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Annual Schedule of Events |
[ Golf Tournament ] [ Fourth of July Events ] [ Scholarship ] [ Inductee Banquet ]
Annual Golf Tournament
Annual ENFIELD ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME GOLF TOURNAMENT
The 11th annual Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame golf "classic" was held May 2007 at the Oak Ridge Country Club. If you are interested in playing in next year tournament (May 2008), we will take 1,2,3 or 4 golfers at a time. We will pair you up if needed. If you have your own team, then we will gladly put you together. If you desire to obtain more information or to sign up, contact: Tim Jensen @ 798-6194, or Jerry Wingen @ 749-6701, or Paul DaSilva @ 741-2767, or Scott Marek @ 763-3647.
The Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame committee holds a yearly golf tournament as our main fund raiser. The Tournament is usually held at Oak Ridge Golf Club, 850 South Westfield Street, Feeding Hills Mass. Shotgun start with Scramble format. Special prizes wre awarded for winners of the closest to pin, long drive, Par 3, and 50/50 contest. Hole in one prizes including new automobile. The price of the tournament includes: 18 hole green fee, golf cart, full course barbeque buffet lunch and dinner, and prizes.
Over the last few years, we have averaged over 100 golfers at this fun-filled event. Great fun, food, and sun have been the call of the day. Bill Lee, Ex-Red Sox pitcher played in 1998 as our special guest celebrity. This year's celebrity is yet to be announced.
We are always looking for corporate sponsors for each hole and tee-green. This is a great way to show your individual/corporate pride in the Hall of Fame and advertise your company. All of our signs were professionally done. We are also looking for donations for raffle and golf prizes. Please donate or assist in the donation of prizes if you can. We appreciate it.
There are usually limited spots available in the tourney, so please reserve early by contacting one of the individuals above. All spaces will be filled on a first-come-first serve basis with payment.
Sign-up forms will be available by calling the above. This is one tournament you will not want to miss. Come on out and support the Enfield Hall of Fame and swing with the best! Many of the Hall of Famers will be present.
Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame July 4th Festivities
Sports Auction
In the past the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame autograph auction has been held during the July 4th holiday weekend on the Town Green or at the Annual Induction banquet. In past year's we have raffle off over 20 personally autographed items of sports celebrities and entertainers to benefit our scholarship foundation to Enfield High and Fermi graduating seniors. We have had a professional auctioneer lead the crowd of over 200 and it was a great place for you to pick up your favorite celebrity's autograph fairly inexpensively. In past, items have included Rebecca Lobo, Brad Park, Jeff Bagwell, Ray Allen, Vin Baker, Jim Calhoun, Yogi Berra memorabilia and hundreds more. We have also raffled off Beanie Babies, Pokeman Cards, and special gift prizes.
July 4th Parade
The Hall of Fame will also march in the town's fourth of July parade. Please join the committee in marching if you desire. Anyone interested in supporting the HOF is welcome to march, you need not be a member.
Enfield Athletic Scholarships
Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame - Scholarships
Since 1997, The Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame has been awarding scholarships to Enfield and Fermi High School Senior Athlete students. The awards are offered to provide some financial assistance to those senior students who have excelled in Enfield athletics (at least one varsity letter), maintained a "B" or better GPA and have demonstrated a measurable degree of community service to our Town of Enfield. We have given out over $14,000 so far and will again give out two (2) awards again this year, one to a graduating senior at Fermi High School and one at Enfield High School.
The applications are available both school's guidance departments from January - April 15th. The application deadline to be submitted is April . Some of the rules and criteria for the award are:
1. Listing of Colleges accepted so far
2. Athletic Awards/Honors received
3. Other Scholarships received
4. Any family & financial special circumstances
5. One original, single spaced, full page essay on the influence of athletics in your life
6. Two letters of recommendation from non-family members
7. Class rank, one varsity letter earned, and be in good academic standing
8. Some degree of community service
All applications will be reviewed by the scholarship subcommittee and their decision is final. Award recipients must show proof of college acceptance prior to receiving the financial award. The award will be sent to the colleges' registrar department in the student/college's name. The committee will investigate the use of misused funds. We will not discriminate between race, color, sex, origin of birth, or the like.
If you have questions or want to pick up an application, please see the EHS or FHS guidance department and ask for this scholarship.
PAST HALL OF FAME SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
1997 ($250 each):
Brendan Carroll, Fermi High School
Kim Miczak, Fermi High School
Meredith Starski, Enfield High School
John Young, Enfield High School
1998 ($500 each):
Renee DeTura - Fermi High School
Matt Radkovich - Fermi High School
Mary Bishop - Enfield High School
Vincent Musco - Enfield High School
1999 ($500 each)
Shelly Gufert Enfield High School
Tammie Repass Fermi High School
2000 ($500 each)
Erica Leno - Fermi High
Casey Lynn Taylor - Enfield High
2001 ($500 each)
Audrey Paradise - Enfield High
Beth Provencher - Fermi High
2002 ($500 each )
Michelle Repass - Fermi High
Tim Monsonis - Enfield High
2003 ($500 each)
Laura Stalgaitis - Fermi High
Anthony Calabrese - Enfield High
2004 ($1000 each )
Lauren Wawrzenski - Fermi High
Angela Cafarelli - Enfield High
2005 ($1000 each )
Tarmara Roman - Fermi High
Kerri Fitzsimons - Enfield High
2006 ($1000 each )
Tim Littlejohn - Enfield High
Becky Alaimo - Fermi High
2007
Erica Pyznar - Amy Romano scholarship winner (Fermi High)
($1000 each )
Jessica Lance - Enfield High
Zach Lavender - Fermi High
Annual Banquet in September
Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame annual induction ceremony
Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet including many of the past Inductees
The Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame held it's 12th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the class of 2007 on September 22, 2007.
This special event typically takes place annually at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Enfield. Doors open with a cocktail hour at 5:45pm. This wonderful event brings together all of our community to a star-studded dinner and presentation. A cash bar service will be offered to all over 21 years old. Each of the inductees, teams, and award winner's will be discussed and they will provide a brief acceptance speech. Commemorative items are also on sale at the induction ceremony. There will be a HOF slide show during the induction ceremony. In the past years, each ceremony had attendance of 200-320 people. Former emcee's have included WTIC-1080's Arnold Dean and CNN/Sport Illustrated's Peter King (1997 Hall of Famer), and WVIT NBC channel 30 Sports Director, Kevin Nathan and 1996 HOF Inductee, Leah Secondo. Dinner will be a choice of beef or chicken with kids meals available. Reserved seating is available. It has been taped by the local cable company, Cox Communications and aired a month following the event. Watch the papers for further details or contact Kris Couture at 860-749-6789 or Mike Cotnoir at 860-745-3350 for tickets or further information.
2005 Tenth Class Inducted Into Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame
By Julie Cotnoir
Special to the Enfield Press
Saturday night, as a new class of inductees waited in the wings to join the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame, more than two dozen Hall of Fame members gathered in front of a crowd of more than 200 for a special group photo. The group, with impressive credentials, covered all areas of sports, including coaching, sports writing and athletes themselves, but the one thing they all had in common, in addition to a love of sports, was a tie to Enfield.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Enfield, was the site of the annual Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, which once again showcased that Enfield has fielded a rich and talented group of athletes and sports enthusiasts. This years class included two field hockey players, a bowler, a football stand-out, a premier left-handed baseball pitcher and a two-sport athlete who excelled at UCONN. The evening also included the induction of Raymond Fisher, as the George Daly, Jr. Award Winner and the Team Induction of the 1930's Hazardville Basketball and Baseball Teams.
The evening marked the 10th time the Hall of Fame, has recognized a special class of athletes. Begun in 1995, as the brainchild of former Enfield Public Schools Athletic Director Bill Chaves, the evening recognizes that participating in sports means more than winning a game. All of those inducted once again recognized that they did not achieve success alone and that friends, family and community mean more to them then a final score. Randy Fisher, who accepted the award in memory of his late father, seemed to speak for the entire enshrined class. Acknowledging that his father, who coached baseball, hockey, football and boxing, over four decades, would be honored, he added, "He would be just as happy to be here with friends and family, as well as with the boys who he coached, who are now men."
Frances Dubiel, a member of the 1935 basketball team, with assistance, gingerly made her way to the podium and gave thanks for the recognition of the team she enjoyed playing on. The team, which played on the second floor of the Hazardville Institute, won the 1935 Championship of the Northern Connecticut Girls Basketball League.
Susan (Mercik) Davis, who excelled at field hockey at Fermi High School and received a 4-year athletic scholarship to Division I Boston University, shared warm memories of growing up in town and special Sunday mornings of softball and baseball drills, with her siblings and her father Bob Mercik, also an Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame member. "Sports were always a common thread between us." She also recalled how committed her mother was to her and her sports. "I can count on one hand the games my mom missed." Cookie Bromage, a field hockey coach, for rival Enfield High School , was also thanked. Bromage, also a Hall of Fame, wrote letters of recommendation for Davis when she was applying to colleges.
Joseph Dippel, also joined a family member, when he became one of the inductees this past weekend. Sister Marian Dippel is a member of the class of 2002. Dippel also has strong childhood memories and thanked his parents and five sisters for their support. He says a day wouldn't go by when he and sister Marian were not outside doing something sports related. "We would race from telephone pole to telephone pole and I never beat her," admits Dippel. A Little League All-Star, multiple times, in Enfield, Dippel would go on to become a starting varsity pitcher at Enfield High School. He continued his education and sports career at UCONN where he played football and baseball on a sports scholarship. "I was fortunate to have grown up in this town. I want to thank every teacher and parent and coach who helped me."
Erica Johnston, an assistant field hockey coach at Mount Holyoke College, became the second field hockey player to be inducted in the Hall of Fame on Saturday. A product of Coach Cookie Bromage's Enfield High School program, Johnston scored 78 career goals and went on to play at UMASS on a full-scholarship. "Thank you for allowing me this moment in time," said an emotional Johnston, who now earns her living as an electrician. "I had unbelievable choices because of what people did for me."
Kenneth "Lefty" King, like so many others of his generation, may have had a much different life if World War II had not taken place. Part of what has been dubbed as "The Greatest Generation," King is often referred to as the premier left-handed baseball pitcher in the pre-World War II era in Enfield. He had back-to-back complete game shut-outs, late in the 1941 season, at Enfield High School. King, prior to serving in the U.S. Navy Seabees in the Pacific, was the starter for The Springfield Atlantic Refining semi-pro team. The late King joins his son Sports Ilustrated's head football writer Peter King in the Hall of Fame. Bob King accepted the award on behalf of his father. King recalled that his father, an ironworker, was a devoted dad. "He was always there to play with us with that old flat glove-I loved that flat glove." He acknowledged that although his dad's semi-pro days were long gone, as a youngster it was still a challenge to catch his dad's powerful pitches.
Marcel Lessard has been bowling since he was 8 years old and a student at Harriet Beacher Stowe School. His devotion to the sport has paid off big. Having bowled an impressive 20 perfect 300 games, the former Enfield resident says that bowling has afforded him some special opportunities, including travel across the country. Still very competitive in the sport, Lessard will be inducted into the Connecticut State Hall of Fame in October. "Bowling has been very good to me," Lessard told the audience.
David Morton, a chemical engineer, who is now called Dr. Morton, says the friendships he formed as an athlete, are the dearest friendships he has today. In addition to fond memories of his father's commitment as his football and basketball coach, Morton showed his pride by having each of his three children, Elisabeth, Zachary and Sarah stand during his speech, while he shared with the audience, each of their special athletic talents. A recipient of the University of New Hampshire's Scholar-Athlete Award, Morton received the colleges alumni scholar-athlete award in 1985.
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