Weighing in at 186 pages, Dr. Anthony G. Alessi’s Healthy Sports: A Doctor’s Guide for a Winning Lifestyle (Backus Foundation) is a book that may well change the reader’s life. It’s divided into six sections (Sports as Exercise, Getting Started, Sports Injuries, Disorders and Diseases, Controversies, and Trends and Sidelines), and each chapter is informative, to the point, and extremely readable. As ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore writes in his Forward, “Dr. Alessi’s knowledge stretches far beyond the field and arena to subjects that are wide and varied. Still, there is one common target: our health.”
One thing Dr. Alessi, Chief of Neurology at The William W. Backus Hospital, in Norwich, would like people to know before they begin reading his book, is, “If people are thinking of adapting a healthier life style, the book is for them.” Another thing is: “If they want to want to know more about health from a medical standpoint, it would interest them as well. The book should be interesting to a wide variety of people.”
For the last two years, Dr. Alessi, a Norwich resident, has written a column for the “Norwich Bulletin.” For the most part, “Healthy Sports” is a compilation of those columns. Column and book consider sports and health from the viewpoint of parents, whose children might be participating in sports, and from the perspective of coaches and athletic trainers. Dr. Alessi added, “We also consider health from the standpoint of the athletes themselves. We look at it from afar, too – that is, at good and bad decisions famous and even not-so-famous athletes have made with regard to their health.”
Writing “Healthy Sports” and his column has proved rewarding for Dr. Alessi. “Well, most rewarding about writing the column is that it can impact people’s lives in a very direct way, in our community,” he said. He recalled an incident two years ago when a young woman, who thought she was having a stroke, “came to the emergency room. I was on call and asked her what made her get to the emergency room. She said she had read my article about the warning signs of stroke.” Equally rewarding is putting “the book together as a fund raising opportunity for the hospital – all the proceeds go to the Backus Hospital Foundation. It’s been fun. It’s an all-around winner. I’m very lucky because I’m not just a writer but I practice medicine here, so I get to see the full circle of things.”
Currently Dr. Alessi is working on a book titled Everybody Has a Health Question. When he has the opportunity, he travels the country and gives people, he said, “The opportunity to ask any health question they may have. It’s interesting to see the types of health questions based on the area. So, the next thing is to look at these regional health questions, because health is such a concern and popular topic from everyone’s standpoint.”
Cas Grygorcewicz, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball at Mitchell College in New London, said, when he left the school in 2003, the basketball program had been “brought to its highest level ever. We reached a #2 National ranking as part of the NCAA Division II program.” Cas, who returned to Mitchell College in 2006, added, “I like to think, now that we’re in an NCAA Division III basketball program, we’ll bring our program to its highest level once again. [One reason is that] this is the first year I was able to recruit for a full year. We brought in ten new kids. We don’t have any seniors and there are only two juniors on the team. So the future for the Mitchell College Mariners basketball program is indeed very bright.”
There is a new conference this year that Mitchell College will be participating in, “It’s the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC),” Cas said. “It was a priority for our athletic department to get into, since we have gone to the NCAA Division III model.” More, he believes “we’ve turned the corner. I feel we can compete for the title in this conference. Believe me, we have some talented kids here.”
Now on to a few questions that I asked Cas. First, I asked what is most difficult about his job? He replied, “It’s working with a student athlete who might have a difficult time taking responsibility and trusting her coaches and teammates, two crucial ingredients in establishing productive team chemistry.” Second, what’s most rewarding about it? “Well, it’s seeing kids coming to us, in October, with no clue about the program, and what it demands. Then it’s seeing them leave, at the end of the season, having achieved a sense of accomplishment and growth. Seeing them having gained a new maturity about themselves and a genuine trust in both their coaching staff and their teammates.” Third, what’s your basketball philosophy? Without missing he beat, Cas replied, “It’s to be the best you can be not only on the basketball court but also as a person in the community.”
From Tom DiStasio, Norwich, an assistant volunteer coach, “Coach Cas thoroughly knows his stuff. Put simply, he’s an excellent coach. His assistant coaching staff is knowledgeable as well. It’s a privilege to learn from and work with them. A word to the wise, keep an eye on the Mariners this season and in the future.”
In addition to his duties as Head Coach, Cas serves as an Academic Advisor. He pointed out that, “Mitchell College is a strong academic institution with an excellent support system for our students. The school has grown considerably over the past several years and [offers a wide variety of programs].” The Norwich resident is a veteran long-distance runner, too, and one of his many accomplishments occurred in 1982, when he finished the Ocean State Marathon at 2:41.
Under the coaching style of Jason Southard, the USCGA is a threat at the New England Football Conference Championships. Below are several inspirational and meaningful football stories that several of the Coast Guard Academy Seniors have shared to sum up there time.
Quarterback and Cheshire resident Niles Pierson, who proved himself to be the comeback kid when it comes to winning games, says, “The thing I’ll remember the most about playing football at the Academy are my brothers on the team. Three games stand out in my memory the most. The first one is the Framingham State game my sophomore year. That is the game that I won the Gold Helmet Award. The second one is the Merchant Marine game my junior year because I had two touchdown passes and it was the first time we beat them in 5 or so years. The last one is the Worcester State game from this year because of that last minute touchdown pass to Cale.”
Marlboro, MA resident and Linebacker Brian Yurovich, who led the team in tackles last year with 77 said, “To play for a service academy is a great honor; to be able to represent your service, country, school, brothers on the team and family though your performance in the world’s greatest game is a humbling and exciting experience.”
Offensive Linebacker and New Britain resident Mike Fiori best summed up firsthand what it is like putting a CG jersey on, “There’s nothing better than looking your teammates in the eyes on the field. You learn a lot about trust. Sacrificing together; that’s what playing football for the CGA is all about. I’ll never forget, we were down 10-7 against Curry College, with a few minutes left in the 2007 New England Football Conference Championship game. A win would have put us in the Division III playoffs for the first time in a decade. The offense huddled up on the sideline waiting for the play call from the coaches. We all knew at that moment that the team’s chance at going to the playoffs rested on the offense driving down the field and winning. We didn’t move the ball a ton that game, but looking in everyone’s eyes in the huddle you could see that we had truly come together as a team, and that everybody believed that we could drive down the field and win. Breaking that huddle and running onto the field gave me an excitement that can’t be experienced anywhere else but in football. A half back pass almost won us the game, but we fell short. And as we attempted a field goal to win the game I couldn’t see pass the defensive lineman, but I heard their sideline cheer. So I realized that there wasn’t going to be overtime and instead we were going home. But there is no better feeling than looking your teammates in the eyes and knowing that you guys are going to have to drive down the field and win. And I always believe that we are going to do just that.”
Soccer demands teamwork, endurance, speed and coordination, but sometimes in order to succeed in a game you have to add one more element. That element is heart. A lot of times giant universities have a lot of talent, but they don’t have the heart or desire to play hard. Unfortunately, that usually leads to a decline in the team’s potential.
Once a two-year school, Mitchell College has grown to a four-year NCAA Division III and a reputable college. The key to their recent successes in their soccer programs is that they remain low key and down to earth. They have the heart to play successfully. This year the newly named Mitchell College Mariners Men’s Soccer team participated in the New England Collegiate Conference Semi-Finals.
Their season came to an end when they lost to Lesley University. Key players for the Mariners that almost won them the Championship this season were Forward James Gleason, Old Lyme, Forward Josh Griffo, Higganum and backs Adam and Alex Deltgen, Norwich. “We were able to bring together great talent to work together, they did everything that was expected of them. And I am very proud of each and everyone of them,” said Mariners Head Coach Dean Roberts.
“Coach Roberts has always been great at scouting local talent,” said Mitchell College Athletic Coordinator Moe White.
The same goes for the Mitchell College Mariners women’s team. They played with tremendous heart and under Coach Damian Houlden. Their team was also very successful. Ironically, several key players on their team were also local, such as Defender Michelle Anderson, Chaplin, Forward Nichole Hoxie, Winsted, and Midfield Paige Ehnot, West Hartford.
“With both teams, we couldn’t have asked for anything more, they have had tremendous seasons,” said Moe.
One of the most demanding, death defying, and underrated sports that is finally earning respect in our country is auto racing. The origin of automobile racing in America began during prohibition. Moon shiners began customizing their automobiles, which made it difficult for the authorities to catch them. Later on NASCAR was established and such driving dynasties as the Petty’s and Earnhardt’s assisted in turning a once punishable crime to a highly watched and competitive sport.
Sixteen-year-old East Lyme student Kyle Kutcha is a third generation driver who is currently competing in the Seekonk Youth Racing Association 750. He placed in several races this year and is currently ranked fourth in his division.
Kyle was introduced to competitive racing when he began watching the races with his father who was a crew chief at the Stafford Motor Speedway. “When I saw a mini cup car at a racing convention, I thought it was the coolest thing. Next thing I know, I am in Mystic picking out my own car to race. Since my first race in 2004, I have had the time of my life.”
Over time, Kyle learned that the demands of his sport usually are found more off the track than on. “There is always work to be done such as making adjustments or fixing the car. On the track, you just have to know what you’re doing. Trying to recognize parts of the car demand my attention more than anything, on top of that I have to balance that work with school work and other commitments.”
Despite the constant improvements and modifications that is put on the car, it doesn’t shield the terrors and sometimes fatal accidents the sport unfortunately has. “One time I almost went head first into the wall trying to avoid an accident. Luckily, I had only hit with the right side, but I was still pretty shaken up.”
Before every race, Kyle puts himself in a mental state of pure positive energy. He erases all negativity so that he can be confident in his race. Kyle is also a very talented drummer, and is a filmmaker with the Southeastern CT Film Makers Association.
Weighing in at 186 pages, Dr. Anthony G. Alessi’s Healthy Sports: A Doctor’s Guide for a Winning Lifestyle (Backus Foundation) is a book that may well change the reader’s life. It’s divided into six sections (Sports as Exercise, Getting Started, Sports Injuries, Disorders and Diseases, Controversies, and Trends and Sidelines), and each chapter is informative, to the point, and extremely readable. As ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore writes in his Forward, “Dr. Alessi’s knowledge stretches far beyond the field and arena to subjects that are wide and varied. Still, there is one common target: our health.”
