Manheim Central
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townlively.com
JULY 13, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 24
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Bats In The Basement BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Logan Bomgardner of Lititz faces off against an opponent at a PAUSAW wrestling match.
Will Betancourt (left), executive director of LAW, with Logan Bomgardner (center) and Andrew Bomgardner
More Than Wrestling BY ANN MEAD ASH
hen Logan Bomgardner was younger, he was a tad rambunctious. “I was full of energy,” said Logan, who is now 11 and a student at Lititz Elementary School. Fortunately for Logan, his father, Andrew, was coaching Manheim Central Middle School wrestling at the time. When Logan was 8, Andrew started taking him to the Manheim Mat Club, eventually moving him to Lancaster Alliance Wrestling (LAW), a nonprofit organization also based in Manheim that is dedicated to fostering, promoting and encouraging the sport of amateur wrestling. This year, Logan placed third at the state PAUSAW (Pennsylvania USA Wrestling) freestyle tournament held at Alvernia University in Reading in June. He was the only student in Warwick School District to qualify for the event. Logan was scheduled to wrestle in three
organization takes students around the U.S. and to locations in Canada, Puerto Rico, and beyond. “We provide the opportunity for kids to wrestle at a higher level,” said Betancourt. “One of the things (I like) about LAW is that it’s not just about wrestling; it’s about the individual,” said Andrew. “They are making them into nice young men and women.” Part of LAW’s mission is to build character, sportsmanship, self-confidence, selfesteem, and positive attitudes toward dedication, persistence, and hard work. Betancourt has been impressed with Logan’s outlook. “This kid always has a smile,” said Betancourt. “He is genuinely excited to be in the sport, and those are the kinds of athletes I love being around.” Readers who would like to know more about LAW may search for “Lancaster Alliance Wrestling” on Facebook.
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When Logan was still wrestling at matches in the boys 12 and under category. When he lost his first the Manheim Mat Club, he suffered match, he moved into the consola- an epileptic seizure. “I was embartion bracket. Before his second rassed,” recalled Logan, whose match, Logan admitted he felt a seizures are now generally conlittle down, but he was up for the trolled by medication. “(But) I got challenge. “My fear turned into over being embarrassed by just strength, and I pinned a kid in 21 going back to wrestling.” About two years ago, Logan seconds,” said Logan, began wrestling whose score pushed him into fourth “One of the things freestyle and Grecoplace. “For the con- (I like) about LAW Roman style with solation final match, is that it’s not just LAW, and he now the other boy had to about wrestling; wrestles there up to forfeit, which put i t ’ s a b o u t t h e six visits per week. “We do a lot of gym(Logan) in third individual.” nastics and dynamic place,” explained flexibility exercise Andrew, who noted that through LAW, Logan has had and a ton of wrestling,” shared Will many opportunities to wrestle in Betancourt, executive director of tournaments, including a competi- LAW. Betancourt said that LAW tion on June 19, in Cherokee, N.C., opened in Manheim in 2009 and has where the youngster wrestled for a a membership of 300 students from team from Long Island, N.Y. called novice through Olympians. About Prestige Worldwide. Logan’s record 40 of those members are girls, who for that event was 2-2, and he best- wrestle through a partnership with Beat the Streets Lancaster. The ed a Georgia State silver medalist.
Every three hours, an alarm goes off in Rosemarie Curcio’s house. It lets her know it’s time to feed the pups. But, these aren’t the kind of pups you may be picturing; instead, they are baby bats, and at the moment, 10 of them live in a bat nursery in the basement of Curcio’s Marietta home. For more than 30 years, Curcio has been rescuing and rehabbing bats. “I’ve always been interested in wildlife,” she said. Originally from New York, she volunteered at an animal rescue but didn’t focus on bats until she spent time in bat boot camp at Bat World Sanctuary in Texas over two summers, and she found her true calling. “So much focus is on the ‘glamour’ species that need help - the wolves, the bald eagles - bats are the ugly ones,” she remarked. “I’m always for the underdog. I’m fascinated by bats.” She began caring for bats in her New York City apartment - without telling her landlord - and when she retired from teaching special education, she relocated to Marietta in 2009. See Bats pg 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Haiti Benefit Auction Planned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Research Farm Opens To Public . . . . . . . .6 House Of Worship . . . . . . .9 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9
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