Recap of the Old Fashioned Drill at Hicksville on 07/08

by Justin Chichi and Dan Laverty

(This drill took place on July 8th at the Hicksville track, hosted by the Glenwood Greenhorns. Full results of the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

Rain was indeed a factor (Déjà vu anyone?) for the Nassau County Old Fashioned Drill which was hosted by the Glenwood Greenhorns in Hicksville. Certain views of the course made it appear to look small and tight. The way it is set up does not leave a lot of space on either side past the curbs and the announcer was inside the Timing Truck which left the arch eerily empty. The night provided mixed moments of greatness, inconsistency, clutch performances, and loss. For those who stuck it out in the rain, the drill was one to remember and one to maybe forget.

After much talk about the bypassing of Ladder events at recent drills it was not a surprise that it was decided to run them on this night. The drill started off a bit slippery with 3-Man Ladder. It appeared that some teams did not run their regular climbers, instead going with more experienced climbers. This worked for some but not for all.

3-Man Results:

1st – Malverne – 7.55

2nd – Lakeview – 7.63

3rd – Lynbrook – 7.70

4th – Bayville – 7.81

5th – Rockville Centre – 7.96

The Running Hook & Ladder contest had solid runs in the low to mid 9’s with dig times in the low 6’s…the rain was obviously a factor but showed that the event can be run smoothly in wet conditions. Miller Place received a No Time (N/T) for “failure to grasp and hold.” Bellmore’s run was halted due to an unfortunate truck into ladder incident, and the Lakeview Sparks received an N/T because the ladder left the chute for a long enough period of time to be noticed by the officials.

Running Ladder Results:

1st – Malverne – 9.07

2nd – Rockville Centre – 9.18

3rd – Freeport (CLM) – 9.44

4th – Lynbrook – 7.81

5th – Meadowmere Park – 7.96

A quick water test provided a steady water time around 4.7 seconds.

The points coming out of ladders were:

Malverne – 10

Lynbrook – 5

Rockville Centre – 5

Lakeview – 4

Freeport Clamdiggers – 3

With the State Drill in the backs of everyone's minds it was obvious that teams were taking it easy in the rain with the times in the mid 11’s to a mid 13’s. Some teams had water-on times in around 5.5 seconds, with others closer to 6. The drop times were also delayed due to the conditions, which showed the strategy by the teams receiving points.

Running Hose Results:

1st – Miller Place – 11.55

2nd – Bellmore – 11.71

3rd – Malverne – 11.73

4th – Freeport (NH) – 12.36

5th – Bayville – 13.47

Running Hose Replacement showed great runs by Freeport (NH), Bellmore, Lakeview, Malverne and Glen Cove. Miller Place ran a totally uncharacteristic 28.29.

Running Hose Replacement Results:

1st – Freeport (NH) – 21.57

2nd – Bellmore – 22.08

3rd – Lakeview – 22.12

4th – Malverne – 24.88

5th – Glen Cove – 25.99

The Efficiency Replacement event was time for redemption. The pressure was on, and it was “now or never” if your team wanted to make a comeback. The whole tournament changed course with a 2011 best time of 23.35 by the Extinguishers.

Efficiency Replacement Results:

1st – Miller Place – 23.35

2nd – Lakeview – 25.06

3rd – Lynbrook – 28.11

4th – Rockville Centre – 28.27

5th – Bayville – 28.52

The points going into the Efficiency Contest were:

Malverne – 15

Lakeview – 11

Miller Place – 10

Lynbrook – 8

Bellmore – 8

In Efficiency, Miller Place again put up a first place shot. This small comeback mounted by Miller Place put them in second place overall, only 1 point out of first place with two events to go. The top five at this point were all within grasp of first place and the tournament felt like it would come down to buckets…as it sometimes does.

Efficiency Results:

1st – Miller Place – 9.34

2nd – Lynbrook – 9.84

3rd – Rockville Centre – 9.87

4th – Freeport (CLM) – 10.07

5th – Malverne – 10.16

Two Into One proved consistent for some and devastating for others. Miller Place, running third, miss-coupled on the front hydrant inlet and that miss allowed the other teams to extend their lead. It was rather encouraging to see Plainview and Glen Cove placing in the event.

Two Into One Results:

1st – Lynbrook – 9.32

2nd (Tie) – Malverne/Lakeview – 9.81

4th – Plainview – 10.06

5th – Glen Cove – 10.61

Points going into Buckets:

Malverne – 19.5

Lynbrook – 17

Miller Place – 15

Lakeview – 14.5

Rockville Centre – 10

The buckets event ran smoothly and provided some excitement when Miller Place received a rerun because the safety line was left up (2 buckets were interfered with).

Buckets Results:

1st – Freeport (NH) – 26.07

2nd – Miller Place – 26.95

3rd – Lakeview – 28.30

4th – Malverne – 28.58

5th – Lynbrook – 31.08

Final Results of the Drill:

1st Place – Malverne – 21.5 Pts.

2nd Place – Miller Place – 19 Pts.

3rd Place – Lynbrook – 18 Pts.

4th Place – Lakeview – 17.5 Pts.

5th Place – Freeport Nighthawks – 12 Pts.

The standings showed the closeness of all teams with a few weeks to go until the State Old Fashioned Drill. All teams are in it to win it, and the focus should be on consistency…a little sunshine would not hurt either.

This entry would not be complete without mentioning the following teams who also came out in the rain to run:

• The Medford Stump Jumpers made an appearance but unfortunately did not place in any of the events. They were at the Hicksville track until after 1:00 AM and were on the line for 3-Man Ladder in Ridge at 9:00 AM the next morning. Kudos to them!

• The Plainview Plainsmen were there also and received 2 points in the Two Into One contest. After speaking with the nozzle-man from Plainview, it became apparent that manpower and commitment are their biggest obstacles right now.

• The Meadowmere Park High Tides, playing in a drill outside of their Battalion, must have caught the bug at the 2,3,4 Drill. They scored 1 point in Running Ladder.

• The Seaford Inmates came to play. The team led by Keith Kern made a valiant effort but went home empty. They attempted to leave after Two Into One but Valley Stream had parked a bus blocking their exit.

• The Glen Cove Wet Ears picked up 2 points and they too seem to have caught the bug at their Battalion Drill.

• Long Beach and Bayville had teams competing as well.

We’d like to let these teams know that their presence and participation at the Nassau County OF Drill was not only appreciated, but welcomed by all. Everyone in attendance hopes you continue to practice and come to the State OF on August 5th at the Merrick track.

Recap of the Motorized Drill at Selden on 06/25

by James Grimes

(This drill took place on June 25th at the Ridge track, hosted by the Selden Fire Department. Full results of the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

With picture perfect weather, the 2011 Selden Invitational, the second Suffolk County Points Tournament of the season, saw the return of motorized racing to Suffolk after a two week layoff following the Long Island Invitational at Lindenhurst.

After some minor technical difficulties with the lights, 3-Man Ladder began. East Islip, making their season debut after skipping Lindenhurst, set the first time of the day with a 6.69, a time that stayed in first for all of one team, as Central Islip followed that with a 6.48. The only team to threaten this would be Copiague with a 6.53, as both North Lindenhurst and West Sayville saw their hopes of besting C.I. fall short with slips on the ladder. West Hempstead and North Babylon rounded out your top five.

B and C Ladder belonged to West Sayville, setting a new best time for the year in B-Ladder with a 5.01 and winning C-Ladder with an 8.91. After a slip in B-Ladder, Central Islip responded with a third place run of 9.13. East Islip took fourth in B-Ladder and second in C-Ladder to put themselves into second overall on the day so far. Going into the water test, the top five were separated by only 4 points, with West Sayville leading the pack with 10 points, East Islip with 9, Central Islip with 8, Copiague with 7 and North Lindenhurst with 6.

Following the water test, which established the water time for the day at 4.75, C-Hose kicked off and proved to be as competitive as the tournament was shaping up to be. A 12.71 by East Islip would prove to be only good enough for sixth place. An improbable shot by West Sayville which saw nozzle-man Frank Miller fall on the hose, get up and smack the target, would take first and set a new best time for the year with a 12.28. North Lindenhurst, after having there hose pulled and tested, took second with a 12.29. Central Islip took third with a 12.45 and Islip and West Hempstead would tie for fourth with a 12.62, the first points for the Wolves on the season as they go through a rebuilding phase.

B-Hose would begin to separate the contenders from the rest of the pack. Central Islip took first, with a new best time for the year of 7.69, just missing establishing a new state record by .04 seconds off the reset time. West Hempstead would help Central Islip gain on West Sayville by besting the Dutchmen’s 7.81 with a 7.74 for second place. Brentwood took fourth with an 8.75 and Bay Shore would round out the top five with an 8.99. A fight to the finish was definitely developing as West Sayville now led C.I. by 2 points, 18 to 16.

Efficiency would prove to be the turning point of the day. Central Islip would put the pressure by running an 8.77, setting not only the time to beat for the day but also the best time for the year and a new track record. No one would approach this, as second place would be seven-tenths off C.I.’s time, North Babylon with a 9.47. West Sayville would surrender their lead to CI after a fourth place run. Hagerman took third with a 9.53 to earn their first points of the season, with East Islip taking fifth.

With Central Islip Leading by one, Motor Pump loomed crucial. C.I. was unable to hit the target and received an overtime, opening the door for West Sayville to retake the lead they lost after efficiency. They were unable to take advantage however, running a 9.67, allowing Bay Shore to pick up 5 with a 6.07 and moving them into contention for a top five spot for the day. East Islip took second with St. James, North Babylon and Copiague completing the top five in Motor Pump.

The tournament would come down to Buckets. Leading West Sayville by one, Central Islip would be the first to run and hoped to be able to put the pressure on the Flying Dutchmen. And put pressure on them they did, setting a new state record in the contest. Following a delay to test the timing equipment and the barrel, the tournament resumed as all of Central Islip’s buckets were being tested. West Sayville’s only shot now to tie for first place would be to beat C.I.’s yet to be announced time. There were unable to do so, running a 21.71, which was good enough for third. North Lindenhurst would take second to the Hoboes new Bucket state record of 20.21 with a 21.24, allowing them to tie East Islip for third on the day with 14 points. West Hempstead would take fourth to lock up fifth place for the day with 10.5 points. St. James completed the top five in Buckets.

The 2011 Selden Invitational proved to be the most exciting tournament of this young season so far, and a good look at what the main storyline for this season appears to be. Two mighty powers fighting it out while at the same time fending off all other combatants looking to too claim the throne. The season continues June 30th at the Joe Hunter Memorial Drill in Hempstead and the Suffolk County season continues with the Suffolk County Championship at Ridge on July 9th.

Recap of the Juniors Drill at Hagerman on 6/26

by Jimmy Leggio

(This drill took place on June 26th at the Hagerman track. Full results of the drill can found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

On a very hot and sunny day the Juniors were back in action in Hagerman. At the last drill it was very close between the top six teams with only five points separating them. This drill would also be a very close one. Thirteen teams were in attendance, but still no Farmingville or Massapequa.

Junior ladder started off the same as the first two drills with C.I. taking first place and five points with a new time of the year with a 3.19.

Intermediate Ladder was next and that was won by Lindenhurst with a 4.31. The climber from Islip Terrace, who won the contest last week, slipped and did not place in the event.

Individual ladder was next and that contest was won by Bay Shore with a new time of the year with a 4.50. In second was Lindenhurst with a time of 4.55.

Cart Ladder was won by Islip who broke their team record and set a new time of the year with an 8.37. Heading into Hoses, the top five teams were Lindenhurst (12 pts.), Bay Shore (11 pts.), Islip (10 pts.), Central Islip (9 pts.) and the host of the drill, Hagerman (7 pts.)

After a short water test the water was set and we were ready to start the hose contests. In Junior Cart Hose, Lindenhurst took first place with yet another time of the year, running a 12.43.

Cart Hose was next and after Islip, Bay Shore, and Islip Terrace all blew at the nozzle, it was Central Islip running an 11.12 taking first place and five points in the contest.

In Cart Hose Replacement, we saw another time of the year set by Islip. Their time of 20.76 also broke the team record. Hot on their heels in second place was Bay Shore with a 20.90.

In Junior Efficiency Replacement, Bay Shore won the contest for the second drill in a row with a 24.22. This would also be the last points Bay Shore would score in this tournament.

The WYE contest was up next and was won by Islip with a 26.74 making it a very close drill heading into the final event. The top five teams were separated by only three points so Efficiency was going to be very interesting to watch.

Central Islip, who had 23 points, missed at the hydrant and ended up running a 16.01 which failed to get them any points in the event. Islip was next and there nozzle-man washed the target and they too failed to score any points, leaving them with the 22 points they started the contest with. The next team in the mix was Bay Shore, but their hydrant-man missed and they also received no points and ended the day tied with Islip. Lindenhurst was up next and they ran an 11.05 which was good enough for fourth place. Hagerman was last out of the teams that had a shot to win and they ran a 10.59 and got second place in the contest. Islip Terrace won the contest with a 10.48 giving them first place and 5 points.

At the end of the day, there was a tie for first place with 27 points between Lindenhurst and Hagerman. In third was Central Islip with 23 points. We had another tie with fourth place going to Islip and Bay Shore who each had 22 points.

The Juniors will be back in action on July 10th at Central Islip track hosted by Bay Shore. The tournament begins at 11:00 AM. We hope to see a great crowd on hand to watch the future of FD Racing.

Recap of the Motorized Drill at North Greece on 6/25

by Scott Magin

As always, whenever there is a tournament, Mother Nature decides to interfere and she had a little hand in this one. North Greece was prepared and ready to go with the drill, but the sprinkles started to come down just before the start. After a half-hour delay, the captains voted to run the drill so the track was cleared off and we were ready to go.

3-Man Ladder started us off on the right foot with some competitive times. Henrietta brought their 'A' game to the track again and took first place with a 7.27. This is the second week in a row they won this event. Main-Transit came close with a 7.49 for second place, and Sea Breeze took third with an 8.57.

In B-Ladder, North Greece started us off with a time of 7.46 and were followed by the Indians with an 8.40. Main-Transit brought a 6.79 to the table, only to be overtaken by Henrietta with a 6.08.

C-Ladder was completed in a timely manner with Henrietta taking first place with a 10.59. Point Pleasant took a close second with a 10.66. Main-Transit took third with an 11.51 followed by North Greece with an 11.88 and Sea Breeze a 15.89.

The water test went quickly and the water time was set at 4.72. C-Hose was not very eventful. Point Pleasant was the last team on the line and the time to beat was a 16.35 from Henrietta. The Pea Pickers went ahead and posted a 15.96 to take first place and move one step closer to catching them in total points.

The B-Hose contest resulted in Henrietta regaining that point. The Ol’ Henries took first with a 10.24 followed by North Greece (12.56), Point Pleasant (13.29), Main-Transit (13.65) and Sea Breeze (15.93.)

The Efficiency contest was a welcome sight for the Spencerport Red Onions. This was their first event for the year and they pulled off an 11.15 for third place (with new guys and only one night of practice!) Main-Transit took first place with a 10.17 and Point Pleasant second with a 10.89.

Motor Pump began with the Slo-Pokes three points behind Henrietta for first place overall. Main-Transit ran a 7.66 and put the pressure on the Ol’ Henries to run a good time. Henrietta stepped up and ran a 7.46 to win the event and go into buckets with a four point lead. It was all up to the Ol’ Henries if they were going to win the drill.

The Bucket Brigade was a team effort by all, especially Sea Breeze and Sheridan Park with only 3 guys on the ground filling buckets. Both teams could have elected to not run but they both took to the track and busted their butts to complete the event with crowd urging them on. Main-Transit won the event with a time of 25.72 and Henrietta took second with a 28.48. Point Pleasant came in third with a 28.48 followed by North Greece with a 39.20 and Sea Breeze with a 41.43.

In order to complete the Sea Breeze drill from June 18th, all teams needed to run Buckets a second time. All the times were better but the order did not change. Main-Transit won the event, followed by Henrietta, Point Pleasant, North Greece and Sea Breeze.

The rain delayed the dirll a little bit, but once the drill got started, the rain stopped and we were able to complete in a timely manner.

Here are the final results:

1st Place – Henrietta – 33 Pts.

2nd Place – Main-Transit – 30 Pts.

3rd Place – Point Pleasant – 20 Pts.

4th Place – North Greece – 16 Pts.

5th Place – Sea Breeze – 13 Pts.

The North Greece Lil' Squirts C & B Trucks

Joe Hunter Drill Recap - 6/30/11

by Justin Chichi

The Joe Hunter Drill couldn’t have been more perfect. Perfect weather conditions provided optimal conditions for the top 15 teams facing off at this exhibition drill. Optimal conditions ultimately led to optimum times. So much so, that had this been a sanctioned drill, we would have heard “General Judges” three times…but that’s the prestige and magic of the Joe Hunter Drill.

All teams seemed to be primed, focused and in mid-season form. All the times in 3-Man Ladder were sub-7’s with Central Islip leading the way with a 6.28 while B & C-Ladder were dominated by West Sayville.

The top 5 going into hoses were:

West Sayville: 13

Central Islip: 9

Westbury: 6

West Hempstead: 5

Hempstead: 5

The water was tested and timed at a 4.60, which pleased all teams. West Sayville again stole the show with a new course record of 11.86 in C-Hose. With many teams vying for a state record type of run, there were a few misses on the hydrant, mostly due to deep drops. The top 5 for the contest were West Sayville (11.86), West Hempstead (12.17), East Islip (12.45), Copiague (12.56) and South Hempstead (12.71. B-Hose was again led by West Sayville who now had a comfortable lead with only three events to go.

The standings to this point were:

West Sayville 23

Central Islip: 13

West Hempstead: 9

Hempstead: 8

Westbury: 6

Copiague: 6

Efficiency really showed the greatness of the Hempstead track and the dominance of the current teams. Another course record was set by Central Islip with an 8.37. The rest of the top 5 all had sub-9 runs with fantastic target hits and an average 3.05 stick time. The water was bolt

ing through the hose, making these great teams look even greater.

In Motor Pump there were solid runs by Central Islip, West Hempstead, Copiague, Bay Shore and Islip. Sometimes the great runs are followed with great disappointment…West Sayville did not place Efficiency or Motor Pump and quickly lost their 10-point lead and now were tied (AGAIN) going into Buckets.

The pressure was quickly placed on the shoulders of the Dutchmen when the State Champion Hoboes put up a 20.93. With that time looming over the Dutchmen’s heads, a slip on the ladder sealed their fate. Just like that, a 10-point lead turned into a 5-point deficit as the Hoboes once again took a tournament that was down to buckets.

The final results were as follows:

1st Place – Central Islip - 28 Pts.

2nd Place – West Sayville - 23 Pts.

3rd Place - West Hempstead - 17 Pts.

4th Place – Hempstead - 14 Pts.

5th Place – Westbury - 10 Pts.

To the drill team fan, the annual Joe Hunter Drill can be explained in a few words:

Magical Water…

General Judges…

and…

Down to Buckets.

All in all it was the perfect drill team night.

Central Islip Hoboes

2011 Joe Hunter Memorial Drill Champs

Photo courtesy of Mike Heller

Recap of the Deerfield Drill on 6/18

by Kyle Stephens

On June 18th, the Northern Area ran its second drill of the 2011 season in Deerfield. East Islip and part of Central Islip made the journey upstate along with the Drill Team Radio show. The weather was a complete turnaround from Northern Convention the week before. It was a muggy day with a very slight breeze, a temperature around 85 degrees and sunny.

The day began, as usual, with 3-Man Ladder which was very competitive. East Islip came out on top, running a 6.38 with Central Islip coming in a close second with a 6.41 even though they didn’t have their normal 3-Man team. Elsmere and Copenhagen took third and fourth place, with Elsmere running .2 seconds quicker with a time of 6.94.

The host team, Deerfield, started off B Ladder. While getting off the truck, their climber, Jason, rolled his ankle and wasn’t able to finish the climb. To make matters worse, he would not be able to run the rest of the tournament. He went to the hospital but was okay and returned to the track later that day. Copenhagen’s thrower, Bill, suffered a similar fate during their run of B Ladder but he was able to finish out the day. After all of that, it was East Islip who took first place in the even with a time 5.72. It’s also worth noting that Great Bend took fifth place, scoring points in B Ladder for the second week in a row.

Since Deerfield’s climber was injured, it was time for them to find a replacement. Marc Stephens, Ilion’s climber back in the early 90’s, stepped up to the plate. The last time he climbed C Ladder, Ilion’s C truck was involved in an accident which eventually ended Ilion’s team all together (but that’s a story for another time.) With a time of 13.45, they took fourth place. Taking first place was Lake Placid with a time of 10.30. Louisville finished in second place.

East Islip, who had an outstanding run of 12.84, took C Hose. It was their first tournament of the year as well. Lake Placid took second place, running a 15.08 and Deerfield third with a time of 16.30. Louisville was disqualified from their run for failing to put an adaptor on the hydrant. In B Hose, Lake Placid was able to win their second event of the day with a 9.30. Elsmere came in second, right behind them with a run of 9.52.

In the Efficiency contest we got another look at the partial team from Central Islip. They finished third in the event behind East Islip (9.87) and Elsmere (9.97.) The Guzzlers also took first place in Motor Hose Replacement, which is remarkable because they normally do not run this contest. They only practiced the race once during the week (so they say...) Their time was 18.26 seconds which beat everyone else by over a second. Louisville came in second followed by Deerfield. East Islip also took motor pump with a time of 6.24. The Great Bend Cobras had an outstanding run, considering it was their second tournament ever, running a time of 8.86.

By this time, East Islip had wrapped up the tournament win. The battle now was for first place for Northern points and second place overall in the tournament. Once again, it came down to Buckets. Heading into buckets, Lake Placid had 19 points, Elsmere had 16, Copenhagen with 14, Louisville had 13 and Deerfield had 11. With East Islip winning buckets, there were 4 points up for grabs. Lake Placid failed to score any points and left the door wide open for Elsmere to steal second place in the tournament. Copenhagen ended up taking those 4 points with a time of 27.98. Louisville finished in third, Elsmere was fourth and Deerfield took fifth.

The final standings for the drill were as follows:

1st Place – East Islip - 36 Pts.

2nd Place – Lake Placid - 19 Pts.

3rd Place (Tie) - Elsmere/Copenhagen - 18 Pts.

5th Place – Louisville - 16 Pts.

Congratulations to the East Islip Guzzlers for their tournament win. The next Northern race will be in the heart of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains where “miracles” tend to happen…

You guessed it! We’ll be in Lake Placid on July 9th with a start time of 12:00 noon. Will any miracles happen this year? Stay tuned to find out!

Recap of the 5th Battalion Drill on 6/18

by Stan Dybus Jr.

As every racing season begins, the third Saturday in June is a date that is highlighted on the calendar of every department in the 5th Battalion regardless if they have a drill team or not. The third week of June is a time to get a team together, practice hard, and compete for pride and bragging rights within the Battalion. Bragging rights belonged to the Oyster Bay Fire Company #1 Teddy’s Boys for 14 straight years as they dominated the drill from 1992-2005. From 2006-2010 it was the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company #1 Rough Riders and the Roslyn Highlanders trading wins. This year’s drill was shaping up to be as exciting as ever with the always dangerous Glenwood Greenhorns, East Norwich Spooks and the new and improved Bayville Oak Neckers looking to throw around some points and earn their first ever 5th Battalion title.

The drill started without a hitch as Individual Ladder was run for trophies only. Bayville’s climber led the drill off with an impressive 4.80, which is especially good considering he started climbing only a few months ago. Bayville was eventually topped by the Highlanders’ Ron Presti with a 4.50. Glenwood’s Sean Clampet took third place with a 4.89. Fourth place went to the Sea Cliff Indians with a 5.60 and the Spooks and Teddy’s Boys tied for fifth with a 5.61 each.

3-Man Ladder started minutes later and the Highlanders were the only team in the 6’s winning the event with a 6.76. Once again the Bayville Oak Neckers were impressive running with three new climbers and turning in a 7.45, which was good for second place. The Rough Riders, Teddy’s Boys and Spooks rounded out rest of the top five.

Running ladder began with a little excitement from the Highlanders' camp. With two teams to go before their run they lifted their cart to center it on the track and lost a wheel. As we all know, there are no breakdowns in Old Fashioned racing. The team was granted permission to run last and they scrambled to re-attach their wheel. The event went smoothly and quickly with the Rough Riders leading the pack with an 8.69 until the Highlanders came to the line (with their cart intact) and put up a first place run with a time of 7.79 seconds. Third through fifth place were taken by the Teddy’s Boys, Indians and Oak Neckers.

The only delay of the day was during the water test, but a consistent water time of 4.76 was eventually established. Running Hose is where the Greenhorns got on the board for the first time with a 12.37 which was good for 3 points. The Highlanders were the only team to run in the 10’s running a 10.93 which was good for first place. The Rough Riders took second place with a 12.26 and the Oak Neckers and Spooks rounded out the top five in the event.

The Running Hose Replacement event is where Old Fashioned drills start getting interesting, especially with motorized teams in the 5th Battalion only having one week to practice them. The Teddy’s Boys took first place in this event with a nice run of 21.79. A few familiar faces popped up on the track as the replacement events began. Guys like Bobby Gorney, Steve O’Neill and Doug Flynn are well known as key pieces to the 14-year Teddy’s Boys’ dynasty. The Highlanders came in with a smooth run of 22.83, which was good enough for 4 points. The Indians, the Glen Cove Wet Ears and the Oak Neckers rounded out the top five for this event.

Going into Efficiency Replacement it appeared as if the Highlanders were running away with the drill with 19 points out of a possible 20. The Rough Riders were in second with 11, the Teddy’s Boys in third with 10 and Bayville in fourth with 8. Efficiency Replacement was where the Highlanders made their first blunder of the day. A mistake connecting into the back of the WYE left the Highlanders with no points for the event. This is where Glenwood started their comeback by topping the second place team by almost 2 full seconds with a 27.99. The Teddy’s Boys took second with a 29.89 and the Oak Neckers kept chipping away by coming in third with a 29.98 while the Rough Riders and Indians finished fourth and fifth with 31’s.

Glenwood continued their strong comeback with a 10.13 in Efficiency which was good for first place. The Rough Riders came in with a second place run of 10.27 and the Teddy’s Boys took third with a 10.48. That scrappy Bayville squad was in there again with fourth place. The Highlanders had a great run going but had some difficulties at the nozzle which left them with an 11.01 which barely put them in the top five.

The point breakdown was now even tighter going into the final two events. The Highlanders still led the pack with 20 points while the Rough Riders and Teddy’s Boys were tied for second and third with 17 points. The Greenhorns and Oak Neckers were tied for fourth and fifth with 13 points apiece. The Spooks seemingly came out of nowhere in Two Into One and took first place with a time of 9.60. The Oak Neckers, proving that they belong in the top five, took 4 more points with a 9.90. Meanwhile, the Rough Riders were closing the gap between them and Roslyn by taking 3 points and the Highlanders coming up empty. Glenwood’s comeback continued with a fourth place finish and the Syosset Nightraiders squeaked out a point coming in fifth.

Heading into Buckets, the Highlanders and Rough Riders were tied for first place with 20 points. The Teddy’s Boys and Oak Neckers were tied for third and fourth with 17 points while the Greenhorns held fifth place with 15. The drill turned very interesting in a hurry and was proving to be one of the best finishes in 5th Battalion history. Everyone was anticipating a Buckets shootout to decide the drill but it turned out to be quite a sloppy finish. The Rough Riders and Highlanders had a few slips on the ladder and a few dropped buckets. The Highlanders took third in the event and the Rough Riders took fifth. Bayville came up empty in a contest for the first time all day and the Spooks stepped up to take fourth. Glenwood finished second, capping off their impressive comeback and giving them a total of 19 points for the day. As the Teddy’s Boys stepped to the line we saw those familiar faces that were part of one of the best bucket teams in the State. Although they had a slip on the ladder they still managed a 25.90 which was good enough for first place.

In the end, this turned out to be one of the tightest finishes in 5th Battalion Drill history. The Highlanders led in points all day despite their collapse in the second half and they reigned victorious for their seventh 5th Battalion Drill win in their history with 23 points. The Teddy’s Boys, who gave the Highlanders fits for years and had them biting their nails until the very end, came in a close second with 22 points. The Rough Riders were unable to repeat their win from a year ago but raced well and came away with third place with 21 points. Glenwood’s furious comeback gave them fourth overall with 19 total points and the impressive Oak Neckers finished in fifth place with 17 points giving them their first ever top five finish. This drill will be remembered by many for its tight finish but it will be especially be remembered by yours truly, who finally won his first one.

Roslyn Highlanders - 2011 5th Battalion Drill Champs