Events
Events
4th ANNUAL SPORTSFEST IN BRIDGEPORT - 3/28/09
The 4th annual Park City SportsFest presented by People's United Bank was another big success as a key part of 2009 NCAA Men's
East Regional hockey tournament festivities. The SportsFest took place Saturday, March 28 at the People's Bank Plaza on Main Street in downtown Bridgeport. One of the highlights of SportsFest was the appearance by The Zamboni's, the world's only all hockey rock band (www.thezambonis.com). The popular rockers' performance, sponsored by Bud Light, capped off the event (photo at right). Earlier in the day, WWE Superstar and ECW TV announcer Matt Striker signed autographs for a long line of fans. Former NHL player and official Paul Stewart also signed photos and autographs as part of the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign (photo below at right with Sound Tigers' mascot Storm). The 6-hour SportsFest led up to the NCAA regional hockey championship game between Vermont and Air Force. Fairfield University and Yale hosted the regional event.
Participating groups who provided activities included: The First Tee, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hartford Wolfpack, Wonderland of Ice, Jazzercise, Fairfield
University and the CT Bearcats.
Other sponsors of the event included: AT&T, Spinnaker/Forstone Capital, Cox Radio-WTSC 1400/ WNLK1350, 96.7 The Coast, 95.5 The Fox, News 12 CT, Connecticut Post and The First Tee.
4th Annual Sports Night
Continues the Tradition
The Fairfield County Sports Commission's 4th Annual Sports Night awards dinner took place Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. More than 500 people attended the event, with the highlight of the evening being the induction ceremony for the 6 newest members of the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame.
Hall of Famers honored were: professional - CHRIS DRURY (Trumbull) and TIM TEUFEL (Greenwich); amateur - GARY LIBERATORE (New Canaan) and LOU SACCONE (Bridgeport); community service - RALPH KING (Norwalk) and TOM PENDERS (Stratford).
Sportspersons of the Year from 15 different county communities were also honored.
SportsNight 2007 another BIG success
The Fairfield County Sports Commission's 3rd annual SportsNight awards dinner was another big success. A sellout crowd of over 650 people attended the event. For more information about the honorees for the evening and photos of the event see below.
Fairfield County Sports Commission
Names Sports Persons Of The Year in 15 Communities
NORWALK, CT. - As part of its 3rd Annual Sports Night awards dinner, the Fairfield County Sports Commission has announced its Sports Persons of the Year in each of the 15 communities the Commission serves. The local sports heroes will be honored at the Sports Night event, MONDAY, OCT. 22 at the Greenwich Hyatt at 6 P.M.
"Recognizing those who are essential components in encouraging an active lifestyle in all our communities is a key element of Sports Night," said Commission Executive Director Tom Chiappetta. "Having these local leaders, athletes and coaches share the stage with our Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame inductees makes this a special evening to celebrate sports in our area."
Sports Night, which also features the Hall of Fame ceremonies inducting six prominent county sports legends, is a fund raising event for the Commission in its efforts to create and support educational programs promoting fitness awareness and personal development through sports for the county's residents.
In each of the 15 communities, a committee headed by a local town representative of the Commission, selected a Sports Person of the Year. Each winner was deemed to have had the most positive impact in their sports community from Aug. 2006-Aug. 2007.
The Sports Persons of the Year are:
Bridgeport - Benji Labrador, Youth baseball coach
Darien - Ryan Shannon, NHL's Anaheim Ducks - Stanley Cup winner
Easton - Matt Lisi, Barlow High baseball & basketball
Fairfield - Ed McCarthy, Yale University football
Greenwich - Cal Ripken Jr. baseball 12-year-olds - New England champions
Monroe - Rachele Fico, Masuk High softball pitcher
New Canaan - Curtis Casali, New Canaan High baseball & football
Norwalk - Jack Couch, Norwalk youth lacrosse
Shelton - Shelton National Little League - State champions
Stamford - George Ritchie, Youth sports programs supporter
Stratford - Stratford Sharks swim team
Trumbull - Matt Nuzie, UConn football place kicker
Weston - Paul Scheufele, Weston youth lacrosse
Westport - Erika Kretschmann, Staples High golf
Wilton - Frankie de Lavis, Kenyon College women's lacrosse
Also to be honored at Sports Night is the newest class of the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame. Inductees in the Jackie Robinson Professional Wing are: Mike Gminski (Monroe) and Charlie Nagy (Fairfield). In the James O'Rourke Amateur Wing: Donna Lopiano (Stamford) and Jerry Courville, Sr. (Norwalk). Elected to the J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing: Nick Koules (Stamford) and Bruce Webster (Bridgeport).
Special Olympics Sports Person of the Year
Special Olympics Sports Person of Year
To Be Honored at Sports Night
Patriot National Bank Sponsors New Award;
Trumbull Resident Nancy Dennin is First Honoree
Release Date: July 2007
As part of the Fairfield County Sports Commission's 3rd Annual Sports Night awards dinner, the Commission and Patriot National Bank have jointly created a Special Olympics Sports Person of the Year award that will be presented annually to a county resident at the Sports Night event. The first recipient is Trumbull's Nancy Dennin, a longtime volunteer and Special Olympics board member.
This award goes to the person who consistently works to further the mission of Special Olympics in Fairfield County. Patriot National Bank will sponsor the award, which coincides with the Commission's 15 Sports Persons of the Year that are handed out at Sports Night each year to recognize one person in each of the communities the Commission oversees for having a positive impact on that town's sports activities.
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Nancy Dennin receiving her award at SportsNight, presented by Patriot National Bank's Steve Smith (right) |
"Adding the Special Olympics Sports Person of the Year to our Sports Night program is a natural fit for the Commission's role in supporting and honoring outstanding and dedicated work in our sports communities," said Tom Chiappetta, Executive Director of the Commission. "It is also a perfect complement to our Chelsea Cohen Courage Award. Having Patriot National Bank sponsor this award each year ensures that a very special effort for Special Olympics will be properly recognized."
Dennin has been a volunteer for Special Olympics Connecticut since 1985 and in 1999 she was inducted, along with her family into the Special Olympics Connecticut Hall of Fame as Family of the Year. Nancy currently serves on the Special Olympics Connecticut Board of Directors and is the chairperson of the Program Committee. In the past she has served as Assistant Director of the Southwest Area Games, the golf coach for the Trumbull team, and the State Golf Tournament Director of Scoring.
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Nancy Dennin |
She has also served on the committees for the Penguin Plunge, SOCT's largest fundraiser, the Kristine Lilly Awards which honor women of distinction in different fields, and the Southwest Golf Tournament. Special Olympics are a family affair for the Dennins. Nancy's husband Joe is a former board member and runs the State Golf program and their son David is a Special Olympics Athlete who has competed at both National and World Games Events. The Dennins' devotion to individuals with intellectual disabilities extends beyond Special Olympics and they were recently honored as Volunteers of the Year by the Kennedy Center in Trumbull.
Special Olympics are the world's largest program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Their programs provide the athletes with continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
Participation is open to all individuals eight years of age or older. Special Olympics have local programs in 15 Fairfield County communities and the Southwest Region has nearly 2,000 athletes. For more information, visit www.soct.org.
John Tartaglio Named Recipient of 2007 Chelsea Cohen Courage Award
The Fairfield County Sports Commission announced today that its annual Chelsea Cohen Courage Award will be presented to Fairfield University student John Tartaglio. The award is named after the late Chelsea Cohen, a former Norwalk High soccer star who was the award's first recipient and passed away in 2006 after a courageous bout with a rare form of cancer of the nervous system. The award recognizes the person in the sports community who has shown inspirational strength in overcoming life-altering obstacles.
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2007 Chelsea Cohen Courage Award winner John Tartaglio receives his award from the Cohen family. Back row, from left, Chelsea's brother Daniel, her father Larry and her mother Barbara Rittner. |
Tartaglio, a Milford resident who is heading into his junior year at Fairfield, will be honored at SportsNight, MONDAY, OCT. 22 AT THE GREENWICH HYATT AT 6 PM.
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John Tartaglio |
In 2004, at the age of 17, Tartaglio was diagnosed with a rare bacteria infection. To save his life, doctors had no choice but to amputate both his legs and his left bicep. Through rigorous and dedicated workout sessions, including weight training, swimming, cycling and running, Tartaglio has become an active, inspirational triathlete. Fitted with prosthetic legs, he has completed 5K runs, competed in the 2006 New York Marathon in the handcycling division and triathlon events in the area. He also gives motivational speeches.
Presenting the award at SportsNight will be Chelsea's parents, Barbara Rittner and Larry Cohen. Last year's Cohen Award winner was Jason Maiella, a Sacred Heart University baseball player.
SPORTSFEST 2008--A photo gallery from the 2008 event in Bridgeport