Monthly Archives: January 2011

Outside the Box A Look at Webb Sports

There are a number of aspects that make writing for The Weekly Adirondack a uniquely rewarding experience.

To begin, the entire staff has a genuine connection to, and interest in, the community.  That commitment and dedication shows up every week, providing readers with reporting that is not only fair and accurate, but also reflects the true essence of local residents.

The opportunity to cover the exploits of our student-athletes is also especially gratifying.  It might sound corny but, as the song lyric says, “I believe the children are our future”.  Watching these kids grow into young adults over the last few years has been one of the great experiences of my life.

Another benefit which our small-town environment provides is the chance to get direct feedback from friends, neighbors, and the citizenry in general.

Last week, for example, I tackled a difficult topic which had the potential to raise a few hackles.  And, believe it or not, not every newspaper columnist thrives on, or seeks out, controversy.

Thankfully, folks in these parts seem to possess a spirit of acceptance and a willingness to genuinely consider opinions that might not, at first glance, coincide with their own.

Over the last several days, as people shared their own thoughts on our most recent “touchy subject”, I thanked my lucky stars that we find ourselves in this time and place.  The fact that we are able to have these conversations in a civil manner perhaps says more about who we are than anything else.

I look forward to contributing toward a healthy process of discourse in the future and genuinely appreciate it when people call or walk up and chat.  Your opinion counts every bit as much as mine, so don’t ever hesitate to speak your mind!

For the next month or so, however, you won’t be seeing me bopping around town as I’m soon to be heading out on a book tour.  Know that, until I return, I’ll be praying for lots of snow – the local economy could sure use a boost – and can’t wait to see how the Eskimos are doing.  Until then . . .

Girls JV Basketball

We only have one result from last week to report, but it was a doozie.  The ladies hit the road on Monday, January 10 to take on LaFargeville, a team still smarting from a previous loss to the Eskimos.

Despite their opponents’ revenge factor, Coach Andrew Huntress had the team ready to roll, and they made an early statement in opening a 27-11 halftime bulge.

LaFargeville attempted to create confusion by clogging the paint early in the second half but the girls responded nicely, taking what the defense gave them.  During that stretch, Katie Connell drained a number of jumpers, totaling 17 points in the half.

Having hit those outside shots, the inside opened back up and Mercedes Rice went to work, striking for five layups.

The game ended with a final score of 44-28, providing a shot of confidence for a team that has been improving consistently.

Connell gave fans a glimpse of some serious hardcourt potential with 19 points, seven rebounds, and a devastating nine blocked shots.  Rice had a tremendous game as well in scoring a dozen points and snatching fifteen rebounds.

Several other players had a hand in the win, including Sam Notley (6 pts., 6 stls., 5 reb., 4 assists); Jodi Bolton (5 pts.; 2 assists); and Kayla Yuckel (2 pts., 2 assists), not to mention fine defense from the entire squad.

Boys Varsity Basketball

Several players were called up from Jayvee to replace a depleted Varsity team, so there are no results for that group.

It’s great that some younger players got a taste of the “big leagues”, but a little unfortunate that it had to come at a time when the Eskimos were facing New York Mills and Oriskany, easily the two strongest squads in the League.

To be perfectly honest, Old Forge would have had their hands full with both of those teams even if they had been at full strength.  That said, neither score was close and, in fact, many fans were disappointed in New York Mills’ Coach Mike Adey’s apparent decision to run the score up.

No sour grapes, though, as all of our student-athletes stepped up and gave it everything they had.  Once again, adversity does provide an opportunity and the Eskimos made the best of a rough situation.

Kevin Kress, for example, managed 17 points against Oriskany.  Dane Daiker, P.J. Perkins, Patrick Venetz, and Kenny Pastore all found themselves in the box score as well.

I’ve spoken with several of the guys and, to their credit, they’ve managed to keep their chins up.  I sincerely hope that, as missing players return, fences will be mended and they can all work together towards a strong finish to their season.

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Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

I guess winter is here again as the thermometer read –25 this morning and it doesn’t have to get much colder than that. I called my brother Bob this morning and his wife Ruthann said he was already out on the bay ice fishing in his heated shack. I hope the shack was heated. Winter finally hit the north country with over a foot of snow and some very cold temperatures. When you get this much snow on lakes and ponds you may get slush under the snow covering. The weight of the snow pushes water up through cracks in the ice and this water lays unfrozen on top of the ice and hidden under the snow. This can be a trap for a snowmobile as they will get bogged down in 4 to 6 inches of slush under a foot of snow. So don’t just go running willy nilly all over a lake if you don’t know if there is slush under the snow. In places I’ve seen over a foot of water collect in pockets like little ponds on top of the ice and if you get in one of these you may stay there or at least your machine may. You may also get wet feet getting out and with these temperatures you won’t want to do that.

I never wrote about Christmas at Eight Acre Wood. The whole family made it over the river and through the woods to grandmas house this year. We had a great Christmas Eve dinner of Lasagna and played cards some after that waiting for Santa. The next morning the turkey was in the over even before the presents got unwrapped. We all knew when it was time for dinner as the smoke alarms all went off in the house, signaling Karen was about done cooking for the meal. The baked oysters went a little over the top giving us the heads up that it was about time for a feast and that it was. I can see why every other commercial on TV is for losing weight or special diets around this time of the year. So many treats just hanging around the house, chocolates, candies and cookies of all kinds, special breads, cakes, pies and Karen’s special fruitcake getting to be know as special around here. Either you like fruit cake or you don’t and luckily I do and Karen makes a mean one for sure. Well all the fixings are all finally gone and now it’s back to more salads and healthy foods of smaller portions. We got the whole group around the Christmas tree for a family picture since this might be the last time we all get together in one place at the same time for a while. I even got everyone in the picture for once.

It as nearly a green Christmas and definitely a green New Year’s but all that has changed to white and lets hope it stays that way until spring.

I went over to Lake Champlain on Saturday the 15th for the Region 7 Winter Waterfowl Count. That day was the coldest of the year so far with a strong south wind blowing up a snowstorm by noon. The main part of the lake was open water but the south end from Barber Point to Ticonderoga was buttoned up with ice except for the Crown Point Ferry crossing. Five volunteers (Bill Krueger, Dave Ruthowski, Dan Lee, Bill Labes, and Tom Barber) plus myself found 12 species of waterfowl and one unidentified duck totaling 3792 birds. Waterfowl seen during that day included Canada Goose-4, American Black Duck 49, Mallard-524, Redhead-1, Rind-necked Duck-1, Lesser Scaup- 14, Bufflehead-69, Common Goldeneye-2533, Barrow’s Goldeneye-1, Hooded Merganser-9, Common Merganser-579, Horned Grebe-7, Unidentified duck-1. Other birds seen by the group and reported were six Bald Eagles, ten Great Black-backed Gulls, 1,000 Ring-billed Gulls, 1 Bluebird, 1 Cardinal, several flocks of Juncos and Tree Sparrows feeding along the highway. One of the Bald Eagles we saw was flying low on the water flushing all the ducks in his path. He flew right by us at Port Kent not more than one hundred feet away, neat! I’m sure many ducks were hidden from us out in the ocean of three to four foot waves that had blow up by noon. Tom and I ended near Ausable Chasm where we took a few pictures of the nearly frozen waterfalls.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up but that ‘s another story. See ya.

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Nourished Living by Dietician Kelly Hamlin MA, RD, CDN

Happy Healthy Weight Week!!!

Fair warning….I’m getting on my soapbox today. Time for a quick quiz….what are the two terms that I very rarely use because I believe they have a negative connotation and discourage people? That’s right! Diet and Exercise. Apparently I am not the only one who feels this way. January 16 – 22, 2001 is designated as Healthy Weight Week. Healthy Weight Week celebrates healthy non-diet lifestyles that can prevent eating and weight problems. During the week, people are encouraged to improve health habits in lasting ways: to eat well, live actively and feel good about themselves and others. It’s a time to celebrate the diversity of real people and help them shift focus from failed weight loss efforts to health at their natural sizes.

On average, Americans spend approximately 40 million dollars on fad diets. Imagine if people just put that into ordinary, everyday healthy foods! Characteristics of fad diets include:

Usually promises quick weight loss of more than 1 to 2 pounds weekly.

Promotes methods of weight loss that seem too good to be true.

Implies that weight can be lost or maintained without exercise or lifestyle changes.

Uses scare tactics to promote a specific diet plan.

Restricts or eliminates certain foods that are the supposed “culprits” of causing weight gain.

Rarely addresses the need to control the size of food portions eaten.

Insists the dieter eat specific foods or food combinations that have no scientific valid- ity in helping a person to lose weight.

Offers rigid menu plans that do not follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines or the Food Guide Pyramid.

Makes weight loss claims using personal testimonials and case studies that are not verified with scientific evidence.

Often encourages the dieter to eat as much as he or she wants of a particular food while prescribing a daily caloric intake that is well below average requirements for a healthy adult.

May be deficient in major nutrients such as dietary fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals due to lack of variety recommended.

The biggest issue I have with fad diets is that they don’t teach you anything. Yes, you learn to follow their directions, but what happens when you meet your weight loss goals and begin to transition to “real” food? Did you learn the basic concepts of healthy eating, portioning of foods, etc? In general, fad diets don’t teach you anything about healthy eating, they only teach you to follow their rules. The other thing that bothers me is that fad diets can lead to disordered eating. I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia, but they are not the only disordered eating patterns out there. There are other that include people eating healthy to an extreme (orthexia), there are people with diabetes who withhold insulin as a way to lose weight (cannot begin to tell you what a BAD idea that is!!!!), cutting out certain entire food groups, etc.

Also, please remember that just because someone is “skinny” does NOT mean that they are healthy. There are plenty of people who are carrying a few extra pounds who are very healthy compared to their skinny counterparts. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but healthy eating consists of eating a variety of foods – eat from the rainbow – find out what your basal metabolic rate is (BMR = the amount of calories you need to exist +/_ for weight gain or loss – there are BMR calculators all over the web), use labels and proper portioning to eat the correct amount of food to meet your calorie needs. Also, get out there and MOVE!!!! Walk, dance, shovel, snowshoe, take the stairs, etc….do anything that gets you moving. Oh, and I don’t care how much you weigh, being overweight is no excuse, you can still get some movement in along with choosing a healthier eating pattern. I am very proud to announce that I have reached a 20 lb. weight loss over the past year to reach a healthier weight. OK, take notice, I said over the past year. It has been hard work, there has been some trial and error, I have had set backs, I have had to work out when all I wanted to do was curl up and veg out (no pun intended!). It’s not easy, but you can do it. I recently had someone tell me that I needed to stop (losing weight). Stop what? Eating healthy and being active? Dieting is a start and stop activity. Healthy eating is a life long practice that includes life style changes (including watching portion sizes), learning how to incorporate healthy snacks and being active. When you start with small goals and build upon them, healthy eating and being active become second nature and just a part of everyday life. So to honor healthy eating week, pick a couple of small goals and stick to them for the next couple of weeks, then build upon them. You will feel awesome knowing you are making positive changes for a more positive you! Remember, healthy eating + being active = healthy weight!

The… patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life.  Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.  ~Quentin Regestein

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Ken Thibado- A Response

Sarah Palin didn’t murder anyone.  And Saint Sarah never broke a single law, or even had a single moment where she wished to bend the law so she could eliminate a human being.  She’s not an accomplice.  …and, as we all know, she’s no mastermind.

I don’t believe, even as she doodled targets on her enemies like a high-schooler, that she wished harm on them.  The only ill-will Saint Sarah lobs in the direction of anyone is stress.

Sarah doesn’t like Democrats (a wide ranging group who’s goodwill, guilt, and constant harping make them mildly annoying and lackluster at best, and at worst; Pinko-windbags).  If a Democrat runs for office; Sarah will be there to defeat them!  (So far she has a losing record, but I’m on a roll here…)  If a Democrat holds an office; Sarah will slow their progress!  If a Democrat takes a misstep; Sarah will misspeak!  Because above all Sarah wants you to know she doesn’t like Democrats, and neither should you!

Sarah’s bile laced cheese-maze diatribes are what she’s best known for.  Some might remember a time when she was a governor, but she Spitzered that gig long ago.  The failed VP candidate, turned failed governor, turned Fox News Analyst, turned reality TV show star is a fame machine.  Even though the realm of her own expertise is often a mystery to her, Sarah Palin is a famous voice within politics.  Even now.

A lunatic took life away from the living in Arizona.  His intended prey was a political figure.  A government figure.  A Democrat.  The fallout around his target wasn’t on his mind, and his sights fell randomly across their paths.

The rotting and deformed brain of Jared Lee Loughner is to blame.  His synapses fire electric pulses of evil.  His own lack of morality gave root to his disastrous existence.  He was driven by his own arrogance to disregard what is sacred.  He pulled the trigger.  He is a murderer.  He is a vile pig, barely human.

The American Ideology is Freedom.  As a result, We The People, hope for fruitful Pursuits of Happiness unencumbered by forces that would otherwise crush our individuality.  We are free to excel, or to stumble.  Our path is our own.  And that’s it.

We are answerable for our actions.  Freedom does not mean “free from responsibility”.  We are responsible not as a people.  As a people we are free, but individually we are responsible.  Unfortunately, responsibility cannot be deemed, it is a learned trait.

The rhetoric of our country is being held captive by irresponsible people.

Was it responsible to encourage the Kenyan-Birth Certificate Theory?  Is it responsible to continue supporting it?  Was “palling around with terrorists” a responsible statement?  Is “Drill Baby, Drill” a responsible slogan?  Can “Repeal The Job-Killing Health Care Act” actually be a responsible title for legislation?  Is wasting time on a meaningless piece of legislation responsible?  Is not granting 9/11 emergency responders much needed health services responsible?  Is drawing targets on people responsible?  Is claiming President Obama a Nazi responsible?  Is constantly misreporting the news an act of being responsible?  Are our gun control laws responsible?

Our Freedoms are under attack; by ignorance; by defiance; and by the continuing erosion of responsibility.

To speak of it in lofty terms is to be vague about how ugly these traits are.  So let me draw you a perfect picture of defiant and ignorant irresponsibility: Jared Lee Loughner.

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Growing up Adirondack by Mitch Lee

Winter Projects

At five years old I didn’t have too many winter projects yet, as a matter of fact I had none. With Adirondack winters lasting some six months or more not having any winter projects made those long cold days indoors very long. My mother had her books, my father his snowshoes to mend, and my sister homework and paper dolls. Since my reading skills were still forming and Snowshoes were still to large to wear, and paper dolls were definitely out, I was stuck without a project.

As luck would have it I was a creative child and I seemed to find lots of Things in the house that I would pretend were other things entirely. I made kitchen chairs into a fort house with old blankets. These same chairs became seats in a school bus where I picked up imaginary passengers, usually stuffed animals. An old cardboard box became a racecar, a spaceship, or a boat that brought me on crazy journeys.

My family must have thought I had lost my marbles when I explained what these pretend items had transformed into. I can still hear my mother say, “Oh that’s nice, was it an easy trip?”.  Without knowing it I had a project and that project was pretend. I made days and weeks creating new themes of pretend. My sister and I built a grocery store and sold each other funny items that pretended to be food. The knobs of my bed post were apples and a bunch of old yarn was spaghetti. We used the old brown paper bags saved from a real shopping trip and filled them with the oddest assortment of pretend foods.

My sister’s favorite pretend scenario was school. I had not been to school yet so I let her take the lead. I practiced my name by drawing the letters on faded construction paper in our laundry room. But most times I did the pretend of something on my own. I would talk to myself and invent voices and characters for those other folks I thought should be part of the game. Floating down a pretend river in the American West “Our hall floor” in a birch bark canoe “A cardboard banana box” protecting the settlers with me from roving Indians on the shore with my Winchester rifle “ A yellow Wiffle ball bat”.

God forbid our cat Blackie should show up during one of these pretend missions and fall prey to my shooting skills as a desperate mountain lion trying to sack the children we were taking west. I hopped out and made chase of the wild beast shouting a rapid succession of pow pow noises. Then my mother saying “That’s not nice, I think this ends your trip.”

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Building plans set for new Otter Lake Fire Station; construction to start this spring

After almost 10 years of planning, Otter Lake Volunteer Fire Department personnel’s dream of a new fire house will become a reality when construction of their new facility begins in the spring.

Upcoming construction of the fire house is made possible by a grant through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grant Program (SCG).

Planned Otter Lake Fire Station rendering by Ryan Abrial Wood Works, Design & Services, LLC.

The announcement of the Otter Lake Fire Department’s grant award of $1,126, 431 was made in September 2009 by U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Senator Schumer wrote a letter of support that was included in the department’s application.

The department enlisted the services of Central Adirondack Partnership for the 21st Century (CAP-21) and Julie Benzo, grant writer for CAP-21 at that time, to put together the application for the SCG. Continue reading →

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Architect assesses Health Center roof damage; Old Forge begins search for contractor

An evaluation of the roof at the Town of Webb Professional Offices building has been completed and McDonald & Monterose Architects, the firm that conducted the study, has made recommendations as to the work required in fixing it.

Architect Pete Monterose was on hand at the Town of Webb board meeting last Tuesday, to explain what he discovered about the health center roof, which had been leaking for several months, sometimes badly, according to employees.

“The roof drains look to be in pretty good shape,” Monterose said.

But as with some other aspects of the roof, greater damages may reveal themselves once the roof is pulled apart, according to Monterose.

Some of these problems could involve bad decking and some bad drains. Continue reading →

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