Fire Island

By Rachel ShermanRemember field day? Think way back to those elementary school years, or maybe you a have a little tike of your own who could refresh your memory. That long awaited event at the end of the school year where you finally had the opportunity to run wild on the field and maybe even show up a few of your pals. Field Day was not a day for those ordinary gym activities.  Creativity and competition collide to create events like the wheel barrel relay and the potato sack race. Over on Fire Island it is no different.  As another hot and busy summer winds down, the anticipation to not only celebrate the chill in the air and peacefulness on the streets, the excitement for Field Day is enormous! First played in the post season of 2008, Field Day has become as coveted a day as tumbleweed Tuesday.

As if he didn’t have enough to do, Eric Iverson, owner of Scoops, Beaches and Cream, and more recently The Baywalk Cafe, he is also the founder and leader for five years running of field day. When Eric is not working he is sure to be in the center of his friends. Whether its dart night, softball Tuesdays, or Sunday Fun day, Eric is the person to be around for good laughs and some good competition as well. Eric not only created Field Day to bring Fire Island’s local staff together one last time, but as a way to raise money for local friends and families in need.

The first four years of Field raised a few thousand dollars a piece for different families on Long Island and Fire Island dealing with medical situations. Each participant buys into the competition to receive their team shirt, beverages throughout the event, and buffet at the after party, sponsored this year by The Landing at Ocean Beach. All are welcome to buy shirts and watch the competition taking place at The Seaview Baseball field. Then join the crew afterwards where raffles are sold for the chance to win some awesome prizes donated by the many generous local vendors.

Over the years as more and more participants joined, not only did the crowd expand, but the amount of dogs joining in the festivities grew as well. Fire Island is stock full of animal lovers and enthusiasts! Eric being one of them, the proud owner of Ruby, whom some may know as Scoops’ mascot. This year field day was held to support Adopt NY, Making NY No Kill (adoptny.org).  Adopt NY was established by two rescue groups, Dog Habitat and Project Pet. Their mission is to save the tons of homeless animals from the multitudes of high kill shelters and find them the loving homes they deserve. Field Day 2012 has raised over $2000 and still counting.

As friendly as an event that Field Day may sound, a competition must have teams. What better way to divvy up the island and stir up some rivalry then to create the East verse West divide, Bayberry Walk being the split. This year gold represented the West side and Green for the East side. The cheering and chanting started at noon on Monday September 10, opening with the potato sack. To start, six to ten girls from each team would hop down the field, around the cone and back sending off the next player. The West side girls started off strong and took the first win. For each event, including the three-legged race, dizzy bat, the wheel barrel, the army obstacle, and dodge ball, a group of girls, followed by a group of guys, and then a coed team would compete. The closing battle, true to elementary school form, tug of war, where the West side boys brought home the trophy!  West side took the East side for five of the seven events. What better a trophy then a beautiful new engraved bar stool, true to Fire Island form!