Check out the recap of the evening event with this Bristol Observer Article: Bristol Tramps

Remembering Stacey Porini, the Lydia Jabs Bailey Award Winner from the Class of 2011. Our thoughts are with her family and so many whose lives were touched by this amazing woman.

Here’s a wonderful article from the Bangor Daily News: Stacey Porrini

The Bristol Tramps will hold its 48th Bristol Tramps Sports Reunion dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Friday, April 6th. The organization annually honors individuals and teams whom have achieved significant sports and academic accomplishments. Scholarships are presented to a senior from each of Bristol’s high schools.  The following individuals and team have been selected for this year’s event:

1987 Bristol Eastern Women’s Basketball  Team (Julie Larese Team Award) – Coached by Tony Floyd the 1987 team captured the Class L state championship; one of four state championships achieved by women’s teams at Bristol Eastern High School.

Ryan Cook (Ron Choiniere Award) – Fifteen year old Ryan was diagnosed with William’s Syndrome just before his second birthday. Despite having this development disorder which affects many parts of the body, he participated in athletics and competed in both track and cross country at Terryville High School.

Darrell Darby (Harp Broderick Award) – A basketball captain at St. Paul, Darrell continued his college career at Webber College in Florida and won the NLCAA Championship in 1984. He has coached numerous women’s sports teams throughout the years including softball, soccer and basketball.

Chris D’Amato (Chuck McCarthy Award) – A Bristol Eastern baseball and basketball captain in 1994, Chris went on to play on two national baseball championship teams for ECSU and earned a tournament MVP award. He has also coached several successful softball teams during his career at Bristol Eastern.

Oak Hill Sports and Fitness (Tony Savino Award) –  Located on Upson Street in Bristol, the goal of the facility is to empower the physically disabled (including veterans) by engaging them in adaptive and supportive exercise and health education.

Steve Roberts  (Ed Lodovico Award) – A Bristol Central athlete who was a standout in baseball, Steve also played for the 1974 World Series Bristol American Legion team and several championship teams in the Connecticut Senior Men’s Baseball League.

Jill Nocera Swanson (Committee Award) – Jill was a captain in the three sports at Bristol Central, earning eleven varsity letters and was chosen an All-State player in softball. She received a full athletic scholarship and played at softball at the University of Vermont.

Chryss Watts (Lidia Jabs Bailey Award) – Chryss was a three sports All-State athlete at Bristol Eastern who continued her career in college playing basketball and participating in track and field at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was named captain of the U.S. Women’s Team Handball Team and participated in the 1996 Olympics.

Spec Monico – (Bill Garrett Award) – Spec has long been part of the Bristol sports community as a coach and player. As manager of the Bristol American Legion team, his teams captured two state and five zone one titles. His 2008 team participated in the American Legion World Series.

The Julie Larese Memorial Scholarships winners include Maggie Santacroce of Bristol Eastern (Patricia D’Amato Memorial Scholarship), Pat Kjornrattanawanich of Bristol Central (Frank Scalia Memorial Scholarship), and Kendall Davis of Saint Paul Catholic (John E. Tavera  Memorial Scholarship).

“Following a long time tradition of recognizing sports and academic excellence; The Bristol Tramps are pleased to announce this year’s honorees. We look forward to another well attended event in April ” stated Tramps Chairman Sean Moore.

Tickets for the evening are $40.00 and can be purchased by contacting Dan Valerio at 860-490-5128 or Frank Owsianko at 860-302-4133 or owsianko@comcast.net or any other Bristol Tramps director.

The Bristol Tramps will hold its 48th Bristol Tramps Sports Reunion dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Friday, April 6th. The organization annually honors individuals and teams whom have achieved significant sports and academic accomplishments. Scholarships are presented to a senior from each of Bristol’s high schools. 

Do you have a person you think would be a PERFECT Bristol Tramp Nominee?!  Don’t delay….download the form below and submit your suggestions before October 31 to the Bristol Tramps, PO Box 644, Bristol, CT or submit your nominees via our website! Either way, don’t delay!!

Bristol Tramps 2018 Nominations Form

Check out this great tribute to Maryellen Holden and Donna Papazian. We’re so very fortunate to have them on our team!!

Bristol Press Article April 1, 2017

The Bristol Tramps organization will hold its 47th annual Bristol Tramps Sport Reunion dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Friday, April 7. Each April, the Bristol Tramps Sports Reunion honors nine persons, along with one team, that have made significant contributions to sports in the city of Bristol and award three scholarships to area high school seniors. Here is a list of the 2017 honorees:

John Benoit  – A longtime assistant wrestling coach and teacher at Bristol Eastern, his contributions helped the school’s program become one of the best in the state. Over his career, his program produced many All-Conference and All-State performers who have moved on to the collegiate ranks.

Tami Chapman –  A graduate of Bristol Eastern in 1976, she earned All-State honors in basketball while also playing softball and volleyball for the Lancers. She averaged 20 points-per-game for the women’s squad at Mattatuck Community College in 1978 and earned numerous awards and honors.

Dave Cichon –  A multi-sports athlete from Bristol Eastern in the mid-1960s, he also played on two Bristol American Legion baseball state champion teams and was selected tournament MVP both years. He was a standout in baseball at Amherst College before playing in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.

Challenger LL – The program was founded in Bristol by Ed Beardsley, providing equal opportunities for individuals with developmental and physical challenges. The program is part of Little League Baseball and found worldwide. The Ed Beardsley Discovery Program was also extended to basketball and several other sports.

Jason DeCarolis  – An iconic fan, time keeper, and volunteer at Bristol Central sporting events, Jason ‘Coachie’ DeCarolis continues to bring his own unique focus and intensity to numerous scholastic programs at the school. He’s taken part in over 1,000 games, spanning thirty years and counting.

Forestville Little League – The Forestville All-Stars in 1976 finished fifth in the Williamsport Little League World Series. The team was coached by Bob Watson and managed by Don Roman. Team members included Darryl Oakes, Glenn Totten, Glenn Fortier, Kurt Gabrielson, Reinhard Walker, Brian Rooney, George Springer, Dean Lord, Keith Borkowski, Ricky Edwards, Bob Sardilli, Joey Jandreau, Chris Naime and Tom Policki.

Bob Freimuth – One of the state’s premier baseball coaches, leading Plainville high school to state champions over numerous seasons. His squads captured state titles in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2006 and 2008, capturing state runner-up honors twice. He was named the CHSCA baseball “Coach of the Year” in 1996.

Malcolm Huckaby – An ESPN basketball analyst, he helped lead the Bristol Central boys basketball team to a No. 20 national ranking and a state championship before playing for a Boston College team that reached NCAA Elite Eight in 1994. He played professionally overseas before joining the roster of the Miami Heat in 1996.

Matt Wilson – A former Bristol American Legion baseball player, he went on to play for Stetson University. He is currently an associate professor of sports business at Stetson and written articles on intercollegiate athletic issues for publications such as Time Magazine and USA Today.

Also being awarded that night will be the Julie Larese Memorial Scholarships. Each of the three high schools in town will be represented at the event. Emily Stadnicki of Bristol Eastern who will receive the Patricia D’Amato Memorial Scholarship, Hannah Jones of Bristol Central will be the recipient of the Frank Scalia Memorial Scholarship, and Brigid Johndrow of Saint Paul Catholic will be presented with the John E. Tavera Memorial Scholarship.

“We look forward to a wonderful evening with these honorees, their family and friends, new and long-time attendees, and supporters of our organization” said Sean Moore Bristol Tramps chairman.

Tickets for the evening are $40.00 and can be purchased by contacting Dan Valerio at 860-490-5128 or Frank Owsianko at 860-302-4133 or owsianko@comcast.net.

For more information on the event, go to the Tramps website at www.bristoltramps.org.