CONYO

The last games of the Spring 2008 season were played during the week of June 1 st but that didn’t mean an end to the fun and excitement for all the players and their families at the Connetquot Youth Association.

This year, CYA had a special day planned for all the people involved with the league. An Awards Day Picnic was organized by Denise Ketterer, Debbie Olivieri and Susan Wrins. These moms have boys and girls who have been playing in the league for several years and wanted to volunteer their time and efforts in creating a special day where the Connetquot Youth Association would “give back” to the community and do something everybody could enjoy.

The Awards Day Picnic was held on Saturday, June 7 th and included All Star games in each division, a skills competition in the Majors division, and distribution of trophies to all players in all divisions. There was plenty of fun and games to go around as well. Both children and adults bounced around and had fun on the inflatable bouncer, bungee and slide. Others participated in the organized kickball games, played tug of war and got dizzy with the bat races.

It may have been a hot day for most with the sun beating down and temperatures around 90 most of the day, but not for the coaches who took their turns in the dunk tank. Watching their coaches drop into the cool water and getting soaked was the most fun for many of the players who hit the target on the dunk tank. Even CYA President Kevin Hayes climbed on board and heckled the crowd before getting soaked in the tank as one of the players showed off his accurate arm.

Then there was the food! There were hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, sausage & peppers, the usual snacks offered at Coach Ron’s Café, and for those with a sweet tooth, freshly spun cotton candy.

But none of this could have been possible without the generosity of local businesses, league volunteers and the participation of the community. The league greatly appreciates the help and offers a special thanks to the following organization and individuals for the donations of food and raffle items CFG Food Group, Maines Paper and Food Service, the Ronkonkoma Fire Department, to LBAC Travel and, McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Dave & Buster’s, Rosati School of Martial Arts, Chili’s, Friendly’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Applebee’s, Kohl’s, Outback Steakhouse, Kevin & Kelly Hayes, John & Denise Ketterer, and Pete & Sue Wrins.

Thank you to all those who turned out to enjoy the wonderful day and to those who volunteered so much of their time to make this a very enjoyable day for the people of the community. If you’d like to see the fun and excitement caught on film please visit www.photosbypep.com. There you will find many great photos to remember the day.

Here are some e-mails that were sent in to us and quotes given to the board members during the Awards Picnic:

"Thanks to you guys for a great success. It's been a long time since we've had an awards day like that. I almost forgot how much fun it is. It's definitely a reason why we stay around - to see all those kids with smiles on their faces even though it seemed like 110 degrees out!"

"THANK YOU for putting together such a great event for our kids and the Connetquot families!!"

"This day was absolutely FANTASTIC! I haven't seen anything like this in many years. Thank you so much."

"The volunteers who run this organization are absolutely the best. My kids just love playing here. They have so much fun during the season and then to end the season with a day like this is simply the best. Thank You!"

Wow, that was so much fun. The thing I liked best was getting my coach wet in the dunk tank."

"I just couldn't believe how many people showed up and had such a great time. We really appreciate all CYA has to offer. Please heep up the good work and let me know how I can help out."