A six-peat for shuffleboard team

Members of the shuffleboard team from the Wantagh Senior Center had a lot to celebrate last week after stealing a win against Franklin Square and taking home the championship for the sixth year in a row.

O’Shea Funeral Home, the sponsor for the group, played host to a celebratory lunch and awards ceremony for the Wantagh seniors and champions at the center on Seaman’s Neck Road.

“The men worked very hard and our sponsors are terrific,” Coordinator Lois Susco said. Pointing at the buffet she added, “It took a lot of work because we had to organize it and set up. My staff and seniors are terrific and that’s why I am so happy we were No. 1 for six years.”

Staff from O’Shea were in attendance helping serve the catered lunch donated from Mama’s Italian restaurant in Copiague. More than 80 seniors enjoyed the buffet-style lunch and dessert.

“My favorite part about this is definitely being able to get a feel for the community,” new Funeral Director Adriana Grenados said. “I’ve heard so much about this event and I’m just so excited to be here.”

Grenados is the first female funeral director to be hired at O’Shea in 51 years. “I’m actually from Huntington so this is my first ‘meeting’ with Wantagh,” Grenados said. “I love that it’s with them and that I get to celebrate with the team.”

The 10 members of the shuffleboard team sported matching blue shirts and sat together at a table in the front of the room showing off their winning title.

“I like to support them,” Senior Center President Rosemary Truelove said. “Not too many senior members go to the games because they’re all over. I keep score and show up to every game!”

The Wantagh shuffleboard team faces eight teams throughout the year, with usually four games at home and four games away. “We have a really strong nucleus of eight to 10 players that are solid,” Captain Joe Saccone said. “We perform very well so that’s how we were able to pull off six straight victories.”

The Shuffleboard League is comprised of eight teams from Bellmore, Baldwin, Levittown, Uniondale/Hempstead, East Meadow, Salisbury and Franklin Square — Wantagh’s toughest opponent.

“It felt very rewarding.” Saccone said. “Especially since our sponsor joined us the first year we won in 2010. That year we won and never looked back.”
As captain, Saccone helps lead practices once a week on their home court to prepare for all of the tournaments.

Town of Hempstead officials also attended the luncheon to present both the senior center and O’Shea with citation awards from the town.

“It’s so nice to see our seniors out there enjoying themselves and keeping themselves physically fit,” Todd Goldfarb, deputy commissioner of the Department of Senior Enrichment, said. “That is what our centers are all about. It’s social, recreational and informational. We like to let our seniors have an aspect of everything.”

“It’s camaraderie and brings everyone together,” Goldfarb added. “It’s competitive but also very friendly.”

The Wantagh senior shuffleboard team hopes to add a seventh year to its winning streak, with the support of its sponsor.

“I think O’Shea does a very nice job with sponsoring us,” team member John Chalupa said. “The food is good, it’s good for the center and overall very enjoyable.”