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 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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

Recap of the Point Pleasant Drill on 08/27

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

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

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.

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

by Scott Magin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the final results:

1st Place – Henrietta – 33 Pts.

2nd Place – Main-Transit – 30 Pts.

3rd Place – Point Pleasant – 20 Pts.

4th Place – North Greece – 16 Pts.

5th Place – Sea Breeze – 13 Pts.

The North Greece Lil' Squirts C & B Trucks

Recap of the Western NY Drill on 6/18

by Scott Magin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The points at the end of the day were:

Point Pleasant Pea Pickers – 29 Pts.

Main-Transit Slo-Pokes – 23 Pts.

North Greece Lil’ Squirts – 19 Pts.

Henrietta Ol’ Henries – 19 Pts.

Sea Breeze Indians – 11 Pts.

Sheridan Park All Thumbs – 1 Pt.

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