2012 N.Y. State Drill Hosted by Main-Transit F.D.

by Stewy Michels

Roslyn's 1st Place 3-Man Run

It was cool and breezy at the Main-Transit track for the 8:00 AM start of the 2012 New York State Drill. Monk from Spencerport got the day started as teams lined up for 3-Man Ladder and fans made their way up into the stands and it didn’t take long for the Islip Wolves to make the first “statement” run of the day. Their 6.42, their best time so far this season, gave them an early lead in the contest and got the growing crowd buzzing.  Copiague and West Hempstead had good runs but Islip’s time held until Central Islip got their turn and tied them with a 6.42 of their own only to be knocked out of the top spot by Roslyn with a time of 6.38. Just like that, we were underway and the day was moving along quickly.

At this point, Ralph Fraile took over announcing duties and the B-Trucks made their way to the starting line for B-Ladder. After a short “breakdown” the Wolves stayed hot and followed their 3.5 points up with a great B-Ladder run that netted them another 2nd-place finish and 4 more points. Islip's veteran climber, Billy Moon, looked like his old self out there on the track. North Lindenhurst and Hicksville had two good runs and Bay Shore was able to capitalize on their re-run (digital error) to post a time of 5.40 which was good enough for 1 point. West Sayville looked poised to take the top spot but Michael Marra slipped and the Dutchmen were suddenly 0-2 in two of their best contests. With the door officially ajar, the West Hempstead Westerners took advantage and put up a run of 5.19 and grabbed themselves 5 points.

The Flying Dutchmen easily take 1st Place
in C-Ladder with a time of 8.80

The Wolves were riding high with two consecutive 2nd-place trophies and a chance to take a nice early lead in the drill. As we mentioned earlier, Islip had their veteran climber on the ladder and even though he slipped initially, he was able to get his team a re-run when he faked out the officials at the top of the ladder. I have no idea if it was intentional or not, but as he jumped for the top rung he hesitated just a bit before grabbing hold. That hesitation was enough to throw the officials off and get the team a re-run. Of course the team was able to capitalize and they managed another 2nd-place finish with a time of 8.96. West Sayville got back on track with a blazing run of 8.80 followed by the Westerners with a 9.04. It looked like Roslyn and Central Islip would tie for 4th place, but that wasn’t the case. At the completion of the contest there was some confusion with the announced times and it turned out that some of the faster C-Trucks had not had the proper times reported due to the cone-time restrictions. Five teams incurred varying cone-time penalties: West Islip, Central Islip, Port Washington, West Sayville and North Lindenhurst. Once the proper times were announced, the crowd was informed that Central Islip’s time would be 9.13 instead of 9.09. That difference pushed them into 5th place in the contest.

TOTAL POINTS AFTER 3 CONTESTS
ISLIP	11.5 Pts.	WEST SAYVILLE	5 Pts.
BAY SHORE	1 Pt.	WEST HEMPSTEAD	9 Pts.
NORTH LINDENHURST	3 Pts.	CENTRAL ISLIP	4.5 Pts.
COPIAGUE	2 Pts.	ROSLYN	7 Pts.
HICKSVILLE	2 Pts.

With ladders out of the way the officials and local committee began the water test. Fans took advantage of the break in the action to grab a bite to eat, stretch their legs or even get their nails done if they wanted too.

You don't want to miss the State Drill
because of a nail appointment.

One festive group decided to decorate a nearby pine tree to brighten up the grounds...

By now the stands were mostly filled up with a healthy mix of hardcore race fans and curious passersby. The time of the water was set at 4.67 and it was time for C-Hose to be run.

Chris Treglia goes smooth into the hydrant as the
East Islip Guzzlers set a new State Record

The fans were treated to a new announcer, Scott Magin from Spencerport. (He's no stranger to these parts.) Islip had a chance to build on their early lead but failed to put up a competitive time and no one else put together a good run until North Lindenhurst came down the track and ran a 12.90. East Islip had been quiet so far but everyone was expecting them to make some noise in the hose contests, and they did not disappoint. “GENERAL JUDGES!” The crowd went nuts; many fans had them hand-timed at just under 12 seconds and they weren't off by much. The Guzzlers crushed the previous record of 12.15 with a new record of 12.00. The Guzzlers were pumped, the crowd was buzzing and the days’ first record run (hint, hint) was on the scorecard. Roslyn and West Hempstead followed in 2nd and 3rd place and both teams had now scored in all four events. The Hoboes seemed to get back into the race with a run of 12.27 which would have given them 2nd place, but the officials pulled their hose after the run. Both Central Islip and North Lindenhurst ended up being disqualified because of fast hose. The Westbury Turtles and Lindenhurst Snails scored their first points of the day as they took their place in the top five.

North Lindy beats Bay Shore's B-Hose time by .01 seconds 

The crowd was anxious for some action after waiting for the teams’ hoses to be tested following C-Hose and the roar of the B-Trucks was music to my ears as the long delay finally ended. Bay Shore was the first team to have a good run with an 8.02 but they were beaten out a couple of teams later when North Lindy edged them with an 8.01. West Sayville righted the ship (I'm sorry) with the first 7 of the contest, running a 7.90. That time didn’t last very long either as the two front-running Nassau teams posted better times pushing them to third. The Westerners took 1st with a time of 7.73 followed by Roslyn with a 7.89. Lindenhurst was in the top five again with a 4th place time of 7.96. North Lindenhurst held on for 5th pushing Bay Shore into 6th by just 1/100th of a second.

The Henrietta Ol' Henries show how
Efficiency is supposed to be run.

Monk was back announcing the drill and the soothing tones of his Western N.Y. voice inspired the Ol’ Henries to their first points of the day. They ran a 9.42 followed by Copiague with a 9.48. West Sayville had their mojo back and ran the contests’ first 8. This time their run held up and they finished first giving them a total of 15 points and getting them within striking distance of the lead. The Westerners failed to score for the first time all day and the Hoboes continued to struggle as Ryan Murphy (sorry buddy) missed at the hydrant in what is normally the teams’ best contest. Another Nassau team got into the scoring with the Rinky Dinks from North Bellmore taking 3 points just behind the drill-leading Highlanders.

TOTAL POINTSS AFTER 6 CONTESTS
ISLIP	11.5 Pts.	WEST SAYVILLE	13 Pts.
BAY SHORE	1 Pt.	WEST HEMPSTEAD	17 Pts.
HENRIETTA	2 Pts.	NORTH BELLMORE	3 Pts.
NORTH LINDENHURST	4 Pts.	CENTRAL ISLIP	4.5 Pts.
EAST ISLIP	5 Pts.	WESTBURY	2 Pts.
COPIAGUE	3 Pts.	ROSLYN	19 Pts.
HICKSVILLE	2 Pts.	LINDENHURST	3 Pts.

Central Islip en route to tying the Motor Pump State Record

Although there were two contests remaining, the drill was far from over. Motor Pump gave a couple of teams the opportunity to jump right back into the race and give them a shot to win it all. Islip got things started with a time of 5.79 only to be beat out by Bay Shore a few runs later. The Redskins’ 5.70 held for 1st place until the Hoboes came down the track and triggered the day’s second “GENERAL JUDGES!” The Hoboes tied the State Record with a time of 5.47 and got themselves back into the thick of it with a well-timed, great run. West Sayville closed the gap as well by gaining 2 points with East Islip taking home the 5th-place trophy.

With one contest to go, there were four teams (mathematically at least) with a chance to be crowned the 2012 New York State Champs. Roslyn (19) held a slight lead over West Hempstead (17) while West Sayville (15) and Islip (14.5) lurked just within striking distance. The dramatic stage was set and the crowd was on their feet. Islip had the first crack at making the rest of the teams sweat but they missed their mark, running a 29+. The Wildcats and Guzzlers did not want to be left out of the action and they secured points with runs of 24.13 and 23.32, respectively. The biggest surprise of the day came next as the Main-Transit Slo Pokes ran a 21.00 raising the bar for the rest of the teams hoping to score some points. The Slo Pokes have been the top Buckets team in Western NY all season long, but this was by far the best run they’d had all season. It was great to see the reaction when the time was announced. West Sayville had a chance to really put the pressure on Roslyn and West Hempstead but they failed to pull it off as well. It was now or never for the Westerners. Here’s a team that had not won a motorized drill since 1990 and here they are in position to take the lead in the State Tournament. Their time of 23.08 was good enough for 3rd place and put them in the lead, but we weren’t done just yet. Roslyn came to the line with a chance to close it out and crown themselves champs. They had battled all day long with the Westerners and they knew what they were up against and what they needed to run to secure the win. The last time they were in the top five at the State Drill was back in 2000 on this very same track and they were so close they could smell it. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be and the Westerner’s time stood. Game over.

The Westerners’ celebration began as soon as they had the drill locked up and I’m pretty sure it’s still going strong as you read this. You just could not have come up with a better finish to the season. I don’t think Hollywood could have scripted a better story: two teams, under the radar, fighting it out all day long while the supposed "favorites" struggled to stay relevant. This was no "David vs. Goliath", this was Rudy Reuttiger stepping into the ring with Rocky Balboa and laying the smack down. At the end of the day, it was the best team coming down the track. They picked the perfect time to run the best they have run in years and and it was awesome to get to see it shake out on the track. Congratulations Westerners!

THE WEST HEMPSTEAD WESTERNERS ARE YOUR 2012 N.Y. STATE CHAMPIONS

TOP FIVE - FINAL RESULTS - 2012 N.Y.S. DRILL
1ST PLACE	WEST HEMPSTEAD WESTERNERS	20 Pts.
2ND PLACE	ROSLYN HIGHLANDERS	19 Pts.
3RD PLACE	WEST SAYVILLE FLYING DUTCHMEN	15 Pts.
4TH PLACE (TIE)	CENTRAL ISLIP HOBOES	14.5 Pts.
4TH PLACE (TIE)	ISLIP WOLVES	14.5 Pts.

Photos courtesy of Kim Versheck and Stewy Michels. See more photos from this drill and others at The Late Night Buff Network.

Recap of the Joe Hunter Drill

by Dan Laverty

The drill began with Joe Hunter’s lifelong friend Matt Spinelli thanking everyone for coming and welcoming everyone in attendance. A lone bagpiper played at the bottom of the arch before the first team was called to the line.

Thirteen teams lined up for 3-Man Ladder. The first team on the line were the West Sayville Flying Dutchmen. The Dutchmen have won this drill two times in the past and were looking to win it again. In the below picture you will see the Dutchmen’s Mike Marra getting ready to make the first of his four climbs up the arch (3-Man, B-Ladder, C-Ladder & Buckets). With the Tenney Brothers running first and second in front of Mike, the Dutchmen ran a 6.50.

In the below picture you’ll see exactly what the first man is supposed to do. I guess Jake has been reading the blog because he did an excellent job of getting out of the way while not blocking the officials' view. David Miller and Dan Murphy followed Jake up the ladder for a time of 6.24.

With the Drill Team Radio crew: Lenny Gombert, Artie Susskind, Kevin Candido (also Chief Judge for the Drill), John Burke, Fred Bencivenga and myself watching the Yellowbirds ran a textbook shot.

The Roslyn Highlanders were called off by Stan Dybus Jr. Stan watched as Charlie Patino, Greg Brown and Ronnie Presti put up a time of 6.46. The Islip Wolves ended the contest with a time of 6.47. Heavy Kevy was chased up the ladder by Jake Moran and friend of the blog Josh Kasin. Josh has not been given the chance yet this year to defend his SIDE BY SIDE COMPETITION CHAMPIONSHIP but instead boogied up the ladder for a time of 6.47. The Copiague Yellowbirds rounded out the top five in 3-Man Ladder with a run of 6.76

3-MAN LADDER RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First	Central Islip	6.24
Second	Roslyn	6.46
Third	Islip	6.47
Fourth	West Sayville	6.50
Fifth	Copiague	6.76

Lenny and I discussed the 3-Man Ladder event as "The hardest working man in racing" Anthony "A-Rock" Raccomandato looks down onto the course to make sure the lights are placed on the proper lines for B-Ladder.

Dave Banks seems to be standing at attention as he waits for the 1961 Ford that his team obtained from the Centereach Hose Jockeys many years ago to come to the starting line. If you look in the background of this picture you will see Matt Spinelli, Robert Scott Noonan and Matt’s son Joseph attempting to predict what the Dutchmen might run in B-Ladder.

The ladder team consisting of Richard Quenzer, Dave Banks, Ryan Huguenin and Mike Marra were driven to the patch by first year driver Frank Miller Jr. The Dutchmen were only 22/100ths of a second away from their State Record of 4.82 with a time of 5.14. Where else can 22/100ths of a second mean so much? It always amazes me the minute amount of time that separates a run from being a State Record and from being just another run.

Driver Brian "Mole" Butler shows us his game face.

The Ladder went into the ground a little crooked but Redskin veteran Paul Susskind straightened it out to help "Skippy" Lyman reach the top for a run of 5.54.

Westbury Turtles’ ladder team of Joe Knobbi, Matt Rodden and the Ingram brothers got together to put up a run of 5.49. The Westerners filled filled out the top five with a run of 5.60.

B-LADDER RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First	West Sayville	5.14
Second	Hempstead	5.40
Third	Westbury	5.49
Fourth	Bay Shore	5.54
Fifth	West Hempstead	5.60

The Dutchmen ran an impressive time of 9.16 and The Piston Knockers followed that up with a 9.16 also. These two teams had to wait for eight other teams to go before they knew if they were going to be tied for first place or not.

Mike Marra grasps & holds as A-Rock stops the clock.

Bay Shore’s ladder went into the ground straight on this C-Ladder run to give them a time of 9.37. Westbury gave their all in an attempt to beat the 9.16 that was up on the Joe Hunter Memorial Scoreboard but came up a little short with a time of 9.24. Here's a shot of the Westerners on their way down the course. They finished with a time of 9.21, giving them third place in the contest.

The St. James Wildcats didn't fare as well as the received a No Time for digging outside the safety zone, Rule 13.03.

C-LADDER RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First (Tie)	West Sayville	9.16
First (Tie)	North Lindenhurst	9.16
Third	West Hempstead	9.21
Fourth	Westbury	9.24
Fifth	Bay Shore	9.37

Heading into the hose contests the point totals were as follows:

• West Sayville - 11.5
• North Lindenhurst - 4.5
• Central Islip - 5
• Bay Shore – 3
• Hempstead – 4
• Copiague – 1
• Westbury – 5
• Roslyn – 4
• West Hempstead – 4
• Islip – 3

Ten out of thirteen teams had scored so far with St. James, Lindenhurst and North Babylon on the outside looking in.

Two teams who tied for first in C-Ladder contest found points a little harder to come by once the hoses got involved. West Sayville was not able to add to their point total with an uncharacteristic run of 19.18 while North Lindenhurst managed 2 points with a run of 12.69.

Bay Shore’s Paul Susskind coupled the hydrant with the capacity crowd looking and helped his team run a 12.72 for fifth place.

It was great to see the Yellow Hornets C-Truck out on the track and with the combined team of Hornets and Rascals they were able to put together a run of 12.62 for 3 points.

While going past the hydrant, the Wildcats’ hydrant-man was able to reach back and get water to the nozzle-man for a run of 12.60 which gave them the second place trophy for the event.

The Westbury Turtles came screaming down the course to drop of their crew for a first place run of 12.44 and first place in the C-Hose event.

West Hempstead wanted to show the crowd they had what it takes to take some points in C-Hose but the course took first place over the Westerners as evident in the below pic…OUCH!

As night descended on Wier St., West Sayville was first to run and they put up a time of 8.26. North Lindenhurst encountered some problems and their time was not competitive. The Hoboes' came down the track and ran the only 7 of the contest. Their run of 7.69 game them their second first-place trophy of the day.

The Hempstead Yellow Hornets again showed what practice can accomplish with a run of 8.85 and 3 points. The Lindenhurst Snails put up a time of 9.96 which gave them their only point on the night and the Westerners ran a 9.71 for 2 points.

Due to time constraints because of the inability to have motorized vehicles running after a certain time at the Hempstead track Motor Pump was run next.

West Sayville was not going to be outdone in this contest which was evident by their run of 6.55. This time was almost beaten by the next team to run but their time held up for 5 points.

North Lindenhurst took their turn and ran a time of 6.58, this gave them 4 more points.

The Hempstead Yellow Hornets combined team utilizing the South Hempstead Rascals B-Truck ran a time of 6.69 for 3 points.

The Westerners would not know it at the time, but his hand is signaling what place they would take in this event. The Westerners ran a 7.09 for another point and fifth place.

MOTOR PUMP RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First	West Sayville	6.55
Second	North Lindenhurst	6.58
Third	Hempstead	6.69
Fourth	Central Islip	6.96
Fifth	West Hempstead	7.09

At the conclusion of the Motor Pump contest with Efficiency and Buckets to go the points total was as follows:

• West Sayvile – 20.5
• North Lindenhurst - 10.5
• Central Islip – 12
• Bay Shore – 4
• Hempstead – 13
• St. James – 4
• Copiague – 1
• Westbury – 10
• Roslyn – 5
• West Hempstead – 7
• Islip – 5

The Efficiency contest is totally different when run at night. The sun is not out to dry the course and teams are forced to take a slightly different approach. The one benefit of running Efficiency after Motor Pump is that some teams run the events in this order when they practice. Four teams completed runs under 9 seconds with West Hempstead at the top with an 8.62.

EFFICIENCY RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First	West Hempstead	8.82
Second	Bay Shore	8.87
Third	Central Islip	8.90
Fourth	Islip	8.93
Fifth	Roslyn	9.54

The radio crew had a great view of the Buckets Contest

North Lindenhurst put up a time of 23.76 for first place. The Hoboes came pretty close with a time of 24.33. The Bay Shore Redskins were looking to place in this drill and almost did with a run of 23.78. The Copiague Yelllowbirds ran a 24.61 for fourth place and the Westerners ran a 25.04 for 1 more point on the night.

BUCKETS RESULTS

FINISHED	TEAM	TIME
First	North Lindenhurst	23.76
Second	Bay Shore	23.78
Third	Central Islip	24.33
Fourth	Copiague	24.61
Fifth	West Hempstead	25.04

Total points at the completion of the Drill:
Fourth Place (Tie) - Hempstead Yellow Hornets/South Hempstead Rascals with 13 points

Third Place - North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers with 15.5 points

Second Place - Central Islip Hoboes with 18 points

AND IN FIRST PLACE…WITH 20.5 POINTS…

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN FROM WEST SAYVILLE!!!!!!

The West Sayville Flying Dutchmen; Chad Leigh-Manuell, Ryan Tenney, Michael Marra, Frank Miller Jr., Richard Quenzer, David Banks, Ryan Hugenin, Robert Scott Noonan, Joe Quenzer, Kristy Banks, Doug Quenzer, Pat Garrett, Gary Schaum, Allen Newhouse, Bob Marra and Scott Schrader were joined in the above pic by Joe Hunter’s Family and Matt Spinelli.

All photos courtesy of Kim Versheck. See more photos from this drill and others over the Late Night Buff Network.

Recap of the William St. George Drill

by Dan Laverty

What a great day weather-wise for the 5^th Annual William St. George Drill this past Saturday June 30th. The Joe Hunter Memorial Scoreboard was up and running and the Drill Team Radio Crew was in attendance. The "From On Top of the Arch" radio show was co-anchored by Twan Simone of the Hempstead Yellow Hornets and Pat Jeffares of the Hempstead Flukes and the North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers. I am sure Pat will correct me on this whole blog post just as he corrected Twan and I on the radio all day (we would not have it any other way.) We all love when Pat is up in New York and can spend some time with us on the broadcast. The day started with a 6 piece drum and brass ensemble at the bottom of the arch playing our national anthem. There was also the thank you for coming speech from the Baldwin Fire Department.

The Baldwin Tomcats were first on the line to kick off this drill and ran an 8.11 in 3-Man Ladder. The Termites were next with a time of 6.86 with Phil Athenis running first man. Brentwood ran a 7.41 which the Lakeview Sparks tied at the end of the event. Oyster Bay’s young legs put up a time of 7.13 for their first points of the day. Islip Terrace received a No Time for touching the top rung out of sequence. I noticed that the first man after reaching the top of the arch stood between the ladder and the officials and that made it very hard for them to see the other climbers. First men in 3-Man need to either sit on the arch or stand to the side when they reach the top so the officials have an unobstructed view and can stop the clock for your team. The only other 6 second run that day was ran by the North Bellmore Rinky Dinks who ran a 6.75 and took 1st place in the event.

B-Ladder began with the Tomcats running a 7.39 which took 5th place and gave them their first points of the day. The Termites ran next with a time of 6.25 adding four more points to the four they got in 3-Man Ladder. The Tigers ran a 6.99 and took 4th place. The Greenhorns did not take any points in 3-Man and seemed determined to make up for that in B-Ladder running a 1st place run of 6.12. The Bucks, who recently purchased the Inwood Mud Duck’s B-Truck, put it to good use and ran a 6.30 for 3rd place. The Rinky Dinks received a No Time when the top of their ladder reached the arch outside the safety zone. One of the diggers (Dan Forth) was not able to hold on and that made the ladder go askew. The big news in the racing world was the inaugural run of The Lakeview Sparks who have not participated in a motorized drill in over 60 years and back then they were called The Lakeview Lumberjacks. With a new team name, new team shirts and a B-Truck that was purchased from The Sayville Blue Jays, the Sparks came to the line. Driver and Ex-Chief Matt Gritman, Diggers Lt. Patrick McNeill (cousin of the writer of this article), Cody Marra (Nassau’s Marra), Thrower Lt. Freddy Senti (whose grandfather was a member of the Lakeview Lumberjacks) and Climber L. Pete Sherkel came down the course and ran a 7.43. The crowd of fellow racers, friends and fans in the stands gave them a rousing ovation for their first motorized run.

C-Ladder only saw seven of the twelve teams in attendance come to the line. The Termites were the first to put up a time for points with a 9.92 and that gave them the 1st place trophy and brought their point total for the day to 13. The Tigers ran an 11.46 for 4th place. The Greenhorns ran a 10.37 and brought their point total to 9 for the day so far. The Frogs took their first points of the day with a run of 14.99 and the Rinky Dinks ran an 11.54 for 5th place.

The points heading into the hose events were as follows: Termites – 13, Greenhorns – 9, Rinky Dinks – 6, Tigers 5.5 and the Frogs, Bucks and Teddy’s Boys each with 3 points.

While the Water Test was being conducted, the crowd got a nice chance to enjoy some music courtesy of the Scoreboard Crew of Stephen McCarroll and Tom Scott of the C.I. Hoboes. These two guys are out there week after week sitting in the sun making sure the correct information is put up on the Joe Hunter Memorial Scoreboard for all to see. I myself took a crack at running the scoreboard for B-Hose and it was a little nerve wracking at first because of the crowd in the stands and the fact that my Consulting Editor of The Drill Team Blog (among other things) Chris Murphy of the C.I. Hoboes was watching from on top of the Arch. But I got the hang of it and hope to give Stephen and Thomas a break at future drills so they can enjoy themselves and be with their team. There is an open invitation for anyone willing to run the scoreboard and help out. Just click on this link and respond to the post over on Digger 74.

As mentioned on the radio broadcast The Drill Team Blog will be partnering with Long Island FD Rant News (new sponsor for Drill Team Radio in 2012) for a digital publication that will solely focus on the Firematic Drills and Parades that occur on Long Island every summer.

From their site:

Long Island FD Rant News is a monthly digital publication that will bring you the latest news about working fires, motor vehicle collisions, rescue calls and all other emergencies that the fire departments of Nassau and Suffolk Counties have responded to in the past month.

We will be mailing this publication to everyone on our email list who have “opted-in” to receive emails from either NassauFDRant or SuffolkFDRant websites. If you are not a member of either site then check us out here: NassauFDRant and SuffolkFDRant.

SUBSCRIBE NOW to get latest news emailed to you directly.

This monthly publication will be bringing you much more of the fire, rescue and EMS news that’s happening around Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Our contributing photographers and correspondents are out on the streets capturing the images of Nassau and Suffolk’s Bravest as they protect the lives and properties of the residents of Long Island.

This NEW digital format allows us to bring you more stories and more photos directly to your inbox each month and also allows you to link DIRECTLY to the photo galleries to view even more photos. You will even be able to purchase the photos you like directly from the photographers who took them.

This new model means that you will be getting more of the news and photos of the jobs that fire departments respond to every month instead of just one or two photos printed on paper. "Our correspondents work hard to bring us this action and that’s why we encourage everyone to support them by purchasing their work."

The highly anticipated Drill and Parade first edition of this publication is slated for July 15th. This edition will chronicle the drills and parades that have occurred so far this summer and continue to report on them as the summer goes on. Just go to Long Island FD Rant News and follow the instructions so you can receive the publication to your email account.

The Drill Team Radio crew was putting on the "From On Top of the Arch" show as I said earlier and during the water test they had a "Name that B-Truck" contest going on. Twan Simone played the sound of four B-Trucks over the radio and gave the listeners a chance to name that B-Truck. I do not know the results of this contest but they will be given again at the next drill as I am sure this contest will be talked about as it was a welcome addition to the broadcast.

The C-Hose contest saw only one 12 run and that was a 12.57 run by The Termites giving them five more points. The Raiders took their first points of the day with a run of 13.13 and took 2nd place. 3rd place was won by the Rinky Dinks with a run of 14.03. In 4th place were the Frogs with a time of 14.99. The Greenhorns wanted to add to their point total and did just that by running a 15.55 taking another point and 5th place.

With the C-Truck events concluded it was time for a long line of B-Trucks to take to the track again. Not to be outdone by any other team, the Termites ran an 8.28 for another 5 points and 1st place. The Rebels from Levittown ran an 11.69 for their only points of the day for 2nd place. 3rd place was taken by the Islip Terrace Schlagers for 3 points and this was also their only points for the day. The Raiders took 2 points with their run of 13.60 and the Greenhorns rounded out the top five with a run of 14.82.

Going into the Efficiency contest the points total looked like this: Termites – 23, Greenhorns – 11, Rinky Dinks – 9, Raiders – 6, Tigers – 5.5 and the Frogs – 5.

The Tomcats took their first point of the day with a run of 10.21. The Tigers came down the course and put up a time of 9.57, their time stood up for 1st place until the Greenhorns ran a 9.37 to beat them. The Rinky Dinks ran a 9.45 to give them 4 more points and 2nd place in the event. The Raiders ran a 10.16 for 2 points and 4th place in Efficiency. “On the bubble” were the Termites who place in every event so far with a run of 10.90.

The Motor Pump contest started with the Tomcats running an 8.45 which they would not know till the end of the contest would tie them with the Frogs for 1st place. This gave each team 4.5 points. New Hyde Park unfortunately received an Over Time when their hose uncoupled at the "Wild Mouse" (discharge on the driver’s side of the truck). The Teddy’s Boys ran an 8.78 giving them 3 more points for the day. The Greenhorns and the Raiders rounded out the top five with times of 8.94 and 9.00 respectively. Almost taking points in their first Motor Pump run were The Lakeview Sparks with a time of 9.17, their second 6th place run on the day.

Mathematically, the Termites did not have this drill won just yet. The Termites with 23 points were being trailed by The Greenhorns with 18 points. The best the Greenhorns could do at this point is hope for a tie for 1st place. This made Buckets pretty fun to watch and see what was going to happen. The Termites ran a 27.23 and had to wait for nine other teams to run before they knew their fate. A sigh of relief overcame the Termites when The Teddy’s Boys’ time of 28.61 was announced. The Greenhorns ran a 30.60 which guaranteed the Termites would be champs for the day. The Frogs and Bucks rounded out the top five with runs of 29.85 and 32.27 respectively.

This Drill ended with the top 5 teams driving onto the course the wrong way so to speak and lined up at an angle towards the arch. The rest of the teams who participated came down the course also. When the Lakeview Sparks made their way past the 1st place Termites and 2nd Place Greenhorns they were welcomed with a shower of liquids. Everyone christened the Sparks and clapped for them on a job well done at their first motorized drill in 2012. The hosts of this drill had a bandstand set up on the course past the hydrant where the top 5 trophies and the William St. George trophy; which is in a beautiful case, was presented to the New Hyde Park Termites. Everyone got together after a day of competing against each other to swap stories, give advice to each other and listen to the band play.

Full results of this drill can be found over at the www.NYSDrillTeams.com.

I try to keep my blog entries neutral but I have to touch on something. Watching the Sparks come out and run with the motorized teams made me very proud of a group of guys/gals that worked really hard. It also made me very proud of our sport as everyone welcomed them and even stopped by their camp with congrats and advice. It just goes to show that if you put in the practice, overcome the bumps in the road, you can fulfill your dreams and do what you grew up watching others do.

Up in the Western area of New York State a drill was held on June 30th, 2012 by the North Greece Fire Department. Here are the top five in points for that drill. (With the disadvantage of not attending this drill I cannot give your more than the below. We are always looking for writers so if you want your area represented more in depth please feel free to submit something via email to DrillTeamBlog@gmail.com.

Full results of this drill can also be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com.

Joe Hunter Memorial Drill Preview

by Dan Laverty

This upcoming Tuesday July 3rd is the Joseph Hunter Memorial Tournament. This will be the 10th year this drill has been held on Weir St. in Hempstead. The generosity of support continues to fund to scholarships in Joe’s name. Hunter as some called him was the epitome of a fireman; he loved what he did and gave 100% every time he stepped in the firehouse. Whether it was for work, volunteering or drilling he could always be counted on by those around him. Matt Spinelli, Joe’s friend since childhood gives up time from his family and life every year to oversee every aspect of this drill. When Matt reads this I am sure he is going to be wondering why we are talking about him instead of Joe. The night of the drill though, Matt takes a step back and enjoys the drill just like Joe would have. Matt, thank you for all your hard work and dedication to this drill.

The lineup of this drill is chock full of quality teams, the cream of the crop so to speak. At the end of every year’s State Drill, teams not only tally their points for the day but they also look to see if they are going to be invited to next year’s Joe Hunter Drill. Let’s take a look at who’ll be participating this year…

Two-time Champs, the West Sayville Flying Dutchmen are coming into this drill with a 1st place finish at Lindenhurst and a 3rd place finish at the Selden drill. The Dutchmen this year are seeing come changes reminiscent to their 1995 and 2000 seasons where their team went through a lot of changes. They appear though to be on track to having an excellent year.

The North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers posted state record times on both B and C-Hose in 2011. They also placed in the top five in six out of the eight drills they ran in last year. They won "The Joe" in 2010 and as usual they won’t just be racing that night but helping out with the drill as well. The Knockers have seen a return of veteran Scott Rice and the addition of Vinny Bogert from Copiague. Vinny is the 2nd Vice President of the SCDTCPA and is a curator of all things racing. The Knockers definitely gained an experienced racing man who helped them with a new team record in Motor Pump in Lindenhurst with a time of 5.74.

The Central Islip Hoboes "racing program" as Joe Hunter once said won this drill last year and wowed the crowd with an Efficency run of 8.37. The Hoboes this year have taken 3rd place in Lindenhurst and placed 1st at the Selden drill. They continue to nurture their youth and will be a major force in racing for a long time to come.

The Bayshore Redskins are a pivotal part of this drill year in and year out. They provide support to the food concessions and help wherever it is needed. The Redskins placed in last years State Drill and were ahead of all the other teams going into Efficiency. Let’s hope their veteran leader Paul Susskind can keep the Redskins on top.

The East Islip Guzzlers placed in seven of the nine drills they entered in 2011. They won the C.I drill and the Deerfield drill. They lost a key component of their team though with Josh Kasin going home to Islip. So far in 2012 The Guzzlers have only been seen at the Selden drill.

The St. James Wildcats have been steadily improving recently with the introduction of new members and with the help of veteran Wildcats like Phil Coward and Lenny Gombert. The Wildcats are poised to place in more drills in 2012.

The Copiague Yellowbirds have not been on the line in 2012. Don’t know what to expect from The Yellowbirds in 2012.

The Westbury Turtles took 5th place at "The Joe" last year as well as taking 3rd place at the Nassau County drill, 1st at the TONH and 3rd at the North Bellmore drill. The Turtles have only raced in this years TONH/TOB where they took 4th overall. If Daryl Ranaldo, The Turtles driver continues to give them good drops they will continue to take points and place in drills.

The Elmont Bangtails are invited to "The Joe" this year after taking 2 points at last years state drill. Unfortunately the "Bangtails" will not be participating in Firematic Drill Team Competitions this year.

The North Babylon Taildraggers also took 2 points at the State in 2011 giving them an invite to this year’s drill. They are a steadily improving team and are real fun to watch.

The Roslyn Highlanders tied for 4th place in Lindy and won the TONH/TOB already this year. The Highlanders and Stan are always a team that should never be counted out in any event. They continue to show they have the goods and are on the course to make a real statement this year.

The Lindenhurst Snails took point in last year’s State Drill and took 2nd place in B-Hose at their own drill this year. They are a great bunch of guys to have around and when they are on the track we all are watching because you never know what they are going to do.

The Main Transit Slo Pokes are the only upstate team to be invited to "The Joe" this year. Their Bucket run secured them the spot. I am not sure if they are making the trip down for this drill but I really hope they do.

The West Hempstead Westerners took 5th place at this year’s Selden drill. The look like they are going to give Roslyn a run for their money when it comes to Nassau County points in 2012.

This drill continues to be a fan favorite as well as a favorite to Drill Team members who are lucky enough to compete. See you all on Tuesday night on Weir Street in Hempstead at 6:00pm when Matt and the Hunter family will be promptly kicking off this drill.