Piermont Golfers Hit Their Stride

• The 'Recreation Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest to marcmaturo@aol.com.

Once Marty Mann gets on a roll discussing the well-regarded Piermont PAL golf program, trying to stop him is like trying to slow down a bulldozer with a Mini Cooper.

Instituted in 2002—two years after Mann, a one-time Manhattan resident, relocated to Piermont, and connected with then-Sgt. Michael O’Shea, and then-chief Tom Gaynor—the PAL program offers youngsters (ages 7-18) a wonderful opportunity to learn the rudiments of the game in a family-friendly atmosphere.

“It’s not a league, it’s not a camp, it’s not where your drop your kids off—it’s a program,” emphasizes Mann, a wine and spirits entrepreneur who for 30 years served as the softball commissioner at Central Park, and played in a Broadway Show league, but also played on a golf team at Taft High School in The Bronx.

“I always knew it (golf) was a special game, and it still is,” Mann notes, calling the PAL program—which he oversees, and which starts when school ends, and ends when school starts—“a farm system for a lot of high school kids.”

Among those who have come up through the program’s three levels—beginner, intermediate, advanced—are Tappan Zee High School team captain Parker Mann (the commissioner’s son) and teammates Stephen Keary and Luke Grennan; Pearl River High School standouts Kevin Deegan Jr. and Glen Watson; and Jon Cross, a former Tappan Zee captain now attending Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The program is offered at $50 for the season, which includes shirts, instruction at local courses, discounted fees, and the annual end-of-the-season Invitational over Labor Day weekend at Blue Hill where players are grouped by age, and receive formal introductions at the opening tee by, you guessed it, Commissioner Mann. Registration should be completed online at www.piermontpal.com.

Registered members of the program will receive their shirts on June 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Goswick Pavilion on Ferry Road. Instruction is scheduled to begin June 27 at Broadacres, from 4-5:15 p.m., under the direction of Jim McMahon, the club pro at New York Country Club in New Hempstead, and at Tappan Golf Range on Route 303. Also assisting at Broadacres will be course manager Joe Wrafter.

Another clinic is scheduled on June 28 at Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, from 4-5:15 p.m., with Tony Musto—the first pro in the Piermont PAL program who is now into his seventh year as head pro at Spook Rock.

Mann, an enthusiastic proponent for the lifetime aspects of the sport, said that all players in the    program—50 last year, comprised of 18 beginners, 26 intermediate, and six at the advanced level—also have the availability of the par-3 Executive Course at Rockland Lake.

“That’s a good beginners’ course,” Mann said, whose responsibilities are eased through the help of Chief O’Shea, Joan Will of the PAL, parents, and the management at local golf courses. “There was no program until the Chief, myself, and his people got involved (in 2002). He (O’Shea) knew I was into golf, ran a restaurant league, and (I) was always close to the PBA back when Phil Caruso led the team.”

Mann also said that from Day One, then-Orangetown Recreation and Parks superintendent Rich Rose was behind the program, as is Aric Gorton, the current superintendent.

“They get us complimentary time at Broadacres for our intermediate and advanced players,” Mann adds.

Program members who have never played are placed into the beginners category; those who have played are considered intermediates; and those who have played competitively are placed into the advanced category.

“The main thing we want is for them to have fun; when you’re young it should be fun,” Mann says. “We usually start with three or four (golf) clubs (to use), and every year add a club or two. If they want to advance there are camps, and private lessons for that.”

Mann’s expectations are that the youngsters develop friendships, and a love of the game.

“Many of the kids network in the program, and make friends they can play a round of golf with. Many of the kids play with their parents, or brothers, sisters, aunt and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers. Many of the parents connect with other parents,” Mann rolls on, unstoppable. “Golf if a great game. Why do all the great athletes take up golf after they retire, and even (play) during their careers on an off day? Why? Because it’s a way of life: you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself if I was honest today. Before the season we read the nine core values of the PGA’s First Tee program … the sport relies on calling your own penalties. In the beginning of the year we give out packets to the parents. Ninety percent of the (PAL) kids really want to learn how to play. We are fortunate to have good teachers with Tony (Musto) and Jim (McMahon). Why should kids pick up bad habits from the start? They shouldn’t.”

Group-size workouts

The Rockland Road Runners (RRR) conducts weekly group workouts every summer, usually on Wednesday evenings at Pearl River High School.

The next session is set on June 22, with a series of runs that start promptly at 7 p.m.

The lineup starts with a 1½ -mile warm-up, followed by 4x200 meters with 200m jog, 4x400 meters with 400m jog, 4x200m with 200m jog, and closes with a one-mile cool down.

Two off-site sessions are scheduled on Tuesday evenings to avoid conflicts at those sites.

The first off-site session is scheduled June 28 at Bear Mountain (Perkins Run), with the second set for July 26 at Rockland Lake.

For the Bear Mountain runs, meet in the parking lot closest to the Carousel building and picnic tables; for the Rockland Lake workout, park at the North parking area and jog a quarter-mile to base of golf course road (Championship Rd.), which is next to the cemetery.

A $1 contribution is requested per person each week to cover the cost of cups, water, and end-of-the-season refreshments.

To join the group contact Jesse Hackell at 845-536-7487, or Jamie Kempton at 845-521-0400.

Walk, don’t run

The Joseph P. Clarke Rail Trail, that starts at Oak Tree Road in Tappan, and courses through Sparkill into Orangeburg (and, hopefully one day into Blauvelt), and the three-mile path around Rockland Lake in Congers, are perfect places for devotees of fitness walking.

Fitness walking--often known as Nordic Walking--features walking poles with optional rubber tips (for hard surfaces, such as pavement), and can be used by cross country skiers looking to stay in shape in the off-season.

The poles are now marketed by nearly all major ski and trekking-pole manufacturers.

Fitness walking with poles, embraced by Northern Europeans, is growing in popularity at a more modest pace in the states, but more people have taken to the activity as a regular form of exercise.

We passed one of these Nordic walkers on the Clarke trail last year, but there have been no sightings this year (did confront a doe—or perhaps it was a buck--on the Erie Path, however).

American Red Cross Lifeguard Training

Any participant in the Clarkstown Parks and Recreation Department course who turns 16 during the summer, and who successfully completes all course requirements may be eligible for a part-time lifeguarding position at one of the town’s facilities for the remainder of the season.

The course, with limited enrollment (you must be 15 years old at the start) is designed to teach lifeguarding skills that are essential to maintaining a safe aquatic environment.

The American Red Cross Lifeguard Training, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and First Aid certification may be obtained by passing all qualifying tests given at the conclusion of the course.

A mandatory qualifying test for entrance into the classes will be held on June 29, from 4-6 p.m., or June 30, also from 4-6 p.m., at Germonds Pool & Street Community Center in West Nyack.

The course is scheduled to start on July 2, and runs through July 28.  Registration is set on Friday, July 1 from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Administration building at Zukor Park in New City. A copy of your driver’s license or birth certificate is required.

According to the town, the qualifying test will be as follows:

• Swim 300 yards continuously (100 yards Front crawl, 100 yards breaststroke, and 100 yards of either)

• Swim 20 yards using a front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 10 feet and retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object.

For further information on this, or other summer programs call 845-639-6200.

Here and there

• Any roadrunner who wants to start Father’s Day off on the right foot, so to speak, can join the crowd at the annual Pearl River Elks’ Father’s Day 4-miler, set for  June 19, come rain or come shine. The annual race, now closing in on its 40^th edition, and which each year attracts a field of between 150-300 runners, is held on a course beginning and ending at the Pearl River Elks Lodge at 2041 Elks Drive. Registration at the Elks Club takes place at 7:15 a.m., with the race set to start at 8:30 a.m. sharp. There is a $25 registration fee.
• Who’s  the boss? You? Or your dog? New City Library presents Man and His Dog on Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. Brett Shelby discusses some of the basics needed to reach a peaceful coexistence.
• If you are looking for something to do close to home this summer, pick up a copy of “101 Fun Things to do in Orangetown,” which features different and interesting ideas for day activities. The list is available as a pamphlet at the recreation office (81 Hunt Road, Orangeburg), or online at www.orangetown.com.
• Theme parks within driving distance include Mountain Creek in Vernon, NJ; Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA; Great Escape in Lake George; Dorney Park in Allentown, PA; Hershey Park in Hershey Park, PA; and Morey’s Pier in Wildwood, NJ. The Orangetown Parks and Recreation Department offers discounted tickets, which are available at www.orangetown.com.
• Running and longtime fitness aficionado Bob Hudson, a former cross country coach at Tappan Zee High School, will lead a hike rated as “medium difficulty” on Sunday, July 10 through the Clausland Mountain area. The approximate two-hour walk (2-4 p.m.) takes devotees through the scenic heights of Orangetown, along the South Trail to Rockland Cemetery. Both hikes begin in Tackamack Park. Although there is no fee, registration forms are required. Registrants are urged to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and to bring water and easy-to-eat snacks. Another walk of medium difficulty, on the North Trail to Nyack College, is scheduled on Sunday, Aug. 7 (10 a.m. to noon). Contact the recreation department at 845-359-6503.
• Clarkstown residents are invited to a Family Music Festival and Fireworks display on Thursday, June 30 at 8 p.m. at Nanuet High School. The night of fun begins at 6 p.m., including a concert featuring The 1910 Fruitgum Company. In the event of rain, the concert will be held in the high school auditorium; fireworks will be held on July 6, at Nanuet HS. Also on tap is a Dive-in Movie night on Tuesday, June 28 at the Germonds Pool complex. Residents can watch the movie Scooby Doo-Curse of the Lake Monster on two large outdoor screens while swimming in the pools (parents must accompany children under 12 years of age using raft/flotation devices). Gates open to town residents at 7:30 p.m.
• Associated and corporate golf memberships are available at the Orangetown Parks and Recreation office at 81 Hunt Rd. in Orangeburg, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Associate membership permit is open to non-residents at $95 for the season, allowing play at Blue Hill and Broadacres at a rate discounted from the non-resident rate. Corporate membership is open to any business or non-resident property owner in the Town of Orangetown. Membership fee for the Corporate permit is $200, allowing members to pay a rate discounted from the non-resident rate. Town permits are $65 for adults, $50 for senior citizens, and $30 for youth. Please note that a 2010 permit is not acceptable as proof of residency. For further information call 845-359-6503, email recreation@orangetown.com, or access www.orangetown.com.