Big Day For Basketball - Giorno & Harmon Tourney And Hoop Shoot Draw Players To The Courts

By ANDY HUTCHISON

Published: Nov 21, 2008 12:00 am

Big Day For Basketball â Giorno & Harmon Tourney And Hoop Shoot Draw Players To The Courts

The Giorno & Harmon Memorial 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament was held at the new Newtown Youth Academy and the Newtown Parks and Recreation Departmentâs 16th Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot took place at the Reed Intermediate School gymnasium on Saturday.

Proceeds from the memorial tourney go to the Giorno Scholarship Fund and Harmon Family Fund.

The tourney is held in memory of John Giorno, a friend of Newtown basketball programs, and Kim Harmon, the former sports editor at The Bee.

âItâs really a nice community event,â said Kathy Giorno, Johnâs widow, who was on hand along with volunteer students, parents, and coaches from town to run the daylong event. John Giornoâs mother, Anna, made her specialty meatballs and other family members and friends were on hand to officiate games, sell food, and keep things running smoothly.

Tournament coordinator and Newtown High boysâ basketball Coach John Quinn said the tourney gives up-and-coming basketball enthusiasts an opportunity to play and allows for his high school players to work in the community. The Youth Academy provided its facility and equipment for the day.

Those interested in contributing donations may send checks to âGCCFâ at PO Box 805, Newtown, CT 06470.

Winning raffle ticket information (item and ticket number) from the tourney is as follows:

(All items are available at the Recreation office)

PSP Theater ExperienceÂ Â Â Â Â 48357

Jim Calhoun golf capÂ Â Â Â Â 48465

Rutgers basketball shirtÂ Â Â Â Â 48674

DePaul T ShirtÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48853

DePaul T ShirtÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48294

St Thomas More shirtÂ Â Â 48846

SHU PoloÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48816

St Thomas sweatshirtÂ Â Â 48856

Nike Hoops T ShirtÂ Â 48680 Cleveland State T ShirtÂ Â 48809 Cribbage SetÂ Â Â Â Â 48888 LEGO Knights KingdomÂ 48399 Bionicles/LEGO SetÂ Â Â 48464 Bionicles/LEGOÂ Â 48121 $25 Pier 1 Gift cardÂ 48062 Hover CopterÂ Â Â Â 48282 STM Camp ShirtÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48581

Hoop Shooters Take Aim Â Â Â Â

Across the street the Reed gym, children and parents or other relatives joined forces to compete in the annual shooting contest. Winners are as follows:

Ages 5-and-younger: First place, Shaine Luzietti and dad Jim, 39 points; second: Braden Murphy and dad Mike, 37.

Ages 6-8: First, Sarah Houle and dad Bob, 42; Second: Brian Vanderhave and Bob Houle 40.

Ages 9-10: First, Emily Bell and dad Stephen, 36; second: Austin Kasbarian and dad Bill, 34.

Ages 11-13: Jordan Salvesen and Dave Mumma, 39; second: Bobby Lynch and dad Bob, 36.

The Recreation Department thanks Big Y, Stop & Shop, Carluzziâs and Stew Leonardâs for their donations.

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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.

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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.

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Big Day For Basketball - Giorno & Harmon Tourney And Hoop Shoot Draw Players To The Courts

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