{"id":2879,"date":"2016-05-13T07:44:01","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T11:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/?p=2879"},"modified":"2016-05-13T08:21:10","modified_gmt":"2016-05-13T12:21:10","slug":"back-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/post\/back-on-track\/","title":{"rendered":"BACK ON TRACK!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-I.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2881\" src=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-I.jpg\" alt=\"Shannon I\" width=\"213\" height=\"331\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A native of <strong>Greene, NY<\/strong> (Chenango County), and a graduate from <strong>Greene High School<\/strong>, she currently holds six <strong>(6)<\/strong> Greene High School Track &amp; Field Records, including the <strong>100m<\/strong> dash record <strong>(12.50)<\/strong> set in <strong>1983<\/strong>.\u00a0 Beginning in <strong>7<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong> grade, she was a Varsity Track &amp; Field Athlete for six <strong>(6)<\/strong> years, and qualified for the <strong>State Championship<\/strong> meet in four <strong>(4)<\/strong> of those years. \u00a0She also competed in the <strong>100m<\/strong>, <strong>200m<\/strong>, and <strong>4 X 100m Relay<\/strong> at the former <strong>Empire State Games<\/strong> in <strong>1984<\/strong>.\u00a0 Those are just her High School credentials!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0On <strong>May 10th<\/strong>, the <strong>Empire State Sports Council<\/strong> selected, and is formally announcing, their first ever <strong>Track &amp; Field Sports Chair!<\/strong>\u00a0 &#8220;It is with GREAT pleasure, and to some degree, relief, to introduce to you <strong>Shannon Gawronski<\/strong>, the new <strong>Track &amp; Field Sports Chair<\/strong> for the <strong>Empire State Sports Council!<\/strong>&#8220;, exclaimed Anthony Mills, the Executive Director of the <strong>Empire State Sports Council<\/strong>, a <strong>Non Profit 501(c)3 Organization<\/strong>, since its formation in <strong>August<\/strong> of <strong>2011<\/strong>.\u00a0 He continues, &#8220;After meeting with Shannon for more than four <strong>(4)<\/strong> hours in person, and many additional hours via e-mail, phone, and texts, over the past couple of weeks, I felt like I was looking into the mirror; and I mean <strong>NO<\/strong> disrespect to Shannon whatsoever, as the Military Haircut would be a disservice to her!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 As a passionate supporter and promoter of <strong>Youth Track &amp; Field<\/strong>, and <strong>Physical Fitness<\/strong>\u00a0at all levels, Shannon has a love for helping Youth develop an appreciation for Athletics, and all the values that evolve as a result. \u00a0She has coached numerous YMCA-based recreational and competitive <strong>Youth Basketball Teams<\/strong>, routinely develops <strong>Strength Training<\/strong> and <strong>Athletic Conditioning Programs<\/strong> for High School and Club Athletes, including the <strong>Norwich JV<\/strong> and <strong>Varsity Soccer Teams<\/strong>, and the <strong>YMCA\u2019s Dolphins Swim Team<\/strong>.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, Shannon sought to create a program to develop Youth Skills in Track &amp; Field.\u00a0 With the backing of the Norwich Family YMCA, in <strong>2009<\/strong> Shannon began a <strong>Summer Track &amp; Field Camp<\/strong> that became quite popular, and continues to grow today.\u00a0 Not only was it her goal to create a heightened interest in the sport of Track &amp; Field, but she also wanted to involve guest-Athletes and Coaches from area High Schools and Colleges.\u00a0 In this way, the guest Athletes not only demonstrated their abilities, but learned how to coach Children as well. &#8220;This model has proven to be very effective in growing Track &amp; Field in Norwich, as the Norwich Modified and Varsity record demonstrates.&#8221; said Shannon.\u00a0 She adds, &#8220;It has also benefited many Athletes who decide to go into the Physical Education and Coaching Fields.&#8221;<a href=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2883\" src=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV-400x371.jpg\" alt=\"Shannon IV\" width=\"400\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV-400x371.jpg 400w, http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV-768x713.jpg 768w, http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV-600x557.jpg 600w, http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-IV.jpg 860w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0After earning a <strong>Bachelor\u2019s of Science<\/strong> degree in <strong>International Relations\u00a0<\/strong>at the\u00a0<strong>University of Southern Maine<\/strong>, Shannon began work on <strong>Capitol Hill<\/strong> in <strong>Washington<\/strong>, <strong>D.C.<\/strong>\u00a0 She worked for eight <strong>(8)<\/strong> years in Washington D.C., while earning a <strong>Master\u2019s<\/strong> degree in the same field.\u00a0 After beginning a family, she and her husband moved to North Carolina. \u00a0While being a full-time Mom of three (3), Shannon began teaching group fitness classes, personal training, and competing in running races and triathlons of various distances.\u00a0 In triathlons, she regularly finished in the top three <strong>(3)<\/strong> of those in her age group.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 As the <strong>Track &amp; Field Sports Chair<\/strong> for <strong>ES Sports<\/strong>, <a href=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-III.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2880\" src=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-III-400x600.jpg\" alt=\"Shannon III\" width=\"232\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-III-400x600.jpg 400w, http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-III-600x900.jpg 600w, http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/files\/2016\/05\/Shannon-III.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/a>Shannon will lead the <strong>Track &amp; Field Committee<\/strong>, which will also include seeking out those that would be effective in serving on such a committee, and add to the three <strong>(3)<\/strong> current members that serve from around the Empire State.\u00a0 Moreover, she will lead the way for the future of the <strong>Empire State Liberty Tour Track &amp; Field Series<\/strong>, now entering its <strong>12th<\/strong> season, along with the <strong>Track &amp; Field<\/strong> competition for the <strong>Liberty Games<\/strong>, which are the <strong>NEW<\/strong> state games, and about to kick off their <strong>5th<\/strong> year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 When asked how she felt about taking on this position, Shannon humbly stated, &#8220;I certainly appreciate the <strong>Empire State Sports Council&#8217;s<\/strong> willingness to offer me this opportunity. \u00a0I feel that I am at the right place in my life to pick it up and run with it (no pun intended).&#8221;\u00a0 She continued, &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure if anyone can match Anthony&#8217;s expertise, and (literally) around-the-clock devotion to the <strong>Mission<\/strong>, but I will do ALL I can to help!\u00a0 Having said that &#8230; <strong>Let&#8217;s Get Going!<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A native of Greene, NY (Chenango County), and a graduate from Greene High School, she currently holds six (6) Greene High School Track &amp; Field Records, including the 100m dash record (12.50) set in 1983.\u00a0 Beginning in 7th grade, she was a Varsity Track &amp; Field Athlete for six (6) years, and qualified [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2879"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2891,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions\/2891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}