Empire State Games come to White Plains, NY

Saturday, July 28, 2007 

Regions of the Empire State Games

██ Adirondack

██ Central

██ Hudson Valley

██ Long Island

██ New York City

██ Western

The Empire State Games is an annual Olympic-style competition for amateur athletes from the state of New York, United States, encompassing several divisions allowing athletes of all ages to compete. In 2007, it is hosted by Westchester County and takes place July 25–29, 2007. In all, some 6,000 athletes are expected to participate.

"I think the Empire State Games is one of the best things that's happened to Westchester County," Buster LaBarbera, 74, of New Rochelle said. "It's good for the economy and it's just a great thing."

Long Island had made a bid to host the games but lost out to Westchester. "Once done, it's done," said Bob Kenney, region director for Long Island, at the opening ceremonies. "We can't look back. We can't hold grudges." Long Island may submit a bid for the games in 2010 according to Kenney.

Saturday, the Criterium cycling events took place in White Plains. Starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT (UTC-4), races for both men and women began at Martine Avenue at Court Street in downtown White Plains.

Criterium races (those are age brackets for the masters series):

• Masters Men 45-54, 12 miles
• Masters Men 35-44, 18 miles
• Open Men, 31 miles
• Open Women, 18 miles
• Masters Men 55-64, 65+, 10 miles
• Masters Women 35-44, 45-54, 55+, 10 miles

Street closures included: Quarropas Street, Mamaroneck Avenue, Martine Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Parts of Court Street and Grand Street had limited access. Road closures began at 5:00 a.m. The course was basically a large square.

Wikinews was there to cover the men's open event race. Points were awarded for sprints on certain laps. Joe Zaverdas from Commack, New York, representing the Long Island region, won with 75 points. 58 riders participated.

Top 15 finishers

Place	Rider	Hometown	Region	Points	Medal
1	Zaverdas, Joe	Commack	Long Island	75	gold
2	Joslyn, Jay	Grand Island	Western	69	silver
3	Bickford, Geoff	New York	New York City	63	bronze
4	Luther, Mike	Blasdell	Western	57
5	Ferreira, Fernando	Ossining	Hudson Valley	56
6	Schmidt, Robert	Athens	Adirondack	55
7	Lowe, Anthony	Brooklyn	New York City	54
8	Campos, Robert	Nesconset	Long Island	53
9	Danke, Joel	Mount Kisco	Hudson Valley	52
10	Micko, Jan	Glen Cove	Long Island	51
11	Gentice, Gabrielle	White Plains	Hudson Valley	50
12	Swan, Glenn	Freeville	Central	49
13	Nelnychenko, Andrew	Alpine	Central	48
14	Paris, Mark	West Henrietta	Western	47
15	Dekrey, Jesse	Rhinebeck	Hudson Valley	46

Gallery

• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The start/finish line and judges' table
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The crowd cheers on the racers
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The podium for the medal ceremony
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The pit stop for emergency repairs
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  Rider rejoins the race after a quick wheel change
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  The Men's Open Criterium race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  Female cyclists cooling down after their race
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  Results of earlier races posted and signed by the judges
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  Cyclist giving a post-race interview
  Image: SVTCobra.
• 
  Joe Zaverdas (#5), who won the race, is surrounded by his team mates
  Image: SVTCobra.

Sister links

• Empire State Games

Sources

• "Empire State Games: Today's schedule is Games' busiest; numerous medals to be awarded" — The Journal News, July 28, 2007
• "Cyclists close roads in White Plains" — The Journal News, July 28, 2007
• Nicole Neroulias. "Empire State Games cycling to close North Salem roads; traffic likely near other venues" — The Journal News, July 27, 2007
• Andrew Gross. "Volunteers unite during Empire State Games" — The Journal News, July 27, 2007
• Jason Molinet. "No looking back for L.I. -Empire State Games open in Westchester" — Newsday, July 26, 2007

External links

• Empire State Games in Westchester - official site for the event by the host Westchester County, New York
• Empire State Games - official site of the Empire State Games
• City of White Plains - official site of White Plains, New York