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Published: 23 February 2012

Created: 23 February 2012

Last Updated: 23 February 2012

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Jeffrey Koslowsky, of Advocate Brokerage of Scarsdale, has been named to the Board of Directors of Miracle League of Westchester. The Miracle League of Westchester is a league for special needs children and adults that enables them to play baseball at a specially designed adaptive field. The Miracle League of Westchester was founded in 2006.

Miracle League was started in Conyers, Georgia in 1997, and since then Miracle Leagues have been started all over the country. The Westchester League was the first in New York State.

Every child, no matter his or her level of ability, can participate in the Miracle League of Westchester.

Games are non-competitive in nature, with each player batting, running the bases and scoring each inning. Volunteers will be assigned to each individual to assist throughout the game. There are no losers in this game, only winners with the score tied at the end of each game. The focus is more on participation than on winning. The teams will have 12-15 players.

Advocate Brokerage is an insurance agency in Scarsdale, N.Y., serving the needs of drivers and homeowners in the tri-state area, along with 40 other states across the country. It was founded 42 years ago by Rosalyn Binday.

Jeffrey is also Chairman Emeritus and a current member of the Board of Directors of The Greyston Foundation, Assistant Captain of Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Co. #3 and President Emeritus of the Scarsdale Little League.

Mr. Koslowsky’s interest in Miracle League grew out of his role as Scarsdale Little League President. He was brought into the Board by Paul Marino, Esq., a long time board member of Miracle League, and counsel to both the League and Advocate Brokerage.

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Published: 27 February 2012

Created: 27 February 2012

Last Updated: 28 February 2012

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An opportunity to win a state title rarely comes to a high school athlete, and from Scarsdale, wrestlers have not historically gotten to the state tournament at all. That’s why this season was most unusual … as not one or two, but three athletes from Scarsdale and Edgemont vied for state wrestling titles in Albany. This past weekend, Edgemont brothers Tyler and John "Trey" Aslanian, and Scarsdale’s Jacob Berkowitz were all given a chance at the New York State tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. Despite snowy wet weather, the venue drew a large crowd, including families and teammates from all over the state who came to support their respective teams. Westchester’s section 1 crowd was particularly loud as they cheered on all the wrestlers from the schools in the section.

The New York State tournament includes the top 16 wrestlers in the state for each weight class, and some of the

Jacob Berkowtiz (blue)

Trey Aslanian (top)

His brother, Edgemont Junior John Aslanian at 113 pounds entered the tournament as a strong second seed, placing second in last year’s tournament. With an impressive wrestling career and well-performed season, John was considered a contender for the state title. On day one, John dominated his opponents, securing a 7-0 victory in his first round match, and a 6-2 win in his second match. On the second day, Aslanian edged out a victory over the 3rd seed from Warsaw, winning 7-2. After these performances, a state title seemed to be within the junior’s grasp. In a hard fought final match, Aslanian lost 5-0. Although a 2nd place finish two years in a row in a top wrestling state is extremely impressive, Aslanian will train hard for another year to work to capture a state title.

Proud Coach Peter Jacobson made the following comment about the brothers' performance, "Tyler and Trey have each really committed themselves to training the past year and it shows in the improvements they've made. This was Trey's third trip to Albany and he knows exactly what he needs to do to perform at his best at this point. While this was Tyler's first time up there, he also handled the pressures like a pro. Our program has also been fortunate enough to send athletes up to the State Championships each year for the past five years so our coaching staff has a good deal of experience preparing our athletes to perform at a very high level. To have Trey make the state finals two years in a row and have Tyler finish in the Top 8 his first time up there, says volumes about their own personal abilities to prepare. We're confident that we'll see each of them on the top of the podium next year."

Tyler Aslanian (top)

Photos courtesy of Leslie R. Berkowitz and Peter Jacobson

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Published: 14 February 2012

Created: 14 February 2012

Last Updated: 15 February 2012

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As the season was winding down for many winter athletes the Scarsdale wrestling team was gearing up for the most anticipated weekend of the season. With all of the Raider seniors qualifying for the Sectionals, there was a lot of energy heading into the two-day tournament. Many of Scarsdale’s wrestlers were slated to finish high at the top, and when the big weekend came, they put on a spectacular performance.

The tournament got underway on Saturday 2-11 at Clarkstown South at 11 am after snowy weather caused a two-hour delay. In the lower weights at 106 pounds, freshman Robbie Keltz fought hard in both of his matches but fell short of a win. Head Coach Barney Foltman was proud that Keltz made it to the sectional tournament as a freshman and looks forward to working with him for the next three years. Along with Keltz, Junior Mikey Hodges was unable to secure two wins for the day, but expectations remain high for this highly-skilled 113 pounder for his senior year. In the 126-pound weight class, senior Dan Jureller put on an impressive performance by dominating the 5th seed 12-7 in his first round match. Jureller eventually lost in a thrilling overtime match to Brewster’s Tommy Gonska, 14-16. Seniors Chen Shen, Adam Meyer, and captain Brian Hackel demonstrated strength in their respective weight classes but came away empty-handed. These seniors have had a tremendous season and scored big victories for the team in previous dual meets.

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Throughout the sectional tournament the spotlight fell on a few of the Raiders’ standouts. It seemed apparent that senior captains Jack Braun (170), John Tambunting (132), and Jacob Berkowitz (182) would dominate the first day of the tournament and advance to the second day at Pace. Along with these highly respected contenders, Joseph Koshakow (138) also distinguished himself. The junior battled his way through a competitive weight class (with an intimidating haircut) and came out to place 6th in the section. The future seems bright for this junior who fought hard both days, and established himself as a top name for next year. Seniors Braun, Tambunting, and Berkowitz worked their way up through their respective weight classes and found themselves with a chance to secure a sectional title. Jack Braun, failed to place top 6 in last year’s sectional tournament had a lot to prove in the second day of matches. The Dartmouth-bound senior put on an impressive performance but fell shy of the title, losing 4-2-in an overtime match and taking second place. John Tambunting, who placed 5th at last year’s sectional tournament, took it to the next level by placing second in this year’s tournament, falling to state-finalist Dan Ventura of Fox Lane in the finals. The heavy arena crowd seemed to favor underdog Tambunting, who proved to have the ability to make it far into the tournament.

Senior Jacob Berkowitz was a favorite to win his second consecutive sectional title. He did not disappoint his coaches or teammates and dominated his way through the tournament. In his final match he picked apart his opponent with ease. With two sectional titles under his belt, Berkowitz now looks to finish his triumphant senior year with a state title. He has been training hard and practicing two times a day for the state tournament in Albany.

Overall, the Raiders placed eight out of 42 teams in the section. With a heavily loaded senior class leaving, however, the team will work on building up a new squad while maintaining their tight camaraderie.

(Photo Credit: Leslie Berkowitz -- see more photos here)