The Milford ReviewThe News Of The Week for Greater Milford, Delaware

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February 8, 2011

City Moves Forward on Economic

Development Strategyby Bryan Shupe

The Economic Development Strategy that was created and outlined by John Rhodes, a Senior Principal of Mo-ran, Stahl & Boyer Economic Development Consultants, was adopted by the City Council on Monday, January 25. Among many proposals, the comprehensive strategy sug-gested that a Director of Economic Development position be created to facilitate the progress of the plan. Following the adoption of the plan, Councilman Grier made a mo-tion to establish a part-time staff position for the purposes of overseeing economic development that will remain for the rest of this fiscal year. The motion was adopted unani-mously by council the same night.

The City is implementing immediate plans to ensure that Economic Development is a top priority. Although the Economic Development Strategy suggested that a full-time position be developed, the Economic Development

More on page 2

History of the Mispillion-

Vinyard Shipyardby Terry Rogers

Shipbuilding was an important industry in Milford during the early 1800’s, and the evidence of that long-forgotten line of work is still evident as you walk around the town. In fact, one of the original shipyards that produced many of the ships built here in Milford still stands today, the Vinyard Ship-yard on Columbia Street.

The Vinyard Shipyard was owned by Wil-son Vinyard who was raised in Wisconsin. While living in the mid-west, Mr. Vinyard built The Delaware, which he piloted via the St. Lawrence Seaway to Milford. In 1896,

More on page 3

MHS GRADS WIN NYC ACTING AWARD

Robbie and Paul Rescigno were honored on January 31 in Manhattan with the 2011 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Duo or Group.

Full story on page 4.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT from p. 1

Committee suggested that the position begin as part-time and temporary. The position will be held for 4 to 5 months and a recommendation about whether the posi-tion is necessary will then be made.

“We are very cognizant of the impact of reducing last year’s budget and the fiscal situation we are in. We do not want to rush into filling any positions that are not necessary. This will give us a chance to begin focusing on Economic Development right away and also give us a chance to evaluate the position and its future,” stated City Manager David Baird.

The new Director of Economic Development, Richard Carmean, was selected to the position early last week to act as the intermediate official that will help determine the level of necessity the position holds. Mr. Carmean has worked for the City of Milford as Chief of Police and City Manager. He also has experience working alongside agencies such as State Planning and DELDOT (Delaware Department of Transportation) while with the City. Mr. Carmean acknowledges that he is taking this position to help the City determine the necessity of the Director of Economic Development. If it is determined that the po-sition should become permanent Mr. Carmean states he “will help the City find his replacement.”

The Economic Development Committee will lay out the proposed Economic Development Strategy as a road map for the future of Milford and set the parameters for the Director’s job. The purpose of the Strategy is to help guide investment that will create an environment for public and private business and entrepreneur investment within the city. The plan looks at Milford’s future in the

year2025 by investigating multiples aspects of the city including types employers and jobs, use of land, growth of the downtown area, opportunities for the next genera-tion and improving quality education.

Mr. Carmean states that the first thing he will do is “work with local businesses and companies to see what the city can do to help them understand what direction the city is going.” He will focus on using public input to help expand local existing businesses. “The public must be involved for this to be successful,” stated Mr. Car-mean.

He would like to see an effort focused on creating jobs that keep the next generation of Milfordians here. “I know this problem all too well,” stated Mr. Carmean “I have one child in Philadelphia and two in Tennessee. They can’t move back to Milford and replicate the jobs they have there.” He hopes to focus on developing strat-egies that produce more possibilities and opportunities for the younger generation to stay.

As the new Director begins to create a strategy for the position, the Economic Development Committee will begin to lay out the plan as a road map to guide the future of the city. They will work together to ensure that dia-logue between themselves and individuals remains open. “We must make sure that people have the opportunity to have a say in the future of the community,” commented Mr. Carmean. Committee meeting will be open to the public and posted to the City of Milford’s website. Mr. Carmean will have an office in City Hall and encourages residents to stop in.

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VINYARD HISTORY from page 1

he founded the Vinyard shipyard and rebuilt the Delaware, renaming it City of Dover. The ships Mr. Vinyard built made runs to Philadelphia with cargo and passengers. The shipyard also built tugboats, fishing boats and schooners, and during the World Wars, built sub chasers for the U.S. Navy.

Today, the shipyard stands on the banks of the Mispillion River, surrounded by the homes that were built to house the workers who helped build Milford’s maritime history. The combination office and warehouse, which were built around 1920, were built in three sections. The two end sec-tions were used as warehouses and work rooms, while the center section is a one-story office space. Also still standing at the shipyard are the mold/sail loft, built about 1900, and the boat house, built about 1929.

The shipyard is not the only sign of Wilson Vinyard’s leg-acy, however. In 1924, Mr. Vinyard built a Colonial-revival style home with a center hall at 118 N.W. Front Street. This 2-story brick home has keystone lintels over each window and two small wings on each gable end. It was built on the site of what was known as “Purity Row”, which was a group of worker’s homes in the early 19th century.

Mr. Vinyard lived in this home with his wife, Ella, his son, Wilson Sharp “Sonny”, and daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. A 1930 census shows the neighbors of the Vin-yard’s as Clara, Sallie, Anne and James Deputy, Anna Jane, Mary and Brudella Davis and M. Elizabeth, Norman and Letia Windsor. It is very possible that the Windsor’s were the owners of the then popular Windsor Hotel, which still stands today.

On a 1923 passport application, Mr. Vinyard, who lists

his occupation as a shipbuilder, stated that he would be sailing on the President Polk to visit Great Britain, Nor-way, Belgium, France, Holland and Italy, more than likely to promote his shipbuilding company in those countries. From 1932 to 1936, Wilson Vinyard was the Mayor of Milford, and he died in 1945.

It appears that Mr. Vinyard was not living in this home at the time of his death, as records show he eventually pur-chased the Causey Mansion and lived there for some time. However, Wilson Sharp “Sonny” Vinyard remained a resi-dent of the N.W. Front Street home and took over the ship-building company that his father started. Sonny lived with his wife, Blanche, and his four daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, Eleanor and Caroline.

Sonny Vinyard died in 1973 and his will leaves the bulk of his estate to his wife, Blanche, along with his home, the shipyard and a cottage in Rehoboth Beach. He left $5,000 each to two of his “trusted employees”, Justus Hudson and Thomas Baker as well. An accounting of his estate shows that at the time of his death, Sonny Vinyard owned the N.W. Front Street home, a lot with store building on the west side of the “dual highway”, the shipyard on the south bank of the Mispillion River, and the Rehoboth beach cot-tage.

Mr. Vinyard had charities that he held close to his heart, and his will set up trusts for Milford High School Alumni Association, First Presbyterian Church of Milford and Mil-ford Memorial Hospital.

In October, 1910, Wilson Vinyard, Sonny’s father, was inducted into the Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame for his contribution to the history of shipbuilding in Delaware.

Rescignos Win Acting Award In NYCby Bryan Shupe

Robbie and Paul Rescigno were honored on January 31 in Manhattan with the 2011 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Duo or Group. Performers Christine El-bersole, Colin Quinn and Jessica Molaskey were also among the winners at the event which was hosted by Emmy winner Bruce Vilanch from Hairspray.

Robbie and Paul Rescigno both graduated from Milford Senior High School in 2002 and attended Syracuse University where they each received degrees in acting. During their freshman year of college the twins were encouraged by Jerry Thompson, former Band Director at MHS, to begin their own show. It was that suggestion that inspired Robbie and Paul to continually develop a show during their tenure in college. They kept notes and drafts as they waited for their chance to bring it to life.

In 2009 the twins were given the opportunity to open two shows for a friend and were asked to perform as front runners of their own show shortly after. The show “The Rescignos” has two formats; one that features only Robbie and Paul and another that in-volves an entire cast of actors. Robbie described the show as a “vaudevillian feel with a contemporary comedy.” Most of the music is original pieces written by a friend, Michael Hadge.

Two performaces that have become popular among the fans at home are the “Delaware National Anthem” and “Facebook Friend in Me”. The Delaware National Anthem is a comedic attempt by the twins to spice up the attractiveness of Delaware while they sing about the state’s “last remaining dinosaur and world’s first time machine.” Facebook Friend in Me is a great performance where they make fun of the absurdity of social interactions on the online network.

Paul and Robbie also work full-time in the television industry in New York City. Paul works for the Late Show with David Letter-man and Robbie at NBC Broadcasting. They perform in other acting productions when they can and enjoy watching the world-class theatre New York has to offer. Thinking ahead to the future they both admit that it is wide open. “We would love to get involved in television but we will take whatever comes our way,” laughs Paul. “We are allowing ourselves to be surprised by life,” commented Robbie.

“The Rescignos” performances can be found at http://therescignos.com/ or by simply searching the term “The Rescigons” on you-tube.com.

My name is Garrett Gri-er, 1st Ward City Council. I’m 29 years old and was born and raised in Mil-ford. I graduated from Milford High School in 1999 and went on to at-tend Elon University. I graduated from Elon in 2003 with a Bachelors de-gree in Business Adminis-tration and a concentra-

tion in management. During my time at Elon I was fortunate enough to spend a semester studying in Perth, Australia. This experience was once and a lifetime, one that has impacted my life in many ways. Another expe-rience I had while attending Elon which I am so grate-ful for was the opportunity to work at Wheels n Bum-pers car wash. At the time this was just a job to help pay bills, but I’m grateful everyday of my experience at Wheels n bumper as is led to my dream of opening up a car wash of my own. I currently am co owner of Duck In Car Wash in Milford.

Growing up I was taught the importance of serving your community. I always saw myself getting involved in local organizations such as little league, ducks unlim-ited, etc., but never really gave the path of local politics

much consideration. However, after moving back to Milford in 2005 and having two businesses here I saw the opportunity of serving on city council. I live here and plan on living here the rest of my life. I have an invested interest in this community and serving on city council is a great way for me to help Milford continue to grow and move in the right direction.

I’m the kind of person that tends to get along with al-most anyone. That’s why I love being at the car wash so much. I get to see so many people every day, have great conversations about anything and everything. City council can be quite the opposite. You have to make many tough decisions every week and it’s impossible to make everyone happy. The reactions of some have been a big eye opener for me. However, I have learned that I have to consider everyone’s opinions on every issue. At the end of the day I have to do what I believe is the best for the city, stay consistent with those decisions throughout my service, and at the end of the day the voters will decide whether or not I’m right for the job.

I think Milford is doing really well. We are work-ing in really tough times and the city is still in a good financial situation to continue to grow. I am fortunate enough to serve on both the finance committee as well as chairman of economic development committee. As a result I have the opportunity to help make some big

decision in relation to the direction the city is headed. We just had a finance committee meeting on Feb 1st and we are right on track with the budget we passed in June. We continue to press hard on the economic development side. John Rhodes just completed an eco-nomic development study for the city which was ad-opted at the last city council meeting. The report does a good job of describing where the city is now, where it has been, and where we need to be 20 years from now. We have an economic development committee meeting

Get To Know Your City Government Councilman Garrett Grier

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COUNCILMAN GRIER from page 5

on Wednesday the 9th at which time we will look at the report and prioritize the action item. These items will then become the primary focus of our newly hired eco-nomic development director Richard Carmean.

I feel the biggest challenge the city faces is continu-ing to stay aggressive in tough times in an attempt to set ourselves apart from other municipalities. We need to continue to focus on what makes us unique while continuing to offer a business friendly environment with incentives that can lure the next possible employer. Every new business we attract, every infrastructure im-provement we make, every quality of life factor we add is just one more thing the City of Milford has to offer to the next investor. Although I feel this is the biggest challenge we face, it is also very exciting.

The biggest success for Milford is our ability to con-tinue to maintain a strong financial position. I have mentioned this before, but during tough times we continue to make strides forward. Jason Adkins was a big part of establishing several ordinances that offered utility impact fee waivers up to a certain level for new construction. Although there is a time limit on this incentive, it has proven to be very effective, and should provide an example of what results incentives like this can bring. As of then end of January the city has waived $139,280 in fees while seeing a $7,817,315 investment in the city (Based on building permit values). Along the same line I feel it is an overall success that Milford continues to look at where we want to be in the future rather than just focusing on the present.

Chamber Plans “10 of the Best” Awards Dinner

by Jo Schmeiser, CCGM Executive Director

DMI Hosts Tourism Development Conference

by Bryan ShupeUnder the direction of Chairperson Lorna Petchy (American Cancer Society), the Chamber of Commerce is hosting an awards dinner Thursday April 7, 2011 at the Shaw-nee Country Club from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Although the chamber has many volunteers and over three hundred wonderful mem-bers, the committee has decided to focus on “10 of the Best”, which is the theme for the awards dinner this year.

The CCGM hasn’t hosted an awards dinner for several years, and with the continued growth of the chamber and having so much success with recent chamber events, the Board of Directors thought it was time to recognize at least ten of the outstanding mem-bers and volunteers this year.

Following the “10 of the Best” theme Lorna contacted Miss Delaware Representatives immediately after Kayla Martell placed in the top-ten at the Miss America Pageant last month asking if Kayla was available to speak at the chamber dinner. Fortunately Kayla is available to act as guest speaker this spring, where she’ll share her life experiences, her

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Downtown Milford Incorporated (DMI ) and the Delaware Main Street Pro-gram hosted a Main Street Tourism Development seminar at Georgia House on Friday, February 4. There were over 60 people in attendance with individu-als from across the state of Delaware and even as far away as Pennsylvania and Maryland. The conference was aimed at helping towns develop a plan for tour-ism development and hospitality.

Downtown Milford Incorporated has been working with Todd Barman from the National Trust for Historical Preservation and Diane Laird from the Dela-ware Economic Development Office (DEDO) in an attempt to attract a regular stream of visitors to the community.

“Touristy has a bad connotation,” commented Mr. Barman “what we need to attract downtown is not only people from outside of town but those individuals from the town who have not visited the main street in some time. Give them

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BUSINESS

CHAMBER from page 7

insight about serving as Miss Delaware and her thoughts on reaching the top ten in the national pageant. Kayla will also be available to pose in photographs with at-tendees before and after the dinner.

Chamber Member Photographer C.M. Baker will be taking photographs and providing guests with a copy of their picture to take home with them. The ten awards that will be recognized this year are: The Presidents Award, Board Member of the Year, CCGM Event Chairperson of the Year, Chamber Adult and Youth Volunteer Awards, Non-Profit Organization of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Large Business of the Year, New Member of the Year and Citizen of the Year. Information concerning the nomination criteria and selection process is being emailed to all CCGM Members, to be returned no later than Monday Febru-ary 28, 2011.

If you are interested in gaining exposure for your busi-ness, while helping the chamber with expenses, there are several “10 of the Best” Awards Dinner sponsorships available ranging from Dinner Sponsor ($1,000.00) to Friend of the Chamber ($50.00). If you’re interested in reserving a table, sponsorships are available in this cate-gory as well. For $500.00 sponsors will receive six event tickets, a reserved table, their name listed in the event program and on the table, business name mentioned during the event and exposure on the chamber website and facebook. For information concerning sponsor-ships contact the chamber or Donna Stalvey with First Class Properties 233.1520.

The ticket cost of the “10 of the Best” Awards Dinner

is $35.00 per person for chamber members and $40.00 per person if you are not currently a member of the CCGM.

For more about the awards dinner contact Lorna at 725. or the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Mil-ford at 422.3344 or email milford@milfordchamber.com.

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DMI TOURISM from page 7

reasons to come downtown.”

The presentation stressed the need to plant the seed for entrepreneurship and grow that spirit and culture. By doing so Milford can start to improve the business district and attract people downtown. The need for a proactive approach to attracting busi-ness is needed.

“I really see Milford becoming a destination in the following years,” commented DMI Board President Irv Ambrose.

DMI hopes that this presentation will help indi-viduals understand the importance of bettering busi-ness relations, increasing foot traffic and creating

brand awareness for downtown. The Travel Indus-try Association of America states the top activities for domestic travelers include dining, shopping and entertainment. Mr. Barman suggested that Milford should create a collective market that supports these activities for travelers.

As DMI pushes forward with plans to “promote quality development of the traditional central busi-ness district” they will continue to work closely with DEDO and the Delaware Main Street Program. Lorainne Dion, Executive Director of DMI, en-courages community involvement and suggestions as they prepare for 2011. Lorainne and her staff can be reached at 302-839-1180.

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Second Street Players Present “Our Town”

By Bryan Shupe

Mispillion Art League Offers Classes

Staff Report

The Second Street Players of Milford will present Thornton Wilder’s award winning play “Our Town” February 11-20 at their Riverfront Theatre, 2 S. Walnut Street in Mil-ford. One of the most frequently staged American plays, it has been described as an unconventional work because of it use of minimal scenery and props and relies on pan-tomime and sound effects to convey the actions. Thornton Wilder presented the play in this way so that the audience was forced to concentrate on the characters and the themes.

Director Jeff Haslow of Rehoboth Beach has assembled a cast of over 20 people to not only perform the play but provide all sound effects and music live on stage. In fact the cast rarely leaves the stage for the entire performance.

The narrator, or as Wilder calls him The Stage Manager is played by veteran actor Doug Friend of Lewes. The Webb family is played by Steve Twilley of Milford, Carol Torrey of Felton, and Carly Jo Hosbach and Ben Wilcox of Milford. The Gibbs family is played by Don McGee of Georgetown, E.J. Panico of Seaford, Devin Petka of Lewes and Josh Wakeley of Frederica. The rest of the cast includes characters such as the choir director who imbibes too much played by Charlie Meyer, of Lewes, The Milkman, Ben Lonski

More on page 12

Exploring Digital Photography with Bob:

Mispillion Art League in Milford wants to help you learn to use the functions of a digital camera, set up a photo to achieve optimum light, angle, & composition. Class will run on Mondays from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. from March 7, to March 28. This class is taught by Bob Con-nelly, a fine arts photographer and retired photography teacher. Stu-dents must bring their own digital camera with charged batteries to each class. Cost is $70 MAL members / $80 non-members. Registra-tion ends March 1.

Continued on page 11

COMMUNITY

Mixed Media Textured Art with Angela Prattis:

In the Mixed Media Textured Art class at the Mispillion Art League in Milford, students will learn how to apply a variety of media to create a raised abstract on canvas stretched over wood. Start the process on Friday evening, and let dry until Sunday when color is added. Class is held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 18, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 Materials included in class fee. (Angela is a self-taught artist with pieces on display in several Milford locations). Cost is $60 MAL members / $70 non-members. Registration ends March 12.

Mispillion Art League class on Molding Polymer Clay with Linda Chat-field:

In the Molding Polymer Clay class at the Mispillion Art League in Mil-ford, students will learn the techniques needed to create a broach with polymer clay. All materials provided. The class is Saturday, February 26, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Linda is a professional artist who enjoys working in a variety of media. Cost for the class is $35 MAL members / $40 non-members. Registration ends Feb. 20.

Mispillion Art League and Second Street Players join for Third Thursday Event:

Join Mispillion Art League and Milford’s Second Street Players for the February “Third Thursday”, on February 17, 6:30pm at the Art League Gallery at 5 N Walnut Street in downtown Milford. Steve Twilley, of Sec-ond Street Players, will present information about Second Street’s 2011 season of shows, the theatre’s history and history of its home, Riverfront Theatre, and take us behind the scenes to learn how the shows are selected

and what goes into putting on a show. Steve and fellow cast member Josh Wakeley will also present a short scene from Our Town.

Milford Second Street Players, Inc. opens its 32nd season on Friday, Feb. 11 with Our Town, Thorton Wilder’s American stage classic about daily life, love and marriage, and death.

The presentation is free and open to the public. All classes and exhibits at the Mispillion Art League are made available, in part, from a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Mispillion Art League is located at 5 N Walnut Street in Milford. All classes and exhibits are made available in part from a grant from the Dela-ware Division of the Arts.

For more information and to register for classes, call Judy Struck at 302-424-8361 or email at judystruck@comcast.net. Registration forms can be found at the MAL Gallery or online at: www.mispillionarts.org under ed-ucation and can be mailed to: Judy Struck, 12 Victoria Dr., Milford, DE 19963.

OUR TOWN from page 10

of Magnolia, and the town gossip played by Susan Newark of Harrington. Ben Wilcox, Carol Torrey, and Susan Newark of Harrington provide the live music on violin, flute, and bassoon.

The shows are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 PM and Sunday matinees at 3 PM. Tickets are $17 with a $1 discount offered on the matinees for students, senior citizens, and military. Group rates are also available. For more information or to reserve tickets call 302-422-0220.

OUR TOWN will be presented by the Second Street Players in the month of February.

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Fischer Returns To Bayhealth BoardBayhealth Medical Center is pleased to welcome the return of Robert A. Fischer, Jr. to

the Bayhealth, Inc. Board of Directors.

Mr. Fischer previously served on the Milford Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, in-cluding a role as its Chairman of the Board, and formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Bayhealth, Inc.

“We are very fortunate Mr. Fischer will once again lend his business expertise to Bay-health’s Board,” said Bayhealth President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Murphy, FACHE. “His strong leadership skills, together with his dedication to Bayhealth, will help guide Bayhealth’s mission of improving the health status of all members of our com-munity.”

Pictured from l to r are Bayhealth President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Murphy, FACHE; Robert Fischer; and Chair of the Bayhealth Board Michael Koppenhaver.

Valentine Romance Booksale at Library

The Friends of the Milford Library will host the annual Ro-mance Book Sale on February 11th, 12th and 14th . This sale will be held upstairs in the Milford Library during regular busi-ness hours. There will be special pricing during this Sale for pa-perback romance novels at 25 cents each and hardback romance books at 50 cents each. Also for sale will be cassettes, CDs, tapes, and gift items that are now individually priced. For more infor-mation please contact Pat Palmer at 302-424-0549.

Girls Track Finishes Runner-Up in Conference

By Kari Elzey

Milford Wins Dodgeball Championship

Staff Report

The race for the Henlopen Conference indoor title ended Friday Jan. 28 with the Mil-ford High girls finishing runner-up to Cape Henlopen by the score, 125-121.

Despite the loss, the Milford girls stepped up their game and performed extremely well with four individual conference titles and one relay title. Junior Molly Bliss took part in three conference titles after she opened the day as the lead leg of the 3200-meter relay squad the finished second to Sussex Tech.

“The fact that our 3200-meter-relay team got second made me hype,” said Bliss. “I also didn’t like seeing the girls with their heads down.”

Bliss came back to win the 1600 (5:33.1) and 800 meters (2:30.1) before closing out the day with the winning 1600 meter-relay squad with Tyesha Bowman, Shekinah Brown and Alexis Groce.

Destiny Sivels (55 meters, 7.56) and Alexis Groce (400 meters, 60.6) added individual titles. Groce’s time ranks as the number 40 spot all-time on the state indoor record list.

“It feels unrealistic to be on the all-time fastest list,” said Groce. “It really makes you feel

Milford team wins their second consecutive Dodgeball Champion-ship in the Delaware Sports League on Tuesday, Februrary 1. Games are played on Tuesday nights at Shields Elementary School in Lewes DE. Dodgeball is a Co-Ed Team Sport. Games are Guys vs. Guys and Girls vs. Girls in alternating games with a total of 7 a piece for a 14 game match per night.

The new season starts on February 22. To find out more about Dela-ware Sports League visit http://www.delawaresportsleague.com/.

SPORTS

L-R, Margaret Landon, Brittany Bailey, Kelly Graybeal, Andrea Fleming, Julie Wy-att, Will McColley, Stuart Deeney, Chris Southard, Bryan Shupe, Aymi Wyatt, Kyle

Rothermel, Matthew Bailey

like your hard work is paying off.”

Not only did Groce run the 400, but she ran back-to-back events, placing fifth in the 800, to help keep the girls alive in the meet.

“Running back-to-back events had to be the hardest thing I ever had to do in sports,” said Groce. “It definitely tests endurance.”

The girls’ track and field team had quite a few silver medalists as well: Tyesha Bowman (400, 62.8), Kari Elzey (shot put, 29-feet-3-inches), Hannah Westwood (pole vault , 6-6), 3200-meter relay of Bliss, Groce, Kelsey Cabrera and Alli Henderson (10:28.5) and the 800-meter relay of Sivels, Bowman, Henderson and Brown (1:53.55).

Tashea Jackson (55 meters, 7.92) and Keyanna Winder (long jump, 15-4) placed third as well..

Other place winners consisted of Tyesha Bowman (4th, 200), Shekinah Brown (5th, 55 hurdles; 6th, long jump), Alli Henderson (5th, 400), Alexis Groce (5th, 800), Kelsey Cabrera (5th, 3200; 6th, 1600), Khila Hughes (5th, high jump), Destiny Sivels (5th, long jump) and Jasmine Robinson (5th, shot put).

The team will travel to The University of Delaware for the state meet on Saturday Feb-ruary 12.

Extreme Total Fitness Hosts Spin For A Cure

Friends gathered at Extreme Total Fitness this week to “Work-out for a Cure”. The donations received from the Spin class ben-efiting the American Cancer Society. On Sunday, February 27 Extreme Total Fitness is offering Yoga classes for a donation of $10 at 10:30-11:30am which will also support Cancer research.

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Athlete Spotlight: Junior Varsity Point Guard Sigmarie Melendez

By Rony Baltazar

Becoming a doc-tor, an astronaut, the president or a famous celebrity has been an inspiration for many young children, but for one particular Mil-ford High student, be-coming a famous bas-ketball player has been her long-life dream.

Sigmarie Melendez, a Junior Varsity point guard who wears No. 5 on the girls’ junior var-sity basketball team, stays busy with school and other activities.

She still attends practices from the end of school until about 5 p.m. daily.

According to Melendez, when she was a child, her older brother, Ray-mond Melendez, used to play basketball everyday outside the house and one day she decided to try it. Ever since then, it has changed her life.

“He inspired me to play,” said Melendez. “The first time I made a basket-ball team was when I was in eighth grade at Milford Middle school, and ever since then, I’ve been playing for Milford and I want to do it until I graduate.”

Melendez said she was excited to score her first point in a win over Nan-dua on Feb. 1. She has helped the junior varsity Bucs to a 10-5 record, which ranks the team third amongst the Henlopen Conference. Melendez added that she loves being with the team since it feels like her teammates are all family to her.

Melendez hopes to continue playing basketball until she graduates, but for now she’s excited for the next home game against Sussex Tech on Feb. 8. She also hopes to keep scoring against Tech.

Other than basketball, Melendez likes to do gymnastics and play vol-leyball. She cares about her studies as any other student, and if she doesn’t become a professional basketball player, she hopes to join the United States Air Force.

Sports WrapBy MHS Staff

Boys’ Basketball Battles Cape

With tensions already boiling over from an intense ending to a junior varsity game, the stands at the Milford Central Academy were quickly fill-ing up before the start of the varsity matchup versus Cape Henlopen on February 3.

With smart passing between themselves to keep possession away from Cape, the JV Bucs had dribbled 53 seconds off the clock to preserve a 53-52 victory. Soon after the JV players went into the locker room, the Mil-ford High varsity entered the gym for warm-ups with the stands already close to capacity and fans from both schools cheering extremely loudly.

The noise level rose throughout the game, but when Milford led 34-23 with 2:48 left in the first half, the home crowd went crazy. The Bucs still led 36-25 lead at halftime, but the second half soon turned into a nightmare for the Bucs as Cape scored 22 points to Milford’s 17 in the third quarter.

With 1:46 to go in the fourth quarter, Milford held a one point lead, but 16 seconds later, Cape had taken control, 63-62. The Bucs regained the lead with 59.7 seconds to go and senior DJ Cephas later added two free throws to increase the Milford lead to 66-63 with 45 seconds left.

With a 10-3 run to close the game, Cape had disappointed the Bucs with a 73-69 win behind senior Andrew Merlo’s 27 points. Cephas led the Bucs with 22.

Looking to return to the state tournament after a berth last season, the

Bucs must also make it through the next two weeks with six games sched-uled.

“If the tournament was today, we would be in Top 15,” said Milford var-sity head coach B.J. Joseph.

Milford plays St. Elizabeth’s on Monday, Sussex Tech on Tuesday, Sussex Central on Thursday, St. Marks on Saturday, Caesar Rodney on Tuesday, February 15 and Dover on Thursday, February 17.

- Caleb Primos

Girls’ Swim Team Final Week

The Milford High girls’ swim team had a busy final week, taking on three different opponents. The Bucs squared off with Sussex Central, Ste-phen Decatur and Seaford to finish the season 8-3-1.

In a meet rescheduled from Jan. 27, Milford’s girls defeated Central, 106-62. Seniors Lexi Coon and Kristen Johnson, junior Alyssa Sand-ers and freshman Ali Sanders led the Bucs with wins in a combined six events, including the 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Milford had to get back in gear the next day to take on Stephen Deca-tur at Milford Boys and Girls Club, and the Bucs put up another strong

showing with an 87-83 win. The group of Johnson, Coon, and the Sand-ers again were able to win the majority of Milford’s events win seven wins, again winning the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay.

But this time around more Milford swimmers stepped up. A group of four including Alyssa Sanders, senior Brianna Walls, senior Katelyn Lewis and sophomore Peyton Shockley won the 400-yard freestyle relay.

In the regular-season finale at home on Feb. 3, the Bucs ended tied with Seaford at 85. Once again Coon, Johnson, and the Sanders won the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay. Members of the group also snagged wins in the 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 breast-stroke.

For Milford, though, the meet also signified the end of the road as far as regular season meets go for several veteran seniors on Milford’s squad. Seniors Lexi Coon, Kristen Johnson, Katelyn Lewis, Brianna Walls and Brittany Roberts all won or assisted in winning multiple events this sea-son. Johnson won either a solo event or relay in every meet of the season, with Coon doing so in all but one meet.

After beginning the season at 1-2, the girls turned the season around, winning seven of their next nine meets, tying one and losing one. Mil-ford will now swim at the Henlopen Conference Championship on Feb. 12 at Lake Forest High School.

- Blake Tuttle

Lady Bucs Win Seven in a Row

The Milford High School girls’ basketball team has had quite a turn-around in the second half of the 2011 season, winning seven in a row before a 61-52 loss to Cape Henlopen on February. 4.

The Bucs started off the season with some big losses to Smyrna, 62-13, and Cape Henlopen, 54-32, but since defeating Laurel, 69-34 on Janu-ary 1. Milford (10-6) has not scored less than 60 points during their win streak, including a 60-24 win on February 2 against Nandua.

The Bucs started off that game with a dominant lead that they took into the locker room at halftime, leading 36-12. In the third quarter, Nandua managed to score just four points to the Bucs 17.

Junior Aaliyah Davis believes that the Lady Bucs will be able to beat everyone left in their schedule if they keep up the offensive dominance. Davis must also keep scoring, something that she believes helps Milford to beat other teams.

“Being the leading scorer, it tells opponents what I can do,” said Davis. She also commented how the Bucs’ opponents have to focus more on her during games, and that lets her teammates have more chances to score.

With only four games left, the Bucs must continue to play like they did during their winning streak want to have a shot at making the state tour-nament.

- Caleb Primos