Tag Archives: Cooper Boardman

Roundup: Basketball, Wrestling, Karting …

Posted on February 16, 2026 | 1 comment

The Y’s Men of Westport and Weston have a number of sub-groups. They cover many interests, like technology, travel and food.

Plus music.

Last week, the Y’s Men’s Classical Society hosted the Staples Jazz Band, at the Westport Library.

The group, directed by Kevin Mazzarella, “displayed musicianship well beyond their years,” the Y’s Men newsletter says.

The concert was the second of 4 performances. Coming soon: the Staples Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra, and the Art Greenberg Memorial Olga Vinokur Piano.

But you don’t have to be a Y’s Man to enjoy the Jazz Band. Click here or below to watch and listen. (The concert starts at the 4:30 mark.)

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Tommy Greenwald got more than he bargained for, when he watched the Harvard-Yale men’s basketball game on ESPNU.

Cooper Boardman was on the call.

The 2017 Staples High School and 2021 Syracuse University grad has broadcast Boston Red Sox games on the  WEEI radio network. He also worked for Fox Sports and Westword One, doing college basketball, softball and lacrosse.

Boardman began his career at Staples. He called a number of sports, and won several John Drury Awards.

(Screenshot/Tommy Greenwald)

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Speaking of sports: congratulations to Staples wrestlers.

Seamus Brannigan and Julian Rousseau finished first, at this weekend’s FCIAC (league) championships.

Damian Rousseau and Gavin Donaldson placed second, while Kai Schwartz was fourth.

Up next: the state and open meets. Go Wreckers:

From left: Head coach Jordan Marion, Gavin Donaldson, Damian Rousseau, Seamus Brannigan, Julian Rousseau, Kai Schwartz, Francesco Beccarra, Charlie Goldman, Amelia Guimond, coach Will Switzer. Not pictured: Jessiah Jones, Amere Miller, Grady McHugh, Kia Halper.

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Speaking still of sports: Congratulations to Dylan Rosen!

The Coleytown Middle School 8th grader recently placed 3rd in Junior 3 Clone Class. It was his first full season of racing with the Norwalk Karting Association, at Calf Pasture Beach.

Dylan is coached by 66 year-old Hugh Gorman. They began a trackside friendship during repairs, and Hugh began offering tips to improve the kart and Dylan’s driving skills.

“He has a lot of patience to talk through things and share his knowledge.” said the 13-year-old racer.

When the season ended in November, Dylan’s 25-year-old Coyote Kart was beyond repair. He and his dad, Frank, called the company. They offered a steep discount on a 15-year-old frame, which they could transfer their working parts to.

Dylan did all the work on it himself. He plans to compete in regional races, beginning next month — with a goal of qualifying for Daytona kart week.

He is looking for local sponsors, to help with karting expenses. Email rosenfamilyracing@gmail.com for details.

Dylan Rosen, at work on his kart.

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The VFW is many things, to many people.

This Friday (February 20, 5:30 p.m.), it becomes a piano karaoke bar.

All singers, of all levels, are welcome. Songs range from rock and pop to standards and Broadway. A piano accompanist will help you sound great.

Admission is free. There’s a cash bar too.

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Bob Mitchell — who hopefully was a passenger in this car, and not the driver — sends this photo …

… and writes: “Will this ever change? It’s been what, 6 years? Doesn’t Delamar want their own signs now?

“But the underlying question: Do these signs really cause travelers to come off the highway looking for accommodations? In this age of ubiquitous GPS?

“Nevertheless, come on, Department of Transporation.”

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Many “Westport … Naturally” photos show close-ups: birds, flowers and the like.

Today’s is a wider view. There is plenty of natural wonder here, in this shot of Old Mill, Long Island Sound and more, from Hillspoint Road.

(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)

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And finally … Happy Presidents Day!

We honor them both straightforwardly …

… and humorously:

(Hail to the chief! And hail to “06880”! Honor your favorite president, by clicking here to support your hyper-local blog. Let us know who he is. Democrats, Republicans, Whigs — all are welcome!)

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Roundup: Savvy Smoker, Ramadan, Gatsby …

Posted on April 12, 2025 | 15 comments

Savvy Smoker was busted this week.

That’s as regular a headline as “New York Giants lose.”

Law enforcement has served 4 warrants since December 2023 — including twice in the past 2 months — after complaints of non-licensed cannabis sales, and selling to minors. Numerous marijuana and THC products were seized, and a sales associate arrested.

So why hasn’t the store been shut down?

“Its frustrating,” Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas acknowledges.

“We report every incident to the state. But they, and the Department of Consumer Protection, say they can’t do anything.”

Koskinas will meet with Representative Town Meeting leaders next week. He hopes the RTM can draft an ordinance to take action against a store, after a certain number of violations.

The chief also spoke with the Aspetuck Health District. They were sympathetic, but could not find language to make repeated arrests a public health issue.

“They pay fines,” Koskinas says of the Savvy Smoker, which seems to be living up to its name. “But they keep on going.”

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Today is the beginning of Passover. Next Sunday is Easter.

And this past week marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

It’s a tholiday tradition to visit civil service offices, meet the executive officers, and give thanks and appreciation for the contributions and services they provide.

Members of the Ismaili Muslim community gave Eid al-Fitr gifts of appreciation to 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Fire Chief Nick Marsan, for their efforts on behalf of the Ismaili Muslim community and the people of Westport.

Town officials, with representatives of the Ismaili Muslim community.

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Happy 100th birthday, “Great Gatsby”!

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel — hailed as “the Sistine Chapel of American literature” — was published a century ago this week.

In its honor, the Boston Globe has looked back at the author, and his muse.

The path leads to Westport.

Taking note of the work of Robert Steven Williams and Richard Webb — Westporters who have written and made a film about the possible role our town played in inspired some of the characters and scenes — the Globe says:

When Fitzgerald arrived in Westport in May of 1920, both he and it were entering new eras. He was newly married and on honeymoon with Zelda, a vivacious 19-year-old Alabaman who later became a writer as well. Westport, meanwhile, was leaving its agricultural roots behind and becoming a more industrialized, suburban enclave that parades of wealthy New Yorkers, Bostonians, and other city dwellers took the train to visit. Artists like the Fitzgeralds, priced out of more established communities like Greenwich, came too.

At the time, Westport was practically lawless. The town’s police had little interest in enforcing Prohibition and bootleggers smuggling Canadian liquor criss-crossed Long Island Sound. The Fitzgeralds drank heavily at speakeasies, skinny dipped, and partied on the beach. “It was a bit like the Wild West,” said Robert Steven Williams, a Westport resident and one of the filmmakers behind “Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story,” a 2020 documentary.

Click here for the full Boston Globe article. (Hat tips: Fred Cantor, Gwen Tutun)

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Speaking of important novels: As a student at Staples High School, Shelley Fisher’s most memorable assignment came from English teacher Tony Arciola: a paper on how Mark Twain used irony to attack racism in “Huckleberry Finn.”

She became a member of Yale’s first graduating class to include women. She earned a doctorate in American studies, and — as a professor of English at Stanford — Shelley Fisher Fishkin is now one of the nation’s foremost Twain scholars.

Her newest book — to be published Tuesday — is “Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn’s Comrades.” It explores the influence of the enslaved made on his young white companion.

Press materials call Jim “a highly polarizing figure: hH is viewed as an emblem both of Twain’s alleged racism and of his opposition to racism; a diminished character inflected by minstrelsy and a powerful challenge to minstrel stereotypes; a reason for banning ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and a reason for teaching it; an embarrassment and a source of pride for Black readers.”

Fishkin explores Twain’s portrayal of him, as well as Jim’s “afterlife” in film, translation, and classrooms today. “The result is Jim as we have never seen him before — a fresh and compelling portrait of one of the most memorable Black characters in American fiction.” Click here to order, and for more information. (Hat tip: Dick Lowenstein)

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Speaking of Staples: Ben Casparius made his Major League Baseball debut last season.

Cooper Boardman made it Thursday night.

Casparius — a 2017 Wrecker grad — did it on the mound, for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boardman’s achievement was in the broadcast booth.

The 2017 Staples and 2021 Syracuse University grad called his first major league game, for the Boston Red Sox’s WEEI radio network. He’s doing all 3 games of the series in Chicago, against the White Sox.

According to the Ruden Report, which broke the story, Boardman has been broadcasting Boston’s AAA Worcester games since 2021. He has also worked for Fox Sports and Westword One, working college basketball, softball and lacrosse.

Boardman began his career at Staples. He called a number of sports, and won several John Drury Awards. Click here for the WEEI Tweet.

Cooper Boardman

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Speaking still of Staples: Democracy is not dead.

Every spring and fall, Westport’s League of Women Voters registers new voters at Staples High School.

This week, they enrolled 39 seniors, in both parties. They handed out about 20 applications to others.

The new voters’ first chance will come this November, in local elections.

Westport’s newest voters, at Staples High School.

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Harbor Watch knows their people.

Every year, Earthplace’s water quality research program hosts a “Cocktails & Clams” fundraiser.

Every year, it sells out.

This year’s event is May 31 (5 to 7 p.m., Copps Island Oysters).

As always, the draw is an unlimited raw bar with fresh oysters and clams, canapés, drinks and live music, at the scenic Norwalk Harbor venue.

All proceeds support Harbor Watch’s science education programs. Faced with significant federal funding cuts, this year’s gala is crucial to empower local youth as future environmental stewards.

To purchase tickets, become a sponsor or make a tax-deductible donation, click here.

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Party planning is stressful.

Marinda Freeman can help. The former executive director of Martha Stewart Catering will discuss her new book, “Everything is an Event,” on May 2 (4 p.m., Westport Library).

A Q-and-A and signing session will follow. Registration is $5. Attendees receive a 25% book discount. Click here for more information.

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One of the joys of this time of year is the return of chirping birds.

This blue jay hung out at Richard Fogel’s feeder — and posed for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Richard Fogel)

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And finally … you may have figured this one was coming, based on the photo above.

Or not.

(Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald — today, Westport meets the world AND some literary superstars. Just another “06880” day. If you enjoy Roundups like this, please click here to support us. Thanks!)

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Environment, Library, Local politics, Police, religion, Sports, Staples HS

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Staples Snags An Emmy

Posted on April 18, 2017 | 7 comments

Over the years, Westport has been known for many things: Artists and writers. Advertising and marketing executives. Hedge fund titans.

Add another: Sports broadcasters.

From the 1950s through today, this town has been home to national names like Win Elliot, Jim McKay, Jim Nantz, Sal Marchiano, Mike Greenberg, Chris McKendry and Rebecca Lowe.

Staples’ WWPT-FM has produced its share of stars too, like David Lloyd, Jon Stashower, Evan Makovsky, DJ Sixsmith and Eric Gallanty.

Add in Kyle Martino and Jeremy Schaap — Staples grads who did not work for the school’s radio or TV station, but are now doing great things on NBC and ESPN, respectively — and we’ve got enough folks here for our own 24/7 network.

The list gets longer. Cooper Boardman and Jack Caldwell have just led a Staples Television Network crew that won a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences regional award for Best Student Production.

In other words: An Emmy.

Cooper Boardman (left) and Jack Caldwell, with trophies won earlier at the IBS National Broadcast Awards ceremony.

The honor — presented by the Boston/New England chapter for best high school TV sportscast — was for a live Staples boys basketball broadcast this winter.

In addition to Boardman and Caldwell — a senior and junior, who serve as co-directors of sports for the TV and radio stations and have won multiple awards previously — other contributors included Ben Klau, Buster Scher, Jackson Valente, Alex Massoud and Aaron Leopold.

Remember those names. A few years from now, you can say you knew — and heard — them when.

(Hat tip: Mark Lassoff)

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And The Winners Are…

Posted on March 5, 2017 | 1 comment

Cooper Boardman and Jack Caldwell have made a career out of broadcasting Staples High School sports on WWPT-FM, and the Staples Television Network.

They’ve called plenty of big wins, and a few heartbreaking defeats.

Yesterday, the 2 student announcers got a few victories of their own.

Cooper and Jack — who serve as co-directors of sports — were finalists in an eye-popping 14 IBS National Broadcast Awards categories.

In a ceremony held at New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania, they won 3: Best Play-by-Play Football (Jack and Cooper); Best Play-by-Play Basketball (Cooper); Best Use of YouTube (Cooper).

Cooper Boardman (left) and Jack Caldwell, with their 14 trophies.

Cooper Boardman (left) and Jack Caldwell, with their 14 trophies.

IBS stands for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. It’s been around for 77 years. With the growth of high school radio — pioneered by, among others, Staples — the organization recognizes younger announcers too.

Cooper — a senior — will attend Syracuse University’s prestigious Newhouse School of Public Communications. Jack is just a junior. After one more year of calling Wrecker games, he’ll head off to college for broadcast journalism too.

Unlike last week’s Oscars, these awards won’t be taken back. But like many WWPT stars before them, Cooper Boardman and Jack Caldwell are already on the road to radio success.

Click here for an audio link to Cooper and Jack’s winning football broadcast. Click here for a link to Cooper’s You Tube channel. Below is one sample of his work.

(Hat tip: Jim Honeycutt)

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Staples Hockey Team Skates To State Finals

Posted on March 17, 2016 | 6 comments

They don’t have their own rink.

They’ve added a couple of players from Weston and Shelton.

But the Staples co-op boys ice hockey team is headed to the state finals.

The team — almost all of whom are legit Westporters, and who wear a big “S” on their jerseys — won a wild, sudden-death overtime game Tuesday night, 6-5 over Woodstock Academy.

That put them in the Division III championship of the Big Dance — er, the Big Skate — on Saturday. The puck drops at 10 a.m., at Yale’s Ingalls Rink (aka The Whale).

(Courtesy/Staples Sports)

(Courtesy/Staples Sports)

As they’ve made their march to the title game — playing at rinks far from home — the Wreckers have picked up a large corps of enthusiastic fans.

They’ll be out in force Saturday morning. Let’s hope they’re joined by plenty of other Westporters.

If you’ve never seen a high school hockey game, you’re in for a treat.

And — hopefully — a championship.

(Can’t make the game? Tune in to WWPT-FM 90.3 — or click here for the livestream, anywhere in the world.)

Click below for all the goals in the Wreckers’ semifinal overtime win. Video by Cooper Boardman of Staples Sports:

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Zito And Honeycutt Grab Radio Gold

Posted on November 12, 2015 | 9 comments

It’s a good thing the Staples Media Lab is big. There’s room for TV production classes, a radio station and recording studio, plus plenty of high-tech equipment and offices.

Teachers and students need all that space to make magic. And, to store all the trophies they win for their work.

The latest hardware was handed out last weekend at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. As usual, Staples won several John Drury Awards — the country’s top honors for excellence in high school radio broadcasting.

But this year was extra special. Jim Honeycutt and Mike Zito were named Co-Faculty Advisors of the Year. It’s the 1st time a school has had 2 honorees — and it came just a few months before both legends retire.

The pair were cited for their long service to WWPT-FM; their cutting-edge work, and their contributions to the school and community. Nominating letters of support poured in from Staples athletic director Marty Lisevick, citing the duo’s work in creating robust sports coverage; assistant principal James Farnen, attesting to their dynamic classroom environment, and past and present students, describing the instructors’ sometimes life-changing impact.

Mike Zito and Jim Honeycutt (rear) stand with WWPT-FM's Jack Caldwell and Cooper Boardman -- and some Drury Award trophies. Behind them is a mural -- painted by Staples art students -- on the wall outside the Media Lab.

Mike Zito and Jim Honeycutt (rear) stand with WWPT-FM’s Jack Caldwell and Cooper Boardman (and some Drury Award trophies). Behind them is a mural — painted by Staples art students — on the wall outside the Media Lab.

Sunday’s awards ceremony was emotional, Zito admits. He and Honeycutt have known one each other since the 1970s — when neither was yet teaching.

Honeycutt was a musician, who built the sound system for Barnaby’s in Bridgeport. Zito was the DJ there.

“We were in and out of each other’s lives for years,” Zito says. “Then we had the good fortune of establishing the media department at Staples.”

He arrived at the high school 14 years ago, from Coleytown Middle School. Honeycutt — formerly a Long Lots Middle School social studies and Staples computer teacher — had already moved into TV, radio and recording instruction.

WWPT- FM has won many Drury Awards. In 2011, it was named best high school station in the US.

WWPT- FM has won many Drury Awards. In 2011, it was named best high school station in the US.

The Media Lab now encompasses WWPT-FM and the Staples Television Network — both after-school activities — and classes in TV, radio, film, audio production and graphics.

Broadcast coverage includes live sports events, Staples Players’ shows, Candlelight and other concerts, graduation, even elections.

“On Back to School Night and when we talk to 8th grade parents, we like to say that there are many ways kids can find their place at Staples,” Zito says. “Some do it in arts, athletics or science. Others find a home here.”

For he and Honeycutt, being honored for helping students feel comfortable — and discover a new passion, perhaps even their life’s work — is “a real nice cap to our own careers.”

But the teachers are just as proud of the other Drury Awards won last weekend.

Cooper Boardman, Adam Kaplan and Zach Edelman were honored for Best Sports Play-by-Play radio broadcast. It was not even a Staples game — the trio earned kudos for their work on the girls basketball state finals (Wilton vs. South Windsor) at Mohegan Sun.

Boardman arranged that coverage on one day’s notice.

Boardman, Edelman and Jacob Bonn came in 2nd, in the same category, for their broadcast of the Trumbull-Stamford FCIAC basketball championship.

In addition, Boardman placed 2nd (Best Sportstalk Program) for his interview of ESPN personality Jonathan Coachman; Boardman, Edelman and Bonn took 3rd for Best Sportscast (“WWPT Sports Update”). Jack Caldwell was a national finalist for his Sportstalk interview with hockey goaltender Mike Liut.

WWPT_logo

But wait! There’s more!

Honeycutt’s Audio class and David Roth’s Theater 3 class took both 1st and 2nd place for “Best Radio Drama – Adaptation.” They were cited for parts I and II of “A Christmas Carol.”

Finally, WWPT was runnerup for Best Radio Station in the country. It’s the 6th consecutive year the FM outlet was either 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

It was quite a weekend for WWPT, and their advisors. So what’s ahead for the duo, once they retire in June?

Honeycutt will enjoy his grandchildren, who live nearby.

Zito and his wife head to Austin, Texas. “It’s a great music town,” he notes. “I hope to get into radio there.”

He will not win any more Drury Awards. But SXSW — watch out!

To watch the award-winning live radio adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” click below.

 

 

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