have been included or addressed in the municipal plans for development of said property.

Particularly troubling is the pending removal of 4 acres of trees and woods that protect the property from its dangerously close proximity to Route 17. It appears that village employees will do the work. We have a reduced staff (from a high of nine employees down to three). The village is backlogged on shade tree maintenance and/or removal where it is clearly needed for safety reasons. Many of the Schedler trees are mature healthy trees.

There is also concern that when fully vetted, the 90-foot diamond may not be viable at that location. The trees may be removed in vain.

If you take Route 17 North and turn right onto West Saddle River Road and visit the Schedler property, which is immediately on the left, you will understand how devastating the loss of those trees will be to the neighborhood and to us all. The proposed field will be open to all Bergen County teams as the property was purchased with Bergen County grants. The children playing there will be eighth grade and older.

Schedler advocates wanted a smaller field incorporated into the park development plan along with the preservation of the Zabriskie house.

The removal of the trees is bad for the neighborhood, for Ridgewood and for our environment. I am appalled that the process has been so arbitrary and selective and, in my opinion, morally wrong.

Linda McNamara

Ridgewood

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-removing-trees-from-schedler-site-would-be-wrong-1.1412546

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Old plans could present solution for Schedler

zabriskieschedler_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print

Old plans could present solution for Schedler

To the Editor:

There can be a sensible alternative to construction of a 90-foot baseball/multiuse field in a heavily wooded area on the Schedler property, and with little cost to the sports groups or the village. There is an existing 80-foot field at Pleasant Park that can be expanded to 90 feet. An existing plan, before the purchase of Schedler, might well be a solution.

In fact, both Veteran’s Field and the Pleasant Field were slated to become 90-foot fields as replacements when the field at Benjamin Franklin Middle School was turned into a track. A 2007-08 report on our Parks and Facilities by Schoor-DePalma-CMX (“Comprehensive Parks, Facilities and Recreation Plan”), paid for by the village, was presented to the council in 2008 recommending that the 80-foot existing baseball field at Pleasant Park be expanded, as well as Veteran’s Field, which now has a 90-foot field.

Of course, this report was written before the Schedler property was purchased.

After Schedler was purchased, the Pleasant Park extension was discarded. Reasons for the change by the village were soil conditions, objections by neighbors, permits from the DEP, etc. But no studies were ever done, and to my knowledge, no correspondence with the state.

The Pleasant Park neighbors are right to be concerned that a 90-foot field brings lights, noise, and traffic that could disrupt the Lawns neighborhood. But why are their concerns more important to the town than the residents on the east side.

Why not revive the idea of adding just a few feet to the existing 80-foot field at Pleasant with the following restrictions: no lights, no turf, and strict penalties for loud and disturbing behavior. As long as the players and fans play by the rules, the neighbors should be glad to help out. We would balance the loss of less than an acre of trees versus over 5 acres of trees at Schedler.

Sure, it would be nice to go across town to an area of east side residents near the Schedler property, put up a field, put in over 70 parking spaces and create problems on a narrow roadway, not to mention cutting down acres of trees that buffer the view and sounds of Route 17.

A traffic study in the middle of August on a residential street is not the right time to see what traffic is really like when school is out, when rush hour occurs, etc.

If this village is concerned about money, how would they justify an outlay of at least $1 million to level 5 acres at least, in an area that is uneven at best, put in a field, create a large berm around most of the property as buffer so trucks or cars don’t crash into the field?

The solution, a much less expensive solution, one that was proposed in the report, paid for by the village, is to extend the field at Pleasant.

Ellie Gruber

Ridgewood

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-ridgewood-should-revist-old-plans-1.1412615

Posted on by — 2 Comments

We Are not Joking ,Pallone Calls for Congress to Investigate Fantasy football leagues

Frank Pallone

September 16,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , Not worried about ISIS, jobs, immigration, Veterans or taxes Democrat Frank Pallone is concerned  that Fantasy Football leagues are undermining the moral fabric of western society.

 On September 14th New Jersey’s own Congressmen Frank Pallone , sent a letter to his Republican counterparts on Monday, asking the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to “hold a hearing examining the relationship between professional sports and fantasy sports to review the legal status of fantasy sports and sports betting.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf )

Pallone called on Congress to investigate fantasy sports websites that have thus far evaded restrictions on online gambling. Pallone has cited FanDuel and DraftKings as particularly prominent daily fantasy sites. In a recent letter to Fred Upton Chair of the House Energy and Commerce committee  “Anyone who watched a game this weekend was inundated by commercials for fantasy sports websites, and it’s only the first week of the NFL season,” he said in a statement Monday. “These sites are enormously popular, arguably central to the fans’ experience, and professional leagues are seeing the enormous profits as a result. Despite how mainstream these sites have become, though, the legal landscape governing these activities remains murky and should be reviewed.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf )

Pallone also conjured concerns that players might use fantasy sports to bet on games. “Team involvement in daily fantasy sports also raises questions of whether players or league personnel, who may be able to affect the outcome of a game, should be allowed to participate in daily fantasy sports,” he wrote in a September 14 letter to his GOP counterparts on the committee. “Given the professional sports leagues professional players [sic] deep involvement with fantasy sports, this Committee, as the committee with jurisdiction over professional sports and gambling, should examine the relationship between fantasy sports and gambling and the relationships between professional sports leagues, teams, players, and fantasy sports operators.” (https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/hearing%20request%20Fantasy%20Sport%20Sept14.2015.pdf)

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Ridgewood seeks Bergen County grant for Schedler property development

Zabriskie-Schedler_Property_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015, 9:35 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Improvements to existing baseball fields and the potential installation of a new one were on the agenda for the Village Council last Wednesday evening.

The governing body approved a gift from the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) and endorsed a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for a matching open space grant from Bergen County.

The village is seeking a grant from the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund, which provides matching grants to local governments for assistance in redeveloping outdoor public facilities.

Last month, the council adopted a resolution to follow recommendations made in a 2012 Open Space Committee report that called for a 90-foot baseball diamond and a multi-purpose overlay field along with passive recreation opportunities to be built on the Schedler property.

A matching grant of $100,000 is available for Schedler Park Development – Phase I, which includes cleaning the park of dead trees, demolishing the garage and shed, stump removal and the capping of a well, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.

The timing of the grant application prompted questions from both residents and council members as the deadline for submission to Bergen County was Sept. 3.

The resolution had only been approved Sept. 9, a week later.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/funding-sought-for-schedler-property-1.1410011

Posted on by — 15 Comments

Quid pro quo or just a coincidence – RBSA $100k donation

RBSA
September 11,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Is it just a coincidence that the Village Council’s approval, by a 3-2 vote, of a controversial 90 foot baseball field at Schedler came less than 30 days prior to a $100k donation from the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association, in the form of matching funds for a Bergen County Open Space Grant, or is this a classic case of quid pro quo?  What say you?

And why were some Village Council members kept completely in the dark as to the grant application and the donation?

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Odds Are, Your Sport-Playing Child Isn’t Going Pro. Now What?

score board

By KJ DELL’ANTONIA SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 5:45 AM

Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

Parents investing large amounts of time and money in their athletic offspring with the belief that they’re nurturing a possible professional player should take note: Odds are, you’re wrong.

But you’re not alone. An astonishing 26 percent of parents with high-school-age children who play sports hope their child will become a professional athlete one day, according to a recent pollfrom NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The percentages are even greater among less-educated and lower-income parents: 44 percent of parents with a high school education or less and 39 percent of parents with a household income of less than $50,000 a year are dreaming of the bigs and the majors for their kids.

Those parents are deluding themselves, and possibly cheating their children out of other opportunities if they are demanding a single-minded approach to the game. The National Collegiate Athletic Association puts the real odds right up front on its website, and they’re nowhere near one in four. For baseball, only a little more than half of 1 percent of high school players who go on to play in college will be drafted by Major League Baseball (0.6 percent), and even of those, most will not ever play in the majors — only about 17 percent of draft picks play in even a single big league game. That means only about 1 in 1,000 baseball players who play in high school ever gets a chance in make it big — and the odds of becoming a real star are even smaller.

And that’s baseball. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the odds of going from high school play and then college to become a professional baseball player are higher than those in football, men’s or women’s basketball, or men’s soccer. (The percentages for men’s ice hockey are similar to those for baseball.) Of that 26 percent of hopeful baseball parents, to stick to that example, about 98 percent will be disappointed.

https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/odds-are-your-sport-playing-child-isnt-going-pro-now-what/?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Unequal’s Gyro helmet liner the latest in military-grade football protection

RHS_Stadium_turffield_theridgewoodblog

Under the brightest of Friday night lights, a little history was made on December 19 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. When Cedar Park took on Ennis for the 5A Conference, Division 2 championship, which Ennis won 38-35, it was more than a football game between Austin and Dallas-area schools.

A Pennsylvania-based company known as Unequal touted the matchup as the first time two opposing high schools would meet in a Texas State High School football championship game with supplemental protection — a product Unequal calls Gyro — inside their helmets.

The quarter-inch thick liner, which sells for $60, is made of a military grade composite — strengthened by Kevlar and Accelleron — which absorbs and disperses impact energy away from the head and body in a way that typical padding of equal weight and thickness cannot.

With growing concerns about traumatic head injuries in football, there are already coaches calling for this type of added protection to be mandated at all levels.

“I saw how effective the Kevlar products were for quarterback rib injuries, and running back shoulder injuries,” says former college and NFL coach June Jones, “and that triggered me to see if we could use it in thigh pads. The players were amazed at how good they felt after games. Finally, I wondered, ‘Why don’t we put it in our helmets?’ We did last year at SMU and it made a difference.”

Rob Vito, a Penn State business school professor who is president and founder of Unequal, says his company originally started with military contracts, until one day a United States Marine who was a student at Penn State told Vito, “You made a bullet proof vest that’s lighter, thinner and more flexible, and make soldiers safer. You should be able to dominate sports.”

https://www.si.com/edge/2014/12/22/unequal-gyro-helmet-liner-nfl-ncaaf-football-protection-gear#

Posted on by — 1 Comment

RHS Football Preview embracing the new

RHS_stadium_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD — The opening of the 2015 football season is a week away for Ridgewood High School, and there is still plenty of jockeying for positions as the team prepares to break a five-game losing streak that put a major damper on the 2014 campaign.

Before they get going for real, the Maroons will play a game scrimmage tonight against a Ramapo team that should be a strong test for the defense. The 7 o’clock tilt should facilitate the finalization of starting units over the first three quarters.

A couple of spots opened up due to preseason circumstances. Senior fullback/linebacker Cooper Telesco will be sidelined for the entire season after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in July. Two-way lineman Terrel Stephen moved to Indiana over the summer, leaving Ridgewood with some gaping holes.

“Any time you lose arguably your two best players it is a big blow,” RHS head coach Chuck Johnson said. “What I’m most pleased about is that this group is not letting that define them. They’ve stepped up to the challenge of carrying on, and they’ve worked very hard to prepare for this season.”

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/football/maroons-embracing-the-new-1.1403727

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Ridgewood Soccer ready to play up to potential

SoccerBall theridgewoodblog.net

AUGUST 28, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD — It’s the time of year when optimism sweeps across the high school sports world, making every player and coach think this could be the fall for a surprising turnaround, a record-setting season or even a championship run.

The feeling is no different around the Ridgewood boys soccer team, and with a talented defense leading an overall balanced squad, it has good reason to be excited for the 2015 campaign. But with the first five contests of the season scheduled against Freedom Division foes, the Maroons are well aware that all positive feelings could be erased with a bad two-week stretch.

“What we’re really focused on are the first five games in our [division] because that will decide everything else,” Ridgewood head coach Joe Gyulay, in his third year at the helm, said before practice Tuesday afternoon.

A good start is paramount for a Maroons team that experienced an uneven season in 2014, several times rising to meet stiff challenges but ultimately enduring a difficult 6-10-3 campaign.

Ridgewood played its best against Freedom Division champion Northern Highlands, tying the Highlanders in a home contest early in the year and then taking them to overtime on the road before dropping a 2-1 decision in late October.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-soccer/boys-team-aiming-for-a-fast-start-1.1399894

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Youth Baseball: ‘World’ renown has become tradition in Ridgewood

maple+field1-300x19911

AUGUST 28, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY GREG TARTAGLIA
SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD — Charlie Ponkop and a five-line blurb in The Ridgewood News started it all.

The Ridgewood U14 Raiders’ recent trip to the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Mich. — and welcome home celebration staged on Monday — marks the latest chapter in the village’s longtime devotion to youth baseball.

A glance at the archives of The Ridgewood Herald-News (as it was then called) revealed an entry in then sports editor Bob Curley’s column, “Curley Cues”, on June 16, 1949 that extended an invitation to youngsters seeking a summer activity:

“Boys in the eight, nine and ten year old age group, who are not playing baseball, should contact Charlie Ponkop at the Ridgewood YMCA … Should interest warrant, Ponkop will organize a league for you fellas [sic].”

One year earlier, former Ridgewood High School athletics coach Minous Cannon had helped launch the town’s Midget, Junior and Young Mens’ Baseball Leagues, according to the July 11, 1948 News.

It was Ponkop, however, who initiated the Ridgewood Small Fry Baseball League that produced the village’s first “Little World Series” qualifiers.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/world-renown-a-long-standing-tradition-for-village-1.139996

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Touring the camps: Ridgewood football

RHS_Sports_theridgewoodblog

AUGUST 23, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015, 1:20 AM
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD – There is a very different feel to the Ridgewood football team as it embarks on the 2015 campaign. The first thing that pops out is the filled-out bodies, especially among the linemen.

There is also a different intensity, one likely borne out of the disappointing way the Maroons ended the 2014 season. After starting 5-0 and outscoring opponents 220-24, they fell prey to their success.

A 35-0 loss to Paramus, a defeat that head coach Chuck Johnson called, “one of the most embarrassing moments in my 30 years here,” started a five-game losing streak.

Senior Mike Kendrick probably said it best when he recalled, “we basically got smacked in the mouth and didn’t react.”

That memory is what drives Kendrick and the rest of the seniors. You can see it in practice, as there is an extra spark to every drill.

“We’re learning from the mistakes of last year,” said Kendrick, the left tackle and only returning starter on the offensive line. “We know we have to be better than last year. We’re watching every film to see where it went wrong and focusing on being better and working on getting stronger to be able to go up against the better linemen.”

Johnson was proud that six of his players bench pressed more than 300 pounds this spring, a sign that the Maroons have bought into the work ethic.

The linemen, offensively and defensively, average an extra 20 pounds per man. How strength translates to blocking schemes is still a big question.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/football/maroons-kick-it-up-a-notch-1.1396937

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fall Aquatic Programs at the Ridgewood YWCA

Ridgewood-YMCA_theridgewoodblog
YWCA Swim Team for Ages 5 to 14

Fall Swim Team

YWCA Now Offers a Swim Team for Ages 5 Through 14 YWCA Bergen County now offers a Swim Team for ages 5 to 14 years at 112 Oak Street in Ridgewood. The YW Swim Team offers the best combination of team sport and individual challenge with an emphasis on skill development, positive values and competitive experiences. Swimmers will have the opportunity to refine the 4 major strokes (Freestyle, Back Stroke, Breast Stroke and Butterfly), and compete in future local mini-meets. Practices focus on swim time management, endurance training, stroke development and dry land exercises. Children should be Level 4 or higher and age 5 or older, know all four competitive strokes and be able to swim multiple laps of the pool. The session will be held September 8th through October 31st. For ages 8 years and under, the program will be held Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For ages 9 to 14 years, the program will be held Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The 8 week program fee is $240. For register for YWCA’s Swim Team, please call the Membership Department at 201-444-5600, ext. 400.

YWCA Pre and Post Natal Fitness Classes

YWCA Bergen County offers Pre and Post Natal Fitness Classes YWCA Bergen County offers Pre and Post Natal Fitness classes for new and expectant moms. Prenatal Fitness features a low impact cardio workout, strength work and stretching appropriate for expectant mothers up until due date. A physician’s approval note is required at first class. Prenatal class is held on Tuesdays from 9:30 – 10:30 am. On Tuesdays from 10:30 – 11:30 am Just the 2 of Us postnatal fitness class is offered. Class begins with 15 minutes of infant massage, followed by a varied 45 minute workout for moms. Please bring infant seat and blanket for baby. Moms should wear sneakers and comfortable clothing for exercise. Prenatal Aquacise is great for a healthy pregnancy on Wednesdays from 1:30 – 2:15 pm. This class will include deep and shallow water exercise. Preregistration is required. Please bring physician’s approval note to first class. Post natal exercisers are also welcome! Pre and Post Natal Fitness classes will be held at the YWCA, 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood. The YWCA offers dozens of fitness classes as part of its 360 Movement fitness membership. Drop-in child care is also available. For more information or to register, call the Membership Department at 201-444-5600 ext. 400.
Posted on by — 14 Comments

Reader says Let’s look at what’s needed to support the needs of youth sports in town

maple+field1-300x19911

One of those 3 60×90 fields is a mess. Lower Hawes barely fits 90 foot baselines. First and third are at the edge of the infield. I think the RBSA has proposed addressing this field but have been turned down by the BOE and the neighborhood. The Somerville field is in good shape and functional but is also a full dirt infield, not the best for ‘true’ baseball. The primary field at Vets was in rough shape at the end of the high school season. Too many teams playing too many games on that field.
.
I’m a broken record — let’s thank the Willard school district for all of this. They helped pass the vote for getting their school extended while including the field changes at the high school and BF (removing a 60×90 and a softball field). We can go back further to who proposed putting into that vote the field changes and Willard changes. Can’t continue to post-blame at this point.
.
Let’s look at what’s needed to support the needs of youth sports in town. If soccer, baseball, softball, lax and other field sports can use the field, why is that such a bad thing? I believe (and could be wrong) that there was a review of the field usage and needs in town and we came up short. Schedler will help alleviate these needs.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood teen makes history by becoming 1st to swim 21 miles across New York Bight

charlotte-samuels

By Maria Guardado | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Follow on Twitter
on August 22, 2015 at 7:38 PM, updated August 22, 2015 at 11:50 PM

Open-water swimming sensation Charlotte Samuels made history on Saturday by becoming the first person to swim 21 miles across the New York Bight.

NJ teen prepares to make 20-mile swim from Long Island to Jersey ShoreCharlotte Samuels, of Ridgewood, is preparing to swim 20 miles from Long Island to the Jersey Shore. This should be no problem after what she accomplished last summer, swimming the 28-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the 20-mile Catalina Channel and the 21-mile English Channel. (Video by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Samuels, 17, began her journey at approximately 7:20 a.m. on Long Island’s Atlantic Beach and finished on the northern edge of Sea Bright, N.J., at 4:50 p.m. Though the Ridgewood teen had estimated that the swim would take 12 to 16 hours, she ended up cruising to a sub-10-hour finish.

While 10 hours in the water may seem daunting, it was a relatively smooth ride for Samuels, who last year completed a pair of 20-hour swims en route to becoming the world’s youngest Triple Crown swimmer.

https://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/08/ridgewood_teen_becomes_1st_to_swim_20_miles_across.html

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Celebrates the Junior League All Star Baseball team,winners of the Junior Little League East Region Championship

RBSA Champs rn-eastchamps

RBSA- Welcome Home – Celebration for U-14 – Monday, August 24th

The RBSA will hold a victory celebration for the U14 Ridgewood Junior League All Star team, winners of the Junior Little League East Region Championship. The team is competing the week of August 16-23 in the Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Michigan. There will be a welcome home celebration taking place on Monday, August 24 between 2-4pm at Van Neste Park in the Village of Ridgewood. The team will have a police escort down East Ridgewood Avenue to the park, where they will be greeted by Mayor Paul Aronsohn, the Town Council and town residents to commemorate their accomplishments.

There will be food and music. Please come out to line the streets in celebration as we welcome home our U14 East Region champions.