One of Staples High School’s most accomplished athletes has gotten very little recognition this year.
Yesterday, junior Francine Stevens represented her girls track and field team at the New England Championship, in New Britain. She finished 4th at 400 meters, with a time of 57.85.
Francine holds 7 school record. Last week she broke her own, at the state open meet.
Next weekend she heads to Greensboro, North Carolina. She’ll compete against the nation’s best in 100, 200 and 400 meters, at the Adidas Nationals.
Francine Stevens, with her New England medal.
=======================================================
Congrats too to Luke Brodsky and Alex Gudarrama. They won the state invitational doubles tennis championship, with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 defeat of a Darien duo.
Tighe Brunetti reached the finals too, but fell to Tighe Brunetti fought hard but fell to Fairfield Warde 6-4, 6-2.
Luke Brodsky and Alex Guadarrama.
Staples has one more individual state champion: Anna Lemcke.
The senior broke 80 for the first time in her golfing career, and tied for first place in the state open tournament at the Black Hal Club in Old Lyme.
It’s a remarkable achievement: In last year’s open, she finished second to las.
Anna’s choice of college is perfect for a golfer: the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland. (Hat tip: Valerie Smith-Malin)
Staples' Anna Lemcke shares medalist laurels with Berlin's Libby Dunn at the State Open, shooting a 79 at the Black Hall Club. #ctgolf pic.twitter.com/BKyoeBkOs7
— Joe Morelli (@nhrJoeMorelli) June 12, 2022
=======================================================
One final sports note: Yesterday, the Angels won the Little League championship.
But for Pell Schmeisser, that honor paled beside another: He was named the winner of the Perrin Delorey Sportsmanship Award. Perrin, a Little Leaguer, died in an automobile accident in 2018, after a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Previous winners include Jack Hanlon and Dylan Burdeshaw. (Hat tip: Lauren MacNeill)
The Little League champion Angels. Perrin Delorey Sportsmanship Award winner Pell Schmeiser is in the bottom row, far left.
===============================================================
In most homes, graduation is a big deal. For a few days at least, a boy or girl feels like the most important person in a family.
In one Country Road home though, the honor must be shared 3 ways. Movin’ on up, indeed!
(Photo/Mark Mathias)
=======================================================
Friends of Sherwood Island’s annual meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. today (Sunday, June 12), in the state park’s main pavilion. All are welcome.
Guest speaker Juliana Barrett will speak on “Climate Change and Connecticut’s Coastal Forests.” She is an educator with the Institute for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, part of the University of Connecticut’s Sea Grant program.
The meeting includes a tribute to the Nature Center’s architect and benefactor, Westporter Peter Wormser.
Click here for more information.
=======================================================
Meg Kirby — co-owner and namesake of Peggy’s Cottage, the popular all-things-Irish store across from Stop & Shop — died Friday afternoon. She had battled illness, but passed peacefully.
Her husband, Brian Ellard, says: “She loved her little shop, and put her heart and soul into filling it with special things. Heading off to work every morning and looking forward to seeing everyone for a chat put a big smile on her face. I thank everyone for their love and support over the last few years, especially the last few months.”
Brian Ellard and Meg Kirby, in Peggy’s Cottage.
======================================================
Chris Grimm spotted this white squirrel at MoCA.
It’s not an albino — the technical term is leucistic, for “reduced pigmentation” — but it’s a fascinating subject for “Westport … Naturally” nonetheless.
(Photo/Chris Grimm)
=======================================================
And finally … on this day in 1817, the earliest form of a bicycle was driven by Karl von Drais. It had no pedals; the rider straddled a wooden frame supported by two wheels, and pushed the vehicle along with his feet while steering the front wheel.
The bicycle’s original name: “dandy horse.”
(“06880” relies entirely on donations from readers. Please click here to help.)
