Empire State Games come to White Plains, NY
Saturday, July 28, 2007
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The Empire State Games is an annual Olympic-style competition for amateur athletes from the state of New York, United States, encompassing several divisions allowing athletes of all ages to compete. In 2007, it is hosted by Westchester County and takes place July 25–29, 2007. In all, some 6,000 athletes are expected to participate.
"I think the Empire State Games is one of the best things that's happened to Westchester County," Buster LaBarbera, 74, of New Rochelle said. "It's good for the economy and it's just a great thing."
Long Island had made a bid to host the games but lost out to Westchester. "Once done, it's done," said Bob Kenney, region director for Long Island, at the opening ceremonies. "We can't look back. We can't hold grudges." Long Island may submit a bid for the games in 2010 according to Kenney.
Saturday, the Criterium cycling events took place in White Plains. Starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT (UTC-4), races for both men and women began at Martine Avenue at Court Street in downtown White Plains.
Criterium races (those are age brackets for the masters series):
- Masters Men 45-54, 12 miles
- Masters Men 35-44, 18 miles
- Open Men, 31 miles
- Open Women, 18 miles
- Masters Men 55-64, 65+, 10 miles
- Masters Women 35-44, 45-54, 55+, 10 miles
Street closures included: Quarropas Street, Mamaroneck Avenue, Martine Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Parts of Court Street and Grand Street had limited access. Road closures began at 5:00 a.m. The course was basically a large square.
Wikinews was there to cover the men's open event race. Points were awarded for sprints on certain laps. Joe Zaverdas from Commack, New York, representing the Long Island region, won with 75 points. 58 riders participated.
Top 15 finishers
[edit]Place | Rider | Hometown | Region | Points | Medal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Zaverdas, Joe | Commack | Long Island | 75 | gold |
2 | Joslyn, Jay | Grand Island | Western | 69 | silver |
3 | Bickford, Geoff | New York | New York City | 63 | bronze |
4 | Luther, Mike | Blasdell | Western | 57 | |
5 | Ferreira, Fernando | Ossining | Hudson Valley | 56 | |
6 | Schmidt, Robert | Athens | Adirondack | 55 | |
7 | Lowe, Anthony | Brooklyn | New York City | 54 | |
8 | Campos, Robert | Nesconset | Long Island | 53 | |
9 | Danke, Joel | Mount Kisco | Hudson Valley | 52 | |
10 | Micko, Jan | Glen Cove | Long Island | 51 | |
11 | Gentice, Gabrielle | White Plains | Hudson Valley | 50 | |
12 | Swan, Glenn | Freeville | Central | 49 | |
13 | Nelnychenko, Andrew | Alpine | Central | 48 | |
14 | Paris, Mark | West Henrietta | Western | 47 | |
15 | Dekrey, Jesse | Rhinebeck | Hudson Valley | 46 |
Gallery
[edit]
Sister links
[edit]Sources
[edit]- "Empire State Games: Today's schedule is Games' busiest; numerous medals to be awarded" — The Journal News, July 28, 2007
- "Cyclists close roads in White Plains" — The Journal News, July 28, 2007
- Nicole Neroulias. "Empire State Games cycling to close North Salem roads; traffic likely near other venues" — The Journal News, July 27, 2007
- Andrew Gross. "Volunteers unite during Empire State Games" — The Journal News, July 27, 2007
- Jason Molinet. "No looking back for L.I. -Empire State Games open in Westchester" — Newsday, July 26, 2007
External links
[edit]- Empire State Games in Westchester - official site for the event by the host Westchester County, New York
- Empire State Games - official site of the Empire State Games
- City of White Plains - official site of White Plains, New York