Dec. 28, 2007

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The chairs are set up in Pritchard Gym, the days are almost at their shortest and I am wishing that I had enough common sense to move to Florida - All this can mean but one thing - It's time for the Biddie/Geezer Gazette.

No doubt inspired by this humble tome (soon to be available in a leather bound collector's edition) we now have our own member of the 5th estate. The dogs and I were sitting and clicking the other night when up pops Sean Bergin - Cub Reporter - on Channel 12 News. Granted he is starting small (cat stuck in tree genre) but look for him soon as the replacement for Katie Couric on the CBS Nightly News. Then the World will know about Stony Brook Swimming and Diving.

J.P. Latkovic has officially changed his name to "Triandduit" ( kind of like The Artist Formerly Known As Prince only without purple tights). He will be running a fundraiser for Stony Brook Swimming on campus this April (13th or 20th).

What's that Dave? A Fundraiser for Swimming? Tell me more!

It will be a duathalon (run-bike-run) finishing in LaValle Stadium - here's a chance for all you Biddies and Geezers to reclaim those glory days while helping out your program. Keep an eye out for the `Official Entry Packet' - coming soon.

This year's team worked as volunteers at the Cedar Beach Tri-athalon hosted by J.P. and the Town of Brookhaven. It was a great event with about 200 serious tri-athletes competing. The only shortcoming was that they only served healthy food to staff and competitors - not a jelly donut in sight. Luckily I always travel with a spare. I'm going to try to get a Ring Ding station set up on the route of our April event - imagine the sugar rush when these guys wolf down one of those bad boys during their race. Who needs Gatorade!

Homecoming was great, the weather was beautiful, the game exciting and Wolfstock was a blast. The following alum were awarded official Seawolves Swimming 07-08 "Got swagger" t-shirts for playing "Where's Baldy?".

Shirlee Manoogian: played pro football this year (New York Sharks) and has a new bulldog puppy named Archimedes - not as ugly as our dog Yogi but he's working on it.

Hailey Lewandowski: stopped by but was gone faster than you could say high board - doing great in Virginia.

James (Suzie) Berkowitz and his much better half Meg. Still loves his cities - New York, Atlantic and Las Vegas.

Regina Kearney has moved back to "The Rock" (Staten Island) and is doing well.

Urszula Pawelko hasn't missed a homecoming yet (new school record).

Reijo Saajesto working Corporate America and the "dream"

Kit Mirchel still doing physics but in a time warp.

Starlyn Rupinski: seen twice in one week - studying to be a Chem teacher for America's future Nobel winners. Dad has promised me a batch of cookies sometime this season.

Dan (Walrus) Berzansky jetted in from the left coast sans bodyguard to make his annual pilgrimage to Billies.

Frank Schursky: tried to sell me life insurance.

Jess Cervelli (Academic Asst. Coach), Jen Servin (getting her MBA at RIT) and Trish Palmeri (Merill Lynch Big Shot) were up to something all weekend and seemed to be connected at the hips.

Larry Ahlgren and Coach John DeMarie spent awhile tripping down memory lane. Larry recounts a first year DeMarie story where the team got t-shirts made up with J.D.'s phone number on them in case the team got into mischief. Paraphrasing it went like this " If I act like a (fill in the blank) call Coach DeMarie at ...." . Both Larry and J.D. still have theirs. I offered to trade for one of those beauties to frame and hang up in my office.

Ute (Rahn) McKenna - Ray and their three sons were in attendance. All three are lax heads - no divers but Ute will admit to at least one of her boys having certain characteristics that endeared us all to one of our all time great competitors. He's to the point and right between the eyes no matter what the level of authority.

YoYo Littee (Danerher Motion) and Danny Delosh (B.U. School of Public Health) made the trip from Beantown to Wolfstock. YoYo wants a shot at the new engineering go-cart test track which is rumored close to becoming a reality.

Kirill Alekseyev and Alison Porteus each showed up late which if you know these two is right on time. Mike Chang was running the show so needless to say he was nowhere to be found. Kirill is running the Rec Center at St. Joseph's Patchogue.

Regrets were sent by Patricia Quinn- Pickett (niece's bridal shower - big deal I say). Heather Martin- Hoglund (daughter Erin has swim lesson, then music lesson, then bookbabies and yoga - all before lunch). Kate Zabler (1/2 marathon in the morning, swim meet in afternoon and her birthday at night). Judi Liotta-Leahy (son Garrett in a baseball doubleheader). Gail Hackett (Scottish Brogue lessons followed by bagpipe practice and Highland Sword Dancing competition and Single Malt Whiskey distilling class.).

Marta Soto-Johnson and her two best fellows showed up at the UConn meet in lieu of Homecoming. Recent trips to South Carolina and Guatemala have proven that she can't be in two places at once. Pretty deep for an engineering major.

Jen Elvers-Yellin, Hailey, Pop Jason and Quinn showed up for the UMass meet. Jen was cheering for the Brook, Pop and JHailey for UMass and Quinn was in the rain puddles outside and loving every minute of it. Mom says not to worry, she keeps an entire set of dry clothes on hand at all times. Boys will be boys you know. Oh yes, Hailey will be a Pink Super Girl for Halloween so no-one else pick that costume (rats - I had mine reserved - now I'll have to go as a beekeeper).

Beekeeper you say? Tell me about it. Yes it's true. Moira and I are now beekeepers. We have the outfits to prove it and about 100,000 bees in the backyard. It's easier than coaching. Instead of delivering four years of post adolescent angst the bees sting you once and drop dead. Plus we get honey out of the deal. We are proud members of the Long Island Beekeepers Club and attended a four day beekeeping convention in Delaware this August. Moira won second place in the photo contest.

Carlington Simms stopped by, he was repairing his bikes (4 of them) at the Union (obviously getting ready to compete in our March 16 event - mark your calendars). He's returning to get a Masters in Education.

Jim Payne is doing the same - opting for a career in education (not fixing his bike).

Jen Roberts-Rey has sent me 912 pictures of son Mateo (Feb. 16th) including 8X12s of him getting a bath, cooing, smiling and every other possible waking function. Talk about a proud Mommy.

Jen Morritt-Schneider sent me a Project Pink Duck email asking me to bid on a celebrity duck - I don't get it.

Vlad Sreckovic came back from Chicago (before getting frozen in for the winter). We tried to get him to go to UMass and swim the 200 but he says he is retired and will swim no more.

Brenda Kessler updates on her crew: Grant is teaching 6th grade, Lauren is in Law School, Samantha is at Southwestern and Robyn is a junior in H.S.. Dad is still trying to figure out where the years went.

Daphne Fotiades of swim and crew fame is a Professor at USMMA (KingsPoint). Hopefully we can get her to come out for the annual swim/crew alumni dinner.

Kristen Pagano-Acierno is living in Dunedin Florida, working on a family and running marathons at Disney World.

Did I tell you that Nancy Winkler-Brogan is a mom? Twins Audrey Violet and Bradyn Frederick (Sept. 13th) will keep Nancy and Dad Jeff busy, busy, busy with twice the pampers and double the fun.

Miriam Rios is now a quad director here at the Brook where she has already made acquaintance with several members of this year's squad.

We are hearing scuttlebutt on a possible July 2008 Disney Celebration for Theresa DonDiego. I'm sure my invite will be right behind Bob Dylan's contract to perform.

Speaking of missing invitations Rob Emmerich and Carmie got married this summer in Nebraska (U.S. State in the middle of the map). Danielle Delosh, Yohann Littee, Sue Slepetz, Jen and Jason Yellin got their invitations (with complimentary road atlas) while mine probably would not fit in my typically overstuffed mailbox.

Shaden Zakour is still at United Nations and has gone back to swimming wearing her old `Fuglie' cap.

John Joseph Xureb has arrived (call him Jake). Joan Precious Walsh now has a precious of her own.

Igor Voloshin sent a picture of himself and daughter Emily in the pool doing breast pull with a fly kick. You can never start to early on the path to the gold.

Matt Hansen has his Bar exam results by now but hasn't called me yet.

Rebecca Rose Phelan-Valladares and the boys have moved to Fairport N.Y.where they just happen to have a great swim program for kids (hint,hint).

Kate Fox-Calloway only has three years to go for black belt in ninjutsu. Daughter Payton (7) and son Coltrane (4) hold the boards for mom to break.

Roy Flores showed up for his brother's graduation and left me a business card. Next time wrap it with a candy bar so I spot it sooner.

If you recall my last attempt at fundraising included an unveiled threat to visit any who failed to comply with the following results:
John Neeb sent me directions to his house after my last fundraising threat. His X-Mas card this year has all four Neebs wearing sunglasses - I think they are in a witness protection program.

Ellen Melon offered me the use of her shed, Theresa her couch.

Lynn Ames-Barnett's oldest Kevin is heading to John's Hopkins.

Dave Gersh claims that Houston is too hot, too humid and too crowded.

Tom Melgar knows I can't spell Kalamazoo and he thinks therefore that I can't track him down. `Two Minute Tomathy' did send an e-mail out which I have forwarded to as many of you as I have electronic addresses for asking for help with finding some answers to neuroblastomas in children (son Austin is fighting the good fight). Check out the `Band of Parents' website (www.bandofparents.org) and help him out if you can.

I went to the ASCSC Swim Championship at Eisenhower Park. There to find Terri Lukemire-Kunzler, Lynne Ames-Barnett, Jeannine Baer-Kuzniewski and Rod Woodhead cheering their future Seawolves on. Mike Chang, Allison Kane, Mike Kane, Larry Sullivan, Coach DeMarie were all prowling the deck and making it happen.

Saw Lorna Mund at her niece's (Angelica) Sweet Sixteen yesterday. It looked like a Jone's Beach Lifeguard re-union (only with jackets and ties and a lot less hair).

I am now on Jim Payne's, Fall Willeboordse's and Shaden's Facebook friends lists. Not that I know what to do with such grand honors having barely mastered e-mails.

Sarah (Anderson) Clark and husband John have added son Sean (joining brother Jack) to raise the decibel level in Rochester. I myself refraining from name dropping will omit the part about her still working for you know who running for you know what. Sunshine stopped by the other day to assure me that her PHD defense will take place at The Brook this Spring and that I will be invited. Professor Collins (St. Joseph's College) tried to explain her topic but lost me on the word correlation.

Sam Kornhauser spent some time last week on the phone with Bob Guss and Sam and I are hoping to get him out to lunch to help us track down some of the early SB swim Team members.

Check out this year's Media Guide for a synopsis of last season and a little insight on 07-08. Turn to the Team Records page and you will see the end of Bjorn Hansen's run as record holder in the 500, 1000 and 1650 frees (along with John Kuck - 200 free, Kyle Thornton - 400I.M. and pool records held by John Witchell). The Great Dane has been replaced by a young man out of Poland named Lukasz Ochmanski.

Lukasz has had an amazing fall semester with 5 University Records and 2 University Pool Records. We have asked that the electric lift be left on the deck for the duration of the season.

America East Championships will be up in Maine this year, February 14 - 17. If you're up in the area (hunting moose maybe) stop in for a little chlorine and a couple of team cheers.

Now that you are feeling sorry about me having to spend 5 days in Orono, Maine in February (especially at my delicate age) take hold of the slip of paper (it's just under 4 inches by 8) with blue and red lettering, grab a pen and your checkbook (credit card will do nicely) and send some money to PAWS and your old team. My goal is to get 200 of you (slightly more than half) to contribute this year.

Anybody who doesn't comply will be inducted into our new "Hall of No Shame" presently under construction on the center mall of campus.

Write, call, e-mail, snail mail or Facebook.

Love, Dave