Let the FORCE be with Newtown.

By KIM HARMON

Published: Jul 22, 2005 12:00 am

A new 14-and-under travel softball team, the Newtown Force, have performed pretty well in the early stages of their tournament season, finishing runners-up at the Breaker Blowout-Stratford Tournament and then finishing fifth at the Triple Crown Territory Championship-North Branford Tournament.

Their success at the Stratford Tournament has earned the Force an invitation to the PONY Nationals in Sterling, Virginia.

âThis team was formed because we felt the level of competition in the Babe Ruth Softball League was not adequate to prepare the girls for high school competition,â said head coach Jim Robertson. âThe team is unique in that we are still a town team playing against teams that pull girls from all over the state or region.â

The Force consists of 11 players from Newtown and one from Stamford.

âMost of the girls have been playing together since U10,â said coach Robertson, âand we wanted to keep them together as long as possible. They are at the age where they start looking for more competitive teams to play for.â

The Force also competes in the Central Valley Fastpitch League (CVFL); regular-season play will conclude this weekend with the league tournament to follow July 29-30.

The Force opened its tournament season at the New York Challenge-LaGrange Tournament back on June 18 and earned wins over the New York Clash (16-1), Taconic Cyclones (10-0) and New York Challenge (4-2) before losing to the Brewster Rockets (6-1).

At the Connecticut Rapids-Watertown Tournament on June 25, the Force defeated the Stratford Wildcats (4-1) and the Backroads Express (19-2), but fell to the Eliminators Black (9-1) and the Connecticut Magic (4-1).

At the Breaker Blowout, the Force defeated the Connecticut Tigers (11-1), Connecticut Hornets Red (10-2) and Total Kaos (4-2) on the first day to earn a No. 3 seed.

On the second day, the locals defeated the Tigers again (10-3) and rallied from a one-run deficit in the seventh inning to defeat the Eliminators Black (4-3) before falling to Long Island Fire & Ice in the tournament championship (4-1).

And last weekend at the Triple Crown Territory Championship, the locals defeated the Stamford Wildcats (4-0) and Shoreline Sting Blue (9-2) to earn the No. 1 seed.

On the following day, the Force fell to the Sting Blue (9-5) after allowing six runs in the sixth inning and then rallied back to defeat the Connecticut Blast (6-5) while scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

U14s Rally Past Weston

The Newtown Hawks 14-and-under travel team rallied with five runs in the sixth inning and defeated Weston, 12-11, in the Connecticut Babe Ruth state tournament last week. Erin Fish keyed the rally with two hits and 3 RBI in the inning. Katie Kirrane fired three shutout innings late in the game as Kaitlan Marsden and Rachel Marcucilli played solidly in the field.

The win put the Hawks in the fourth round.

U10s Drop Two

The Newtown Babe Ruth 10-and-under travel team dropped decisions to Brookfield (17-10) and Darien (8-2), but defeated the Ridgefield Rockets (18-7).

In the loss to Brookfield, Ali Kennedy, Madison Hauck, Jackie Kissack each had doubles while Erin Begg added two strong hits. Tara Dawley, Taylor Brady, Ashley Cirone, and Jessica Gibbons also hit well for the Hawks.

In the loss to Darien, Begg had two hits as Stephanie Roman, Ali Kennedy and Brady played well in the field and at the plate.

And in the win over Ridgefield, Jessica Jowdy and Hauck hit towering doubles as Maggie Kennedy did well in her pitching debut. Kendall Svanda, Dawley, Gibbons and Cirone hit the ball well. Emma Herring and Colleen Durkin played well in the field.

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Labor Day Closings & Early Deadlines

It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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Let the FORCE be with Newtown.

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