NEW BRITAIN—The ShopRite® Nutmeg State Games and the Connecticut Masters’ Games presented by CarePartners of Connecticut held the 25th Annual Directors Club Banquet at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville on Thursday. Over 325 people from
across the state attended to raise funds to support this year’s events. Comedian
Kevin Flynn served as Master of Ceremonies, and legendary coach Jim Calhoun
delivered the Keynote Speech.
Nutmeg
State Games as well as the Connecticut
Masters’ Games are designed to promote healthy active lifestyles in their
athletes, as well as foster leadership and sportsmanship skills. Each summer,
thousands of athletes of all ages and skill levels travel from all areas of
Connecticut to participate in numerous team and individual competitive sport
competitions in state games events.
Every year
the Nutmeg State Games and the Connecticut Masters’ Games recognizes
outstanding individuals that have excelled in their events, and showed the
spirit of The Games, both on and off
the field.
Here’s an in-depth look at this year’s winners:
ShopRite®
Nutmeg State Games Athlete of the Year:
Meghna
Mazumdar, Golf
Have you
ever met a person that was a mixture of Warren Buffet and Tiger Woods? Meet Meghna Mazumdar. Meghna started playing
golf at the age of six. She quickly learned sportsmanship and honesty by taking
on the responsibilities of keeping score, since in golf there are no referees
or scorekeepers. She soon discovered that by blending the rules of the game
with life and leadership skills, kids didn’t just learn how to putt; they were
learning important values in life.
Meghna first played in the ShopRite® Nutmeg State Games in 2014, in which she took home the
Gold. Over the last several years she has won two additional Gold medals, as
well as a Silver and a Bronze. Her love of golf and want of personal
development, instilled by her parents at an early age, was well balanced and
supported with her involvement with The
First Tee of Connecticut Nine Core Values and The First Tee Life Skills Experience.
The “First Tee” is a youth development organization
that impacts the lives of young people by providing educational programs that
build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices
through the game of golf. This organization has made such a positive impact on
Meghna that those that know her well would say she is a living example of their
nine core values. She is so passionate about golf that on her own, Meghna met
with multiple town and school administrators to get approval to create the
first girls’ golf team at South Windsor High School. Not only did she get the
approvals, she and her family did the vast majority of fundraising necessary.
In addition, as a freshman, she recruited eight additional players – all in
higher grade levels than herself.
Meghna’s skill level at golf rivals her passion for
the game. Despite being the youngest player on the team, she played first position
in every match of the 2018 Girl’s Golf Maiden season and medaled in six of the 10
matches she played. Her lowest score was a 42 on nine holes and her lowest
score to date is a 39 on the front nine of the TPC in Cromwell. Meghna led the
South Windsor High School first ever girl’s golf team to a winning first season
of 6-4. Her longest drive recorded is 262 at the Forest Akers East Golf Course
in Michigan,and her current handicap is 1.8. In 2014 she shot a Hole in
One at Willowbrook Golf Club’s 12th hole. She has also played in the Wells
Fargo Championships’ Pro-Am with Rory Mcllory.
And yet, none of these accomplishments have gone to
Meghna’s head. She remains humble despite the opportunities, exposures and
accolades she received. Meghna is well-liked and respected on the team, and is
a source of constant encouragement. In regards to sportsmanship, her personal
code of conduct, display of dignity, and grace in both victory and defeat are
life skills displayed by athletes well beyond her years.
In addition to the golf team, Meghna juggles academics
with other activities such as swimming, dancing competitively in the school’s
show choir, training for the CATS leadership team, coordinating people rallies
and even participating in team uniform design. Because of her passion in the
subject matter, she earned the exception to take a high school finance class without
taking the prerequisite.
Meghna is so passionate that fiscal education be
taught to today’s youth that she piloted a class within her town to teach
financial concepts to youngsters between 5-10 years of age! It was a huge
success and she has been asked to teach again next summer. She has appeared
live on The Today Show where she encouraged
teens to start saving for education early. It should not be a surprise that
that Meghna also competed in and won a college scholarship from the National Outstanding Participant Leadership
Award after a four-day interview and a speech to an audience of over 1,200
about “Honesty–a First Tee Core Value”.
Meghna’s
phenomenal success as an athlete and her exceptional character as a young adult
embodies the Olympic Spirit which requires sportsmanship, respect, mutual
understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play. We are proud to
honor Meghna with the ShopRite® Nutmeg
State Games 2018 Athlete of the Year Award and look forward to seeing her
play, educate and encourage others with her great beaming smile for many years
to come!
CT Masters’ Games Athlete of the
Year Award:
Susan Kassey, Track
& Field
As Susan Kassey lifts herself onto her blocks, she
looks forward and visualizes herself crossing the finish line. As she steadies
her breathing, a look of determination covers her face. Her muscles begin to
swell as she rises - visual proof of her daily training and hard work. As a
police officer at UConn Health in Farmington, CT, Kassey is no stranger to a
strong state of focus, but out on the track it is different.
Born and raised in New Britain, Susan threw the
shotput and javelin for New Britain High School and in 1979 Susan received All
American status in Volleyball. Her athletic career, however, was put on hold
when she lost her father at age 15.
“My father was my biggest fan, and after he died my
focus was on the home rather than sports,” Kassey said in a 2014 interview with
The Hartford Courant.
After high school she went into the workforce,
working for the State of Connecticut in the Department of Mental Health &
Rehabilitation (DMH) at the Hartford Regional Center. Working with
mentally and physically disabled adults, her compassion and skills were quickly
recognized and she was promoted to supervisor of a group home in Rocky Hill.
In 1995 Kassey was hired by the Avon Police
Department. In 2006, after the Avon Mountain crash, she was sent to the
Massachusetts State Police for training and became the first municipal female
police officer to be certified to inspect Commercial Motor Vehicles and was the
only one on the Avon PD force to do so. After being nominated for Female Officer of the Year in 2007, she
received an official commendation from Governor Jodi Rell for Outstanding Service for Truck Enforcement
in Avon and surrounding towns in 2008 and earned the Public Servant of the Year
award in 2010.
“Keeping everybody safe. Wanting them to get home at
night to their loved ones. That’s what drives me” she said in an interview with
WFSB Channel 3 News in 2015. As if
her career success hadn’t kept Susan busy enough, she volunteered for Hospice
2007-2011, was on the Salvation Army committee 2011-2013 and earned the
Salvation Army Holiday award. After the 9/11 tragedy, Susan was instrumental in
developing a ceremony in Farmington to remember the fallen. Lieutenant
Governor Susan Bysiewicz has been in attendance almost every year.
At the time of the 2014 Hartford Courant interview, Kassey was training for the CT Masters’
Games. Despite keeping in shape during her time as a police officer in Avon,
she had not actually competed in an event in over 35 years. “To my surprise I
am doing well,” she said in the interview.
“Well” is an understatement. For the past four
years, Kassey has competed in various track and field events at the state,
national, and international levels, including five Nutmeg State Games. Kassey
currently holds 45 medals in events such as shot put, javelin, long jump, and
the 50-meter, 55-meter, and 100-meter dash. She holds records for long
jump at the World Police and Fire Games and at the 2015 in Fairfax, VA; she
took the Gold in shotput over England and Brazil as well as in long jump over
Australia and Brazil. Additionally, according to the World Masters
Rankings, Kassey is an All-American athlete who is ranked second in the world
for her 2017 indoor 55-meter dash along with other Top Five rankings nationally
for the 2017 indoor and outdoor seasons. Plans are well underway for Susan to
compete in the 2019 World Police & Fire Games in Chendu, China.
Even with Kassey's numerous accolades, she has never
lost sight of what it truly means to be an athlete: having drive, discipline,
determination, commitment, and most importantly respect for the journey and
those involved. Although Kassey runs to be an example for others as she
participates to better herself as an athlete and a person, she ultimately
competes in memory of her father. In 2015, Kassey proudly wore her father's
American flag when she won gold. It is that memory that keeps Kassey
grounded in what she is doing and drives her to help others to do the same.
On any competition day you will see Kassey introducing herself to other athletes as she learns why they compete. She approaches others with a huge smile and a look in her eyes that shows she is genuinely interested in hearing their stories. Once she learns a new name, she will not forget it. She can even be seen giving advice to those around her as she tries to share techniques that have helped her, even if she is giving winning advice to someone within her own age group.
Kassey takes this passion for helping others to
Platt High School in Meriden where she trains with coach George Gilhuly;
however, she quickly changed from the role of a student to that of a mentor as
she began to help work with the high school students Gilhuly trains. Not only
does Kassey help students perfect their shot put techniques, but she also helps
students get the equipment they need and raises money for students to travel
around the country to compete in national track meets. It is because of her
teamwork with coach Gilhuly that these students are provided with opportunities
to pave their own futures.
Her effect on these students was shown at this
year's Nutmeg State Games where a group of her students came to cheer her on
and show their support much like Kassey does for them during the school
year. You can see how much of a positive change she has made in their
lives as they root for her from the stands. For Kassey, these are not just
events in which to compete, but rather are celebrations of the athletes' hard
work and commitment to the sport in a community about which she cares so
deeply.
Kassey consistently exemplifies the true meaning of
what it means to be an athlete. Each time she steps out onto a track. Her
dedication is shown daily; each bead of sweat dripping down her forehead is a
symbol of her passion seeping through her pores. Not only is she a talented
athlete, but she is an incredible human who strives to help others chasing
their dreams. It is an honor and a pleasure to award Officer Susan Kassey for
the coveted award of the CT Master’s Games Athlete of the Year.
“In honor of my late parents, Mr.
& Mrs. George Kassey Jr.; I would like to thank them for giving me life.
They instilled compassion, respect and work ethic in me.”—Susan Kassey
About the Nutmeg State Games
The ShopRite® Nutmeg State Games is
celebrating its 31st anniversary of uniting Connecticut’s residents in the
common bond of amateur sport and the Olympic spirit. The ShopRite® Nutmeg State Games is recognized by the US Olympic
Committee and the National Congress of State Games as the Official State Games of Connecticut. Medalists are eligible to
compete at the State Games of America.
The ShopRite® Nutmeg State Games is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to
providing a forum that initiates and encourages camaraderie between different
ages, socioeconomic and cultural groups through athletic competition and the
Olympic spirit. The event assists in the development of physical fitness and
promotes positive healthy activities for the participants, their families and
the communities where they live.
About the Connecticut Masters'
Games
The Connecticut Masters' Games presented by
CarePartners of Connecticut is the
largest senior/masters amateur multi-sport Olympic-style sporting event in
Connecticut for athletes ages 30 through 90+. The Games are proud to be celebrating 40 years of uniting Connecticut’s
residents in the common bond of amateur sport and the Olympic spirit. The Connecticut Masters’ Games is
recognized by the US Olympic Committee the National Senior Games Association as
the Official Senior Games of Connecticut. Medalists qualify bi-annually to
participate in the National Senior Games.
—Staff Reports
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