Wantagh-Seaford seniors win shuffleboard championship

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Members of the shuffleboard team from the Wantagh Senior Center had plenty to celebrate on Nov. 17. The group of local seniors defeated their peers from East Meadow to take home the championship for the seventh year in a row.

The Shuffleboard League is comprised of seven teams from across the town. Wantagh bested squads from Bellmore, Baldwin, Levittown, Franklin Square, Salisbury and East Meadow— the group’s toughest opponent.

O’Shea Funeral Home, the sponsor for the group, played host to a celebratory lunch and awards ceremony for the seniors and champions at the facility on Seaman’s Neck Road; the center serves residents of both Wantagh and Seaford. Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino also paid a visit to the seniors and awarded the group a citation from the town.

“It’s an honor to work with the seniors and do things for them,” said Joy Merrick-Vogel, the president center. “Although I don’t play shuffleboard, I make sure that everything goes well for them and negotiate anything that needs to be done.”

Staff from O’Shea helped serve the catered lunch, which was donated from Mama’s Italian restaurant in Copiague. More than 80 seniors enjoyed the buffet-style meal and dessert. 

The 10 members of the shuffleboard team sported matching blue shirts to the event. They sat together at a table in the front of the room, showing the title to their peers.

“This is the most wonderful year because it was my first year getting involved,” Vice President Rosemary Truelove said. “I feel such joy for the team, and the ceremony and food are just outstanding.”

The Wantagh shuffleboard team faced eight other squads from the centers across the region throughout the year. Typically, four games are played at home and four more are held 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 seven straight victories.”

Saccone said that he hopes to add an eighth year to their winning streak. “Everyone has been very cooperative and I’m really proud of everyone who took advice on how to play,” he added. “It’s been a wonderful run of seven years.”