Tag Archives: Athlete of the Month

Athlete of the Month: Mackenzie Black

Posted on by
1
mackenzie

Athlete of the Month Mackenzie Black is shown, center, signing for a full Division I gymnastics scholarship with West Virginia University.

By Steve Svetovich

Hard work and dedication pay off even to those who are the most modest of sorts.

Take Mackenzie Black, for instance.

The Dunmore high school senior accepted a Division I scholarship and a spot on the gymnastics team at West Virginia University.

Emilia Raynova, instructor at the United Sports Academy, Dunmore, made the announcement last month.

Daughter of Shanette Black and Thomas Nolan, MacKenzie was one of three local high school gymnasts who were accepted into a Division I college on a full athletic scholarship for the coming year.

The others were Adeline Rider of Scranton Prep and Donna Howell of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. All earned spots on their respective gymnastic teams.

mackenziee“This is a great accomplishment,” said Raynova. “Not many gyms in the country are lucky enough to achieve the same results, especially having three seniors in the same year.

“We are so proud of our girls and their coaches. Only about 200 gymnasts in the nation receive a scholarship to a division 1 university every year and our girls have earned their spot for three of them.

“All three girls worked for this moment for over 10 years.”

MacKenzie, 17, signed her letter of intent early last month. She has been a gymnast at United States Sports Academy for the past 12 years.

MacKenzie, who has a 91 academic average at Dunmore, talked about her experience at the United States Sports Academy. “It’s a very welcoming environment,” she said. “It helps to keep us humble in terms of our success.

“I spend a lot of time there. I spend about 21 hours a week at the United States Sports Academy. The coaches there are like our second family.

MacKenzie said Raynova was initially her instructor. Her current coaches are Omar Egas and Sylvia Topalova.

“I learned everything from my coaches. Mr. Omar taught me that dedication is so important. Without it, you cannot go far in gymnastics.

“Sylvia teaches us how to be neater and control our anxiety.”

MacKenzie is very close to her mom. “My mom teaches me about modesty. She told me that if you do well, not everyone should know about it. Never brag about accomplishments. That keeps me level.”

The highly talented yet humble Dunmore senior talked about what is takes to be a good gymnast. “You need dedication and perseverance.”

She talked about her future goals.

“I would like to make it to the nationals and go to the West Virginia camp and help coach in the summer.

“I want to be successful in life, have a family and provide for them. I want to be able to provide for my mom in later years.”

Athlete of the Month: Eric Arduino

Posted on by
Reply
arduino

Photo Credit: Rich Banick Photography

By Steve Svetovich

It is the year of the freshmen for the Dunmore High School soccer program.

And Eric Arduino is one of 13 freshmen on the Dunmore soccer team.

Son of Joanne and Paul Arduino, Dunmore, Eric is one of four freshmen starters on the team.

The 13 freshmen make up almost half of Dunmore’s soccer team. There are 27 players on the varsity team.

“Soccer has been a popular sport since I got into it at five,” said Eric. “Now all these kids who played youth soccer are coming up and playing for the high school team. It’s getting even more popular. There are 500 kids playing in the Dunmore-Green Ridge (DGR) youth soccer program.

“Soccer is growing in Dunmore. We play in the fall league at Sherwood Park and in an indoor league at the Riverfront from the beginning of November until April.”

Eric said his dad was one of his youth coaches. “I learned the most about soccer from my dad. He taught me to always try my best and never give up.”

The Dunmore freshman also learned a lot from his mom, the owner-operator of Joanne Arduino Ballet and Dance Studio. “My mom always tells me to be positive and have a good attitude.”

His Dunmore soccer coach is Chris Phillips. “Our coach tells us to work together as a team. If we do that, we can achieve our goals.” Three other coaches who have influenced the young player are Brian Fetsko, Dan Badyrka and James Riggall.

Eric said his favorite soccer player is Neymar who plays for Paris Saint Germain. His favorite team is Chelsea of the English Premier Soccer League.

He talked about his future goals. “I want to help Dunmore go far in the playoffs every year. Then I would like to play soccer in college. I’m not sure what I want to be yet.”

Eric said he thinks soccer will continue to grow. “It was popular as I grew up, but now I think it’s hitting another generation. And it’s on TV a lot more now. That generates even more interest.”

Eric is a defensive midfielder on the Dunmore soccer team. “You have to be well conditioned,” he said. “I do a lot of running up and down the field. I am constantly running.”

Eric, 14, has been playing soccer for 10 years. He was recently certified as a referee. He is now a referee in the DGR League. His mom is very proud of that achievement.

A member of the Spanish Club at Dunmore, he talked about what it takes to be a good midfielder. “You have to harass the other team. You need to get in their face and steal the ball. You need to help out as much as you can.”

And Eric helped Dunmore win four of its first six soccer matches, making two goals as of press time. The freshman says he really looks up to the older players on the team who set a good example for the younger team members.

The future is bright in Dunmore with kids like Eric Arduino around.

“I love the game,” he said. “It’s a great sport. “

***

Athlete of the Month - Soccer Team

Photo Credit: Rich Banick Photography

The roster for the Dunmore Bucks soccer team coached by Chris Phillips includes: Senior returning starters Gerardo Sanchez, Will Meade and Mark Rinaldi; juniors Noah Barton, Wyatt Bravo and Charloe DeNapoli; and sophomore Paris Alunni.

Others returning are seniors Joe Ferguson, Billy McDonough, Matt Valunas, junior Keenan Brazil, and sophomores Dylan Martin and Matt Sirotnak.

Newcombers include sophomore Shane Murphy and Tobyn Sitar, and freshmen Eric Arduino, Peyton Badyrka, David Day, Brian Fabricatore, Conor Holt, Telynn Jefferson, Gavin McHale, Killian Palmiter, Billy Portanova, Jonathan Riggall, Hunter Sherman, Aidan Sload and Calvin Zhang.

Athlete of the Month: Alex Terrery

Posted on by
Reply

Athlete of the Month - Alex TerreryBy Steve Svetovich

McGinty’s has been in the Dunmore Freedom League championship for two consecutive years and one of the big reasons why is Dunmore and Penn State graduate Alex Terrery.

Terrery, who received a B.S. in Information Technology and Sciences in 2016 from Penn State, is a shortstop-pitcher for McGinty’s.

Son of Charlie and Faith Terrery, Dunmore, he played four years of baseball at Dunmore High School where he was a pitcher-first baseman and all-star in his senior year. He played three years of baseball at Penn State Worthington as a pitcher-shortstop. He was named to the all-star team as a shortstop in his junior year there.

His dad at 58 is in his second year playing in the Dunmore Freedom League. The oldest player in the league, he is Alex’s teammate.

“Playing with my dad is a lot of fun,” Alex said. “He is living his dream. I never thought he would be playing at 58, but he is hitting the ball.”

Alex has been working for the past year at TMG Health, Jessup, where he is a production coordinator. “I love it. I work on computers. I do computer information technology work.”

His baseball coach at Dunmore was Mark Finan. “He is a great guy. He’s a tremendous baseball coach. I learned a lot from him. He teaches you to be a team player. That is what it’s all about.”

His coaches at Penn State were Steve Plevyak and James McAndrew. “I played under coach McAndrew with the Diamond Dogs fall team for a couple years in junior high and high school. He taught me a lot about baseball. I love him as a coach. I learned the most from him over the years.”

Alex said his mom and dad have been huge influences.

“They made me what I am today. They taught me respect. They taught me to respect everyone, especially your elders. I can go to them for anything.”

The baseball lifer said he loved Dunmore High School. “It’s a great school with great people. We had a great principal in Mr. Forgione. The school teaches kids to respect everyone. It’s not all about winning, but having fun and treating your coaches, teammates and opponents with respect.

“People who live in Dunmore never want to leave.”

Alex has a bright future ahead. “Playing in the Dunmore Freedom League the past four years has been a blast. It is the only competitive baseball league I can still play in, so I will go as long as I can. I love playing baseball.

“As for work, I love what I do. I love Dunmore, but will go where the job takes me. I want to,live a normal life and raise a family someday.”