The Drill Team Blog

Interview with Donald "Bumpy" Bray

2011-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

There is no such thing as the offseason here at The Drill Team Blog. Our very own Dan Laverty recently sat down for a conversation with Donald “Bumpy” Bray of the Hempstead Flukes. Here’s how it went.

This interview took place on November 17th at the West End Firehouse.

Dan: I would like to start off by saying thank you for taking the time and for granting me this interview.

Bump: You got it! Anytime.

Dan: When did you join the Hempstead Fire Department?

Bump: June 10th, 1963

Dan: What Company?

Bump: Engine 5

Dan: Did you race right away?

Bump: Yup

Dan: Why did you join?

Bump: Why did I join? I was first on the Junior Flukes. With the Junior Flukes we got to see different activities within the fire department and as far as racing goes we got to see the B & C trucks. When we were juniors we ran the ground events – 3-Man Ladder, Efficiency but no Buckets in those days – this is how I got involved and as soon as I became 18 years old I joined. At first it was to race, but it isn't just racing it is also about protecting lives and property.

Dan: Who were some of your teammates that first year you joined?

Bump: Well of course there was Jackie (Jack Cloudman). He and I were the best of friends. As a matter of fact, I was the best man at his wedding. We knew each other since we were kids and we always did everything together. He was a year older than me and joined the fire department before me. Billy Florence, all of these people I am going to mention we all lived on the same block and we all played sports together. Just alone from Covert Street alone there was Johnny Orzenz, Bobby Cosgrove and Eddie Florence from my age bracket.

Dan: Where did your nickname Bumpy come from?

Bump: It is a family thing, we all had nicknames. Everybody in the family had nicknames. My father gave me mine. I was about two years old and I used to always bump my head. Believe it or not it stuck for 66 years.

Dan: Do many people still call you Bumpy?

Bump: Sure, yup.

Dan: Do you like being called Bumpy?

Bump: Yeah sure, mainly because it is family orientated.

Dan: I am going to say a few words and you say what comes into your head…

Dan: State

Bump: Biggest

Dan: Bone

Bump: Jimmy O'Neil

Dan: Hydrant

Bump: Best position in racing

Dan: Did anyone Mentor you?
Bump: Not really because I started in junior racing and there we all learned ourselves, we watched others that were older than us. We just basically learned by our mistakes.

Dan: Have you passed your knowledge on?

Bump: Oh yes, definitely. Even now when I go to practices I try and help the younger members. Some of people I did help were Joey, you know JoJo Simone from the Yellow Hornets. He is more or less my protégé. Skippy Abrams, I helped him, he ran for North Bellmore.

Dan: Not many people know you had an incident in 1981, would you like to talk about that?

Bump: I don't remember that because it was a head injury that I had. I will say this there were a lot of prayers going on. I was told by a lot of people, when I came out of being semi-toast for nine days. All those prayers work because it worked with me.

Dan: Were you on any State Record runs?

Bump: Oh yeah, a couple of them – Old Fashioned and Motorized. Motor Pump, B-Hose and C-Hose. 6.18 in Motor Pump, it was the first time in 20 years that the record had been broken and it was by almost a whole second. Two Into One and Efficiency records also. A big part of it was Pat Jeffares, who was probably the best nozzle-man. He was something else, he was good.

Dan: How long did you race?

Bump: 1963-1981

Dan: How many drills do you think the Flukes won during your career?

Bump: In the 70’s we had our biggest winning streak. We won Nassau County Total Points a couple years in a row.

Dan: Name the greatest single shot that stands out to you the most?

Bump: I really can’t say…

Dan: Because there were so many?

Bump: *Laughs*

Dan: Favorite track you raced on?

Bump: Oh easy, Hempstead, without a doubt.

Dan: During your racing career who were some of your biggest competitors?

Bump: West Sayville, they were very big. We were always catching up to them. They would get us in ladders and we would slowly but surely creep up behind them and sometimes we got ‘em and sometimes it was second and third places. You know it was catching up a lot. Central Islip too, it was predominately Suffolk teams back then we competed with. In the beginning of my racing career it was the Oyster Bay Rough Riders, they were tough. Port Washington too with their three teams: The Rowdies, The Runts and The Rangers. They were pretty competitive and also Westbury had a good water team. Their hydrant-man was Tallo. We always competed against each other in tournaments.

Dan: Why do you think some guys are able to race for 20-25 years while others only last a year or two?

Bump: Well it’s hard to say, you could be the best athlete in the world, that don’t mean you can race. Because what happens a lot of times a guy comes out of High School and they try to jump off the truck and stuff like that, it’s a different element. You know, it is not like carrying a football or running for yards and stuff, it is a totally different aspect. We have had good athletes on the team and like you said they only last a year or two because they lose interest. Here is when junior teams come into play. We started back then and we loved it back then and we continued to love it. Another thing too that I found is that the team events in a tournament, where you had the most people from your team running kept the teams together too. If they were competitive in those events you got along better because they were always getting trophies and they were always winning. You had your four-man teams, you know like ladder, hose and stuff like that. If you weren’t winning or at least competitive then the interest waned. They would try for only a couple of years and that would be it. With Efficiency, Pump and Buckets where they all ran, they stayed together a lot more.

Dan: How do feel about all the recent advancements and innovations that have been made to our sport? Drill Team Radio, the Scoreboard, The Drill Team Blog and speeding up of tournaments, etc…

Bump: Between you and I, I only go to one or two tournaments a year these days. I was never much into the Captains Association and stuff like that. I never really followed up to it like that.

What I didn’t like and this is when I was running: the money. You know, some teams had the money and others didn’t. What I mean by having money, I don’t mean from the tax-payers, I mean from fund raising events they used to have. Port Washington and Manhasset-Lakeville used to have these block parties and that gave them income. Every other team would go, a lot of camaraderie, we would all go and support them. That helped them. That helped the drill teams; it was not that they got the money from their departments or the taxpayers because back then we didn’t. What happens now I am not that familiar with, but back then you were self-sufficient. The Flukes would raffle off football tickets, have car raffles, that was a source of income for the drill team.

Dan: Is there any one call that an official has ever made that still sticks with you all these years?

Bump: Oh yeah, sure. Motor Pump, sure, they used to call him "Red Flag". And what it was is he used to red flag us all the time because they thought I jumped off the truck before the line.

Dan: What was your favorite C-Truck that the Flukes ran?

Bump: My favorite C-Truck? The prettiest was the Ranchero. As far as going? Nah, it didn’t go worth anything, but it was pretty. It was not competitive with the trucks like Port Washington’s, Manhasset and the teams of that nature. They had the best of trucks, aerodynamic trucks, lighter and they went into it better than we did.

Dan: Who were the Drivers during your career?

Bump: Jackie and before him was Bobby Marra. I even ran with Al Cooke, Sr.

Dan: How do you feel about Old Fashion versus Motorized?

Bump: Old Fashion is great. For the simple reason is that there is a large body of men competing against each other and that would keep them together. Back in the 70’s we had a very competitive Old Fashion team, we would always be competing against Freeport Truck One. They were also competitive and we would always duel it out at tournaments. Old Fashion was great.

Dan: If you were able to have raced for any other team during your career what team would it have been?

Bump: Probably the Yellow Hornets, more than likely because I knew all of them, I knew everybody on that team.

Dan: How did Bobby Marra leaving the Flukes affect you and the team?

Bump: There wasn’t that much of a difference where it hurt the team. Jackie filled right in after him.

Dan: How did Pat Jeffares leaving The Flukes affect you and the team?

Bump: That hurt big time because he was one of the nucleus of the team as far as his talent, he ran every event and it just hurt.

Dan: What year did you feel or say this is the year for the Flukes, state champ wise?

Bump: What year? I would say the late 70’s – 1977 to 1980. We were very competitive and we could have done it.

Dan: 1978 perhaps?

Bump: It came down to Buckets. It is a team event and everything happened so quick.

Dan: Do you have a lot of racing memorabilia at home?

Bump: Yes, my wife kept a scrapbook. Back then we used to have articles in the paper after every tournament and she clipped out every one of them, pictures too.

Dan: What is your most cherished racing possession?

Bump: My trophy. It is a ten year competitive trophy for B-Truck Total Points. After the tenth year I decided to take it out and keep it at the firehouse.

Dan: What single piece of advice would you like to give to Hydrant-men who are currently running?

Bump: I would have to say consistency, don’t try to break the record and be fancy. Consistency, that’s the key to racing, also learning from your mistakes.

Dan: What were some of the Flukes’ sayings or mottos you would like to share?

Bump: "Hold onto your hats!" When we marched in the parade at the state tournament, the announcer said underneath the arch when we walked through: "Here comes the Hempstead Fire Department Flukes Drill Team and hold onto your hats because they broke the state record!" We all grabbed our hats and walked under the arch laughing and smiling.

Dan: What individual person do you enjoy watching race nowadays?

Bump: Who do I enjoy? JoJo Simone.

Dan: What team do you enjoy watching race nowadays?

Bump: The Yellow Hornets.

Dan: Have you ever wished you did not get involved with racing?

Bump: NO

Dan: I understand you only attend two drills a year, what would entice you to attend more?

Bump: The thing is they have it on the weekends and I work on the weekends. If it wasn’t for that I would go to more.

Dan: We got to get you out to some Friday night drills. The Islip Town Drill, Babylon Town Drill and the like.

Dan: In our pre-interview conversation I mentioned that I interviewed Willie McCarthy from Central Islip. Who were some other people you remember competing against?

Bump: I don’t know his last name, Neil from The Meadowlarks and Darcy. They are the guys the guys I remember racing with and I see them now playing golf. I just played with Neil a few weeks ago at Eisenhower.

Dan: Who ran Hydrant for The Flukes before you?

Bump: Jackie

Dan: After you?

Bump: Who did I break in after me? I guess that would be Pat Cooke, yes Pat Cooke ran after me.

Dan: How did you feel when The Flukes stopped racing?

Bump: You know, to tell you something, I was not that close to the team anymore. I did not have any feelings about it because it was slowly but surely going that way anyway. They didn’t have the older members on the team to keep it together. I would go down to practice and give advice but if you miss two weeks of practice they go back to doing what they want to do anyway. Here’s another thing too…It used to be very family orientated, I had my Uncle, Pappy Oates and Jackie had his father. There were so many different things that changed, outsiders came in and the feeling wasn’t the same. It did not bother me that much, they stopped when ‘98? I stopped racing in 1981 so I was 18 years out of the game at the time.

Dan: What is your favorite color?

Bump: Blue, that is our company color.

Dan: How did you feel about the Flukes’ B-Truck going to another team?

Bump: It is one of the better B-Trucks ever made, it was very reliable and built right. There is no mistaking it. I am glad it is still on the track, it’s a part of racing.

We’d like to thank Bumpy for taking the time to sit down with us and we’d also like to wish all our readers, fans and friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Recap of the Point Pleasant Drill on 08/27

2011-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

by Scott Magin

(This drill took place on August 27th at Point Pleasant. Full results can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

Although it felt like the season just began, it was upon us, the final drill. The teams were standing on the Point Pleasant track, which is the final stop on the Western New York tour, and ready to put everything on the line and run their best.

Going into this drill, the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes had a 29-point lead over the Point Pleasant Pea Pickers for the WNY Total Points Championship. However, a lot can happen in one drill. Although there was a lot of ground to make up, no team would ever surrender and give up their opportunity to become the Champions!

The Point Pleasant drill attracts more than just Western New York Teams. The Port Washington Road Runners, Oyster Bay Teddy’s Boys and the Roslyn Highlanders made the trip to run in this drill. There were other Long Island, and past Long Island, residents on hand to watch the drill as well.

The weather report the morning of the drill showed Hurricane Irene was heading towards Long Island and it was inevitable that something was going to be happening since parts of NYC and Long Island were already closed off and/or evacuated. Before the drill began, the Highlanders made a tough decision as a team and began to head for home while they still could. They were all missed and would have definitely changed the final outcome of the drill.

The running order for the day was: Port Washington, Henrietta, Spencerport, Main-Transit, Sheridan Park, Sea Breeze, Point Pleasant, Oyster Bay and North Greece. The clock struck 12:00 and the drill was underway…

The Road Runners set the pace in 3-Man Ladder with a 7.11 and it seemed with them running 1st, they would set the pace in all of the races throughout the day. Henrietta ran a 7.97 while Spencerport congested the ladder and was only able to pull a 10.62. Main-Transit put up their time of 7.49, Sheridan Park ran a 12.80, Sea Breeze received a No Time and Point Pleasant stepped up and ran a 7.47. The Teddy’s Boys used their utilization Tool, Vinny Monaco, in the event and pulled out a 9.43, while North Greece finished the event with an 8.14. Team order of finish was the Road Runners, Pea Pickers, Slo-pokes, Ol’ Henries and the Lil’ Squirts.

It should be noted that although the teams outside of WNY will earn the points for the drill and daily trophies, the points for yearly trophies are reconfigured using only the WNY teams and their times. For example, the WNY points in 3-Man Ladder were distributed as such: Point Pleasant – 5, Main-Transit – 4, Henrietta – 3, North Greece – 2 and Spencerport – 1.

Motor Hook & Ladder Class ‘B’ was started out by Port Washington and a 6.00, followed by the Ol’ Henries with an aggressive run that unfortunately had them dig outside of the safety zone for a No Time. Main-Transit came in with a longer than normal break into the patch which resulted in a conservative 6.31 and the Indians followed up with an 11.89. The Pea Pickers saw the door open again to gain points on the Slo-Pokes and put up a smooth 5.90, while Oyster Bay followed up with a 9.68 and the Lil’ Squirts with an 8.14. The Pea Pickers won the event, followed by Road Runners, Main-Transit, North Greece and Oyster Bay.

Port Washington’s C-Truck coming down the track really woke the crowd up for C-Ladder and allowed them to post a 9.38 to open the event. Henrietta stormed in and was able to complete the event with a 10.14 followed by Main-Transit. The Slo-Pokes were to salvage the deep drop by pulling the ladder back into the patch ahd finishing with a 14.25. Sea Breeze ran an 11.40, with Point Pleasant running an aggressive 9.83 to pull closer while North Greece received a No Time. Port Washington won the event, followed by Point Pleasant, Henrietta, Sea Breeze and Main-Transit.

Total points going into C-Hose:

Port Washington – 14

Point Pleasant – 13

Main-Transit – 7

Henrietta – 5

North Greece – 3

Sea Breeze – 2

Oyster Bay – 1

The water time was set at 4.68 for the hose races and the teams were ready to continue with the day. Danny Salerno brought the Road Runners in very well and set the pace at a 13.40 for the other teams to challenge. Henrietta ran a 16.25 and the Spencerport Red Onions were back on the track after not racing in the ladder events. Joe Muniz drove the C-Truck in and gave Johnny Short the chance for a good hit at the hydrant while allowing Brian and Chris the time to put the nozzle on and finish with a 13.26. The Slo-Pokes ran into another hurdle and finished the event with an 18.73, only to be followed by the Indians and a 23.47. Mark Champion brought the Pea Pickers in aggressively and Jamie hit the hydrant really well. That left Jeff Champion with only one shot to break the hose and get the nozzle on. With the water at that speed, the Pea Pickers blew off and finished with a 17.47. The Lil’ Squirts followed with a 14.38. The Red Onions took first place followed by the Road Runners, Lil’ Squirts, Ol’ Henries and Pea Pickers.

Port Washington was not letting second place, or fast water hold them back. They came down the track and put up a strong 8.58 (1st place) and setting the pace again! Chuck came in hot for Henrietta allowing Josh to hit the hydrant with some authority and giving Eddie the opportunity to hit the target and put up an 8.68 (3rd place.) Spencerport ran aggressively and nipped the Ol’ Henries by a hundredth with an 8.67 (2nd place.) The Slo-Pokes troubles continued with an 11.48 (5th place.) The Indians ran an 11.52 and Point Pleasant a 15.57. Oyster Bay did not complete the event and North Greece ran a 9.55 (4th place.)

Although it had been a rough road for the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes, at this point in the drill they had secured winning the yearly trophy for total points.

Total points going into Efficiency:

Port Washington – 23

Point Pleasant – 14

Henrietta – 10

Spencerport – 9

Main-Transit – 8

North Greece – 8

Sea Breeze – 2

Oyster Bay – 1

The Efficiency contest brings out all the teams back to the track and shows a real team effort. The 9.64 run by the Road Runners didn’t hold for long as the Ol’ Henries topped it with a 9.52, which is the fastest WNY Efficiency time this season. Spencerport’s times have improved at every drill and continued today when they ran a 10.55. Main-Transit ran 12.66, Sheridan Park ran 11.88, Sea Breeze ran 12.51 and Point Pleasant received a controversial No Time for nozzle over the nozzle-line. Oyster Bay ran 11.58 and North Greece finished the event with 10.14. Henrietta won the event followed by Port Washington, North Greece, Spencerport and Main-Transit.

The track for motor pump must have been a little slick, or things got in the way of some people because more than a few teams lost control of the nozzle, or couldn’t gain control because someone slipped along the way. Port Washington ran an 8.26, Henrietta ran a 12.48, Spencerport ran a 10.42. Main-Transit and Sea Breeze both ran Overtime. The Pea Pickers ran a smooth 7.51, while the Teddy’s Boys ran an 11.37 and North Greece finished with an 8.50. Point Pleasant won the event with Port Washington finishing in second, North Greece in third, Spencerport in fourth and Oyster Bay in fifth.

The Bucket Brigade was the final call for WNY and would be the last event until next year. The Road Runners set the bar once again with a 23.06 and they seemed quite happy with their day. Henrietta pulled out a 30.65 followed by Main-Transit, who ran off their pace but still put up a 23.95. Sheridan Park, with only 4 people on the ground, ran a 49.64 and Sea Breeze, with only 3 people on the ground, ran a 38.93. Point Pleasant ran a 26.62, Oyster Bay ran a 38.26 and North Greece finished out the WNY season with a 32.83. The Road Runners took first place followed by Main Transit in second, Point Pleasant in third, Henrietta in fourth and North Greece in fifth. Both Sheridan Park and Sea Breeze were troopers ALL season. Buckets was an event they both could have chosen to not participate in because of manpower issues; however, went to battle knowing they are running for pride and earned a lot of respect from their fellow teams and the fans.

Total points for the day:

Port Washington – 36 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 22 Pts.

Henrietta – 17 Pts.

North Greece – 15 Pts.

Spencerport – 13 Pts.

Main-Transit – 12 Pts.

Oyster Bay – 3 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 2 Pts.

The Road Runners had one heck of a day, placing in first or second in every event. Special thanks to the people and teams that made the journey to Point Pleasant for their 2011 drill, and congratulations to the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes for winning the 2011 Total Point Championship trophy.

Here’s an (unofficial) summary of the yearly trophy winners:

3-Man Ladder - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

B-Ladder - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

C-Ladder - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

C-Hose - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

B-Hose - Henrietta Ol’ Henries/North Greece Lil’ Squirts (tie)

Efficiency - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Motor Pump - Henrietta Ol’ Henries

Buckets - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

C-Truck Points - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

B-Truck Points - Henrietta Ol’ Henries

Truck Points - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

Foot Points - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Yearly Points - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Recap of the Spencerport Drill on 08/08

2011-08-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

by Scott Magin

(This drill took place on August 6th at the Spencerport track. Full results of the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

The Spencerport drill started on an overcast day, with the chances of thunderstorms moving in. Even with rain in the forecast, the north side of the track had pick-up trucks backed up to the fence and the south side had lawn chairs anywhere they could go. People came out and were looking for a good drill.

The host drew the #1 position again this week and put up a 7.44 in their first 3-Man run of the season. Sea Breeze ran second with an 8.00, followed by Main-Transit and a 7.09. Sheridan Park put up a 12.41, Henrietta came in with an 8.60, Point Pleasant ran a 9.51 and North Greece ran last with an 8.02. The Slo-Pokes took 5 points, Red Onions 4, Indians 3, North Greece 2 and Ol’ Henries 1 point.

Spencerport still does not have a motorized ladder team running and Sheridan Park is participating in the foot races only. B-Ladder was set up for all the other teams to get points…we just didn’t know where they would go. Sea Breeze took fifth with a 7.39, North Greece took fourth with a 7.16, Main-Transit took third with a 6.63, Point Pleasant took second with 6.07, and the Ol’ Henries from Henrietta took first place with a 5.62.

Sea Breeze did some work on their C-Truck through the time off between drills. Because the work was not complete, and the truck was not 100% ready, the Indians made a safe choice by leaving the truck at home. Now with three teams out of the C-Truck races, the top four positions were up for grabs. Main-Transit went first and ran a 12.49 (third place) followed by Henrietta. The Ol’ Henries came in and were dropped too deep and unfortunately the spikes touched the safety line and they received a No Time. The Pea Pickers saw the door open and they came in aggressively and put up a 10.38 (first place), while North Greece ran a 10.98 (second place).

Total points after three events:

Main-Transit – 11 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 9 Pts.

North Greece – 8 Pts.

Henrietta – 6 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 4 Pts.

Spencerport – 4 Pts.

The water was set at 4.66 and the C-Hose event began. The Red Onions came to the line for their first motorized hose race of the season and raced a 15.93. Main-Transit followed with a smooth 14.74 and then Henrietta experienced the fast water. Eddie got blown off at the nozzle and every time he tried to put it on, the water was turned on, blowing it off again. Finally the nozzle made it on the hose and they finished in fifth place with a 33.19. Although it was embarrassing for the team, they knew that 1 point is better than nothing. Point Pleasant put up the fastest time with a 14.46 followed by North Greece with 15.16. Point Pleasant took 5 points, Main transit 4 points, North Greece 3 points, Spencerport 2 points and Henrietta took 1 point.

B-Hose started off on the wrong foot for a couple teams. Spencerport started out with a good drop at the hydrant; however, the donut-roll may have been dropped too early because it was not able to unroll. Instead, it bulked up at the hydrant and put the nozzle behind the 125’ line, resulting in a No Time. Sea Breeze then ran a good run however the B-Truck stopped too soon, so not all of the dummy length was out of the hose bed when the target was tripped, also resulting in a No Time. The point spread was open again and Henrietta took first place with a 9.01 followed by North Greece with a 10.44, Main-Transit with 10.76 and Point Pleasant taking fourth place with a 13.71.

Total points after 5 races:

Main-Transit – 18 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 16 Pts.

North Greece – 15 Pts.

Henrietta – 12 Pts.

Spencerport – 6 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 4 Pts.

Efficiency brought all seven teams back to the starting line. About now, the possibility of rain is irrelevant because the sun is starting to peak through the clouds. Spencerport started it off and set the pace with a 10.90 (third Place) and Sea Breeze ran an 11.93 (fifth place.) Main-Transit has won Efficiency all year, so why should this drill be any different? The Slo-Pokes ran a 9.86 (first place), followed by Sheridan Park with a 12.13 and Henrietta with an 11.33. Point Pleasant ran what looked to be a smooth run; however, the target was not reset which got them a re-run. In the midst, the Henrietta Ol’ Henries put in a water protest and claimed it was out of tolerance. It seems that every year a team will protest the Spencerport water and each year they are regretful that they did so because since they have had T.J. Sercu operating the pump no protests have been allowed. The water was tested and was only off by 0.03, so the protest was disallowed and the race continued. North Greece ran a 10.80 (second place) and Point Pleasant was ready for their re-run. The hydrant was missed, delaying water to the nozzle and they missed out on points with a 12.84.

Motor pump started with only 4 points separating the leader, Main-Transit, and North Greece. Spencerport started out and led the pack for a while with an 8.27 followed by an 11.31 from Sea Breeze and an 8.40 from Main-Transit. Henrietta stepped up and ran a 6.59 only to be followed by a protest from Main-Transit that the target was not straight and out of tolerance. After review and measurements by the General Judges, the target was within tolerance and the protest was disallowed. Point Pleasant ran into a safety overtime call and North Greece ran a 13.61. The results of the Motor Pump contest was Henrietta in first, Spencerport second, Main-Transit third, Henrietta fourth and North Greece in fifth.

Main-Transit has won Buckets all season and with another win, they could lock up the yearly trophy. Sea Breeze started the event off with a short-handed team but they still ran buckets and put up a 43.68 (fifth place.) Main-Transit ran their smooth 21.64 (first place) and then Sheridan Park with a 47.23. Henrietta finished with a 29.34 (fourth place), Point Pleasant with a 27.66 (second place) and North Greece finished the day with a 28.70 (third place.)

At the end of the day, the weather never ended up playing a role and that made for a great race and a lot of happy racers and fans. The final results of the drill were as follows:

Main-Transit – 31 Pts.

North Greece – 23 Pts.

Henrietta – 21 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 20 Pts.

Spencerport – 13 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 8 Pts.

Recap of the Main-Transit Drill on 07/08

2011-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

by Scott Magin

(This drill took place on July 8th. Full results of the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

It was Friday Night Lights in Williamsville, however there was no football game scheduled. What can be better than a football game on a Friday night you ask? The annual Main-Transit Slo-Pokes drill under the lights.

The drill was run alongside the department’s annual Field Days event that including carnival rides, a food stand, a beer tent and an entertainment stage. As we got closer to the start of the drill, the bleachers on both sides of the track were filling up. The team captains drew where their teams would be lining up and we were ready to race. The lineup for the day was as follows: Spencerport, Main-Transit, Sheridan Park, Henrietta, North Greece, Point Pleasant and Sea Breeze.

The first 3-Man Ladder run set the pace for the night: a 7.00 by the Slo-Pokes. Sheridan Park followed with a 13.29, Henrietta had a slip on the ladder which caused the climbers to touch out of sequence, and North Greece ran a solid 8.66. Point Pleasant ran a smooth 7.59 only to have Sea Breeze step up with a 7.50 and finish out the event. With this order of finish - Main-Transit, Sea Breeze, Point Pleasant, North Greece and Sheridan Park - it looked like there could be some surprises tonight…and there were.

B-Ladder was completed with times close to each other and a nail bitter, in the second event. The Slo-Pokes set the pace again with a 7.14 and walked away satisfied with their run. The Ol’ Henries ran a 7.69, followed by North Greece pulling out a great run and an unexpected 6.72. The Pea Pickers ran a 7.46, followed by the Indians’ 7.84. This was the Lil’ Squirts’ first event won in this season, followed by Main-Transit, Point Pleasant, Henrietta and Sea Breeze.

There were only four teams running the C-Truck events so each team knew they had to run good to get the better points. C-Ladder was started with a 10.62 by Main-Transit (2nd place), followed by Henrietta with a 10.54 (1st place), North Greece with a 12.09 (4th place) and Point Pleasant with an 11.57 (3rd place.) The Sea Breeze Indians did not bring their C-Truck to the event because of mechanical concerns.

As the sun started to come down and the track lights became more visible, the water time was set at 4.64 and the teams were ready for C-Hose. Main-Transit put up a 14.83 and North Greece ran a 16.81. Henrietta had a good run going but ran into some trouble getting the nozzle on and finally completed the contest with a 20.83. Point Pleasant came in hot to the hydrant and Jamie Pittinaro was able to hang it as he slipped to the ground. A quick hit like that only gave Jeff Champion one chance to get the nozzle on and unfortunately he did not have the time and finished with an 18.72.

B-Hose started with Main-Transit and an 11.18, followed by Henrietta with a 14.78, North Greece with a 13.36 and Point Pleasant with a 14.94. Sea Breeze was the last team to run and requested a 20 minute break-down. With less than a minute to go on their break-down, the Indians pulled up to the starting line and were ready to go. Their time of 10.56 took first place and this is the first event that they won this year.

After B-Hose, the Slo-Pokes had a 6 point lead with three events remaining. Meanwhile, 6 points separated North Greece, Point Pleasant, Henrietta and Sea Breeze in the two through five positions. So much could happen in the next three races, so all times were important.

Efficiency was the first event where all seven teams were able to compete and the Red Onions were the first to go with an 11.09, finishing in fourth place. The Slo-Pokes had a great target trip at 9.71 to take first, Point Pleasant took second with a 10.25, Sea Breeze third with a 10.73 and Sheridan Park took fifth with a 12.33.

Spencerport brought their B-Truck to the drill and was able to run a conservative Pump run. With delayed water out, for safety of a new team, they put up a third-place run with a 7.61. Main-Transit was up next and ran aggressive with success for a 6.32 and first-place run. Henrietta ran a 10.27 for fifth, North Greece ran a 9.16 for fourth and the Pea Pickers took second with a smooth 7.55 run.

Going into Buckets, the Slo-Pokes had secured first place overall for the day but were not holding back. The host team took first place in the event with a 22.17 followed by Point Pleasant (31.93), Henrietta (35.18), North Greece (35.19) and Sheridan Park (40.35).

Total Points for the day:

Main-Transit – 37 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 25 Pts.

North Greece – 20 Pts.

Henrietta – 15 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 13 Pts.

Spencerport – 5 Pts.

Sheridan Park – 3 Pts.

WNY has had a different team win at all three of its drills this season. Also, two more teams won first-place trophies this week who had been winless so far this season. This strikes the curiosity of what will happen at the next drill in Spencerport. With only two more races counting for yearly points, there will be some teams stepping up their game to take the yearly championship trophy.

Looking for Reader Submissions for State Drill

2011-08-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hi racers and racing fans,

This is the first State Drill that the blog has been in existence for and we want the write up to be the best it can be. We need YOUR help. If you have any insights or stories about this years state drill to add please email them to the blog. If there is a specific event you would like to write about please do. If you want to write about just your team please do that too. I can write the whole thing just as I did for the Central Islip Invite on 7/30 but we want to try something different. Any person that contributes will be given full credit.

It is possible that the write up for the State Drill might be published in a major publication. The deadline for a submission is this Friday at 12:00PM.

I would like to thank everyone in advance for any and all assistance you may provide in this endeavour.

Dan Laverty

Editor In-Chief

The Drill Team Blog

DrillTeamBlog@gmail.com

Recap of the Central Islip Invitational Drill on 07/30

2011-08-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

by Dan Laverty

(This drill took place on July 30th at the Central Islip track. Full results of the drill can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

The 49th Annual Central Islip Invitational Tournament started off without a cloud in the sky. With the addition of temporary bleachers by the arch and larger than usual bleachers by "The Shack" the crowd seemed sparse. The addition of numerous bleachers in "The Bullpen" area had the opposite effect on the south side of the track. All of these improvements are in preparation for the New York State Championship Drill to be held at this track on Saturday August 20th. I am sure on that day all viewing areas will be at full capacity to watch the always impressive Hoboes defend their State Championship title on their home track.

3-Man Ladder started off with a bang. The host team of the drill led off the competition with a time of 6.20. This time also instantly became the fastest run in this contest for 2011. The Roslyn Highlanders were next to place, coming off their win at the TONH/TOB drill were also looking to make a mark on this day ran a 6.56. East Islip – with friend of the Drill Team Blog, Josh Kasin running third man – completed the event with a time of 6.46. The Islip Wolves who recently re-acquired their motorized climber and third man Billy Moon ran a 6.71. The Hempstead Yellow Hornets and their new line up of JoJo Simone, Kevin Rugg and Twan put up a time of 6.32 which put them in second place. The only Old Fashion Drill Team to participate was the Miller Place Extinguishers. The team co

nsisted of Chris Lall, Matt Muller and student of our sport Rob Bruccoleri. Rob grasped the top rung

to stop the clocks at 6.97 which at the time was fifth place. Their hopes of placing in this event were crushed when The North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers ran a 6.63 taking fifth place away from the Extunguishers. The North Baylon Taildraggers put up their best time of the year with the time of 6.71 and should definitely be proud of that run.

Results of the 3-Man Ladder contest:

1st - Central Islip

2nd - East Islip

3rd - Hempstead

4th - Roslyn

5th - North Lindenhurst

Motor Hook and Ladder Class-B did not begin as exciting as the 3-Man contest. The first team to run a 5 was the Sayville Blue Jays, who put up their best time of 2011 with a time of 5.77. The Copiague Yellowbirds, who had a disappointing 3-Man Ladder run put up a time of 5.13. It was said by the radio crew that Billy "Mr. Happy" Hothan is determined to get his team in the 5.0 time range. The East Islip Guzzlers who had 4 points coming into this event ran a 5.28. Glenwood was in the 5's with a 5.94 but did not place. The Bay Shore Redskins' thrower layed the ladder in nice and gentle and helped them achieve a time of 5.44. Islip had their veteran climber Billy Moon back on the rail and looked like he never skipped a beat helping the Wolves run a 5.21. Even with a very uncharacteristic slip on the ladder by 8-time state champion Michael Marra, The West Sayville Flying Dutchmen ran a 5.41.

Results of the Motor Hook and Ladder Class-B contest:

1st – Copiague

2nd – Islip

3rd – East Islip

4th – West Sayville

5th – Bay Shore

Motor Hook and Ladder Class-C was expected to be an event with some impressive times, but due to the misjudgments by some drivers on this newly paved track caused the C-Cars to slide under the arch. Central Islip ran first and put up a time of 9.19. The only 8 was run by the crack racing team from East Islip who put up a time of 8.89. You could almost hear the day’s competitors say “Uh-oh, boys” as they realized that they had better find their ‘A’ game come the hose events if they wanted to compete. Bay Shore put up a time of 9.61 while Islip added onto the 4 points from the previous contest, taking second place with a 9.11. Hempstead rounded out the top five with a 9.34. Copiague, Glenwood and North Babylon all had nice runs in the 9’s, barely missing out on scoring in the contest.

Results of the Motor Hook and Ladder Class-C contest:

1st – East Islip

2nd – Islip

3rd – Central Islip

4th – Hempstead

5th – Bay Shore

Motor Hose Class-C started out with the second uncharacteristic run of the day. This one was by the Hoboes who got an OT. St. James almost ran the same time as they did at The Suffolk County Drill but were off by 1/100ths of a second with a fifth place time of 13.04. The tournament leaders from East Islip and their nozzle-man Eric Flynn came down the track and took third place with a time of 12.40. This added to their 3-point lead over Islip and Central Islip. Bay Shore's always exciting Paul Susskind coupled the hydrant in an expeditious fashion and due to the quick work of the nozzle-man they scored second place with a time of 12.37. The Westerners from West Hempstead scored their only points of the day by running a 12.33 for first place. West Sayville rounded out the top five with a 12.56 for fourth place.

Results of the Motor Hose Class-C contest:

1st – West Hempstead

2nd – Bay Shore

3rd – East Islip

4th – West Sayville

5th – St. James

Motor Hose Class-B only had one run in the 7-second range. Once again East Islip took 5 points by running a 7.94 and giving them an even greater total point lead on the competition. West Sayville ran an 8.01 for second place and Hempstead – utilizing the skills of the experienced team of JoJo Simone, Ralph Fraile Jr., Billy Falk and Matt Spinelli – ran an 8.25 for second place and 3 more points. North Lindenhurst's 8.27 bested Copiague’s 8.30 and the Taildraggers, running last, ran an 8.28 pushing the Yellowbirds just out of the points.

Results of the Motor Hose Class-B contest:

1st – East Islip

2nd – West Sayville

3rd – Hempstead

4th – North Lindenhurst

5th – North Babylon

Always able to compete at the top level in the Efficiency contest, the ever-ready team from Central Islip ran a 9.05. Port Washington obtained their first points of the day by running a 9.42 for fifth place. Bay Shore, who are always on the hunt for more points, ran a 9.29 for third place. West Sayville – who have been competing in Firemen’s Tournaments since the 1800's - attempted to best Central Islip but came up short with a time of 9.16. North Lindenhurst rounded out the top five with an energetic run of 9.38 gaining the Piston Knockers fourth place. St. James, North Babylon, Hempstead and Copiague were all just outside the top five with runs that were only off by a few hundredths of a second.

Results of the Efficiency contest:

1st – Central Islip

2nd – West Sayville

3rd – Bay Shore

4th – North Lindenhurst

5th – Port Washington

Motor Pump was by far the most exciting contest of the day. Central Islip came through the timing lights, ran a 5.88 and kicked off the event with a fervor. A few teams received OT’s and a few 9's were run before tournament leader East Islip came to the line. Nozzle-man Eric Flynn came bolting off the back of the truck with his eyes fixed on the target. What else can I say but the truck revved, the water came out and the target tripped. A boisterous "TIME!" came out of announcer Bill Rowse's mouth and everyone in attendance perked up...

“Five! (dramatic pause) point EIGHT!! (even more dramatic pause) SIX!!!"

This gave them a .200ths of a second faster run than Central Islip. Bay Shore and their 71-year old Class-B truck performed like the day it began its racing career propelling the Redskins to first place with a time of 5.76. When West Sayville came up to the line they not only took first place in Motor Pump but they also put themselves in second place for the day. At this point, the tournament win was sealed for the East Islip Guzzlers. The Drill Team Radio crew of Artie Susskind, Pat Cooke and Scott Magin began to hand out congratulations to the team.

The top five for the day with one contest to go, looked like this:

East Islip – 22 pts.

West Sayville – 16.5 pts.

Central Islip – 15 pts.

Bay Shore – 13.5 pts.

Hempstead – 9 pts.

Now a battle for second through fifth place was “ON.” Central Islip ran a 21.96 to the delight of the “Hoboe Nation” who had set up shop in the new bleachers right next to the arch. Bay Shore ran their best Bucket time of the year with a 22.48. West Sayville ran a 21.47 while Hempstead ran a 21.28 and North Lindenhurst ran their third 21 of the season with a 21.34. These four 21's were just giving us a preview of what's to come at the State Drill where it is possible that a 22 in buckets will not be enough to secure any points.

Results of the Bucket contest:

1st – Hempstead

2nd – North Lindenhurst

3rd – West Sayville

4th – Central Islip

5th – Bay Shore

With 22 points, the East Islip Guzzlers became the third different team to win a Suffolk County Points Drill this year. It took the combination of three third-place and two first-place finishes to put the them in the overall top five for the fourth time this season. Rounding out the top five for the day were West Sayville (19.5), Central Islip (17), Bay Shore (14.5) and Hempstead (14.)

Photos courtesy of Mike Heller from Fire News

We are all looking forward to a return trip to the Central Islip track on August 20th for the State Drill. This drill further proved that there are plenty of teams with the potential to take over for a day and bring home the win. It’ll be exciting to see who brings their ‘A’ game when it’s time to battle for the top prize in the sport.

We’ll see you all there…can’t wait!

Interview with Willy McCarthy

2011-08-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

On July 13th, Dan Laverty met up with 5-time State Champion Willy McCarthy from The Central Islip Hoboes. Here’s how it went.

Dan Laverty: How are you doing tonight? Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.
Willy McCarthy: Ok.
DL: What year did you join the Fire Department?
WM: 1964
DL: Did you have family members in the department already when you joined?
WM: My brother
DL: Was he the reason you joined?
WM: Yeah, basically. That, and these racing trucks.
DL: For those who do not know, who is your brother?
WM: John Fagan McCarthy
DL: When you first joined who were some of the people you looked up to?
WM: I just watched everybody. Back in them days it was Harry Penny, Bobby Spillman, Wilbur Young…
DL: Did you grow up around/watching racing?
WM: I had a neighbor who was on the drill team and when I was around eleven or twelve I used to go to all their practices.
DL: This neighbor was on The Hoboes?
WM: Yes
DL: When you first joined what positions did you run?
WM: I started out running the discharge in Pump (suction), dragger in Efficiency, and back then we ran the big 12 on Labor Day and I got a chance to run. I ran a snap coupling in Motor Hose Replacement. That was the first time of getting off the back of the truck.
DL: As the years went on what positions did you come into running?
WM: Well, the second year I was running about five guys got drafted for the Vietnam War. We came down and we had like nine guys. I ended up spiking on the left side and I did that for 25 years.

DL: You knew this question was coming. When did the hats start?

WM: Really the kickoff of the hat to the way everyone knows it now is like 2001, 2000. Chris Murphy found this stupid looking, raggedy hat we call "Roadkill" now and he bet me I wouldn’t wear it. He bet me five dollars I wouldn’t wear it to start him in 3-Man and that was the start of it. And basically what it ended up doing is taking the pressure off my 3-Man team when they got to the line. They were more worried about the damn hat than their climbs.

DL: How many hats do you think you have?

WM: I still got about 35 or so and 95 made it to the garbage when we didn’t win those days.

DL: Who buys you the hats? The kids on the team or is it anybody and everybody.

WM: Everybody and anybody.

DL: Do you have a special room for the hats? Do you have hat keepers?

WM: Nah, they are just around the house, in one room. The wife won’t let them go anywhere else. The one that has the history is the sombrero. Part of the show here in C.I. is me and that stupid sombrero. Everybody looks forward to it now so…just having fun with it.

DL: You started in 1964 and you said you actively jumped for over 20 years. So in the mid-80’s is when you stopped jumping?

WM: 1993

DL: And the last time you jumped was in what event?

WM: C-Ladder

DL: You mentioned camaraderie…

WM: The thing that you have to love about this sport is the camaraderie of it. Basically, you cut each others’ hearts out from the first man on the line in 3-Man ladder till the last bucket is dumped. We’d cut out each others’ hearts for a point. And after the last bucket is dumped, we sit and drink a couple beers together. In the week between tournaments (Willie calls them TURN-a-ments) at a fire you are liable to lay your life on the line for this guy and next Saturday you wanna cut his heart out again for seven hours.

DL: Teams come and go in cycles. Have you seen a cycle with the Hoboes? Were there rebuilding years?

WM: Oh, we’ve had them for years. It took us 17 years between 1993 and 2010, with a couple rebuilding processes in there. Then we got this group of Murphy’s, Ricky McCarthy, (Jay) Newhoff, Justin Correira, Jason Correira and they stayed through it and took their lumps. They paid the price out here. They never quit. They kept working to get better and better and now we are reaping the benefits of it. But this team got together and got to the point of “stop the nitpicking, shut up and race.” That is the mentality right now.

DL: Who might you say resembles yourself on the current team?

WM: There are a couple of them who can walk the walk and talk the talk but they can’t last all night after it. Nah, basically these kids are in much better shape - better equipment, faster equipment - but we had to get off hotter. You know when you were young…you know I could live to be a hundred and these kids could never carry the boots of the guys I ran with. But I know deep in my heart they are actually better.

DL: Do you feel that what a team gives out good vibes and positivity comes back to them?

WM: Yes, the fact is you have to believe in yourself, but damn, you gotta go out on Saturday and put it on the line. It’s put up or shut up time, especially the State Tournament. Basically the two proudest things I got out of racing was my son being the captain of the 2010 team and having my number retired by the team.

DL: Your son is Ricky McCarthy?

WM: Yes

DL: And your number is?

WM: 14

DL: Your number is 14 and your brother’s number is 17 which is retired also. Would you like to

talk about your brother a little bit?

WM: I would be a little prejudiced you know, because the saying goes "Forever our Coach" and he was that. He could push you to the limit. Push you to almost want to kill him. All he was trying it do was get the best out of you possible. I was on the receiving end of a lot of ‘em. And when I had like 10 years spiking, he was telling me stuff I’m doing and how to correct it. And being the wise-ass I always was I said, “You tell me what I am doing wrong and I will know how to correct it." He said, "Fine, you got a week to correct it or I will get somebody to replace ya." This is love I say, there was only one person he loved between those lines and that was the winner. As far as my brother goes, he was hard-headed and thick but everybody who ever laced up a sneaker and got on that track was like one of his sons.

DL: What do you think your brother would have thought of all the new innovations that have happened in racing recently: the scoreboard, Drill Team Radio and now the Drill Team Blog?

WM: Chris (Murphy) was getting to him where he could understand Chris, because him and Chris could go at it but they had a mutual love and respect for each other. Chris Murphy, not only for Central Islip but for this whole sport of racing, has almost revived the whole thing - the whole interest in the sport. Basically what Chris did, whether he meant to do it or not, is put a lot more fun back into this game.

DL: Is there anything in particular that you want to talk about that we have not touched on?

WM: Well, I think one of the biggest things was that State Tournament in ’78 when we showed up without a C-Truck. We got a couple of breaks early and made a couple of breaks late. We ran all day long with no one ever mentioning a C-Truck. No one ever mentioned it…it was “shut up and race.”

DL: That tournament in ‘78 was where?

WM: In Hempstead

DL: With what team did you battle with during that day?

WM: The Hempstead Flukes

DL: So you guys ran the hardest you could that day with what you had?

WM: Well you figure after C-Hose was over and we were still around, we still had four contests to go. We weren’t in bad shape.

DL: How did you do in those last four events?

WM: Fourth in B-Hose, I believe, third in Pump, won Efficiency and won Buckets.

DL: Do you think that The Flukes thought that this was their day?

WM: They still think it was their day. Honestly and truly, we had a lot of fun with it and some of it was taken out of context but I love Albie Cooke because he went through a hell of a lot of abuse from not only us but from some other people. But Albie still has his head up high and smiles. He’s one of those guys I just loved racing with.

DL: Out of all the State Drills the Hoboes won that you were a part of, ‘78 is the one that sticks with you the most?

WM: Not really, each and everyone one of ‘em has a history of them own if you want to read into ‘em. You have whole years and the one thing I miss the most about this sport at all is…

(Points at photos on the wall of the Hoboes Shack)

Look back there at 1970 and 1976, and realize how many guys are not still here. That hurts. After 2010, we rode down the track and I went in the back of the truck, looked up and remember those guys and it hurt.
DL: That’s the one thing people can never understand: firemen are like brothers…

WM: Not like brothers…we are brothers.

The Drill Team Blog would like to thank Willy for taking the time to talk to us.

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

2011-07-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

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

Recap of the Western NY Drill on 6/18

2011-06-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-06-24T10:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

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.

2011-06-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

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.