RiseMag Articles

From Rise Magazine, December 2008 NY Metro Edition
Queens Vocational & Technical

    When the seniors on Queens-Vocational & Technical's varsity baseball team graduated last June, the team lost a great deal of the skill that took it to an 11-5 division record and to the playoffs for the seventh year in a row. Returning, however, are the team's captains, Armando
Avila and Esteban Soler, sophomores this year, who are expected to lead the team through a
transitional year. Ten other rookies returned this year, and the team had a wealth of highly skilled players, mostly freshmen, try out for the Tigers this year. Sixty boys tried out for the team, 13 of whom were selected, bringing their roster for the upcoming season to 25 players.
     The Tigers are continuing their community service efforts at Hour Children in Long Island City, and with the Partnership for Parks "It's My Park!" days at Flushing Meadows Park, where they play their home games.  "Our main goal this fall and winter," said Armando, "is to get to know each other off the field, because that will help us on the field."  At Hour Children, the boys volunteer in the thrift shop every Saturday. Coordinating the team's efforts at Hour Children are Erick Cabello, Luis Espinoza and Raylin Leroux, who along with Armando and Esteban, are the team's Action Team captains. The Action Team is a joint venture between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Volunteers of America.
     "The team has a lot of activities in addition to our community service work," said Esteban. "We've had a half-dozen fall scrimmages, a pool tournament, and a Thanksgiving dinner, and we're having a bowl-a-thon in December. Some of the rookies have begun to help us prepare, and we're really enthusiastic about the upcoming season," he concluded.

- Rob Schimenz, Varsity Baseball Coach

From Rise Magazine, March 2008 NY MetroEdition

Queens Vocational

Queens Voc's varsity baseball team is looking forward to the baseball season. The team members have participated in numerous team building activities such as a bowl-a-thon, pool tournament, and a Thanksgiving dinner, and are ready to take the field.

The team engages in several community service activities annually. Encouraged by their principal, Denise Vittor, the team signed on this year as part of the New York Action Team, a joint venture between Major League Baseball Players Trust and the Volunteers of America.

"We're basically a new team," said coach Rob Schimenz, "and we're really coming together." Of the 23 boys on the roster, 10 are rookies, and more than half of the rookies are freshmen.

Seniors Steve D'Elena, Annaldo Jimenez, Emmanuel Portorreal, and Angel Tejada have been working to get the team ready. They have been supported by freshmen Anthony Arias, Armando Avila, Erick Cabello, Raymond Diaz, and Esteban Soler.

With a solid mix of veterans and rookies, the team, with over 40 games scheduled, should not only have a fun season, but should be competitive as well.

- Daniel Medina, Graduate/Class of 2007 and Former Team Captain

From Rise Magazine, November 2007 NY Metro Edition
Queens Vocational & Technical

Queens Vocational & Technical's varsity baseball team made school history last spring by winning the New York City B Division championship, the first title in Queens Voc's history.

This accomplishment didn't come easy, however, as the Tigers went through countless challenges on their way to Keyspan Park. The team came together with a bowl-a-thon, a pool tournament and a Thanksgiving dinner, as well as numerous community service activities. Once the league games started, the team found itself with an uninspiring 2-3 record. Canceling practice, the coach showed the team "Kokoyakyu," a documentary by Ken Eng. This seemed to be the spark the team needed. "Talent was never the issue," said coach Rob Schimenz.

The Tigers went onto win their next 11 regular season games on their way to clinching their division championship.

The Tigers won their first-playoff game, 11-1, against Truman. Next, the Tigers defeated Riverdale, 11-8, in a come-from-behind win in the last inning. In the next round, the top-seeded team from Gregorio Luperon faced the Tigers. The Tigers prevailed, winning yet again in a dramatic game by a score of 3-2. The Tigers faced their friends from Taft in the semifinals. The game was a nail-biter, but in the end, the Tigers defeated Taft, 11-9, propelling them into the championship game.

Seniors Rene Cruz, Elbel Estrella, Janio Fernandez, Diomedes Gonzalez, and Daniel Medina contributed significantly to the success of the team. This was the first time in Queens Voc history that the Tigers baseball team made it past the second round, let alone to a championship game.

Team captains Estrella, Gonzalez and Medina reported in RISE last year the team's record "is not the indicator of our success, our success will be measured by us being able to build another exemplary team that represents our school the way it should." In another year where the focus was on building a family and representing their school with dignity, the Tigers baseball team not only took first place in its division but won the city championship as well.

From Rise Magazine, May-June 2007 NY Metro Edition

Queens Vocational & Technical

Queens Vocational & Technical High School's varsity baseball team is considered one of the toughest teams in the Queens North B Division. For the past five years, our team has made the playoffs. Two years ago, the team won the division championship and last year fell short of first place by one game. This year, in an unscientific PSAL coaches poll, the team was rated No. 1 among all New York City B Division teams.

As with other competitive teams, our work ethic is rigorous and demanding. Building stamina in the offseason is what keeps the players going through the 50-plus scheduled games. Aside from the many additional nonleague games, the team is also involved in community service activities. Several times a year, the team participates in the"lt's My Park!"days at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. There, the team members paint park benches, rake leaves and pick up debris along the shoreline of the park's lake.

Our team is rather unique. Captains don't only lead on-field practices, but work together as partners with the coach. Side by side, we run tryouts and make team selections, plan workouts and practices and develop game plans. Most of the schools in our division begin work with tryouts in September or October, or even in March. At Queens Voc, baseball starts in August, when the team helps run orientation for the new students.

While the team's primary goal is to win, the coach endeavors to bring together a group of high school boys and to develop a respectful, responsible and caring group ï¿½ a family that represents the school with dignity on and off the field. We strive to play to our fullest potential and to show our opponents, coaches and umpires the camaraderie we have built. Whether we win or lose, we often gain our opponents' respect. This is the main reason, we believe, that our school was rated No. 1 in the B Division coaches poll.

Entering his 10th year as head coach, Rob Schimenz and the Queens Voc Tigers captains expect this year to be a successful year. After the countless hours and the immeasurable efforts to get our team ready, anything short of a good season will be considered a failure. Our record, however, is not the indicator of success ï¿½ our success will be measured by us being able to build another exemplary team that represents our school the way it should.
- Elbel Estrella, Diomedes Gonzalez and Daniel Medina. Senior Captains