Local teams to gather to honor 'beloved man'

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

BY J.C. BAUMULLER

Twin-Boro News, Sports Editor

BERGENFIELD - "It was a combination of [senior forward] Melanie [Eskin] and me," said Bergenfield girls basketball coach Erik Olson. "We had played at Park Ridge for breast cancer and at Pascack Valley for autism last year. Before the end of the [2009-10] season we decided that we would do a benefit for the Lustgarten Foundation."

The event will be a girls basketball tournament, called the Hoops 4 Hope Challenge, that will be at Bergenfield High School, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 19. Ten local teams will compete in five games played throughout the day. "I contacted my close friends in the coaching circle," Olson said. "We got early commitments. I got Holy Angels and Ramapo to agree to face each other. And this was before they faced off for the county title last season." "We haven't hosted a basketball tournament in 15 years," said BHS Principal Jim Fasano. "This is the first time we are having a tournament or activity for a special reason. This will be a great day for Bergenfield High School. We have made a lot of improvements so it will be nice to show off our school."

LUSTGARTEN FOUNDATION

Pascack Valley will get the tournament going at 10 a.m. when they take on Rutherford. Bergenfield and New Milford are next with an 11:30 start. In a rematch of the 2010 Bergen County final, Holy Angels will seek revenge against Ramapo in a 1 p.m. game. River Dell and Old Tappan face off at 2:30 and Park Ridge and Tenafly end the long day of competition when they go at it beginning at 4 p.m. "Opening night (for basketball) is Friday (Dec. 17)," said Olson. "The next games are Tuesday. So a Sunday game fits perfectly."

Lustgarten Foundation, whose mission is to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer, was chosen as a tribute to the late Dr. Steven Kaminsky. During his time in the district he was the principal for both Roy W. Brown Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School in Bergenfield.

"Melanie approached me in early February," said Olson. "We sat down and figured out what we wanted to do and when we wanted to do it.

"He (Kaminsky) was my principal in sixth and seventh grades," said Eskin. "We dedicated last year's season to him. All of the girls in the upper classes had him as principal in either Roy W. Brown or Lincoln."

'A BELOVED MAN'

"Steve Kaminsky was the nicest guy," said Fasano. "His phrase was, 'Don't sweat the small stuff.' He always stayed positive, always had a smile on his face. He had an impact on everybody. He cared about the kids and we are trying to emulate that at Bergenfield High School."

Kaminsky was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Aug. 2009, a year before he was scheduled to retire. In April 2010 he lost his battle.

"No one knows that much about pancreatic cancer," said Eskin. "We are doing this mainly for awareness and to support the cause."

"He was a beloved man in the district," said Olson, who worked under Kaminsky at Lincoln School. "He was a teacher's principal. He was a student's principal. He was everybody's principal."

And so the fundraiser will be a way to remember the man who made such a positive impression on everyone.
"I tell the girls to enjoy each day," said Olson. "Dr. K lived for the moment; he lived for today. Not yesterday or tomorrow. We can all take something from him."

"He was the best," said Fasano. "He was always calm and he based all his decisions on what would be best for the kids. This is a wonderful thing they are doing."