Runners gave a friendly wave as they enjoy the Elba scenic route.
Press Release:
Walk or run along rolling country hills and past corn and hayfields to help support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Arc GLOW will be hosting its 20th annual Friends & Family 5K and Fun Walk on September 21. It is an event which gives people of all ages and skill levels an opportunity to participate. It also welcomes and embraces the participation of the people Arc GLOW serves, aligning with their mission to support people with disabilities in partnership with their families and community.
Taste of Country, the signature event within the Friends and Family 5K, features a wonderful display of fruits and vegetables donated by area farmers. Runners, walkers, sponsors and volunteers each have the opportunity to take some home with them.
Arc GLOW expects over 300 runners and walkers this year. The event’s post party features live music by The Buffalo Road Show with Jim and Babe Catino, kid’s activities, food, beverages and award ceremony.
Sandy Konfederath has been the race director since the event began. It originally started in Batavia, but due to planned road reconstruction, the event was moved to the country in 2008.
“It was our best decision ever,” Konfederath said. “Because along with the country route, we incorporated the country theme.”
Mary Anne Graney
The Friends and Family 5K began as a memorial to Mary Anne Graney, a parent, educator, advocate and friend to Arc GLOW who died in 2004. Her dedication to people with IDD and their families enriches countless lives. The Bluebonnet sponsorship is in honor of Graney’s Texas roots.
The Graney family is pleased funds raised in the 5K help support education through the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship program, which is presented to area high school seniors planning to further their studies in human services, special education or related fields. The event also helps fund various programs and services Arc GLOW offers for individuals with IDD.
Terri Carr Krieger
In 2017, the Friends and Family 5K combined forces with the former 5K held in memory of Arc staff member Terri Carr Krieger. Krieger was a longtime employee who lost her battle with cancer in 1997. The Blue Spruce sponsor level is in Krieger’s honor.
Dr. Ramon M. Rocha
Finally, for many years the Livingston-Wyoming 5K was held in memory of Dr. Ramon M. Rocha. He passionately believed in the possibilities of life, and has been an endless source of inspiration for people of all ages and abilities.
A beloved family man and enthusiastic volunteer, the Blue Knight sponsorship connects Dr. Rocha to SUNY Geneseo where he was a respected professor.
“We’ve had sponsors and donors support us in this event since day one,” Konfederath said. “It’s an inclusive event for people of all abilities, and we’re so incredibly thankful for the continued support we receive to make sure this can happen every year.”
The Friends & Family 5K will take place Sept. 21 where check-in begins at 8:45 a.m. and the race beings at 10 a.m. Race t-shirts will be guaranteed for all participants who register by Sept. 10 and until quantities last for walk-ins. It will be held at the Arc Day Habilitation Center, located at 4603 Barrville Road in Elba.
For anyone who wishes to sponsor the 5K, contact Sandy Konfederath at (585) 343-1123 ext. 1715 or skonfederath@arcglow.org by Aug. 26.
Walkers and runners wishing to pre-register and save can do so online at ArcGLOW.org/Event/Friends-Family-5K-and-Fun-Walk or by contacting Konfederath. Runners cost $25 and walkers are $20.
Submitted photos.
Runners and walkers register for the 2023 Friends & Family 5K.
Friends & Family 5K’s Taste of Country offers free vegetables to participants courtesy of local farmers.
Yesterday at Pinnacle Athletic Complex in Victor the Batavia Blue Devils indoor track squad set the bar higher with new personal records in multiple events.
Since announcing the start of the season in January the double-digit Section V squad for both boys and girls have had challenges to overcome.
Head indoor track Coach Nicholas Burk said “Our athletes have now been practicing for five weeks and we're just starting to see the results of consistent training. It takes time to see results from our workouts, but we're reaching that point of our season where our athletes times and performances are going to start improving.”
In a phone interview after the meet, Burk spoke about new rules with COVID-19 for student athletes, training and the outlook this season.
"We've been very fortunate for the opportunity to practice and honestly besides keeping small separate groups in practice, we've been able to have pretty consistent and productive training," the coach said. "We've been utilizing the weight room, Van Detta, the high school gyms, and running outside for practice.
"With approximately 80 athletes involved, we've had to use multiple locations to keep our groups small. We have two remaining league meets but are looking for some event specific meets to go to as well. Some of our pole vaulters went to a pole vault meet at Gates, and we're hosting a high jump/shot put meet this week.
"Sectionals is on March 7th and our girls’ team will be competing for their 17th Sectional Championship and our boys are looking for their 10th. We don't have all of the information for Sectionals yet, but we expect it will be a very tough meet with great competition. We'll keep working towards our goals try to be ready to compete March 7th.
Frank Gioia, of Batavia, was photographed in Buffalo in September when he won first place in his age group in the USA Track and Field Championships.
Frank Gioia has been serious about running since he was young. He's 65 now.
A son of Babe and Dolly Gioia, Frank was born and grew up in Batavia, where he ran all through high school, he said. He was the first one from Batavia to qualify for cross country in the state championships, he said.
He attended Genesee Community College for two years, and for about five years took a break from running to play softball.
“Back then, everybody was playing softball,” Gioia said. “There were ball teams then all over town.”
As a young man, he had married the former Pattie Walker and had three children, during which time his running took a back seat. He went to work as a welding foreman for the railroad, retiring from CSX Transportation.
Now, as a senior citizen, with time to devote to his love of running and the desire to keep fit, he is chalking up some wins on the USA Track and Field circuit.
In 2016, Gioia placed eighth in a USA National 5K Championship road race in Massachusetts. This past August, he was third our of 15 in the nation in a 5K road race in Atlanta, with a time of 21 minutes 6 seconds.
In his most recent victory, he finished first among 14 in the nation in September in the USA Track and Field Championships in Buffalo with a time of 21 minutes 36 seconds.
His first-place finish was 30 seconds longer because it was in the grass in Delaware Park, Gioia said, while the Atlanta race was on pavement. All races were in age groups.
He has also traveled to races in San Francisco and Virginia.
He thinks what attracted him to running was because you don’t have to be a member of a team to run.
“I always enjoyed running, and I could just go run any time I wanted to,” Gioia said. “And when you do good, that makes it all the more pleasurable.”
Although all of his children and three grandchildren are serious about sports, none shared his passion for running.
During good weather, he runs nearly every day, but during the winter he runs on the treadmill at the YWCA four days a week.
He is going to take a break for three or four weeks while he waits for next year’s schedule for the national races to come out.
“I have accomplished everything I really wanted to do, and I’m happy now just maintaining what I’m doing,” Gioia said.
Gioia just learned he has been named The Buffalo News “Runner of the Year” in the 65 to 69 age group. Out of the seven races in the series, he won the first six and placed second in the last race.
He also recalled several other honors to his credit, including running the 1983 Philadelphia Distance Classic half marathon in one hour and nine minutes. That placed him 55 out of more than 3,000 runners.
In 1984, he ran the Skylon International Marathon in two hours and 29 minutes, placing seventh out of 1,153 runners.
And, in 1985 and 1986, he won gold medals at the New York Empire State Games in the 10K on the track.
Photo below: In August, Frank Gioia, of Batavia, placed third in the nation in the Masters 5K USA Track and Field Championships in Atlanta.
Batavia High School Indoor Track Team won the boys and girls Section V -- Class C Titles last night at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester.
This makes 31 sectional titles for the batavia track team and back-to-back indoor titles in the last two years.
Seniors Anthony Ray won both shot put and weight throw. Eric Davis won the 55 hurdles, Kiaya Franklin won the 300 and took third in the 600m. Kaitlin Ange took third in weight throw.
Juniors Emily Caccamise won the 1500m race walk, Briana Bromley won the 3000meters. Evan Bartz came in third in weight throw. Elizabeth Cohen took second in the pole vault and third in the 55 hurdles. Jalesa Smith took third in the long jump.
For more results click here: http://live.yentiming.com/#/results/meet/364
This morning the Batavia Kiwanis Club hosted its annual 5K race at Centennial Park in Batavia. More than 150 people participated. More than 30 sponsors locally contributed to the event with signs, food, drinks, T-shirts and prizes for top two finishers in each age group.
Pictured below is Nick Guarino who won the overall race with a time of 16:39 and his sister, Kristen Guarino, who was the first woman to win with a time of 20:26.
Top two finishers in each age group:
Male:
19 and under – Zak Jantzi 18:08, John Bruggman 19:43
20-29 – Nick Guarino 16:39, Collin Mulcahy 16:46
30-39 – EJ Boyce 16:54, Dave Bateman 19:43
40-49 – John Kirkwood 19:46, Joseph Ciecierega 20:55
50-59 – Kevin Sheenan 16:02, James Lane 18:29
60-69 – Frank Gioia 17:35, Rich Kutter 19:16
Female:
19 and under- Maggie Anderson 24:03, Emily Caccamise 26:40
This is the third 5K as part of the Genesee County Race Series sponsored by the United Way.
The next race is The Oatka on July 15th and remaining races are:
Don Carroll Aug.19th, Jaycees Labor Day Sept 4th, Friends and Family Sept. 16th, Run for the ACORNS on Oct. 1st and YWCA Stiletto and Sneaker on Oct. 5th.
For more photos click here: http://steveognibenephotography.zenfolio.com/p508367717
For the second year in a row, the Batavia Blue Devils boys outdoor track team captured the Section V title at the host school, Honeoye Falls Lima, yesterday evening. Batavia finished with 110 points over second place rival U-Prep, which scored 88 points.
Highlights of their success include junior Anthony Ray winning both the discus throw event at 43.81 meters and shot put at 16.54 meters, setting a new school shot put record. Senior Frederick Cunningham took third place in both the triple jump and high jump. Senior Andrew Mruczek took first in the long jump with 6.64 meters.
Boys relay teams placed third in both 4x100 and 4x400 and took second in the 4x8. Senior Campbell Anderson finished fourth in both the 800-meter run and pole vault and senior Sam Bartz took fifth in the pole vault. Julio Vazquez took second in the 110 meter hurdles and fourth in the 400-meter hurdles. Eric Davis took took in both the 400-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash. Andrew Mruczek took second in the 200-meter dash.
Last year sectional winners Batavia girls outdoor track team finished last night in third place overall with 63 points. Iaya Franklin finished second place in the 100- and 400-meter dash and first in the 200-meter dash. Claire Zickl finshed fourth in the 800-meter run. Batavia girls took first in the 4x400-meter relay. Sophomore Lizzie Cohen placed first in the pole vault. Senior Tanner Kolb finished third in the discus. Edmarie Calderon-Torres finished fifth in the pentathlon.
This marks Batavia track and field with their 29th Sectional Championship in program history.
The Notre Dame Cross Country Team traveled to Buffalo to participate in the West Seneca Invitational at Sunshine Recreational Park on Saturday.
The Notre Dame Girls Team prior to racing
The lady Irish finished in 6th place in the small school division with 137 points. Laurie Call ran the 3.1 mile course in 20:25 to place 6th with teammate Anna Warner in 10th place with 20:34. Emily McCracken placed 40th (23:06), Shelby McGinnis 43rd (23:33) and Abby Bleier 52nd (24:01) to score for the Irish. Also in the race was Emily Sherman placing 80th and Rose Flumerfeldt 90th.
Anna Warner and Laurie Call at the start
Emily McCracken, Abby Bleier and Emily Sherman
Shelby McGinnis
Rose Flumerfeldt on her way to the finish
Anna Warner and Laurie Call with their top ten medals
The Irish also had representation in the Freshman/Sophomore race with Serena Strollo-DiCenso placing 16th in 24:20 and classmate Isabelle Bliss in 17th with 24:21.
Serena Strollo-DiCenso and Isabelle Bliss
The boys finished in 11th place in the small school race behind the tight 4-pack of Ryan Fuller in 56th (19:50), Justin Carlson in 59th (20:02), Dylan Fix in 61st (20:03) and Dennis Bleier in 66th (20:17). Bryan Moscicki closed the gap to finish 97th in 22:01. Caleb Nellis (24:30) and Ryan Shormann (28:30) also represented the Irish.
The Notre Dame boy's and girl's Cross Country teams opened up their season going 3 -1, beating Byron Bergen, Mount Morris, and Cal-Mum. Big school Wayland-Cohocton were able to knock off the Irish.
Anna Warner led the girls finishing 2nd in the race with Laurie Call in third. Emily McCracken finished 9th, Shelby McGinnis 13th, Abby Bleier 15th, Serena Strollo-DiCenso 16th, Isabelle Bliss 18th, Emily Sherman 24th and Rose Flumerfeldt 29th. Byron Bergen was led by 5th place finisher Kim Lovett and 10th place finisher Charlene Clay. Byron Bergen beat Mt. Morris and Cal-Mum.
The Notre Dame boy's team was able to place 3 in the top ten with Ryan Fuller leading the way in 5th place, Dylan Fix 7th, and Dennis Bleier 8th. Justin Carlson placed 11th, Bryan Moscicki 18th, Caleb Nellis 31st and Ryan Shormann 34th. Byron Bergen finished 2nd and third in the race from the efforts of Robbie Schrenker and Sean Donovan respectively. The Byron Bergen boys beat Mt. Morris. Cal-mum's Everett Gieger easily won the race in 17:54, 2:15 faster than 2nd place.
Next up for the Irish is the West Seneca Invitational at Sunshine Park on Saturday.
The Notre Dame Cross Country Team opened up its 2013 season at the 4th annual Dash-in-the-Dark 2 mile relay at Oakfield High School. The race consists of a 3 person relay, with each leg completing 2 laps of a one mile course....under the lights!!!!!
The girls relay of Laurie Call, Emily McCracken, and Anna Warner finished 3rd among the small schools. Laurie Call had the 2nd fastest time among the 16 competing small schools and ove 60 runners, running 12:29.40 and Anna Warner was the 5th fastest running 12:49.18. Emily ran 13:58.42. The 'B' relay of Shelby McGinnis (14:27.26), Emily Sherman (15:43.59) and Serena Strollo-DiCenso(15:14.15) finished in 12th. Abby Bleier (14:56.34) and Rose Flumerfeldt (16:12.73) also represented the Irish.
The boys team split up to have a little inter-team competition, with the relay squad of Ryan Fuller (12:12.95), Dennis Bleier (12:44.22), and Bryan Moscicki (14:02.83) taking 12th place among the small school and the relay of Jusitn Carlson (12:17.17), Dylan Fix (12:36.85), and Caleb Nellis (16:10.98) finishing 22nd. Ryan Shormann also completed his first XC race covering the 2 mile in 16:30.
The Irish open up their regular season Tuesday at Genesee County Park Course 2 at Area A off Raymond Road.
It was a sweet repeat for Notre Dame Senior Jeffrey Antolos at the New York State Cross-country Championships at Elma Meadows. Jeffrey won the Class C race to become only the 5th Section V cross-country runner in history to ever win more than one XC State Title.
Jeff's time of 15:41 beat out second place by 26 seconds and was the 7th fastest time of the day. Jeff will next compete at the NXN Northeast National Qualifier on November 24 at Bowdoin Park in Wappinger Falls.
The girls' team made ND history by placing 4th in Class D to become the best placing XC state team in ND's history. The Irish were led by 9th-place finisher Laurie Call who covered the course at Elma Meadows in 19:42. Anna Warner's third state meet garnered her a 20th place finish with her time of 20:09. Emily McCracken wasn't too far behind in taking 29th place with her time of 20:35.
Shelby McGinnis rose up to run her best race of the year with her time of 21:38, good for 54th place. Rose Flumerfeldt was again ND's 5th girl, running 24:33 and placing 93rd, with Madison Gluck closing out her high school cross-country career with a time of 25:28 and a 99th-place finish, while Emily Sherman took advantage of the day to run 26:16 good for 105th place.
Congratulations to all the runners and their parents on a great 2012 cross-country season, one of the best in NDXC history!
The Notre Dame Cross Country Teams raced in the GRAA/LCAA Cross Country Championships at Leroy High School with some strong performances in the unseasonably warm weather.
In the girls race, Anna Warner claimed the Division III individual title, covering the soggy course in 19:57. Laurie Call placed 3rd in the division with 20:20 and Shelby McGinnis took 9th in the division with 21:41. Emily McCracken placed 11th with 21:33. Madison Gluck ran 24:52, Rose Flumerfeldt 25:14, and Emily Sherman 26:09.
In the boys' race, Jeff Antolos took the D III individual title running 16:02, with Arron Carlson placing 4th in the division at 17:50. Justin Carlson place 12th in 18:47, Dennis Bleier ran 19:11, Ryan Fuller 19:52, Alec Covel 20:07, and Bryan Mosicki 21:21.
Selected Genesee Region All-Stars included Anna Warner, Laurie Call, Emily McCracken, Jeffrey Antolos, and Arron Carlson. Shelby McGinnis and Justin Carlson were honorable mention.
The team will next compete at the Section V Championships at Genesee Community College on November 3rd. Boys will race at 11:00 and the girls at 11:30.
It was a great fall day to be out at Genesee County Park for the final regular season meet for the Notre Dame Cross Country Teams. Both the boys and girls swept Alexander, Attica, Pembroke and Pavilion on 'Senior Night.' With the wins, the girls team clinched the Division III GR/LCAA title, last accomplished in 2002. Laurie Call was the race winner in 19:54 and Anna Warner was second with 20:05. Emily McCracken was fourth in 20:32, Shelby McGinnis placed 8th in 21:12 and Rose Flumerfeldt rounded out the scoring in 19th with 23:32. The rest of the Irish pack took 20th through 22nd with Hannah Pingrey (23:57), Madison Gluck (24:18) and Emily Sherman (24:36).
In the boys meet, Jeff Antolos added another course record to his name running a 15:28 to smash the old record of 16:08. Arron Carlson took 4th with 17:14, Justin Carlson 5th in 18:01 and Dennis Bleier sprinted past Alec Covel in 18:42 to take 10th and 11th respectively. Ryan Fuller placed 13th in 19:08 and Bryan Moscicki placed 23rd (21:24).
The Irish will next be in action at the GRLCAA Championships (Counties) on Thursday, October 25 at Leroy High School, with the first race going off at 4:30.
The Notre Dame Girls Cross Country team captured second place at the Dragon Invitational at Pembroke Town Park. The ladies were led by third place finisher Laurie Call in 20:04 followed by Anna Warner in 4th place in 20:14. Shelby McGinnis moved up to the third Irish spot with her 12th place finish in 21:28. Emily McCracken placed 19th in 22:25 and Rose Flumerfeldt rounded out scoring in taking 32nd (24:02). Hannah Pingrey was 34th (24:15), Madison Gluck 35th (24:19), and Emily Sherman 39th (25:14).
The Boy's team placed third in the invite with Jeffrey Antolos smashing the course record and winning the race by 1 1/2 minutes in 15:38. Arron Carlson rebounded from Tuesday's ambulance visit to place 3rd in 17:32. Justin Carlson placed 17th in 19:00, Dennis Bleier moved up the ranks to place 20th in 19:24, Alec Covel 22nd in 19:44, Ryan Fuller 26th in 20:01 and Bryan Moscicki 33rd in 20:51.
The Irish are in action on Tuesday at Genesee County Park Course 1 at 5:00 and will recognize the senior runners in their final league meet.
The Notre Dame girl’s cross country team took all four races yesterday at Byron Bergen High School to improve to 15 – 2. The Lady Irish dominated Leroy, Dansville, and Lima Christian and got by Byron Bergen by one point, 28-29. Shelby McGinnis was the deciding factor in the girl’s race with her 9th place overall finish in 21:36. Anna Warner broke away in the last mile to comfortably win the race in 20:32, with teammate Laurie Call taking second in 20:55. Emily McCracken placed 6th with 21:18 to help the Irish to the victory. Other ND finishers included Rose Flumerfeldt in 24:00 to take 15th place, Hannah Pingrey 24:03 to take 16th place, Madison Gluck 25:19 to place 21st and Emily Sherman 25:40 to place 23rd.
In the boy’s race, the Irish were victorious over Leroy, Lima Christian and Byron Bergen, but fell to undefeated Dansville to move to 12 - 5 on the season. Jeff Antolos won the race by almost two minutes, running 16:16. Justin Carlson picked up 7th place in 18:49, with Alec Covel taking 13th in 19:31 and Ryan Fuller and Dennis Bleier placing 18th and 19th with 19:41 and 19:42. Arron Carlson finished the race in 23rd after having an allergic reaction to Byron Bergen in the first mile and Bryan Moscicki placed 35th in 22:26.
The girl's Notre Dame cross country team had an easy time last night at Avon High School. The Irish swept the field of Avon, Mount Morris, Hornell, and Kendall. Shelby McGinnis led the Irish attack on the first loop of the course to set up her 6th place finish over the final stretch. Laurie Call and Anna Warner broke away from Shelby to finish 2nd and 3rd in the race. Madison Gluck and Rose Flumerfeldt finished 8th and 9th respectively to round out the scoring. Hannah Pingrey placed 12th and Emily Sherman recovered from an early fall in the race to finish 17th. The girls are now 11 - 2 on the season.
The boy's team fell to Kendall by one point without their #3 guy. Ryan Fuller, Alec Covel and Dennis Bleier stepped up with big races to give the Irish 3 of 4 wins with their 12th, 13th, 14th place finish. Arron Carlson ran a season best 5K time in taking third, while Jeff Antolos cruised to an easy victory, breaking the course record by 45 seconds. The boys are now 9 - 4.
The Notre Dame XC teams had great showings on Saturday at the McQuaid Invitational at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester.
It was a great day for Jeffrey Antolos as he led his team in the seeded race, finishing a close second in 14:55 which tied for the fastest time by a Section V runner. It is the first time a Notre Dame runner has broken the 15:00 barrier over a 3 mile course. Arron Carlson ran a strong race in 17:47 to place 47th. Alec Covel placed 133rd (18:21), Ryan Fuller 156th (18:59), Dennis Bleier 165th (19:23) and Bryan Mosicki 179th (20:37). The team finished in 20th place in the 28 team field.
The girls team finished in 14th place in the elite seeded race. Laurie Call led the Irish running 19:31 to place 39th with Anna Warner close behind in 19:36 and 42nd place. Emily McCracken was the next to cross the line in 20:11 and 65th place. Shelby McGinnis finished 108th (21:06), Rose Flumerfeldt 160th (23:12), Madison Gluck 165th (23:23), Hannah Pingrey 177th (24:04), and Emily Sherman 189th (25:03).
Both the boy's and girl's cross country teams grabbed three of four at Oatka Park tonight. The teams triumphed over Holley, Cal-Mum and Geneseo, but fell to Way-Co. Jeff Antolos was again untouchable winning by his usual minute over second place with a 16:14. Arron Carlson placed 7th in the race in 18:00 and brother Justin was 10th in 18:41. Ryan Fuller ran to place 20th (20:00), Alec Covel was 23rd (21:03), Dennis Bleier 25th (21:32) and Bryan Mosicki 32nd (23:00).
In the girl's race Emily McCracken paced the Irish placing 4th in 20:52, with Laurie Call 5th in 21:10 and Anna Warner 7th with 21:17. Shelby McGinnis placed 12th (22:59), Madison Gluck was 19th (24:43), Rose Flumerfeldt placed 21st (26:25), Hannah Pingrey was 25th (26:45) and Emily Sherman was 28th (27:21).
