Meet the 2020 high school scholarship award winners
The New York Road Runners Club has announced that it must cancel
the massive New York City Marathon for 2020. Locally, the 50th anniversary of the July 4th Marbletown Road Race has been postponed until 2021.
Don’t worry, we will still get to run it. It just will have taken 51 years to get there.
Dick Vincent, who started one of the nation’s oldest trail runs in 1977, the Escarpment Trail Run, reluctantly had to pull the plug on the 2020 edition. Can’t 2021 just get here now?
With most organized running activities shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, local running organizations have been busy organizing in other ways. Three local groups have awarded six scholarships to graduating seniors who participated in high school cross-country and/or track.
The 2020 Onteora Runners Club Scholarship was awarded to Grace Beach from Red Hook High School. Beach was a stalwart on the Raiders crosscountry and track teams. She was instrumental in starting the Raiders’ first indoor track team in 2019. “I am glad athletes in the years to come will now have the opportunity to compete during the winter,” said said.
Beach was a member of the National Honor Society, participated and volunteered at many local running events and was involved in her school’s mentoring program. She volunteered to collect food for local food banks and was involved in the Kid’s Night Out Program. She’ll be attending Wheaton College in Massachusetts and competing on their crosscountry and track teams. She is planning on majoring in Public Health and Psychology.
The Lou Gross Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Shawangunk Runners Club has awarded two Rondout Valley High School students their 2020 awards.
Kasja Kenney had been a member of the Ganders’ cross-country, indoor, and outdoor track teams since 8th grade. She was a member of the 2015 cross-country team that represented Section 9 at the New York State Championships. She was team captain her junior and senior years. Kenney maintained a 97 grade average and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was the school’s newspaper editor and volunteered at local races and an animal shelter. She will be attending the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Kenney thanks all her teammates and her coach, Anne Gullickson, for the memories and support she received at Rondout Valley.
Jennifer Callan was a five-year member of the Rondout Valley crosscounty, indoor and outdoor track teams. Callan went to four New
York State Cross Country Championships and three New York State Track and Field Championships. She was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with a 97 grade average. She participated in Chorus and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and was a member of the school’s Human Rights Club. She also did volunteer child care for a local church.
“Being part of the Rondout Valley teams was very good for me and helped me grow as a person,” Callan said. She plans to continue her education at SUNY Ulster.
Lou Gross, one of the founding members of the Shawangunk Runners Club, was an avid runner and was committed to the town of Rochester and the Rondout Valley community. Lou would be pleased that these two outstanding high school students are receiving awards in his name.
The Raymond Caddy
Jr. Scholarship Committee has awarded three $1,000 awards to Kingston High School students. Caddy was a Kingston High School student and a member of the Tigers’ cross-country and track teams. The scholarships in his name are awarded based on academics, leadership, and commitment to school and community activities — qualities that had been exemplified by Caddy.
Adrienne Crawford was a member of the Kingston High School indoor and outdoor track teams. She was a member of the cheer team, chorus and choir. She volunteered at local food pantries and for cancer support projects.
Crawford graduated with a 95.5 average and will be attending the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina. She plans to major in Special Education and Psychology.
She thanks the Kingston High School community for teaching her about diversity, working hard together, and about never giving up on yourself or others.
Nicarla Richards was part of the Kingston High track and field team for three years. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Tiger Marching Band and Orchestra. She said that participating in all those activities taught her the values of commitment, hard work, and community.
Her track coach, Joe Cahill, said Richards brought a fun, infectious personality to the team.
Richards said she hopes she set a good example for the younger team members. She plans to attend the College of Saint Rose and major in Forensic Pathology.
Morgan Juric transferred from Rondout Valley High to Kingston High after her freshman year, and credits the Kingston High cross-country and track teams for making that transition easier. Juric was a member of the National Honor Society, was captain of the indoor and outdoor track teams, and had an extensive resume of community involvement.
As a spectator at Kingston meets, I immediately noticed the rapport she had with her teammates. Empathy and kindness radiated from her.
Each year, the Caddy Scholarship Committee awards one scholarship in the name of Yvonne
Sill, who was Caddy’s first grade teacher. She coached girls cross-country and indoor track and was corace director of Ray’s Run. Juric will be attending the New School in New York City, and Sill would be pleased that Juric gets this award in her name.
For all our graduating seniors, one of the valuable lessons of the pandemic of 2020 is that life doesn’t always go according to plan. As the Scottish poet Robert Burns said, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The ability to readjust, rethink and reframe problems is what gets us to where we need or want to be.
Along with selecting its scholarship winner, the Onteora Runners Club has been busy planning its Adopt-a-Highway clean-up. The club has a one mile stretch along U.S. Route 209 in the Town of Ulster that it keeps clean. The pandemic delayed the spring date, but the club will be cleaning up on Saturday, July 25, starting at 8 a.m. If you’re interested in helping, email AJ Hadigan at amberhadigan@optonline.net.
The ORC/Bernie Stahl Virtual Mile concluded on Wednesday, July 1. The inperson mile at Dietz Memorial Stadium usually attracted 100 runners. The virtual mile had 81 registrants and all of the $1,113 raised goes to People’s Place. The top 3 males were Travis Greaves (5:21), Stephen Ackerman (5:34), and Scott Hayes (5:41). The fastest women were Melissa Stellato (5:42.3), Renee Keplinger (6:04), and Gabriela Olivera-Martinez (6:10). The youngest participant was Penelope Gruner, age 5, who ran a 21:04 mile. The seniormost participant was 78 years young Kathleen Baltzahar, in 15:51.
On top of the money for People’s Place, the ORC has donated $170 in gift cards each to The Children’s Home of Kingston and the Kingston Boys and Girls Club. Earlier in the pandemic, the Onteora Runners Club donated $100 each to Project Resilience and People’s Place. Kudos to the Onteora Runners Club for being a community-minded organization.
Just a reminder that the in-person Kingston Summer Cross-Country Series will begin at Williams Lake in Rosendale on Wednesday, July 8, and run for three consecutive weeks. The event will have a “rolling start” from 4 to 7 p.m. For details, go to facebook.com/KingstonXCountrySummerSeries.