Of all the things I’ve been involved in over my more than thirty years at WOBM without doubt our Student of the Week program is one of my favorites. For the past 36 weeks we have been honoring an Ocean County high school senior every Monday who was selected by their school and I’ve told you a little something about them. Most are outstanding students, heavily involved in their schools and communities, leaders and in some cases gifted athletes, talented musicians and posses other attributes as well. The 15th annual WOBM/Gateway Toyota Student of the Week program wraps up this morning when Gateway’s Ed Sunday selects one of our weekly honorees at random for a $1000 college scholarship. The eligible students are:
Barnegat: Jasmine Faldu, Brittany Saxton
Brick Memorial: Christopher, Godshall Elliot Chester
Brick Township: Jennifer Renee Person, Patrick Kearns
Central: Heather Tice, Marc Calleo
Jackson Liberty: Greg O’Connor, Alexa Saltzman
Jackson Memorial: Kimberly Clemmer, Brandon Russo
Lacey: Christine McMahon, Thomas Murray
Manchester: Amy Higgins, Megan DiMaiolo
MATES: Kevin Dillon, Joe Convery
Msgr. Donovan: Connor Delaney, Daniel Suskevich
New Egypt: Dylan Willis, Elizabeth Campbell
Pinelands: Matthew Cardillo, Katelyn Shockley
Point Beach: Jacqueline Taylor, Taylor Sardoni
Point Boro: Kristina Corso, Susan Walsh
Southern: Morgan Snyder, Nicole Piscopo
TR East: Kathleen Sharp, Isabella Moraes
TR North: Josh Lewis, Cornelia Szymanski
TR South: Scott Cairns, Nicole Kiraly
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Whining & Winning
Let the complaining begin. Today as temperatures soar into the 90’s combined with increased humidity it will clearly be uncomfortable for most and we will be whining and complaining. We being the same people who vowed during a snowy winter they we would not moan and groan when summer-like weather sent the mercury rising. Of course we tend to have short-term memories. By now you know that many schools will be operating on shortened-days today, especially those with buildings and classrooms that do not have air conditioning. Central Regional High School will mark the end of its school year with graduation ceremonies tonight at 6pm. Central is finishing up a week earlier then most of the other public schools because they had a shortened spring recess and did not take some of the smaller holidays off. The motivation behind that was to save on money on energy costs, which skyrocket once air conditioning use increases which it certainly will over the next several days.
Brick beat Jackson Memorial 10-7 in the championship game of the Ocean County Baseball Tournament last night at Toms River East. Green Dragon senior Tim Carney capped a tremendous season by homering twice and pitching a complete game for his 10th win. Brick jumped out to a 7-0 lead over a Jaguars team that had lost in the finals of the Shore Conference Tournament just 24 hours earlier. Jackson rallied to make things interesting before Dylan McDonnell belted a two-run homer in the top of the 7th to give Brick some breathing room. The OCT title was the fifth for the Green Dragons, who finish a 22-6 season which also saw them claim a shore of the Class B South title. Meanwhile an emotional season ends for the A South champion Jaguars, who were rolling along on top of the world until an auto accident in mid-May claimed the life of senior James Volpe. Teammates rallied in his memory and every game was a tribute to Volpe but you have to wonder about the toll it took as Jackson came up short in all the late-season tournaments. However these young men learned the hard way that it’s not always about winning.
The Southern Regional Boys Volleyball team is just a win away from their third consecutive NJSIAA Championship after outlasting St. Joseph-Metuchen in three games in last night’s semifinals. 6’5 freshman Mike Gesicki, who had an impressive basketball season, keyed the Rams effort and helped Southern advance to tomorrow’s final against Fair Lawn at South Brunswick High School.
Brick beat Jackson Memorial 10-7 in the championship game of the Ocean County Baseball Tournament last night at Toms River East. Green Dragon senior Tim Carney capped a tremendous season by homering twice and pitching a complete game for his 10th win. Brick jumped out to a 7-0 lead over a Jaguars team that had lost in the finals of the Shore Conference Tournament just 24 hours earlier. Jackson rallied to make things interesting before Dylan McDonnell belted a two-run homer in the top of the 7th to give Brick some breathing room. The OCT title was the fifth for the Green Dragons, who finish a 22-6 season which also saw them claim a shore of the Class B South title. Meanwhile an emotional season ends for the A South champion Jaguars, who were rolling along on top of the world until an auto accident in mid-May claimed the life of senior James Volpe. Teammates rallied in his memory and every game was a tribute to Volpe but you have to wonder about the toll it took as Jackson came up short in all the late-season tournaments. However these young men learned the hard way that it’s not always about winning.
The Southern Regional Boys Volleyball team is just a win away from their third consecutive NJSIAA Championship after outlasting St. Joseph-Metuchen in three games in last night’s semifinals. 6’5 freshman Mike Gesicki, who had an impressive basketball season, keyed the Rams effort and helped Southern advance to tomorrow’s final against Fair Lawn at South Brunswick High School.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
End Of The Season
The high school baseball season officially ends for Ocean County teams tonight when Jackson Memorial faces Brick in the finals of the Ocean County Tournament at Toms River High School East. The Jaguars will need to bounce back quickly from last night’s 2-1 loss to Red Bank Catholic in the finals of the Shore Conference Tournament at FirstEnergy Park.
As the score indicates it was a pitcher’s duel with both winning pitcher Brendan McGann and loser Brandon Holup throwing complete-game 5-hitters at the home of the BlueClaws. McGann struck out 5 and did not allow an earned run as the Caseys finish the season with a school-record 26 wins and claim their first-ever Shore Conference Tournament title.
Jackson came up short in its third straight SCT Final, winning in 2009 and losing last year to Toms River South. Now coach Frank Malta’s group will try and win the OCT for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1972 when they face the Green Dragons tonight at High School East.
Some random notes and thoughts:
It’s not a good time for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner but as his political career unravels he might get offers to appear in some of those movies that show up late at night on pay channels. As Weiner has painfully learned it’s not the action but the denial that always gets you at the end.
I would imagine there will be a pro-Chris Christie crowd on hand to greet the governor today during a town hall meeting at the National Guard Armory in Toms River. The event is expected to start at 3 o’clock with doors to open at 2 and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
All during this school year we have been honoring some of Ocean County’s top seniors. Every Monday 92.7 WOBM has saluted a WOBM/Gateway Toyota Scion Student of the Week and there have been 38 weekly winners. This Thursday at 8:20am Ed Sunday from Gateway Toyota will be here to conduct a random drawing with one of the 38 to receive a $1000 college scholarship.
As the score indicates it was a pitcher’s duel with both winning pitcher Brendan McGann and loser Brandon Holup throwing complete-game 5-hitters at the home of the BlueClaws. McGann struck out 5 and did not allow an earned run as the Caseys finish the season with a school-record 26 wins and claim their first-ever Shore Conference Tournament title.
Jackson came up short in its third straight SCT Final, winning in 2009 and losing last year to Toms River South. Now coach Frank Malta’s group will try and win the OCT for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1972 when they face the Green Dragons tonight at High School East.
Some random notes and thoughts:
It’s not a good time for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner but as his political career unravels he might get offers to appear in some of those movies that show up late at night on pay channels. As Weiner has painfully learned it’s not the action but the denial that always gets you at the end.
I would imagine there will be a pro-Chris Christie crowd on hand to greet the governor today during a town hall meeting at the National Guard Armory in Toms River. The event is expected to start at 3 o’clock with doors to open at 2 and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
All during this school year we have been honoring some of Ocean County’s top seniors. Every Monday 92.7 WOBM has saluted a WOBM/Gateway Toyota Scion Student of the Week and there have been 38 weekly winners. This Thursday at 8:20am Ed Sunday from Gateway Toyota will be here to conduct a random drawing with one of the 38 to receive a $1000 college scholarship.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Honoring Student Athletes
Two decades ago the Ocean County Athletic Directors got together and decided that wanted to do something about a growing problem. They recognized that
in many cases the emphasis on what high school sports should be about was heading in the wrong direction and it was spilling over onto the field and court.
It didn’t matter what rules you put in you needed athletes to follow them and lead by example. So as the school year came to a close in 1993 the AD’s held a breakfast to honor those student-athletes who best understood and carried out the ideals of sportsmanship. It didn’t matter whether they were the best on their team or frankly just a role player. A young man and woman from each school would be saluted for understanding that sports are more than just winning a losing.
I was the Master of Ceremonies for that first sportsmanship awards breakfast in 1993 and I’ve done every one but one since. The 19th annual took place yesterday at the Quality Inn of Toms River and saw 34 student-athletes honored. Because I think it’s important I want to tell you who they are:
Barnegat High School- Sharyn Moran Christopher Nueva
Brick Memorial- Brianna Gaspich Jihaad Howard
Brick Township- Rachel Marino Patrick Kearns
Central Regional- Julia Dickhaus Parker Oris
Jackson Liberty- Mary Foley Greg O’Connor
Jackson Memorial- Elizabeth Rozek Fred Scheer
Lacey High School- Gianna DiMicco Jarrod Molzon
Lakewood- Vivien Kok Willie Hawkins
Manchester Township- Amanda DeMauro Ronnie Spicer
Monsignor Donovan- Christine Eiserle Patrick Rista
Pinelands Regional- Jenn LaFalce Matt Cardillo
Point Pleasant Beach- Cora Wallace Taylor Fioretti
Point Pleasant Borough- Molly Hoffmaster Dave Halliday
Southern Regional- Maggie Kaszuba Brian Swenson
Toms River East- Kathleen Sharp Jimmy Moran
Toms River North- Juli Carbone Dominic Cifelli
Toms River South- Maureen MacIntosh Steven Petrosino
Also saluted was Kim DeGraw-Cole, who recently retired from Southern Regional as the Athletic Director of the Year…she now works for the NJISAA. The first-ever Service Award was given to June Molnar, who will retire next month after 25 years as Athletic Department secretary at Lacey Township High School.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Chopper Gate
Governor Christie certainly won’t be attending any of his son’s future baseball games via state police helicopter. The Governor hopes he put an end to what became a rather big controversy by reimbursing the state $2150 for the use of the copter to catch his son play a couple of recent high school baseball games. Truthfully I don’t think it’s that big of a deal but for a Governor whose message since being elected has been about “sacrificing” it just didn’t look very good.
In writing the checks Thursday Christie used the occasion to lash out against those who criticized his transportation choice saying they were “political hacks” and he singled out one Democratic assemblywoman as a “jerk.” Love him or hate him one thing you have to agree on about the Governor and that is he is never subtle.
Jackson Memorial will face Red Bank Catholic in the championship game of the Shore Conference Tournament Monday night at FirstEnergy Park. The Class “A South” champion Jaguars earned their spot with an 8-6 win over Brick yesterday as Joe Ogren hit a three-run homer and Matt Maleo added three hits and two RBI’s.
Tim Carney homered twice for the Green Dragons, who saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end. Brick has little time to regroup as they host Middletown South this afternoon in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 final.
The Ocean County Athletic Directors Association will honor 34 senior student-athletes Sunday morning at the Quality Inn of Toms River. It’s the annual Sportsmanship Awards Breakfast which salutes a male and female from each of the county high schools and once again I will serve as Master of Ceremonies for what is a really worthwhile program.
This is a really special time of year as seniors and their families are experiencing their final days as high school students. Schools are holding awards programs and other events to recognize their soon-to-be graduates and in most cases families get to share in these special occasions. In just a couple of weeks their little children will be wearing caps and gowns and ending a big part of their lives.
In writing the checks Thursday Christie used the occasion to lash out against those who criticized his transportation choice saying they were “political hacks” and he singled out one Democratic assemblywoman as a “jerk.” Love him or hate him one thing you have to agree on about the Governor and that is he is never subtle.
Jackson Memorial will face Red Bank Catholic in the championship game of the Shore Conference Tournament Monday night at FirstEnergy Park. The Class “A South” champion Jaguars earned their spot with an 8-6 win over Brick yesterday as Joe Ogren hit a three-run homer and Matt Maleo added three hits and two RBI’s.
Tim Carney homered twice for the Green Dragons, who saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end. Brick has little time to regroup as they host Middletown South this afternoon in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 final.
The Ocean County Athletic Directors Association will honor 34 senior student-athletes Sunday morning at the Quality Inn of Toms River. It’s the annual Sportsmanship Awards Breakfast which salutes a male and female from each of the county high schools and once again I will serve as Master of Ceremonies for what is a really worthwhile program.
This is a really special time of year as seniors and their families are experiencing their final days as high school students. Schools are holding awards programs and other events to recognize their soon-to-be graduates and in most cases families get to share in these special occasions. In just a couple of weeks their little children will be wearing caps and gowns and ending a big part of their lives.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tournament Time
The baseball teams from Brick and Jackson Memorial are the last two Ocean County teams still playing and yesterday they met in the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament. Depending on where you live you might have heard thunder and saw lightning late in the afternoon and that was certainly the case at Larry D’Zio Field in Jackson. The game was stopped by the umpires three times for safety reasons and finally postponed in the bottom of the 3rd inning. In a game that featured five home runs the visiting Green Dragons led 6-4 but when they get together again today in Jackson they’ll start from the beginning like yesterday never happened. The winner will face Red Bank Catholic in the Shore Conference Finals Monday night at FirstEnergy Park as the Caseys knocked off top-seeded Manalapan 7-5.
Not only will Brick and Jackson face one another again today but they are to play in the finals of the Ocean County Tournament with that game to be played sometime next week. The Green Dragons, who have had a tremendous spring under coach Jason Groschel, host Middletown South Friday in the Central Jersey Group 3 Championship game as they look for their first sectional title since 1980.
Led by Tim Carney, Nick Vitale and Sean Henry, Brick has won 16 in-a-row.
There is no question that Scott Goodale has turned around the wrestling fortunes at Rutgers University in his four seasons as head coach. The former Jackson Memorial wrestler and head coach was rewarded for those efforts Wednesday when he received a new 5-year contract to lead the Scarlet Knights program. Since coming to Rutgers, Goodale has raised awareness and interest, drawn bigger crowds and managed to recruit many of the state’s top wrestlers. Rutgers finished 9th in the nation this past season and sent 8 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
Goodale lives in Toms River with his wife Lisa and two children.
The Southern Regional High School Boys Volleyball team has never lost a state tournament game at home and if they streak continues the Rams will claim the NJSIAA South Jersey Tournament title. After rolling past Eastern in last night’s semifinals all that stands in Southern’s path to a championship is a date tomorrow with Cherry Hill East in Manahawkin. The Rams have reached the 30-win mark for a fifth straight season.
The Beachwood Soccer Club will hold registration for the fall season this Saturday and Sunday from 9:30-11am at the soccer complex on Berkeley Avenue. For details visit www.beachwoodsoccer.com
Not only will Brick and Jackson face one another again today but they are to play in the finals of the Ocean County Tournament with that game to be played sometime next week. The Green Dragons, who have had a tremendous spring under coach Jason Groschel, host Middletown South Friday in the Central Jersey Group 3 Championship game as they look for their first sectional title since 1980.
Led by Tim Carney, Nick Vitale and Sean Henry, Brick has won 16 in-a-row.
There is no question that Scott Goodale has turned around the wrestling fortunes at Rutgers University in his four seasons as head coach. The former Jackson Memorial wrestler and head coach was rewarded for those efforts Wednesday when he received a new 5-year contract to lead the Scarlet Knights program. Since coming to Rutgers, Goodale has raised awareness and interest, drawn bigger crowds and managed to recruit many of the state’s top wrestlers. Rutgers finished 9th in the nation this past season and sent 8 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
Goodale lives in Toms River with his wife Lisa and two children.
The Southern Regional High School Boys Volleyball team has never lost a state tournament game at home and if they streak continues the Rams will claim the NJSIAA South Jersey Tournament title. After rolling past Eastern in last night’s semifinals all that stands in Southern’s path to a championship is a date tomorrow with Cherry Hill East in Manahawkin. The Rams have reached the 30-win mark for a fifth straight season.
The Beachwood Soccer Club will hold registration for the fall season this Saturday and Sunday from 9:30-11am at the soccer complex on Berkeley Avenue. For details visit www.beachwoodsoccer.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Atlantic City Flap-per
I listened with interest to one of our sister stations Tuesday as they discussed the latest developments in a story involving an Atlantic City casino and nine former cocktail waitresses. The women have hired high-powered feminist attorney Gloria Allred who yesterday filed a lawsuit in Atlantic County Superior Court against Resorts Casino Hotel.
For those of you who have not followed the story it is certainly not a first and won’t be the last although I’m sure that’s what Allred would like. Resorts was purchased by a new owner late last year whose goal was to re-brand what was Atlantic City’s first casino-hotel, opening in 1978. They are going with a theme inspired by the hit HBO miniseries “Boardwalk Empire” and as part of that cocktail waitresses will wear short, sexy flapper dresses. That’s where the problem started because a couple of months ago Resorts fired 15 women who did not fit the younger, slimmer, sexier image that the casino was trying to portray.
In the lawsuit filed yesterday it’s alleged that the older waitresses were forced to audition for their jobs by wearing the new costumes, some of which were the wrong size and had to pose for awkward and unflattering pictures. They also claim that they had to train the women who would replace them and once that was completed then they were given the pink slip. The nine longtime employees who are part of the suit claim they had exceptional job-performance ratings and are seeking back pay as well as damages.
To cut to the chase this is a rather simple case although with major ramifications.
The fired women include a grandmother in her late 50’s and others pretty close to that in age. I am sure when they started peddling drinks in the casino they were quite attractive if not stunning. In all honesty they were probably hired for their appearance and not their ability to carry a tray. Now like everything else time has caught up with them and while it is pretty cruel they no longer fit the image that Resorts and probably most other casinos would want. Right or wrong men want to look at younger and sexier cocktail waitresses, not grandmothers approaching 60.
Whether Resorts could have handled this in a better way is certainly up for debate. They insist the fired servers were offered other positions in the company and some accepted but the 9 represented by Ms. Allred are seeking a bigger pay day. Sounds to me like an out-of-court settlement somewhere down the road.
For those of you who have not followed the story it is certainly not a first and won’t be the last although I’m sure that’s what Allred would like. Resorts was purchased by a new owner late last year whose goal was to re-brand what was Atlantic City’s first casino-hotel, opening in 1978. They are going with a theme inspired by the hit HBO miniseries “Boardwalk Empire” and as part of that cocktail waitresses will wear short, sexy flapper dresses. That’s where the problem started because a couple of months ago Resorts fired 15 women who did not fit the younger, slimmer, sexier image that the casino was trying to portray.
In the lawsuit filed yesterday it’s alleged that the older waitresses were forced to audition for their jobs by wearing the new costumes, some of which were the wrong size and had to pose for awkward and unflattering pictures. They also claim that they had to train the women who would replace them and once that was completed then they were given the pink slip. The nine longtime employees who are part of the suit claim they had exceptional job-performance ratings and are seeking back pay as well as damages.
To cut to the chase this is a rather simple case although with major ramifications.
The fired women include a grandmother in her late 50’s and others pretty close to that in age. I am sure when they started peddling drinks in the casino they were quite attractive if not stunning. In all honesty they were probably hired for their appearance and not their ability to carry a tray. Now like everything else time has caught up with them and while it is pretty cruel they no longer fit the image that Resorts and probably most other casinos would want. Right or wrong men want to look at younger and sexier cocktail waitresses, not grandmothers approaching 60.
Whether Resorts could have handled this in a better way is certainly up for debate. They insist the fired servers were offered other positions in the company and some accepted but the 9 represented by Ms. Allred are seeking a bigger pay day. Sounds to me like an out-of-court settlement somewhere down the road.
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