Perks Pacers inspire runners at Penn State College Day 5K

Perks Pacers - Perks Pacers is a group that runs as a team at the Penn State College Day 5K in Dewey Beach as part of the Races2Run Summer Series. Joe Piorkowski, aka Perk, was a Penn State basketball player in the 1950s. His son Mike is part of the local running community. Joe was the first to score 100 team points for Penn State, a big deal back in those days. Joe was given the game ball but donated it to the PSU Sports Museum, where it still remains. Perk passed in November 2020 at 90 years old. The family honors him each year at the Penn State College Day 5K by running in his memory. According to Marjorie Adams, a running partner of Mike and part of the Percolation Nation, “Mike’s older brother and his father’s namesake, Joe Piorkowski Jr., suffered a severe stroke last August. It was Mike’s honor this year to push him in the running stroller in his father’s memory. Our team has grown from 15 members in 2021 to 65 this past weekend.” That's a nice family and friend story that ramps up to incredibly incomprehensible when taking a look at Joe Piorkowski Jr.’s  biographical sketch. Succinctly summarized, he is a physician and a lawyer, educated at Johns Hopkins, Georgetown Law and the Naval Aerospace Institute, with a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra. And Joe is a gifted musician who plays piano by ear and performed for years with his own band. Mike, 63, and Joe circled the course in 29:48. 

Move 2 IncluDE - Steve Sinko pushed Donnie Voshell in the Penn State College Day 5K. Steve, 48, is no joke as a runner, placing seventh overall in 18:39. According to Steve, “Move 2 IncluDE provides opportunities to anyone with physical or cognitive challenges to participate in local races through the use of our adaptive running chairs. That's what we do. Why I do it – it's a way I can give back through something I was half-decent at. It is an absolute blast running with all of the new friends I have made, as well as helping people like Mike and his brother still be able to do things together. And to me, it seems like everyone at the races loves seeing the enjoyment of the riders as they get to participate.” 

Space needle - Tracy Chapman sang about the “Spaces in Between.” In sports, don’t connect the poles between two people with a needle, as in offhanded, underhanded comments designed to grab a laugh at the expense of another’s body image or limitations. A person going to the gym or running in a race should only hear positive words of encouragement. Someone who attacks life like a hatpin on a zoo balloon has esteem issues they prefer to transfer to others. I had a football coach at Temple who once accused me of underachieving, saying, “Frederick, if I had your talent when I was in college I’d have been an All-American.” I said, “Coach, it looks like you have enough difficulties just being yourself.” That went over like a rusted subway car. 

Lust for contact - In Olympic women’s rugby sevens, there are seven-minute halves with a running clock. The United States beat the Wallabies of Australia 14-12 to win the bronze medal, the first in history, with a nearly full-field breakaway run as time expired. Watching it live, I consider it iconic on a level with the 1980 ice hockey win over the Russians. New Zealand’s team, the Black Ferns, won the gold medal with a 19-12 victory over Canada. Rugby sevens for women would make a better high school sport than flag football. Let the ponies run over people. 

Field hockey clinic - From 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3, field hockey players and coaches from the University of Delaware will offer a fun morning of training at Cape Henlopen High School’s Champions Stadium. The clinic is open to middle and high school players. Some Delaware-connected players are Noelle Sabbagh, Genevieve Johnson, Reese Momorella, and Hannah and Rebecca Pepper. Sabbagh was Delaware Offensive Player of the Year. Sabbagh and Johnson are part of a leadership group along with Rachael Whitehead, who went to Tatnall, and Morgan Bradford, who went to Delmar. Registration ended Thursday. 

Snippets - Cape field hockey alumni who will appear on college teams this fall include Reagan Ciabattoni, Duke; Noelle Sabbagh, Delaware; Hannah Maney, Iowa; Emma Duffield, Swarthmore; Devon DeGregory, Salisbury; Grace Wiggins, Richmond; Addison Basille, Ohio University; Sommer Dorman, Lock Haven; Samantha Connors, Appalachian State; Mackinzie Brown, William and Mary; and Grace Hudson, Belmont Abbey. Watching the energy and enthusiasm shown by some Olympic athletes makes it that much harder to endure a listless Phillies game. August is an exciting time for what I call roster reveals. I know in football there is always movement of key players, but like a rusty mower, don’t get me started. Go on now, git!