Recap of the Western NY Drill on 6/18

by Scott Magin

The Western New York racing season began on Saturday, June 18th with Sea Breeze hosting their drill at the Point Pleasant track. Lots of things changed throughout the pre-season and this drill is when it all was put into place. Point Pleasant needed to obtain a new C-Truck and it was nice to see Syosset’s truck, with a little green added to it, on the track again. The Albion Fireflies were close to being able to run in the motorized events this season but they will not be able to compete this season and it is unknown when, and if, they will be able to return. The 2010 WNY Total Point Champs, the Spencerport Red Onions, lost many team members recently and there was not a lot of time to recruit more and get them enough practice time to compete in this drill. It is unknown when their trucks will be on the road this season, if they will at all. Main-Transit was short on members as well, but was able to convince some people to come out of retirement and enjoy the season. There were so many variables and interferences with teams’ practices, especially the terrible weather that hindered them from preparing for the start of the season.

WNY was able to add a new team to the line-up in 2011. The “All Thumbs” from the Sheridan Park Fire Department have once again been resurrected from the past to compete. Although foot races are all they are participating in, the WNY teams are happy to have them on board.

Like most season openers, it took some extra time to get everything squared away and get the drill underway. We started a touch later than expected, but teams were lined up for 3-Man Ladder and the 2011 racing season had officially begun with six teams ready to compete. In attendance we had the North Greece Lil’ Squirts, the Ol’ Henries from Henrietta, the aforementioned All Thumbs from Sheridan Park, the Sea Breeze Indians, the Point Pleasant Pea Pickers and the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes.

3-Man Ladder began the day and the times were unique, to say the least, with each team staking their claim to a particular second. (We had runs of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) Henrietta started the season off on the right foot and took the first event of the season with a 7.23.

B-Ladder started with North Greece running a 7.51 and pushing the others to beat it. Henrietta put the ladder up outside of the safety zone and Sea Breeze tried and received an 8.75. It finally came down to Point Pleasant running a 6.92 to take the event, although Main-Transit had a good run but finished with a 7.91.

A lot of people were looking forward to the C-Ladder event. New climbers, upgrades on some motors and unfamiliar trucks speeding down the track can really get your attention. Main-Transit’s motor work brought them to a 3.60 cone time; however the end result was an 11.11. Henrietta pushed this event and really tried to take it with a 10.39, but Syosset’s former C-Truck allowed the Pea Pickers to sneak in and take first place with a 10.34.

The water test happened to take a lot more time than originally planned. After five tests, the water time was official and we were ready to go. However, when the hydrant was opened to wet the area around it, the pump lost its prime, and was never able to get it back to hold. Point Pleasant requested their truck to the track and set up for the drill. Once up and running, a few more tests and we were finally ready to go!

C-hose was a tough run for Sea Breeze. Once the Indians left the hydrant the bar broke and the nozzle-man and breaker were left stranded at the center of the course. The Pea Pickers followed with a 16.35 and the Slo-Pokes with a 13.89 to win the event. After C-Hose, Point Pleasant and Main-Transit were tied overall with 15 points.

B-Hose was completed by all teams; however, this is where the points started to be spread apart. Point Pleasant won the event with a 10.02 followed by North Greece with a 10.51. Sea Breeze ran an 11.67, Henrietta ran an 11.75 and Main-Transit had the nozzle blown away, and ended with a 17.47.

There were three 10’s in Efficiency and although the Slo-Poke’s won the event, the Pea Pickers were still able to take second and only give up a point on their lead. Sea Breeze took third, Henrietta fourth and Sheridan Park was able to take their first point of the new season with fifth place.

Motor Pump was close with three 8’s and a 9. Point Pleasant won the contest with an 8.31 followed up by Henrietta and Main-Transit who ran an 8.52 and a 9.94 respectively.

While the equipment was being set up for Buckets, it was noticed that a rung on the service ladder was cracked and after review it was decided to play it safe and forego the Buckets contest. Buckets was not run at this drill and will be run twice at North Greece’s drill the following week. Better to be safe, than sorry!

The points at the end of the day were:

Point Pleasant Pea Pickers – 29 Pts.

Main-Transit Slo-Pokes – 23 Pts.

North Greece Lil’ Squirts – 19 Pts.

Henrietta Ol’ Henries – 19 Pts.

Sea Breeze Indians – 11 Pts.

Sheridan Park All Thumbs – 1 Pt.

Congratulations to the Pea Pickers for winning the opening drill and also taking the overall motorized points. Buckets being run at the next drill will make up for the cancelled contest here and will decide who will win the overall points for foot contests. The next drill is the WNY Drill at the North Greece training grounds on June 25th beginning at 1:30 PM. See you there!

Recap of the Northern Convention Drill on 6/11

by Kyle Stephens on June 17, 2011

This past Saturday the start of a day of racing wasn’t a pleasant one. Tarps covered the track due to rain, actually more of a steady mist than anything, but it was enough to get everything wet and delay the start of the drill. We were supposed to start at 9:00 AM but did not begin running Individual Ladder until around 11:30. Elsmere won Individual with a time of 4.80 with Copenhagen a close second with a time of 4.83. Next up was 3-Man Ladder, which was won by Copenhagen, the host of the drill, with a time of 6.99 seconds. They also took first place in B-Ladder with a run of 6.56. Great Bend, racing in their first ever tournament, made their mark in B-Ladder finishing in second place. Lake Placid took their first of four first place runs in C-Ladder with a time of 11.50. Copenhagen was a threat to take a lot of points in ladders but their truck shut off on the line, twice, and motor issues kept them from running their C-Truck.

In C-Hose, Deerfield had an outstanding run, beating every other team by over 3 seconds with a time of 14.79. B-Hose was taken by Lake Placid with a time of 10.01 and Elsmere won the Efficiency contest with a run of 10.21 seconds.

Next came Motor Hose Replacement, where Deerfield ran the best time in the event (beating Lake Placid by more than a second) but was disqualified due to having the replacement coupling being outside the hose-bed before the target was tripped. This ultimately put Lake Placid in the top spot, having a time of 20.81. Elsmere is the team to beat in Motor Pump here in Northern and it was no surprise to see them win the event with a time of 7.55.

It would all come down to Buckets…

Lake Placid and Elsmere were tied, both with 24 points going into the event. Lake Placid ended up getting a second chance due to the tub not being filled when they ran. Elsmere was in first place but Lake Placid took advantage of their re-run and won the contest, and the Northern Convention, with a time of 26.42.

The final results of the drill were as follows:

1st Place – Lake Placid - 29 Pts.

2nd Place – Elsmere = 28 Pts.

3rd Place – Louisville - 24 Pts.

4th Place – Copenhagen - 23 Pts.

5th Place – Clayton - 17 Pts.

The next drill will be in Deerfield on June 18th where the Drill Team Radio crew and the East Islip Guzzlers will be making the trip up to Northern. This will be the first time the radio crew has done a drill in Northern other than the State Tournament, so make sure you tune in.

Recap of the 7th Battalion/Town of Hempstead Drill

by Dan Laverty

Last Friday night was the 7th Battalion/Town of Hempstead combination drill. In the previous five times this drill was held, only Efficiency Replacement was added back in 2008. This year the host decided to not run C-Trucks and instead added Efficiency Replacement and Two Into One. Due to weather conditions 3-Man Ladder, B-Ladder and B-Hose were not run. Motor Pump was the only motorized event to be run which led many who were running to declare this an Old Fashioned Drill, making die-hard Old Fashioned fans very happy.

The Hempstead Yellow Hornets put on a great drill as always and were not thinking about how many were in attendance when it was time to run Buckets. The Yellow Hornets, as we all know, can run some great buckets. They set the best time of the year by running a 21.21. Still early in the season with many chances still out there to set the new state record.

Highlight of the evening had to have been Benny Casselo of the Sally Boys (South Hempstead Rascals) running nozzle in Two Into One. Benny is the team’s Motor Pump nozzle-man so he wore the same gear and ran the way he knows how…sliding just like in Pump. When I told Benny about the crowd’s reaction when the nozzle hit the street, he just shook his head and laughed.

Another notable highlight had to have been the WYE that the Westbury Turtles brought out onto the course for Two Into One. It was approximately five feet long in total length but they had to use it because the smaller WYE that the team had was not in good enough condition for them to run with. I asked Daryl Ranaldo about the giant WYE and all he could say was, “It is what it is.” (They took third place in the event in case you were wondering.)

The Lynbrook Tumblers seem to always be in the top five and that didn’t change when they place 4th overall in the Town of Hempstead drill. I overheard them saying that they set a new team record in Efficiency Replacement. Congratulations, Tumblers!

This was a close throughout the night. It was a great night of racing and a good, safe time was had by all. Nobody was injured during the drill which is something you always like to hear. At the end of the night I got a great quote from Patrick Cloudman regarding interviews, “You can’t ask for an interview. You have to do something great and they ask you.”

Here are the Final Results from the drill:

7th Battalion Drill Final Results

1st Place – Hempstead – 21 Pts.

2nd Place – West Hempstead – 20 Pts.

3rd Place – South Hempstead – 16 Pts.

4th Place – Elmont – 11 Pts.

5th Place – Franklin Square – 6 Pts.

Town of Hempstead Final Results

1st Place – Hempstead – 16 Pts.

2nd Place – West Hempstead – 14 Pts.

3rd Place – Westbury –12 Pts.

4th Place – Lynbrook – 10 Pts.

5th Place – Freeport (DEK) – 9 Pts.

Western NY Preview (Better Late than Never)

by Thomas Champion

There were plenty of stories spreading around the western drill team circuit this offseason. Sheriden Park, from out near Amherst, were coming back to racing and the Albion Fireflies purchased the Oceanside Eggnoggers trucks. From what I hear now, Oceanside’s trucks won’t be making their return back to the track in Albion. The first scheduled truck inspection only had two teams attend which leads me to believe a few teams had a late start on their offseason maintenance. Here’s short breakdown of what to expect this season from the Western area:

It’s going to be a big rebuilding year for the Spencerport Red Onions. I have heard that most of their seasoned members have retired from racing, which included their entire ladder team. But who’s to say we won’t see their old-timers come back for the state drill in C.I.? I’ve seen it done a couple times before.

Main Transit has been coming around the past couple years with their youth. They will be looking for their first Western title in 15 years but I’m not sure how much practice time they have gotten in. A Western title would be especially nice considering that this year marks 75 years of service for the Main Transit Fire Department. The Indians will also have an anniversary this year, celebrating 75 years of racing.

Henrietta is another team that has been putting up some good times the past couple of years. I hear that their old-time nozzle-man has decided to retire. They are one of two teams currently running that have yet to win a Western title, the other being North Greece. 2011 could be the year for either team to change that.

The 2010 Western title was only decided by one point and I think this year could be another close one. Sea Breeze has been busy this offseason with working on and dealing trucks. They have taken back possession of the old Oyster Bay rig after one year in Albion but they had to do a lot of work on it to get it track ready. I haven’t seen it on the track yet so we’ll see if it will be ready in time for their drill. They did some remodeling to their C-Truck as well, adding a couple of inches in the middle.

The Pea Pickers did some offseason work as well. They did some body work to the C-Truck and had it re-painted. Unfortunately, some misfortune struck and the new body will not be making its scheduled debut this year. The Pea Pickers purchased the Syosset Night Raiders C-Truck and everything has gone well with it. They are looking forward to its return as a Pea Picker at the Sea Breeze drill and the team is ready for a return to the top of the Western standings. (Get well soon, Charlie!)

The Western racing season is scheduled to start on June 18th at 1:00 PM. Sea Breeze will be hosting the drill at the Point Pleasant track. Teams will be excited to get the season underway and are looking to beating some of the best times from last season.

Here’s a list of the best times of 2010:

3-Man Ladder – 6.66

B-Ladder – 5.10

C-Ladder – 8.88

C-Hose – 12.98

B-Hose – 8.00

Efficiency – 10.10

Motor Pump – 6.27

Buckets – 21.15

Recap of the Lynbrook Old Fashioned Drill on 6/11

by Justin Chichi

The Old Fashioned season started with a few bumps…one being the weather and the other being the timing equipment with a dead battery. The skies opened up around 4:30 and the head official gave the team captains the word that “the day was going to be pretty rough and we would try to get the drill in.” Thirty minutes later, a vote was in place to run 3-Man Ladder and Running Cart Ladder. Only three teams voted to run ladders (Miller Place, Amityville, and Lakeview). Looking at the digger website, there seems to be some discussion regarding the decision. History does show that the events have been run in the rain, but safety is an important goal for all fire departments to have. Nevertheless, it stopped raining five minutes after the decision was made.

Other than that, the tournament hit the ground running (literally) with Running Hose. Miller Place was the one team in the 11’s despite the slick conditions. The teams in the top five gave around a 5.5-6.0 stick down for the nozzle-men, hence the close times by Freeport (Clamdiggers), Lakeview, Amityville, and Freeport (Nighthawks). Next was Running Hose Replacement – probably the most competitive event at the tournament – with 2 teams in the low to mid 20’s and a team record 22.68 by the Cold Ducks. Being one of the most difficult events, it was great to see all that the teams took their spring practices seriously.

Efficiency Replacement had some interesting times with Miller Place leading the pack with a 24.90 and the rest of the top five mixed in between 26 and a mid-28. The top teams to this point were Miller Place with 12 points, the Nighthawks with 11 points and Lynbrook with 6 points.

Efficiency and Two Into One would decide the day’s outcome, as they usually do. Miller Place blew off at the hydrant while Lynbrook and the Nighthawks had two solid shots in the high 9’s. Two Into One had some great runs by the top five with every team in the low to mid 9’s. Malverne beat their team record while the Freeport Nighthawks locked in their first place finish.

Going into Buckets, the teams vying for second place (Miller Place, Malverne & Lynbrook) were all very close. Miller Place put up a 26.38 with a dropped bucket, which locked them into second place for the day. Malverne and Lakeview put up the other two 20’s of the day posting a 28.04 and 29.39 respectively.

Overall, the final standings were:

1st Place – Freeport Nighthawks – 18 Pts.

2nd Place – Miller Place Extinguishers – 17 Pts.

3rd Place – Malverne Chipmunks – 15 Pts.

4th Place – Lynbrook Tumblers – 14 Pts.

5th Place – Lakeview Sparks – 11 Pts.

It’s obvious from the outcome of this tournament that the Old Fashioned game is going to be very competitive this year. They’ll meet again at the Battalion Drill in RVC hosted by Malverne, which also happens to be in celebration of their 100th Anniversary, with a quick stop at their town tournaments.

There are a couple questions to get us going to start the season: Who will be going for the “very get-able” 10.50 Running Hose record? And, who will emerge as the best Nassau County Old Fashioned team?

I hope you're all as excited as we are to find out.

Recap of the Central Islip Junior Drill

by Jimmy Leggio

The Juniors raced in their second tournament of the year at Central Islip on Sunday, June 12th. There were 13 teams in attendance with The Jr. Hares from East Farmingdale making their first appearance of the year. They had a good showing for a second year team, and they look like they will be a force to be reckoned with, especially in the Intermediate Ladder contest. There was a great crowd on hand and the teams were looking forward to running on the brand new surface at the C.I. track. There were no complaints with the track conditions and many racers commented on how they enjoyed the “grippy” surface.

Junior ladder started out just like last week with Central Islip taking first place and five points. Intermediate Ladder followed with Islip Terrace taking first place with a nice run. Watch for this young Schlager to possibly break the state record at some point this season. The Jr. Hoboes added another five points by taking first place in Individual Ladder with the Lindenhurst Jr. Snails taking second. In Cart Ladder, Islip put up a fast run (8.67 seconds to some timing in the stands) but the climber did not grasp and hold the top rung which resulted in a No Time (N/T.) Bay Shore held first place in the contest with a run of 8.94 but they had to sweat it out at the end as the Jr. Snails got a re-run after an official’s error. The Snails’ second run was not pretty and the Jr. Redskins got the five points. Coming out of the ladder contests, the Jr. Hoboes led all teams with 14 points.

After a long water test the teams finally lined up for Jr. Cart Hose, which was won by the Jr. Snails. Cart Hose was next and there were a lot of delays in the contest due to a problem with the timing lights. The track has a big crown in it and some of the cart handles came into contact with the equipment. There is a restriction in the rule book preventing the officials from adjusting the height of the timing lights during the contest so it was a bit of a hassle. Once they got the contest going, Islip took first place with Islip Terrace and Bay Shore behind them. Islip followed that run up with another five points in the next contest, Cart Hose Replacement.

Junior Efficiency Replacement was next with Bay Shore taking first place. Islip Terrace took first place in the WYE contest and the Hagerman Jr. Gamblers took second. Heading into the final contest, the Gamblers were ahead of the pack with 24 points but there were five teams right behind them. Bay Shore, Islip, Islip Terrace, Central Islip and Lindenhurst were all within 7 points of the lead, setting the stage for an interesting finale.

The Gamblers were unable to put the tournament away with their run when their nozzle-man failed to have his foot on the starting line and the team received a N/T. This opened the door for the other teams to jump ahead and win the tournament. The Hoboes missed their chance when they missed the target. The Redskins and Wolves also came up empty. The Snails had a good run, but it wasn’t enough to pass the Gamblers who breathed a sigh of relief as team after team failed to capitalize on their mistake. The contest was won by the West Sayville Jr. Flying Dutchmen and Hagerman held on to win their first tournament of the year.

The final results of the drill were as follows:

1st Place – Hagerman Jr. Gamblers

2nd & 3rd Place (Tie) – Islip Jr. Wolves & Islip Terrace Jr. Schlagers

4th Place – Lindenhurst Jr. Snails

5th Place – Central Islip Jr. Hoboes

After the C.I. drill, it looks like we have a few more contenders in the mix so it should make for an exciting season. The Juniors will be back in action on June 26th at the Hagerman track beginning at 11:00 AM.

Sponsor Spotlight: Triangle Grinding & Machining Corp.

by Dan Laverty

Triangle Grinding & Machining Corp. located in West Babylon is a family owned and run business. It was started in 1980 by the three Turano brothers: Peter (who passed away in 2000), Santos and George, which is where they got their 3-sided name and logo. The Turano family is originally from Italy who emigrated to Argentina and finally America. They had not heard of our sport until 1996 when Richie Goelz (Hempstead Flukes Alumni) knocked on their door asking if they could fabricate a hose tester. Since that day, Triangle and Drill Team Racing have had an excellent relationship.

On a recent trip to their shop to get a WYE worked on, I was greeted at the door by Santos. I was welcomed into their office where I was offered a seat and an espresso. The seat I took but the espresso I declined. (The last thing this writer needs is more caffeine.) Santos introduced me to Jerry, Peter's son, who also works at Triangle. After showing them the damage that was done to the WYE they made, I was given a tour of the shop. I was shown all the equipment they make for Drill Team Racing and was given some history about each piece. Jerry offered one of the more interesting explanations when he told me how he came to create a special double thread bronze insert with a double jacket hose coupling made of stainless steel. The purpose of this is to eliminate having to cut your hose to put a new hydrant coupling on. Once the steel coupling is put on your hose you will never have to cut your hose again, you just flip over the bronze coupling if anything happened to the threads. They came up with this innovation about four years ago after listening to some of the needs of the players in the game. I was listening to the Turano brothers tell me about how nice those Murphy brothers from Central Islip are when a bell rang – not in my head, but literally – this is how they summon their employees to the office. That bell is just about the only thing that can be heard above the hum of the machines they are running. It was a very interesting trip and if you ever find yourself at the shop picking up or dropping off equipment, I suggest you take them up on the offer to get the grand tour. Whether it is the personalities of the crew or the products they offer; let me tell you that you will not leave disappointed. They treat their customers in a way that has fallen by the wayside these days as many businesses are only interested in making a quick buck. Triangle Grinding & Machining Corp. is a unique company that not only excels at supplying equipment for teams, but has also put themselves in the mix as innovators of the sport where they live up to their motto: “If you dream it, we can make it."

Triangle Grinding & Machining Corp.

66A Nancy St.

West Babylon, NY 11704

Phone: (631) 643-3636

Fax: (631) 253-2757

Interview with Josh Kasin from the East Islip Guzzlers

Welcome to the very first Drill Team Blog interview. Today’s guest is 22-year old Josh Kasin. Josh is a member of the East Islip Fire Department and the Guzzlers Drill Team. Josh began racing in 2007 and this season marks his 5th year racing on the motorized team. Dan Laverty caught up with Josh at the Lindenhurst Drill and asked him a few questions.

Dan Laverty: Tell me a little bit about yourself?

Josh Kasin: I currently work in a machine shop making parts for the military, we have five dogs at home and I am currently single. I like to play softball, basketball and a game where you try to get a ping pong ball into a cup. (Editor’s note: It’s called beer pong. People who call it “Beirut” make me want to punch them in the face…hard.)

DL: What positions do you run with the Guzzlers?

JK: I run third in 3-Man, Climber in B & C Ladder, Slacker(Dragger) in B & C Hose, Efficiency Nozzle, Stick Man (Turn on Man) in Motor Pump and I am the Dumper in Buckets.

DL: What was it like for you to have grown up in and around the Fire Service?

JK: It was a great experience; my dad brought me into it when I was six years old. It really is a great group of people to be around.

DL: Did you feel you HAD to join or WANTED to join, seeing that your grandfather and father were both in the Fire Service and raced?

JK: I thought it was a great opportunity and wanted to join. I joined East Islip to be with my brother. He used to race and is now a Chief.

DL: What is your first memory of Drill Team Racing?

JK: Honestly, my first memory was when my dad handed me a nozzle and took me down to run with the Juniors. He said: “You are running Nozzle” and that is how it began.

DL: What comes first for you? Firematics or Racing?

JK: Firematics comes first of course. Racing is second..a very close second.

DL: What is your personal greatest racing moment?

JK: It had to have been when I broke the Junior Ladder state record.

DL: Does this record still stand?

JK: No. Brian Kessler from Central Islip currently holds the record.

DL: In 2008 at the Hagerman Invite the Guzzlers ran a 12.52 in C-Hose, the Hoboes ran next with a 12.53 and the Wolves ran and achieved a time of 12.54. Do you remember that day? What can you tell me about C-Hose that day?

JK: I do remember that day; I unfortunately was injured and did not participate. I had broken my wrist a couple of weeks prior. The guy who took my spot and I still bust each other’s chops about it. The team went out and put up one heck of a shot. It was exciting to hear the times being said, the pauses the announcer took were killing us. We also broke our team record in B-Hose that day too.

DL: On a personal note, I was there that day and your father had the biggest smile on his face.

JK: My dad was always there at every practice, tournament, every everything.

DL: What is your greatest team moment?

JK: At the Lindenhurst drill in 2008. We were in line for Motor Pump with only one team in front of us. Our Nozzle-man, Tommy Drywa pulled a calf muscle while stretching and took himself out of the event. The only possible person we could put in that position was Eric Flynn who was already in the cab of the truck ready to put it into pump. Eric quickly padded up and took the nozzle. We ran our first ever 5 in Pump by running a 5.77. We took first place in Pump over West Sayville who ran a 5.83. We also placed 4th in the tournament that day.

DL: Do you feel that winning the State Drill is the pinnacle of our sport or is winning the Islip Town Drill a more momentous accomplishment?

JK: It would definitely be the State. Winning the Islip Town Drill would be a great accomplishment but the State is like the end all, be all for me. The State is like the Super Bowl of our sport. I would do anything to win that…anything for that.

DL: In your own words describe the longest ride in racing: C-Hose run.

JK: The longest ride? Right off the start it is a jolt into your body. The ride seems a lot longer than it actually is. It feels like you are on for a lifetime but you are only on the truck for seconds. Then you get let go. it is a great feeling.

DL: Out of the Big 8 that is run in most Drills what event would you eliminate?

JK: Buckets…definitely Buckets. I actually love Motor Hose 2/Motor Hose Replacement. I would love to get that incorporated into more drills. It gives more people an opportunity to get involved in a motorized event since it uses more members of the team. That would be great.

DL: Who is your racing legend? A person you look up to and try to emulate?

JK: I would have to say Michael Marra. I have watched him ever since I was a kid. Him and my brother, he used to climb too. I was always watching them, but yeah…Michael Marra.

DL: How do you prepare for a tournament? Any rituals or superstitions?

JK: Rituals or superstitions? I listen to my music; I have few things on my phone I listen to.

DL: Give me that name of just one song.

JK: “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

DL: What is your favorite part of our sport? Just one thing.

JK: The friendship. You can be enemies, so to speak, with someone on the course while competing, but after the drill you are friends with everybody.

DL: Ladder events or hose events?

JK: Ladder events definitely.

DL: What is your favorite course to race on?

JK: Ridge.

DL: I think we covered this earlier but, were you ever on any State Record runs?

JK: Only on the Juniors. We came close in C-Hose.

DL: What is the closest you have come to a State Record running with the motorized team?

JK: We ran a 12.21 in C-Hose at Ridge during the Suffolk County Drill in 2009.

DL: You mentioned earlier about running with the juniors. Do you feel that gave you an advantage over someone coming into this sport having never done it or seen it before?

JK: Oh definitely. I have been around this sport and know what is going on. Having run with the Juniors taught me how to run on the ladder. I give a lot of respect to the guys that come in and run the ladder having never done it before and they are now competitive. Like, Duckie from North Lindenhurst.

DL: He came into our sport fresh having never seen it before?

JK: Yes, exactly. And he is running sick times in 3 Man Ladder and he is getting into B & C Ladder.

DL: Do you feel our sport helps recruit new members into the Fire Service?

JK: Oh Definitely, I mean, someone comes and watches this and says: “I want to get into that”. People are always asking what they have to do. “Do I have to join a fire department?” This definitely attracts them a lot more.

DL: What question did I not ask you that you thought I was going to ask?

JK: What question? Let’s see. You definitely covered a lot of stuff. I was not expecting you to have asked some questions.

DL: In conclusion is there anything you want to add or talk about?

JK: I have to throw in my ladder holders for the side by side event. They will definitely get pissed if I don’t mention them. Can we talk more about the side by side event?

DL: Tell me what their names are and I will put them in.

JK: Chris Otten and Brian Scharfshwerdt.

DL: Their holding of the ladder helped you win the side by side event?

JK: Oh yeah definitely. You need the same ladder holders to make it a stiffer ladder or a looser ladder.

DL: Who did you compete against in the final?

JK: David Miller from Central Islip. He is sort of new and is up and coming. He is running second man for the Hoboes right now.

DL: You mentioned Brian Kessler earlier and I know he ran in the side by side event. What place did Brian come in?

JK: He came in third place. The competition between Dave (Miller) and Brian (Kessler) was unbelievable. The first two runs ended in ties. The third run between them looked like a tie also. Instant replay was used to make the call.

DL: You will compete again in the side by side event?

JK: Oh yeah definitely! Without a doubt.

DL: Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed and good luck on your season.

JK: Alright thank you.

We'd like to thank Josh for participating in the interview. It's great to sit down and get to know some of the racers a little bit better than we did before.

Check back later in the week for some Old Fashioned updates and a recap of the Juniors Drill in Central Islip. Thanks for stopping by!

Recap of the Lindenhurst Junior Drill

by Jimmy Leggio

The Junior Drill Teams were on the course in Lindenhurst this past Sunday to start the 2011 Season. There was a nice crowd on hand to watch the drill and the weather was perfect. The day started off with the junior ladder contest which was won by Central Islip Jr. Hoboes with a time of 3.30 giving them the early lead. Intermediate ladder was won by the Lindenhurst Jr. Snails with a time of 4.30 while Individual Ladder was won by the Bay Shore Jr. Redskins with a time of 4.56. Cart Ladder was the last ladder contest to be run and was won by Lindenhurst with a great time of 8.6. These first four contests set the stage for how the rest of drill would shake out with the Snails, Hoboes and Redskins leading the way and trading jabs in every contest. Coming out of ladders, the leaders were Central Islip and Lindenhurst with 13 each, followed by Bay Shore with 11 points.

After a long water test (much like the motorized drill the day before) we moved on to the Jr. Cart Hose contest. For one reason or another, many teams did not participate in this event which the Hagerman Jr. Gamblers won with a time of 13.15 seconds. In Cart Hose, the Jr. Redskins gave us our first 10 of the season, handily winning first place. The Snails took second place with a time of 11.74 seconds. Bay Shore took first again in Cart Hose Replacement with a 21.00 while East Islip took second with a 22.53. Lindenhurst, with a time of 22.00, rounded out the top three.

In Junior Efficiency the tournament took a twist. Lindenhurst, who was running first, received a No Time (N/T) because one of their team members on the replacement length did not have their foot on the line as stated in the rule book. Bay Shore also received a N/T because the coach failed to set the clocks prior to the run. This was huge because it appeared that both teams would have had good times had their runs not been forfeited. Central Islip ended up winning the contest and earning 5 points to put them within striking distance of the Redskins who were up by 3 over the Snails at this point. Bay Shore was able to recover and won the WYE contest with a time of 24.20 while Central Islip came in second.

Going into Efficiency the top three were Bay Shore with 30, Lindenhurst with 25, and Central Islip with 22. The Efficiency contest began with Lindenhurst running an 11.15. Bay Shore responded with a nail in the coffin run of 9.85 which secured the tournament victory. Central Islip had an opportunity to leapfrog the Snails but failed to do so when they received an Overtime (O/T) on their run. It was an exciting conclusion to the day with the same three teams who started the day at the top jockeying for position until the last contest.

At the end of the day the top five teams were as follows:

1st Place – Bay Shore Jr. Redskins – 35 Pts.

2nd Place – Lindenhurst Jr. Snails – 29 Pts.

3rd Place – Central Islip Jr. Hoboes – 22 Pts.

4th Place – Hagerman Jr. Gamblers – 16 Pts.

5th Place – East Islip Jr. Guzzlers – 13 Pts.

All in all, 12 teams participated in the drill although more were expected. It was a nice start to the season with great weather, a competitive drill and a very good turnout. We hope to see even more teams and fans at next week’s drill in Central Islip beginning at 11:00 AM on Sunday, June 12th.

Recap of the Lindenhurst Motorized Drill

by Dan Laverty

Welcome to the latest edition of The Drill Team Blog. Today we’ll recap the motorized drill in Lindenhurst from over the weekend. Later in the week we’ll have our very first interview and a recap of the Junior Drill as well.

The new Post Entry system was in effect for the first time at this drill. Some of our regular score keepers who obviously did not read last week’s blog were kind of perplexed and made a few mistakes. But thanks to the Jolly Tinker Hose pencils that were handed out with the scorecards the corrections were made easily. The Bay Shore Redskins and The East Islip Guzzlers were not in attendance as they usually are but it was good to see the Joe Hunter Memorial Scoreboard was up and running showing this year’s sponsors as well as the day’s stats.

There was some buzz in the stands about the fact that a lot of teams were not able to practice as much as they normally do because of the weather. An unusual cold and rainy spring is not something that drill teams welcome.

Announcer and official, Bill Rowse, started the day with his traditional "Gentleman, Start Your Sneakers!" Teams all lined up waiting their turn to run in their usual colored uniforms except for the Islip Wolves who have adopted a grey shirt with blue lettering.

3- Man Ladder was very generous to some teams and very unforgiving to others. For the first time in many years Matt Spinelli of the Yellow Hornets was not in the lineup for the Hempstead Yellow Hornets. The Hornets failed to place, which left room for the Highlanders and the Taildraggers to get into the top five. The Islip Wolves changed more than their uniforms with the retirement of Billy Moon and some restructuring. The third man was running in his first tournament and did a great job helping them score a 6.93. Congratulations to Jake Moran on running in his first motorized tournament after spending a few years in the juniors.

B-Ladder and C-Ladder were run with no complications or slow downs. Every ladder from every team was measured by the officials who did it with excellent efficiency. All the ladders passed muster and there were no delays because of the measuring. With Scott Rice retiring from racing, the Flying Dutchmen welcomed back driver Bob Marra after a couple years away from the driver’s seat. We’re guessing there wasn’t much rust to shake off because they placed 1st in the event with a time of 5.10 seconds.

In C-Ladder we saw Copiague run their C-Truck for the first time with a borrowed backup engine from Westbury FD. They tied with North Lindenhurst for 4th place. West Sayville won the event with an 8.88 and Central Islip (9.00) and Roslyn (9.24) placed 2nd and 3rd in the contest.

C-Hose was rather eventful. Central Islip ran a 12.38 and had their hose pulled until the end of the event for testing. Copiague ran next and put up a 12.54 and also had their hose pulled. After testing, both teams’ hoses were not within tolerance. The time of the water through the State hose was 4.79. Teams are allowed to run up to 0.15 seconds faster than the state hose. The time of the water through Central Islip’s hose was 4.63 which put them just 0.01 seconds above the allowed limit. Copiague’s hose was rumored to have tested at even faster. The officials confiscated the hose and held it in the timing truck for the rest of the day. Both teams were disqualified from the event which enabled Roslyn and Hicksville to jump to 4th and 5th place. The C.I. disqualification proved crucial for West Sayville by helping them build on their lead while keeping the Hoboes from putting themselves in contention for 1st place overall.

In B-Hose, the Hempstead Yellow Hornets placed 1st with a time of 7.93 seconds. The Flying Dutchmen placed second with the Lindenhurst Snails, Port Washington Roadrunners and Riverhead Ironmen rounding out the top five.

Efficiency had four of the top five times in the 9’s. Copiague finished 1st in the contest with 9.23 with Central Islip, Glenwood, North Lindenhurst and Hicksville behind them. Coming out of Efficiency the Flying Dutchmen had 22 points. The next closest teams were the Hoboes with 13, the Yellow Hornets with 12 and the Yellowbirds with 11.5 points. West Sayville had a comfortable lead in the drill but there was an entertaining battle for 2nd place going on.

We got to see the usual spraying of the crowd in Motor Pump. West Sayville ran the only 5 of the day (5.94) and Hicksville filled out the bottom of the top five with a 6.49.

West Sayville entered the Buckets Contest with 27 points and even though they had the tournament win sealed, they still reeled off a 1st-place Buckets run with a time of 21.84. Meanwhile, the fight for second place overall was still on. Hempstead took 2nd place in the event to lock up 2nd-place in the tournament. The Piston Knockers pointed their way in to the overall top five by taking 3rd while 4th and 5th place went to Lindenhurst and Copiague respectively. The Amityville Villains debuted their new bucket shirts which were in memory of Zach Bernstein who was recently killed in a car accident. When it was all said and done, this is what the top-five looked like:

At the end of the day the top five teams were as follows:

1st Place – West Sayville Flying Dutcment - 32 Pts.

2nd Place – Hempstead Yellow Hornets - 20 Pts.

3rd Place – Copiague Yellowbirds - 15.5 Pts.

4th Place – North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers - 13.5 Pts.

5th Place – Central Islip Hoboes - 13Pts.

Kudos goes out to the host of the first drill of the season for putting on a good show. The Chief Judge for the day Anthony R. ran the drill with great ease and confidence. The day went even smoother due to the plethora of officials in attendance. Let’s hope they continue to come out as the season progresses. The next Drill to be run is the Northern New York Convention at Copenhagen on June 6th. The maiden voyage The Great Bend Cobras newly acquired B-Truck should add some excitement to the drill.

Full Stats for the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com

Gentlemen, Start Your Sneakers

Welcome to the first edition of The Drill Team Blog. The Drill Team Blog Crew is compiled of people from every area and aspect of racing. The Crew consists of some ex-racers, some current racers and some junior racers. The Blog will report on not only the drills and parades, but also what is going on behind the scenes and what the fans don’t get to hear about sitting in the stands. Every week we hope to keep you informed about new developments in our sport: facts, stats and maybe even some fun trivia questions. We hope you are looking forward to reading every week because we are really excited to be writing for you.

The 2011 New York State Drill Team Racing Season is upon us. This Saturday, teams from Nassau and Suffolk will be in the beautiful Village of Lindenhurst here on Long Island. Points will be counted towards the Suffolk County total points only. There are a few interesting things about this drill to note. The new post entry system is being used and the B-Hose and Buckets’ records have been reset to 7.65 and 20.25 respectively. The new post entry system was changed to level the playing field and to keep teams from entering a drill post entry to avoid being in the beginning or end of a line up. Entering a drill post entry does not guarantee you a spot in the middle anymore. The B-Hose and Buckets records were reset due to equipment and testing changes.

The Northern area’s season will begin on June 11^th when they gather at Copenhagen for the Northern New York Convention Parade & Drill. The Northern area looks to be a competitive one for the upcoming 2011 season. The Delmar Boosters will be competing once again and the addition of the Great Bend Cobras will give them some more competition. Deerfield, Copenhagen and Lake Placid are looking to have strong seasons as well. Norfolk sadly will be only running a C Truck for this season along with the foot races. Although they are from the Western area, the Ol’ Henries from Henrietta will be participating in the Northern Convention drill on June 11^th. Speaking of Western, their season will begin on June 18^th in Point Pleasant with the drill being hosted by the Sea Breeze Fire Department.

On June 18^th Deerfield with be hosting a drill for which the Drill Team Radio will be in attendance broadcasting the first ever non state drill in the Upstate region. There also are a few teams that will be making the trip up to compete in the Drill as well. Keep an eye on some of these teams this year. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number of good runs they will pull off.

After an exciting end to the 2010 season – where there was tie in the State Drill between the Bay Shore Jr. Redskins and the East Islip Jr. Guzzlers – the teams will be back for another exciting year beginning on June 5^th at 12:00 PM in Lindenhurst. Here’s a quick recap of the who’s who on the Junior Circuit from a year ago: the Islip Terrace Jr. Schlagers had the most 1^st-place finishes with 4 followed by the East Islip Jr. Guzzlers with 3 and the Bay Shore Jr. Redskins with 2. There is one new team coming out to race this year and that they are the Massapequa Jr. Indians. From what can be seen there are about approximately 25 members of this team who are very excited to get out on the course and represent their department. The newcomers generated an awful lot of positive buzz in the room at the Directors’ meeting recently held in Selden. The Jr. Slo-Pokes from Main Transit will be making their yearly trip down for the Junior State Drill in Lindenhurst on July 31^st.

Every year something happens in the Junior Division that does not happen anywhere else in our sport; team members age out. There are rules governing what age a team member can participate up to. Just as a team gets a flow and members begin to get experienced in their positions the season ends. Every year can be a rebuilding year for a lot of teams. But just like in Motorized and Old Fashioned, everyone wishes there were more teams out there racing every weekend. Anyone interested in finding out more about starting a junior team for their department please contact any junior team that is currently participating and speak to their team advisor. As always, if you ever have any questions regarding any aspect of Drill Team Racing feel free to contact any State or County officer.

We’d like to wish all the junior drill teams good luck this season as well as a big welcome to the Massapequa Jr. Indians.

In the Nassau area, The Hempstead Yellow Hornets will be looking to achieve a 10^th straight Nassau County Total Point Championship. The Termites from New Hyde Park, the Turtles from Westbury, the Freeport Dead End Kids and the Road Runners from Port Washington rounded out the top five in 2010 are expected to do well again in 2011. Rumor has it that the West Hempstead Westerners are going to be a team to watch for in 2011. The Woodlanders from Rockville Center are back for their sophomore season in the motorized division as well.

In Suffolk, the Central Islip Hoboes will be looking to defend their title as 2010 New York State Champs. The Flying Dutchmen from West Sayville will be back and you can’t help but mention their valiant come from behind effort in the State Drill last season. The Dutchmen had zero points coming out of the ladder events but managed to salvage their day with a great run in the next four to finish in second place. This year, the Dutchmen will be resorting back to their previous driver who was behind the wheel for many of their previous State Championships. The West Islip Raiders will be joining forces with members from the Babylon Fire Department to field a drill team in 2011 and you can never count out the Islip Wolves, even though they are rumored to be “rebuilding” this year. They have a very competitive spirit and a driver that has been around the block a few times. Watch out for the Yellowbirds too, as Copiague will be back and look to be as competitive as ever.

The Old Fashioned teams will begin their season on June 11^th at Lynbrook. This is one of the four drills that will count towards the Old Fashioned total points. It’s interesting to see a new team in the mix with the addition of the Amityville Villains to the NCDTCA. This will give them the ability to have their points counted towards the year end Nassau County Total Points. The Extinguishers from Miller Place are looking to come back stronger than ever this year to defend their OF State Championship. The Chipmunks from Malverne will be nipping at their heels along with the Lakeview Sparks in their sophomore season. Looking to be a part of the Top 5 are the Tumblers from Lynbrook and the Ballbreakers from Bellmore. Sadly we won’t be seeing the Parkers from Garden City Park in 2011, but it’s always refreshing to see the East Rockaway Cold Ducks and the Smokin’ Seagulls from Point Lookout-Lido out on the course.

Once again Drill Team Radio had their Pre-Season Radio Show that was attended by many and listened to online by almost as many people. Along with the Joe Hunter Scoreboard, the Drill Team Radio Crew will be on the air for the Lindenhurst Invitational Drill to kick the season off. A new addition this year is the Racing Gear Raffle which will be drawn at the Joe Hunter Memorial Drill on June 30, 2011. The prizes and costs of tickets for this raffle are as follows:

One nozzle from Triangle Manufacturing, Three lengths of hose from Jolly Tinker, 20 "bucket" shirts, 10 pair kneepads, 2 stop watches from Titan Group, One “Tranny” refresh from FB transmissions, One pump flow assessment test from Speedmaster Automotive, Ten 8” x 10” prints of your team from 911 Pictures, 1 Tray of wings at the C.I. drill from Fatty McGee's. Tickets are 1 for $15, two for $20 and can be purchased at the County Meetings, the Side by Side drill, all June drills AND the Deerfield Invite.

This raffle is being conducted by the Suffolk County Media Committee and is aimed to help continue and improve all Media Committee endeavors. Chris Murphy has assured us that The Drill Team Radio Crew is looking forward to a great season bringing you the drills as they happen.

This week’s Drill Team Blog Crew are Jimmy Leggio, Ryan Costigan, Kyle Stephens and Dan Laverty. Thank you for taking the time to read the first edition of the Drill Team Blog.