Community Corner
Pulis Field Renamed In Memory Of Late Wyckoff Teen
Ben Landel, 18, a stand-out soccer player and track athlete at Ramapo High School, died Jan. 25 after a 9-month battle with cancer.
WYCKOFF, NJ — One of the athletic fields at the Pulis Field Athletic Complex will be renamed in memory of a township teenager who died of cancer earlier this year.
Ben Landel, 18, died Jan. 25 of an extremely rare and aggressive cancer, Midline Carcinoma. He was a stand-out soccer player and track athlete at Ramapo High School. Landel also liked to play lacrosse.
The Township Committee approved a resolution Tuesday renaming the first full-size field closest to the parking lot the Ben Landel Memorial Field.
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Landel's father Robert was instrumental in getting the Pulis Field complex installed.
Township Committeeman Timothy Shanley proposed the renaming.
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Landel was "known for his compassionate nature, his kind heart, his inspirational and courageous fight against a rare form of cancer and his love of athletics," the resolution states. "Naming a soccer field at the Pulis Field Complex would honor such a fine young man that the community admired and loved and help keep his spirit in our hearts each time we visit Pulis Field."
The Wyckoff and Ramapo High School communities supported Landel through his fight with the "Bolt for Ben" and "The Crossbar Challenge." More than $42,000 was raised through the Crossbar Challenge.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil for Landel at Ramapo High School shortly after his death.
"He was always the one person, at any race, he was always cheering everyone on. He was always the one who was saying 'come on guys we can do it.' He was always the one who would motivate others to run harder and stick together," Izzy Boomhower, a senior and one of Landel's track teammates, said at the vigil. "He was the fastest runner on our distance team and he was always saying 'our team did this' or 'we accomplished this.'"
Related: Ramapo HS Soccer, Track Athlete Ben Landel Dies Of Cancer
Related: Hundreds Walk In Memory Of Ramapo's Ben Landel
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Photo: Ben Landel/Courtesy of GoFundMe
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