Photos provided
Justin Scheid at the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Scheid and Monico are both 2004 graduates of Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta.
“It was a big month,” Scheid said. “(Being selected) did surprise me. I definitely enjoyed having being nominated.”
By Alexis Tarrazi (Straus News)
Team Eastern in Boston prior to the race.
BOSTON — Local runners from Team Eastern took to the streets of Boston on Patriot’s Day, April 21 and conquered.
Soaking in the crowd’s excitement helped drive each one to the finish line.
“The spectators were so energizing!” said Laura DeLea of Sparta. “They lined the streets 20 rows deep for 26.2 miles… Music blasting, fans cheering, the people of Massachusetts thanking us as we ran for not giving up on Boston and for being there for them. I can’t explain it… It made me laugh, it made me cry but most of all it made me keep on going even when I thought I had nothing left.”
The running group, made up of 11 locals across Sussex County, each finished the Boston Marathon. Some even ran a personal best — including Brendan McDonough of Sparta, Paul Meyer of Hackettstown and Lauren Huffman of Branchville.
Sparta Ski Hawks in pyramid formation.
By Alexis Tarrazi – Straus News
SPARTA — Local dare devils on the Mohawk Ski Hawks get their adrenaline fix as they careen across lake waters at speeds up to 65 mph all while balancing on two pieces of wood and tethered to the back of a speed boat by a rope.
“I think its really fun,” said Arianna Genovese, 15 of Sparta.
Ariana has been water skiing since she was seven and loves it.
“My dad loves to ski and I used to always come to his shows and thought it looked fun,” Ariana said.
The Ski Hawks recently competed at the National Show Ski Eastern Region competition in Northampton, Mass. on July 26 to 28. The Ski Hawks came in third place overall but had bragging rights for several other events where they placed.
Marlee taking down her opponent in the nationals.
“She was cheering as a cheerleader and my husband was coaching football. He was one kid short, so he turned to me and said, ‘I’m putting her in,'” said Crissy Smith, Marlee’s mother. “She was this little thing but a tough kid, so we threw football pads on her and she went out there and that was the end of cheerleading.”
Football was the transition Marlee needed to explore another predominantly boys sport, wrestling.
By Alexis Tarrazi – Straus News
Photo by Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Pictured from left: Jim Miller punches Kamal Shalorus during their lightweight bout at UFC 128 at the Prudential Center on March 19, 2011 in Newark.
With a record of 22 wins, 4 losses and zero draws, Miller is ready to claim one more victory this weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, April 27.
Originally from Sparta and still living in Sussex County, Miller, 29, trains twice a day, five to six days a week at four to six hour sessions, out of Whippany and Fair Lawn with wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, live sparring and more to prepare for fights.
By Alexis Tarrazi – Straus News
Matthew Carlson, a native of Sparta, takes one last photo a mile shy of the finish line at Boston Marathon moments before he was stopped from completing the race due to two bomb explosions that killed three people and injured at least 176 on Monday, April 15 in Massachusetts.
Sierra Blasone is the only female wrestler on Sparta High School’s male wrestling team.
SPARTA — Women and wrestling? Not exactly what comes to mind when thinking of the sport. Yet females across the country are making headlines.
Danielle Coughlin, a teen girl in Massachusetts, became the first female wrestler to win the state championship last week. A mixed martial arts competition with nuances of wrestling — the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) — also brought women to the limelight when it held its first female match on Saturday.
Making headlines in Sparta, Sierra “Sissy” Blasone, a sophomore at Sparta High School, is the only female wrestler on the varsity team.
This is the third and final installment in a series of articles that featured women playing in men’s sports.
Peter Yarrow.
BY ALEXIS TARRAZI – Straus News
“It has great significance today,” said Yarrow in a phone interview with Straus News. “It is of course about prejudice, about racism. But in a very humourous, delightful way.”
Titled “I’m in Love with a Big Blue Frog,” the story — which includes music by Peter, Paul and Mary — follows a young woman who is in love with a big blue frog. Throughout the book, they encounter ridicule from neighboring animals about the value of their homes going down when they move in and the disapproving looks and comments. Throughout it all the woman stays positive and does not care what others think about her relationship to her loved one.
Alexis Tarrazi 