Cherry Hill Valley
Country Club
hosts rescheduled
coaches outing
The coaches of the middle and high schools enjoyed a great day on the course at Cherry Valley Country Club on Thursday Aug. 15 as guests of the Garden City Men’s Association. The outing was rescheduled to August because of heavy rains in June, but the group encountered no such weather issues as the sun shined brightly on the group and everyone was a winner.
The Men’s Association (TMA) hosts the annual event to honor the coaches, assistant coaches and administrators who put in significant amounts of time and energy with our boys and girls to deliver one of the top athletic programs on Long Island.
Winning championships has become commonplace for Garden City and the coaching staffs are a big part of the reason for the success. Up and down the lineup, from longtime varsity coaches like Gene Rockler, Mike Heedles and Reid Sclafani to middle school coaches Bob Townsend and JP Camilleri, the coaches all instill the qualities that these youngsters will carry forward in everything they do: commitment, dedication and discipline.
The outing was well attended despite the schedule change and many coaches taking advantage of the last days of summer. As JV baseball coach Dave Izzo noted “I don’t know of a better way to spend an afternoon!” Although he did mention he might feel differently after his round of golf. He was smiling at the end of the day, so it couldn’t have been all that bad.
As the foursomes hit off the first tee there were many smiles–and some good-natured barbs going back and forth. Whether the ball sailed down the middle of the fairway or just barely made it past the tee box, no one was exempt. As soccer coach Mike Heedles stepped up to his ball he quipped that he was happy to see no video cameras; he then delivered a perfect drive, hopefully not his only one of the day.
TMA past president Paul McDougal thanked the coaches for their fine leadership not only on the field but also in the classroom and community. McDougal reiterated what current president Pete Haeffner told the group at the Coaches Dinner in June: “You coaches make it easy for the parents, giving us all the confidence that you are taking care of them. Thank you.”
