By Natalia Knochowski, Staff Writer
MONROE — Residents of the township’s many adult communities showed up to receive the annual Mayor’s Cup awards and trophies at Monday night’s Township Council meeting.
According to Recreation Director Tony Wilcenski, the awards honor the winners of the annual sports competitions that take place among the adult communities of the township.
Mr. Wilcenski said the competitions came about 20 years ago when Mayor Richard Pucci wanted to get the adult communities more involved with the Recreation Department.
”At that point (20 years ago), it was all children,” Mr. Wilcenski said of the Recreation Department’s activities.
Therefore, Mayor Pucci instituted the annual sports tournaments and the Mayor’s Awards.
Mr. Wilcenski said the department meets with sports groups from the adult communities in the township in order to set up a common time for the tournaments. Each of the communities involved hosts a different tournament.
About eight to 10 communities participate per year, Mr. Wilcenski said.
Teams have to register, then there are a number of meetings before the tournaments occur. Additionally, the Recreation Department supplies each adult community with hats and shirts.
”They’re highly successful,” Mr. Wilcenski said of the tournaments. “They really value playing.”
This year, Jay Brown, the Recreation Department’s program supervisor for senior activities, distributed 11 awards at the council meeting.
”We thought we’d never win” Barbara Price, captain of Concordia’s women’s bowling team, said of her team’s Mayor’s Award win for women’s bowling.
”It was a great tournament,” she said. “We were jumping up and down.”
Ms. Price said she has been participating for at least 10 years in the tournaments, and she loves it.
”My adrenaline gets going,” she said of competing. “We really enjoy it and hope it goes on.”
In addition, Adelaide Feldman, who also is on the Concordia women’s bowling team, got an award for bowling a high game at 191.
Greenbriar received the awards for men’s bowling, women’s tennis, table tennis and duplicate bridge.
Regency won awards for men’s tennis, basketball, and shuffleboard.
Concordia won women’s bowling and bocce.
Encore won women’s golf, and Rossmoor won men’s golf.

