My Rye

Rye's American Yacht Club to Host Competition for Disabled Sailors

Rye's American Yacht Club will host the US Disabled Sailing Championships for the Independence Cup on June 6th - 9th. The Chicago Yacht Club hosted the first Independence Cup in 1990. This is the first time the event is being held in Rye.

(PHOTO: Marc LeBlanc (New Orleans, LA) wins the 2.4mR class of the 2007 Independence Cup. photo: C. Kirchner Source: ussailing.org) The International Paralympic Committee reports Cup Co-Chair Bill Sandberg saying: “Sailing is one of the only sports in the world where athletes with a disability can compete with able-bodied people as equal competitors.”

The Independence Cup is sponsored by UBS, The Carlyle Group, Dry Creek Vineyard and Heineken. Registration for the event is open to any sailor with a physical disability, in addition to meeting the eligibility requirements. More information:

U.S Disabled Sailing Championship Event Chairs
Bill Sandberg - 203-637-4989, bill_sandberg2003@yahoo.com
Ed Padin – 914-439-5476, ERPadin@aol.com
U.S. Disabled Sailing Championship National Committee Chair:
Kevin D’Aprile, 630-674-4257, kevin.daprile@gmail.com
US SAILING Championships Director:
Liz Walker, 401-683-0800 x651, Lizwalker@ussailing.org
Website: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usic 

Run, Jog, Walk in Rye

(PHOTO: tarlow001's 5.6 loop from FavoriteRun.com) Rye is focused on fitness. You have the YMCA's Activate America, the city council's trailways committee, the Westchester Triathalon and a ton of recreational and outdoor activities including the Marshlands and the Edith Read Sanctuary.

But if you are a beginning runner or walker, or if you are bored with your current route, what should you do?

Just ask "tarlow001" or "StacyLav" or a ton of other local runners, joggers and walkers who have posted their favorite routes on sites like FavoriteRun.com, MapMyRun.com, usatf.org and walkjogrun.net. You can use these sites to find new routes posted by others or post your own.

Menacing Bikers from the "Gimbel's Ride"

Most bicyclists are benign. They keep to themselves and respect auto traffic. And then there is the "Gimbel's Ride". A group of 20-60 or so hyper-competitive bicyclists, they blow through Rye on Saturdays and Sundays usually between 11am and 12 noon.

If you drive down Theodore Fremd, Old Post Road or the Boston Post Road during this hour and have been cut-off by twenty plus guys in spandex, it's the "Gimbel's Ride". They are riding hell bent, ignoring red lights and traffic because they have just cycled all over the county and are racing towards the "finish line" -- the Rye / Mamaroneck town line on Route 1.

According to Roadbikereview.com, the ride started 30-40 years ago and to this day originates at the Cross County Mall in Yonkers, where there was once a Gimbel's department store. A post on the web site provides this description:

"Don't look for a Gimbel's at Cross County Mall; it became a Stern's some time back. (I don't know what its called now, since I join the ride several miles north.)

100 riders sounds high. Maybe it has reached that number at some point, but it certainly starts off with fewer (maybe 50 on a good-weather, no-race early summer weekend) with additional riders joining at various points as it heads up Route 100 (Central Park Avenue) through White Plains, and up Route 22 past the Kensico dam in North White Plains. Pace is easy up to the dam, with everyone socializing, checking out new equipment, making excuses for poor race performances etc.

Riders are a mix of active racers (Cat. 2's through 5's, Masters, Women), wannabe/has-beens (yours truly), and even occasional newbies. Some of us try to be courteous and helpfull to strangers(despite our natural inclinations), but we almost never stop for anyone's flats/mechanicals, and only grudgingly for crashes.

On Rte. 22 just south of Armonk, the first split occurs, right onto Rte. 120 South, "American Can Hill". (I think American Can Corporate HQ is gone to, but this is veering into a discussion of real estate history, which would be tedious even over at Non-Cycling Discussions, so I'll stop.) This is the shortest option.

I mile or two further up 22, the real significant split occurs; continue up 22, or turn left up Rte. 120 North.

I would recommend fit, experienced riders new to Gimbels take the Rte. 22 option; Rte. 120 North starts with a series of stairstep hills that causes many newbies to drop off, and the pace remains hard throughout, so unless you're with an experienced companion, you may find yourself alone in the wilds of Westchester. Its pretty, but probably not the ride you had in mind.

The group rides conclude in Rye/Mamaroneck, with a sprint on US 1; from there smaller groups ride at recovery pace back to their origins. (NYC riders have the option of riding New Haven trains home from here as well.) Rte. 22 group gets in to Rye about 11:00; Rte. 120 North group gets in 30 to 45 minutes later, depending on route and pace. Budget another 45 minutes to ride back to Cross County if that's where you're parked."

Handicapped $170; Rye Golf Club Hikes Fees 4%

The Rye Golf Club (and Pool) has published its rates for the 2008 season. Those residents paying for "Comprehensive" family memberships will pay $4,417 or $170 more than last year. Non-residents join via a lottery system and pay substantially higher fees.

Resident Regular / New Rates	2007	2008	Percentage Increase	Net Dollar Increase
Social	$     400	$       75	-81.25%	$  (325)
Comprehensive	$  4,247	$  4,417	4.00%	$   170
Individual Daily Golf	$  2,890	$  3,006	4.01%	$   116
Individual Weekday Golf	$  1,944	$  2,022	4.01%	$     78
Junior Golf	$     665	$     692	4.06%	$     27
Family Pool	$  1,363	$  1,418	4.04%	$     55
Individual Pool	$     697	$     725	4.02%	$     28
Pool for Two	$  1,107	$  1,151	3.97%	$     44
Junior Pool	$     415	$     432	4.10%	$     17

Beach Tennis Coming to Rye Town Beach July 10-11

For $25 you might be the world champion of beach tennis.

And you can start your professional beach tennis career on July 10th at Rye Town Beach.

Beach tennis is like regular tennis except it is played on a regulation beach volleyball court. Using tennis racquets, two players on each team volley back and forth, hitting a slightly depressurized tennis ball directly over the net without letting it bounce.

Beach Tennis USA will be at Rye Town Beach and admission is free. Registration to play in the tournament is $25 per player. Equipment including racquets and balls is provided free of charge.

Beach tennis was started in the United States as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim. In its fourth season, Beach Tennis USA has hosted events in Southern Florida, Southern California and New York. Competitions have been televised on Tennis Channel, Comcast SportsNet, and SportsNet New York (SNY).

Resurrection School's Sister Kathleen Finnerty Giant Contribution

More news on Rye and the New York Giants win in Superbowl 42, this from blogging nun Julie Vieira of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Newark Star Ledger.

(PHOTO: Sister Finnerty, courtesy NOLA.com) It turns out that Sister Kathleen Finnerty, a former principal at Rye's Resurrection School (where Giants team president John Mara's children attended grammar school) who is now doing God's work (truly) as the Superintendent of Schools for the New Orleans Diocese, had her own part in the Giants unexpected, historic win.

From Kevin Manahan's Star Ledger story:

As Eli Manning, Most Villified Player turned Most Valuable Player, drove the Giants to a championship-winning touchdown in the final minute of Super Bowl XLII, television cameras peeked at nervous team president John Mara, who reached into his shirt pocket on just about every snap of that fateful drive.

... Pacing in a luxury suite at University of Phoenix Stadium, Mara was saying a silent prayer and running his fingers over a religious medal. Yesterday, as the grinning, sleep-deprived Giants loaded their luggage and the Lombardi Trophy onto a team charter and flew east in time for today's parade through Manhattan -- in this case, the Canyon of Unsung Heroes -- Mara chuckled when asked what had been in his pocket Sunday night.

"I had a little medal this nun sent me," he said. "She sent me a great letter a couple of days ago with this medal of the Blessed Virgin, and she said, 'I guarantee you this will bring you luck.' I did reach in for that. Did they actually show that on TV?"

... Tracked down in The Big Easy, Sister Kathleen Finnerty, Superintendent of Schools for the New Orleans Diocese, told the story behind the Our Lady of Prompt Succor medal she had sent to Mara a few days after the NFC Championship Game. While watching the Super Bowl with relatives, had she noticed Mara reaching into his pocket?

"Are you kidding?" Sister Finnerty said. "I was too busy looking for a Valium."

Turns out, the Ursuline Sisters, Sister Finnerty's order, are fanatical football fans who watch or attend high school games on Friday nights, college games on Saturday, and NFL on Sunday. And because they are New Orleans natives, they have a soft spots for the Manning quarterbacks, who were reared there.

"Some of the sisters down here are 80 to 90 years old, and they are football addicts," Sister Finnerty said. "So when the Giants made the Super Bowl, one of them said to me, 'We can't let Eli down. We have to get Our Lady in on this.' I told her, 'Well, I know John Mara.' So, she gave me the medal and told me to get it to him. I mailed it to him and didn't think about it."

... "I don't think I guaranteed a victory," she said with a laugh. "I think I wrote that the Giants could use a little divine intervention."

.. "But Our Lady has provided miracles before," Sister Finnerty said.

Actually, two miracles have been attributed to the Virgin Mother under the name of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, which is French for "Quick Help." During the Great Fire of 1812 in New Orleans, when flames were racing toward their convent in Jackson Square, the Ursuline nuns called upon Our Lady of Prompt Succor for help. The winds immediately shifted, blowing the fire in another direction and sparing the convent.

Then, in 1815, when general Andrew Jackson was tying to hold the British troops at bay and New Orleans appeared on the verge of capture, the Sisters again beckoned Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Jackson prevailed, with only 6,000 troops to fight 15,000 Brits. The city was saved.

Since then, New Orleans residents have prayed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor at the start of each hurricane season.

"We're not exactly sure what happened two years ago with Katrina," Sister Finnerty said. "But we wanted the Giants to win. So, we prayed in a sort of full-court press. I know that's not the right sports phrase for football, but you know what I mean. Besides, we always pray for the Manning brothers."

And for one Super Bowl Sunday, "quick help" meant 83 yards on 12 plays in 2 minutes, 7 seconds.

"Wait until I tell the other Sisters that John had the medal in his pocket the whole time," Sister Finnerty said. "Oh, they're going to love this."

Ann Mara, a Giant Fan

In a follow-up to our piece last week about long time New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, The Palm Beach Post carried an article on Saturday about Wellington's wife, Ann Mara, who now splits her time between Rye and Palm Beach (Wellington Mara passed away in 2005).

(PHOTO: Ann Mara with former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Photo courtesy newyorksocialdiary.com) "She's (Ann Mara) 78 now, but won't be watching Sunday's Super Bowl from here or her other home in Rye, N.Y. Instead she'll be with all of her children and most of her 40 grandchildren in owners' suites in Glendale, Ariz., to see her Giants try to upend the New England Patriots... "The Giants have been our whole lives, and I enjoy every single minute of it," Ann Mara said. "I travel on the team plane. The players congratulate me when we win."... Two weeks ago, she was at Lambeau Field to see the Giants upset the Packers. "Oh, boy, was it cold in Green Bay," she said. "My friend who used to own the Jets, Mrs. Hess, she lent me a fur to put over my lap for good luck, and it worked."

It must have been quite a celebration last night for Ann Mara and her family.

Rye's Wellington Mara, a Football Giant

(PHOTO: Giants fans) On Sunday afternoon, the YMCA will be empty. Sal's Pizza will be doing a robust take out business. Rye's own Alex Rodriguez and ex-Harrison Huskie Joe Torre will be watching football. Along with the rest of us. And it won't be the annual Rye - Harrison football match-up.

It's Superbowl Sunday and the New York Giants face-off against the New England Patriots.

Rye has a special connection to New York Giants football thru long-time resident Wellington Mara, who was an owner of the Giants in 1930 at the early age of 14 until his death at age 89 in 2005. Part of a sports dynasty started by his father Tim Mara, Wellington, known by the nickname Duke, was know for his focus on faith, family and football.

Mara was a devout Catholic who regularly attended 8am Mass as Resurrection Church in Rye. He was known for his support of the pro-life movement and donated to various conservative political campaigns. And, at the time of his death, Mara had 11 children and 40 grandchildren.

On the Giants web site they list some of his accomplishments, including:

"Mara was instrumental in the outstanding accomplishments of the Giants: 26 post-season appearances (the second-highest total in league history), including 18 NFL Divisional championships and six NFL championships, among them the Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV titles."

Not a bad run... Go Giants!

More:

NY Giants.com

NY Times Obituary

Rye's Apawamis Club to Host #1 Women's Squash Player Nicol David

Rye's Apawamis Club will host the number one women's squash player in the world this January. From January 30th to February 4th, the club hosts the 2008 Apawamis Open, an international squash competition with a $60,000 prize.

Women squash players from all over the world will travel to Rye, including Nicol David, the 24 year old Malaysian player ranked number one in the world. Apawamis built its first squash courts in 1904 and claims it was the third such country club in the nation to have offered squash to its members. (PHOTO, ABOVE: CIMB Malaysia Open Women's Champion, Nicol David lifting up her trophy after winning the competition. Courtesy: Kamal Sell)

stAy-Rod and the One Huskie We Like

World Series or not, Rye is turning into A-Rod country.

We like our new neighbor, the sure-to-be American League most valuable player Alex Rodriguez, who has made his (big) home on Parsonage Point in Rye. We know his contract is up, but with a two year old daughter and a baby on the way, A-Rod should really consider staying. Alex, Rye is a great family town. Think about it. Call me and I'll give you the inside line on the pre-schools.

And a couple signed baseballs would help the Osborn School Carnival (October 20th, mark your calendar) blow away last years $82,000 fund raising effort and be a step up from last year's Ichiro baseball.

We also like Harrison Huskie and Yankee Manager Joe Torre. With signed head shots of Torre in every dry cleaner and restaurant in Mamaroneck, Harrison and Rye, what's not to like about this Brooklyn kid who took the Bronx Bombers to 12 post seasons and four World Series. A resident of Muchmore Road in Harrison, Torre can be sighted at the Starbuck's in downtown Rye or at Rye's Coveleigh Club on Stuyvesant Avenue, around the corner from A-Rod's house, where he and his wife are members.

And oh yeah, Boston sucks.

(PHOTO BELOW: Joe Torre with Sal of Sal's Pizza in Mamaroneck)