September 11 Seven Years Later: Lest We Forget*

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6 Triathletes in our Midst By Chered Spann, Intern, Public Affairs Sarah Kaufman Michael Salvato Michael Alexis Match Point to 7 Line After Hurricane Rains Stacked Up Mets/US Open Crowds for Subway When rains from Hurricane Hannah flooded parts of the City on Saturday, September 6, delayed a Mets/Phillies series and halted the US Open, 7 Line managers were ready to cope. Extra trains and staff at Willets Point Shea Stadium had been catering to Mets and tennis fans for days. For Sunday’s doubleheader and rescheduled tennis, “We managed all day,” notes Deputy Line General Manager John Hoban. “We ran 15 (full) expresses or about half our fleet, plus a rush hour for the locals At Your Service August/September 2008 almost all day.” But the Mets second game and women’s tennis final that night brought bigger crowds and, far worse, ended around the same time, after 11 p.m. Line GM Joseph Ragusa picks up the story: “We had eight stand-by ‘gap’ trains, ran 15 express trains and 15 ‘rush hour’ locals, each beyond standing room. There was signage everywhere and staff/crew prepped for crowd patrol with bullhorns. It was a team effort, from station cleaners in bathrooms to agents and platform conductors safely Applause At least three employees showed true athletic prowess this summer in triathlons. Michael Salvato of MTA Capital Construction and Sarah Kaufman of CPM Strategic Improvements completed the big Nautica NYC Triathlon, while Labor Relations’ Michael Alexis competed in 10 regional events. The 8th annual Nautica race registered 3,623 international athletes for its Olympic-length course: a mile swim in the Hudson, 25 miles biking on Henry Hudson and Mosholu Parkways and a 6.2-mile run in Central Park. Hudson River swimmers go with the tide for relatively fast times, but this swim was on a humid, 96-degree day with an unexpected test: jellyfish. “Most swimmers got stung, some repeatedly,” says Kaufman, who had shooting pains in one arm for minutes. “I was prepared physically. The challenge was convincing myself I could keep going.” At 3 hours 16 minutes, she placed 2,474 overall, and an impressive 454 in swimming. Sarah trained for the big race, her first, with Team in Training, which does triathlon training for fund raising. She raised nearly $3,000 in six months and the team she joined raised $1.25 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “The training was phenomenal and Mike Alexis was hugely supportive,” she says. 7 Line Crowds-Team: (from left) Dan Mazzella, President’s Office; Deputy General Manager (GM) John Hoban, Station Agents Jonathan Cieloszczcyk and Andrew Weston, GMs Joe Ragusa and Lou Brusati, Zone Superintendent Deidre Taylor, Supervisor Abdus Khan and Station Agent Gina Treasure-Rowe. loading people into cars. Stations supervisors, Traffic Checkers and train service supervisors were all part of our great team.” Back at Willets Point for the men’s final match on Monday, Al Neubert from Atlanta was one of many pleased tourists: “The crowds kept moving. Tennis is usually about lines, but I didn’t have to wait,” he said. “The subway was a great ride for a great match. Why would anyone want to drive? New York is beautiful! I come for this event every year.” – Sylvia Isabel
This was Mike Salvato’s 4th triathlon, completed in 2 hours 59 minutes. He is happy with his time and bettered it in his 5th race, yet says time is not his goal. “Getting to the starting line is harder in some sense than finishing,” he explains. “The prize is in the personal journey, not the race outcome,” then adds, “Part of the triathlon experience is mind over physical limitations, so you push through the pain.” His philosophy: “Set goals outside your comfort zone,” then “apply yourself every day and you’ll continuously improve.” Michael Alexis, the most experienced in the group, was a swimmer and runner in college who turned to triathlons in the early ‘80s when challenged by a friend. The hardest part was the transition from sprinting100-meter dashes to running longer distances. Like many competitors, he owns an expensive custom bike. “In a triathlon you must conserve energy for all three events,” he explains. “If a custom bike helps, it’s worth the price.” Keeping Cool on Staten Island Maintenance teams from Staten Island’s Castleton and Yukon Depots were standout winners in NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr.’s ongoing competition to keep City buses comfortably cool in summer. After being “in the tank” in the summer 2007 bus air conditioning surveys, said Department of Buses’ SVP Joseph Smith, “Yukon and Castleton did an absolutely fabulous job.” Pres. Roberts’ competition recognizes that a modern bus’s climate control system takes constant attention, and customer comfort is a top priority. Buses uses a quarterly survey to rate each depot’s record in providing a comfortable bus temperature based on a maximum 78 degrees. Other depot winners were Casey Stengel, East New York, Grand Avenue, Gun Hill, Jackie Gleason, Manhattanville, Michael J. Quill, Queens Village and Ulmer Park. Yukon Wins a Cool Award: (from left) EVP John Hein, Regional Bus Operations; Yukon Assistant GM Vito Sicolo; SI GM Richard De Vito and Yukon General Superintendent of Maintenance Butch Miller with NYC Transit President Roberts. He completed the Litchfield CT Olympic Triathlon this summer, one of the East’s toughest. His best time ever was in the 1994 Negril Sprint Triathlon in Jamaica (0.5-mile swim, 15-mile biking, 4-mile run), which he won in 58 minutes. Yet he agrees that the personal journey of a triathlon is the best reward, not a prize. “If you’re looking to try one, be sure to know your physical limitations and train hard,” he advises. Athletes can contact Mike Alexis, or find regional information at New York Triathlon, or www.nytri.org. COMTO’s Student Outreach Intern Sendoff: Nine of NYC’s 10 FTA/COMTO summer interns with sponsors; standing, from left - COMTO NY’s Dwayne Sampson and Thalia Panton, and FTA Administrator James S. Simpson. Far right - former MTA board member, now MTA Bus VP James H. Harding, Jr. Scholarships and mentoring are a priority for COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials), locally and nationally. Recently, the COMTO New York Chapter awarded $10,000 to four college recipients as its Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet. That festive event also honored role models including new Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward, and Buses’ Joseph Smith for his new title as president of MTA and Long Island Bus. This summer, with funding from the FTA (Federal Transit Administration), the NY Chapter expanded its outreach when 14 members volunteered for the COMTO 2008 Youth Symposium in Indianapolis. “We met some great kids along with transit peers from other systems,” says Assistant Chief Stations Officer Thalia Panton, who directs COMTO’s Student Development Institute. “The students learned about careers in transportation and applying for COMTO scholarships.” The Chapter also received FTA funding for 10 paid college interns (shown above) after their eight-week program. “All the students did well and the FTA has invited us to apply for this program again next year,” says NY Chapter President Dwayne Sampson. “With projected Transit growth and all the retirements ahead, we feel an obligation to help prepare students for our industry.” At Your Service August/September 2008 7
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September 11 Seven Years Later: Lest We Forget*

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