Jean DePlacido
When former Hamilton-Wenham basketball star Crystal Papanickolas received a letter from Regis College recently, she thought it another one of those requests for a donation.
That is, until she read the word "congratulations".
Papanickolas found out she was about to be inducted into the Regis Athletic Hall of Fame along with all of her teammates from the 1996-97 Commonwealth Coast Conference championship team.
"I was so surprised when I got the letter," said Papanickolas. "They only started inducting people recently, and it was a very nice ceremony. We had a brunch at the college for all the players and their guests. They presented us with nice glass vases as trophies."
A 5-foot-9 1/2 forward/center, Papanickolas was a freshman on that team which went to the ECAC Tournament. Unfortunately, that was the last time she was able to play basketball, a sport she had loved since taking it up in the fifth grade at Shore Country Day School in Beverly. A torn ACL, suffered during practice in her freshman year at Regis, marked the end of her playing days.
After being named a Cape Ann League all-star in her senior year of high school and receiving the Most Improved Player award from the Lady Generals, Papanickolas was looked at by both Regis and Union College for basketball.
She also ran for the CAL champion cross country team at Hamilton-Wenham and participated in spring track, running the 100 and 200 and doing the triple jump. Prior to that, she had played softball and was a goalie for the girls lacrosse team at Shore Country Day.
"My basketball days are behind me now, although my brother Nick and sister-in-law Kristin (both assistant coaches for the Peabody High girls basketball team ) keep trying to get me involved again," said Papanickolas, who got her law degree at Mass. School of Law and is now a clerk at her father's law practice. Maybe someday I will, but right now we're so busy at the law office I don't have the time."
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A year ago the first Charity Flag Football Day was held in miserable weather, but despite the condtions it was a fun-filled day. North Shore Youth Flag Football League founder Austin Bradshaw is hoping for a sunny Sunday, March 28 when the second annual event kicks off.
This one promises to be bigger and better, with the police and fire departments in Peabody, Salem, Beverly and Lynn playing to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation that helps dreams come true for terminally ill youngsters.
Adding Beverly and Salem to the mix means there will be four games at Manning Field in Lynn, beginning at 9 a.m. And for the first time, all of the money raised will go to Make A Wish.
"By pooling the money we can have a greater impact instead of dividing it up into smaller amounts for different charities like we did last year," said Bradshaw. "A charity that benefits kids is a no-brainer."
Last year, the Lynn Firemen beat Peabody Fire, and the Lynn police prevailed on overtime against the Peabody cops.
Bradshaw said the addition of departments from Beverly and Salem provides great rivalry against many guys, who played against each other in high school.
"We'll have four different games starting one right after the other on the hour," said Dan Dean of the Peabody Fire Department, who is organizing his team for the second straight year.
"I coached in Peabody Flag Football for four years when my kids played; it's a great sport, and the kids love it. The parents like the fact there's not a lot of contact so kids don't get hurt, and the price is right. I'm happy to help out for a very good cause, and every cent we make goes to Make A Wish. This is a great day for families."
"It's all for a great cause, and the games between departments get very competitive," said Eric Ricci, who is organizing the Peabody Police for the second year. "We had a great time playing in the rain and mud last year; we were like little kids out there.
"My daughter and son got involved when they were young, and now my eight-year old is playing. When I coached I had 10 kids, and my rule was nobody could run the ball again until everybody had a turn."
Tickets are $5 and are available at the gate on the day of the event. They can also be purchased from the various police and fire departments or by calling Ricci at 978-265-4138 for tickets.
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New England Patriots starting linebacker Gary Guyton will be at the Vitamin Shoppe in Peabody March 20 from 1-3 p.m. with all proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Guyton has been signing autographs and making several appearances for charities recently. Items will be auctioned off, and fans can register for the Reebok All American Showcase.
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St. John's Prep elected football captains for next year online for the first time, and the results were so close that four have been chosen. Quarterback/strong safety Chris Coady, wingback/cornerback Tyler Coppola, defensive end Ryan Delisle and offensive tackle Nate Cyr will share captain's duties for the Eagles.
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Jean DePlacido is a part-time writer and columnist for The Salem News. Contact her at jmdeplacido@aol.com.
