Spring 2018

The Memorial Day Week-End Festivities

At Yonkers’ historic Racquet Club on Park Hill, the warm season began with a bang on Memorial Day Week End, with the opening of the pool. First, Patty Gamba and Patty Cecere launched the week end by organizing the (Friday) May 25th catered “Italian Night” supper. That was followed by the (rain-delayed) Memorial Day Fun Tennis Tournament and picnic on Monday, May 28th, organized by Claire Miko and Wendy Bodner.

The tournament attracted 20 participants. On the women’s side, the winning team was Rosemary Beirne and Pat Coomaraswamy. The winners on the men’s side were Joel Sciascia and Paul Meissner. The partiers then turned out for the Memorial Day Week End barbecue, organized by Patty Gamba and Steve Savard. Special thanks to Steve for handling the food preparation and the grilling and to Patty for leading the big clean-up operation.

Upcoming Dates on the Racquet Club Social Calendar

The club’s Social Committee led by Directors Renee O’Hanlon and Patty Gamba has been in high gear, organizing upcoming summer parties and other activities. Here is a list of events currently on the social calendar.

Yoga

The club’s Wellness Committee says the next yoga session starts on Wednesday, June 20th. Four Wednesday night sessions cost $60. Walk-ins pay $20 per session.

Those interested in taking part should bring a yoga mat, if they have one, and wear loose-fitting clothing. They should avoid eating a heavy meal before class. Details about the class can be found on the “Yoga for Bliss” web site.

Vinyl Nights

Once again this June, Paul Cecere and Justine Henry are running the popular Vinyl Nights in the PHRC lounge. Paul spins LPs from his huge collection and will happily discuss his musical interests with club members and guests. The records cover decades of popular music of many styles and tastes – funk, soul, rock and disco, to name a few. The next Vinyl Nights will be held on June 14th(tonight), June 21st, and June 28th. Bring friends and a snack to share.

Upcoming BBQs

The club’s Friday night barbecue season gets under way on June 15th, when Jim and Rosemary Beirne treat the membership to their famous cedar-plank salmon feast. From year to year, no barbecue throughout the summer is better attended than the Beirnes’ venerable BBQ. Members who would like to host a particular Friday BBQ evening can let Renee O’Hanlon know at reneeohanlon@gmail.com. Renee reports that many members have already said they would like to host a BBQ. So far the Karmazin family has offered to organize the barbecue on Friday, August 3rd.

Karaoke Party

Club members and guests should tune up their vocal chords for the next karaoke party on Saturday, June 16th, starting at 8 pm. Organizers Tom Westmoreland and Patty Gamba say the adults-only evening will again be run by Nightstar D.J. and Karaoke Entertainment.

Pool Free Day

Something new this year is the Pool Free Day. On Monday, June 25th, at noon, members can invite one guest for free to celebrate that school is out for the summer. The rain date is Tuesday, June 26th. RSVPs will be required.

Family Luau. This year’s annual Family Luau is scheduled for Saturday, July 28th.

News about the MITL and WCTL Teams

Following the rain-delayed opening of the PHRC tennis courts last month, the club’s MITL (women’s) and WCTL (men’s) teams were finally able to begin their week-end competition against other private clubs in Westchester County.

The WCTL season is more active than ever, thanks to the two-tier system that Park Hill now takes part in, with the (lower) Glossy Division and the (higher) Smooth Division. The key is that the ladies are allowed to take part in both the MITL and WCTL competitions, giving Park Hill much-needed additional “man-power” and “woman-power” to fill out its male ranks each week end.

Our MITL team is almost halfway through the season now. Co-captain Cheryl Silvera reports that the ladies are doing very well in their league play, adding that all visitors to the club admire its beautiful courts and “our piece of paradise.”

The Westchester County Tennis League (WCTL) Open season (for competitors of any age) is in full swing. Men’s captain Tom “Westy” Westmoreland is happy to report that participation on the PHRC teams is at an all-time high and includes about ten of our women players. Trying to overcome the plethora of rained-out matches, the (upper) Smooth Division team has finally caught up in its schedule.

The step-up in competition has made it a challenge for the Park Hill Smooth team, but it secured its first overall victory on Saturday, June 2nd, winning four of seven matches that day, after losing its first three matches.

As of early June, the Glossy Division team was still a full makeup plus a partial makeup match behind, due to the rainouts. The Glossy team is competitive but fell short in its first three matches of the season.

The Open season will continue throughout June, as the rainouts will likely result in the extension of the season until the end of the month. The Senior Circuit (over 50) league then starts on July 1st and runs until the middle of August.

Social Events of the Past Two Months

2018 Governors’ Ball

On Saturday, April 14th, the club held its annual Governors’ Ball in the beautifully decorated ballroom. The decorating committee was, as usual, led by Kathryn Buckley, Claire Miko, Patty Gamba and Karin White. Thanks to Claire for suggesting the Hollywood Glam idea as the theme of the party. Thanks also for their help decorating to Wendy Bodner, Jim Buckley, Paul Cassidy, Patty Cecere, Anthony D’Alessio, Gianna D’Alessio, Vinnie D’Alessio, Katherine Haas, Justine Henry, Kevin Klein, Robert Klein, William Krawiec, Vic Mason, Michael Noble, Pat O’Hanlon, Patty Schumann, Steve Savard, and Cheryl Silvera. Special thanks to the party photographers, Kevin Klein and Renee O’Hanlon’s cousin Jordis, and to Steve Savard for setting up the technology to make the photographs visible in real time during the party. Thanks also to Gianna for handling the coat room and to Anthony, Gianna and William for their good work waiting on tables and cleaning up in the kitchen after the party. (See club web site for photos of the Governors’ Ball.)

Kids Cookie Bake-Off

Thanks to Patty Schumann for organizing the first-ever Kids Cookie Bake-Off party on Sunday, April 22nd. There were two age groups: 5 through 10 and 11 through 15. Prizes were awarded for the best-looking and the best-tasting cookies. The winners among the older kids were Ingrid White Krawiec for Best-Tasting Cookie and Scarlett, daughter of Kavika and Tim, for the Best-Looking Cookie. Among the younger kids, winners were the twin daughters of Bill and Mia Poppe for the Best-Tasting Cookie and Patrick Twomey for the Best-Looking Cookie.

Kids’ Bowling League

Thanks to Mia Poppe and Paul Cassidy for organizing the kids’ bowling league on Fridays in May. They say six kids took part.

Spring Fun Bowling League

Thanks also to Paul Cassidy for again organizing a six-week Fun Bowling League in March and April for twelve club member regulars (and some subs, who had just as much fun).

Thirsty Thursdays and Dart League. Thanks to Josh Goodman and Ardi Gashi for launching the first Darts League night this spring, to coincide with “Thirsty Thursdays.” The event began on April 26th – and Ardi came in first and Josh second in the first night of competition.

Open Houses

Open House events were held on May 11th and May 19th promoting the club and encouraging visitors to come for a drink and take tours of the facilities. The Board believes the new google photos on the club web site should help draw interest from families looking for a nearby swimming pool this summer and for a nice place to meet their neighbors socially on a regular basis. That gives the Board and other members the opportunity to explain the special (full and house) introductory membership rates for families and individuals.

Yonkers Pride Event (June 8th-9th)

Thanks to Paul Meissner for encouraging the club to take a table for the Yonkers Pride Event to help reinforce support for social equality and inconclusiveness. The event was viewed as an excellent opportunity for the city’s Commission on Human Rights to bring awareness to the enforcement of civil rights law, specifically as it relates to equal treatment under the law for the LGBTQ community.

French Open Brunch

The Tennis Committee led by Patty Gamba hosted the annual French Open Brunch on Sunday June 10th featuring the women’s final match of the tournament.

Pickleball

Thanks to Lyrica Leon for encouraging cardiac health among Park Hill’s couch potatoes this past winter, as she once again tirelessly promoted pickleball in our great hall. At least two or three dozen members and guests came to play, at one time or another.

Final Results of the Winter Bowling League

In the 2017-18 PHRC Winter Bowling League, the PBJs of Paul Meissner, Jennifer Ringstad, Bill Coffey and Josh Goodman ran away with the league title, rolling up a grand total of 90 points. They were followed, in order, by Ten Pin Jihad, with 69 points; the Brownies, with 68.5 points; Deadwood, with 66.5 points; and Patty and the Js, with 56 points.

League president Jon Wallen defended his bowling crown, with his best-in-league average of 166.23. In second place was Jose Alvarado with 159.69, followed by Robert Klein with 159.45, Paul Meissner with 155.87, and Bill Dennison with 153.24. Pat O’Hanlon had the highest series this year with 571, followed by Jon Wallen (565), Robert Klein (550), Jose Alvarado (547) and Paul Meissner (544). Robert Klein and Paul Cassidy shared honors for the highest game bowled in the league this year: 223. Paul Meissner and Vic Mason followed at 218. And Bill Dennison threw a 214. Ed Schmidt and Steve Savard won the end-of-season bowling tournament, among the eight teams that took part.

The Tennis-Events Calendar

Tennis Holiday Week-End Fun Tournaments

Following the Memorial Day events, the club has two more holiday “fun” tournaments this year: on the Fourth of July (Wednesday, July 4th); and on Labor Day (Sunday, September 2nd, or on the rain date, Monday, September 3rd).

Tennis “Competitive” Tournaments

The club has scheduled “competitive” tennis tournaments as follow: July 21st, men’s singles; July 22nd, women’s singles; August 4th, mixed doubles; September 15th-16th: men’s and women’s doubles.

Other Notable Tennis Dates at the Club

On Sunday, July 15th, the club will have a Breakfast at Wimbledon party around the men’s final match. And on August 29th, Paul Meissner will organize a group outing to the United States Open in Flushing Meadow for interested members. (Contact Paul at pmeissner@optonline.net.)

PHRC Junior Tennis & Multi-Sport Summer Camp

This summer, the club tennis pro, Ms. Ola Roberts, will run a sports camp for children of club members between June 26th and August 31st. Children aged 4 through 14 are invited to participate. The camp will focus on improving players’ tennis knowledge and skills through exercises, drills, instruction and exciting challenges. The camp days will include other indoor and outdoor sports and activities. Players will be grouped according to age and ability. Parents interested in having their children participate or getting more details can contact Ola by emailing her at Olatennis@icloud.com or by phoning (or preferably texting) her at (917) 637-9476.

Clean-Up Week End

The Board thanks the many members of the club who showed up on April 28th-29th to assist in this year’s annual Clean-Up Week End of the Racquet Club: Kirsten Barbera, Kathryn Buckley, Patty Cecere, Justine Henry, Patty Gamba, Ardi Gashi, Robert Klein, Matt Krawiec, William Krawiec, Vic Mason, Kevin McInerney, Scotty McCambridge, Robert Moment, Griffin O’Keeffe, Jennifer Ringstad, Steve Spiegler, Kate Waters, Tom Westmoreland, and Karin White. As ever, members spruced up indoors and outdoors, especially cleaning the backstage area of the big hall; cleaning the fridge and ice-making machine and mats of the lounge bar; draining the pool, removing accumulated leaves and other debris from the pool, and power-washing around it; raking leaves; and removing a lot of kudzu vines from the front fence.

Special thanks to Ardi Gashi for organizing the month-long renovation of the men’s room downstairs and completing the project in time for the opening of the pool on the Memorial Day week end last month. And special thanks to Matt Krawiec and Karin White for their hard work in (1) improving the appearance of the entrance way to the bowling alley downstairs, so that it is much brighter and more attractive; (2) fixing the molding at the front of the club and attractively repainting it; and (3) collaborating with Ardi on the renovations of the men’s room downstairs.

Member News

Vic Marino will sing in Puccini’s “La Boheme” at the New Rochelle Opera on June 21st, 22nd, 23rd (all at 8 pm) and 24th(3 pm). Performances will be held at the Mooney-Hancock Arts Center, 1354 North Avenue, New Rochelle. Besides Vic’s singing role, Jim Beirne will also grace the stage, taking part in a supporting (non-singing) role as a 19th century French soldier. Anyone wishing more information can contact Vic Marino directly at vctrmar9@gmail.com.