Monthly Archives: May 2022

Lyme-Old Lyme Tennis Girls Remain Unbeaten, “They are Determined Players … and it Shows” (Coach Rahr)

Posted on by
Reply

The undefeated Lyme-Old Lyme High School team gathers for a celebratory photo. All photos by A. Fenton.

OLD LYME — The Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) girls’ tennis team is enjoying a truly remarkable season. Look at the scoresheets below and you will see that the girls not only remain undefeated, but also have hardly dropped an individual match this season.

Abby Sicuranza demonstrates the strength of her serve in this game against Morgan. Sicuranza is the Wildcats’ #1 singles player.

Coach Lauren Rahr admits with complete honesty that this situation is something, “I don’t think I have fully wrapped my head around.”

Rahr, who is a math teacher at LOLHS, recalls that “Last year was truly a dream season with all we accomplished and how it all flowed together so well,” but notes, “This year has presented different challenges.”

Asked how she would summarize the team’s performance to date this season, Rahr responded, “From last season to this season, I have seen a lot of growth and maturity from all of my players.”

Elaina Morosky is having a terrific season regularly playing in the #3 or #4 singles spot.

She said they had clearly put in a great deal of time in the off-season to continue improving their games, and as a result, “… came into this season with specific goals in mind that they want to accomplish both as individuals and as a team.”

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Girl’s Tennis Coach Lauren Rahr celebrates her team’s continuing success in this photo with her father, Dave Rahr, who serves as the team’s Junior Varsity Coach. Photo submitted.

She added, “Every match we go out and play, they continue to amaze me. There are always things we can continue to improve upon, but overall, they are determined players this year and it shows, not only in how they carry themselves but also in how they play each point.”

The #3 doubles partnership of senior Fiona Hufford and junior Izadora Reynolds has played some memorable games.

Expanding on how she feels when she is watching a match, Rahr said she finds herself thinking, “Wow, I am so lucky to have a team that is not only this strong, but this passionate about what they do.” She explained that this year she feels  they are trusting themselves more, noting, “You can see them playing smart tennis on the court, while also taking the risk of applying new skills and strategies we have talked about.”

Sam Tan, who regularly plays in the #2 singles spot, celebrates after winning her game at Waterford following a third set tie-breaker.

Rahr says Old Lyme’s toughest opponent so far this season has been Westbrook since, going into it, the girls knew they were going to be facing strong competition, which meant they were eagerly anticipating the match. The expectation was fulfilled with three out of the seven matches going to three sets, with, in Rahr’s words, “Each of them a battle. You could feel the energy on the sidelines just watching all of the matches finish.”

From left to right, Lyme-Old Lyme 2nd doubles sophomore Aggie Hunt, 1st doubles Junior Livie Bass,  1st doubles Junior Alexis Fenton, and 2nd doubles Sophomore Beatrice Hunt celebrate their respective wins over Waterford.

Recalling one of her favorite memories of the season was during the Westbrook match when the whole team was sitting at the fence watching the Old Lyme #3 finish her third set. Then, “As soon as she was done, they all sprinted down to the #3 doubles with their blankets and snack bags just in time for them to hit a volley winner to end the match.”

Callie Bass always comes through with a strong game.

Rahr said, “It was nice to see them all support each other. It is moments like these that not only bring a team together, but remind everyone why they chose to play tennis.” She explained, “Playing better competition brings out the best in teams, and I was happy to see the girls step up to the challenge so early on in the season.”

Elaina Morosky (at front in photo) has played consistently well throughout the season.

Questioned as to the factors to which she credited the team’s amazing success, Rahr replied, “This is a tough question as I have thought about this often recently. There have been so many factors that have come together to contribute to our team’s success: the new courts, the passion of the girls, the support of families…just to name a few.”

The Lyme-Old Lyme #1 doubles team of juniors Alexis Fenton (right) and Livie Bass handily defeated their Morgan opponents.

She continued, “Many people have asked me, “Is it that you are a good coach or is it that they are just good players?” In her always humble fashion, she commented, “I like to think it is a little of both. We both work together to bring out the best in each other, and that has allowed us to reach our goals and create a team chemistry that I will truly never forget.”

The Waterford and Old Lyme coaches review the rules prior to the match against Waterford. The Old Lyme girls stand to the left and the Waterford team to the right.

Reviewing the season as a whole, Rahr concluded on an upbeat note, “Another thing I think that is really important is that we take each match as a new opportunity to play the sport we love.”

Here are the results of the most recent games with the LOL players indicated in blue.

Tuesday, May 3
Old Lyme Defeats Coginchaug 6-1 

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Piper Remillard 2-6, 1-6

2nd Singles: 
Callie Bass vs Estella Perel 6-0, 6-0

3rd Singles: 
Elaina Morosky vs Maggie Ross 6-1, 6-1

4th Singles: 
Olivia Schaedler vs Grace Hinsch 6-2, 6-1

1st Doubles: 
Livie Bass / Alexis Fenton
Nora O’Connell / Karenna Patel 6-0, 6-0

2nd Doubles:  
Aggie Hunt/ Beatrice Hunt
Monica Garbacz / Sawyer Stone 6-0, 6-0

3rd Doubles:
Fiona Hufford / Izzy Reynolds
Diya Patel / Taylor Cooney 6-0, 6-0

Saturday, April 30
Old Lyme Defeats Waterford 6-1

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Sarah Hage 2-6, 1-6

2nd Singles:
Sam Tan vs Autumn Brothers 4-6, 6-2, tiebreak for 3rd 12-10

3rd Singles: 
Callie Bass vs Michelle Liu 6-0, 6-1

4th Singles: 
Elaina Morosky vs Ava Tinnerello 6-3, 6-1

1st Doubles: 
Livie Bass / Alexis Fenton 6-0, 6-1
Maple Siu / Hazel Siu

2nd Doubles:  
Aggie Hunt / Beatrice Hunt 6-1, 6-0
Joyce McK / Lillian Steinhouse

3rd Doubles:
Fiona Hufford / Izzy Reynolds 3-6, 6-0
Maria Molina / Bre Kilcolmons tiebreaker for 3rd 13-11

Wednesday, April 27:
Old Lyme Defeats Morgan 7-0

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Abbie Vitola 6-1, 6-0

2nd Singles:
Sam Tan vs Molly Vitola 6-0, 6-0

3rd Singles:
Callie Bass vs Ana Colebank 6-0, 6-1

4th Singles:
Elaina Morosky vs Riley Schmidt 6-0, 6-0

1st Doubles:
Livie Bass / Alexis Fenton 6-1, 6-0
Kyra Savage / Maggie O’Donnell

2nd Doubles:
Aggie Hunt / Beatrice Hunt 6-1, 6-4
Ava Johnson / Ainsley Corgan

3rd Doubles:
Fiona Hufford / Izzy Reynolds 6-3, 6-3
Sara Morrissey / Gavin Gersz

Monday, April 25:
Old Lyme Defeats H-K 7-0

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Elanna Tousignant 6-0, 6-0

2nd Singles: 
Sam Tan vs Kami Narducci 6-0, 6-0

3rd Singles: 
Callie Bass vs Brenna Lonergan 6-0, 6-0

4th Singles: 
Elaina Morosky vs Jenna LeMontagne 6-0, 6-0

1st Doubles: 
Livie Bass / Fiona Hufford 6-0, 6-0
Adrianne Wolf / Lauren Macy

2nd Doubles:  
Olivia Schaedler / Eva D’Onofrio 6-1, 6-0
Maddie Gordon / Devon Haase

3rd Doubles:
Old Lyme wins by forfeit

Friday, April 22:
Old Lyme Defeats Portland 7-0

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Mia Lapinski 6-0, 6-0

2nd Singles: 
Sam Tan vs Nat Przes 6-0, 6-0

3rd Singles: 
Callie Bass vs Allison Scott 6-2, 6-3

4th Singles: 
Olivia Schaedler vs Morganne Plneda 6-0, 6-0

1st Doubles: 
Livie Bass / Fiona Hufford
Amella Hair / Isa McLelland 6-3, 6-0

2nd Doubles:  
Aggie Hunt/ Beatrice Hunt
Maddy Varano / Emily Dering 6-0, 6-1

3rd Doubles:
Elaina Morosky / Natalie Buckley
Joda Cohen / Anna Stone 6-0, 6-0

Monday, April 18
Old Lyme Defeats East Hampton 7-0

1st Singles:
Abby Sicuranza vs Liz MacDonald 6-0, 6-0

2nd Singles: 
Sam Tan vs Eshani Karkun 6-1, 6-2

3rd Singles: 
Elaina Morosky vs Charlotte Minnick 6-0, 6-0

4th Singles: 
Callie Bass vs forfeit *forfeit* 

1st Doubles: 
Livie Bass / Fiona Hufford
Emma Giovanelli / Jen Trip 6-1, 6-0

2nd Doubles:  
Aggie Hunt/ Beatrice Hunt
Melanie Hurt / Ginneg Decker 6-0, 6-0

3rd Doubles:
Olivia Schaedler / Karissa Huang
Addi Howard / Baylee Olzacki 6-0, 6-0

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic to be Held at Lymes’ Senior Center Today; Open to All Regardless of Hometown

Posted on by
Reply

OLD LYME — On Wednesday, May 4, Ledge Light Health District in collaboration with the Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association has scheduled a COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at Lymes’ Senior Center.

This free Clinic will be open to members of the public irrespective of their hometown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment, insurance, or ID is necessary, but you are asked to bring your CDC vaccination card. 

Only the Moderna vaccine will be available at this clinic for individuals 18 years or older who need a 1st or 2nd dose (primary series) or are eligible for a 1st or 2nd booster dose. 

 The following groups are eligible for a 1st booster shot at this clinic:

  • individuals 18 years of age and older who have completed a primary series of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) and it has been at least 5 months since completion of primary series
  • individuals 18 years of age and older who have had a primary dose of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and it has been at least 2 months and would like a mRNA booster

The following groups are eligible for a 2nd booster shot at this clinic:

  • individuals 50 years of age and older who have received a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, and it has been at least 4 months since first booster dose.

Lyme-Old Lyme School Budget Passes Overwhelmingly in Both Towns.

Posted on by
Reply

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser. (File photo)

LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED 10:56pm: On Tuesday, May 3, the Lyme-Old Lyme Schools proposed $34.8 million budget passed by overwhelming majorities in both towns.

The number of voters approving the budget compared to those voting against it was more than seven times in Lyme and more than five times in Old Lyme.

Combining the votes in the two towns, there were 294 Yes votes to 53 No’s reflecting a total of 84.7% of voters approving the budget and 15.3% rejecting it.

The percentage of voters, who approved the budget, varied marginally in each town from 88.0% in Lyme to 83.5% in Old Lyme.

Asked his reaction the vote, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser responded by text saying, “We appreciate the ongoing support of our students and staff. This approved budget will allow us to continue to provide an excellent education for the children of our communities.”

He added, “Thank you to all who came out to vote.”

The detailed results were as follows:

LYME
Yes: 81
No:  11

OLD LYME
Yes: 213
No:   42

 

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Hold Budget Referendum 12-8pm Today, All L-OL Residents Eligible to Vote

Posted on by
1

“Our proposed budget for this year is over a quarter million dollars less than four years ago. Despite this, no programs have been cut or reduced and we are continuing to grow in enrollment.” (Ian Neviaser, LOL Schools Superintendent)

LYME/OLD LYME — On Monday, May 2, the Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Board of Education (BOE) voted to send the proposed 2022-23 fiscal year budget to a referendum to be held the following day.

The referendum will be held Tuesday, May 4, with voting taking place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.

The proposed budget totals $34,830,464 and represents a 0.13% decrease when compared with the adopted budget for the current year.

If this budget is compared to the LOL Schools budget from four years ago (2019-2020), the proposed spend is $254,294 less than the amount spent in 2019-2020. This represents a 0.7% decrease over four years.

Asked by LymeLine what his message was to the community regarding the budget, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser responded by email, saying,  “Our proposed budget for this year is over a quarter million dollars less than four years ago.”

He noted, “Despite this, no programs have been cut or reduced and we are continuing to grow in enrollment.”

Neviaser emphasized, “Our savings come from non-academic/ extracurricular areas specifically in employee benefits.”

He concluded, “We encourage people to get out and vote in the referendum, which will be held on May 3 from noon until 8 p.m.”

Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:

April 29 & May 2 COVID-19 Update: Eight New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 1117, One New Case in Lyme Takes Total There to 274

Posted on by
Reply

Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued respectively Friday, April 29, and Monday, May 2, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) show a total of eight new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and one in Lyme.

These cases raise Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1117 and Lyme’s to 274.

Old Lyme reported two new cases on Friday and six on Monday. Lyme’s new case was reported on Monday.

The CT DPH does not issue reports over the weekend.

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.

Prior to April 5, the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was March 24. There were also no new cases on March 9 and 4, and Feb. 24. The previous date prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

This map, updated April 28, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Red (highest) Zone. One hundred and thirty one towns (representing a total of 77.5% of the state) are now found in the Red Zone. Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities. Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper.

On Thursday, April 28, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 131 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. These towns in the Red Zone include both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This number has increased by 23 over the 108 towns recorded in the Red Zone last week, thus increasing the number of towns in the Red Zone to over three-quarters (77.5%) of the state.

Although this total of Red Zone towns reflects a dramatic increase over last week’s number, it still shows a reduction in the number of Red Zone towns since  Jan. 27, when the total was 168 out of 169 towns.

As of April 21, 2022 all nine towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are now in the Red Zone.

The LLHD is no longer issuing reports with updated Case Rates and other metrics.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, May 5 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate rose to 9.42% on April 29 and fell to 8.85% on May 2. It was 8.92% on April 28.

Friday’s rate of 9.42% is the state’s highest recorded COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate since Jan.28, 2022 when the Rate stood at 9.73%.

On April 29, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations decreased by 21 to 212 from 233 on April 28. On May 2, the number rose by 18 to 230.

In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on April 29, the number not fully vaccinated was 62 (representing 29.25%). On May 2, the number not fully vaccinated was 68 (representing 29.57%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut increased 10,850 on April 29, according to The New York Times, and then to 10,851 on May 2.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Tuesday, May 3, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 674 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 745 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 160 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

The LLHD is no longer issuing weekly updates unless there is, “any significant change in case rates, hospitalizations, etc.”

On April 14, LLHD sent LymeLine.com this press release issued by CT DPH the same day. It begins: With the current uptick of COVID-19 cases—coupled with the upcoming schedule of spring holidays and family gatherings—the Connecticut Department of Public Health is reminding residents of the tools currently in place to help contain the spread of the virus. 

The new Community Levels tool created by the CDC can be viewed at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Ledge Light Health District continues to focus its vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals, who were vaccinated previously. Information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/.

An explanation of the new CDC Community Levels tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Four COVID-related fatalities have now been reported in Old Lyme. The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Details of the third and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing.

LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained the latest developments in LOL Schools COVID protocols in an April 1 email to the school community, saying, “As noted in my email of February 17, 2022, beginning April 1, 2022 we will no longer report daily COVID-19 cases in the schools.”

He then stated, “For the remainder of this school year, that information will be complied on a weekly basis and will be available on our website at the following link: https://www.region18.org/parents/covid-data.”

Details published to date show the following number of positive cases in LOL Schools by week.
April 3-9: 0
April 10-16: 0
April 19-23: Spring Break
April 24-30: 7

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

View a full listing of cases between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.