CSI in the News - CSI Today

Petosa, the Advance’s Sportsman of the Year, followed Island coaching icons Evan Pickman and HowieRuppert at CSI, and had another by his side in Matty White while he maintained improbable success with thebusiest side job in the country.Ambrosino received the Service Award for what is approaching 40 years of sustaining Laurie’s legacy with abasketball game that turned into an annual scholarship and an Intermediate School that bears Laurie’sname.“I never did it expecting anything likethat,” said Ambrosino as he accepted theaward. “I did it because Rocco was myfriend.”So Ambrosino started with a basketballgame, cops from the 9th Precinct againstteachers from Markham IntermediateSchool, where he and Laurie wereclassmates. They sold 714 tickets for adollar each and put the money in a freezerAdvance Service Award recipient Larry Ambrosino makes a point.for safe-keeping.A few years later, in 1975, they named thenew Intermediate School going up in New Springville, I.S. 72, the Rocco Laurie School. Thirty years later,Ambrosino pushed for a change, to call it the Police Officer Rocco Laurie School.And each year he goes back to talk to a new group of incoming sixth graders to tell them about his friend,the champion shot putter and decorated United States Marine.“I want to make sure they know who he is,” said Ambrosino.They all do, because of Ambrosino.You could see the same drive in Petosa, who’s into his third decade treating his second job — by day he’sbeen teaching high school for the past 25 years — like his top priority.After coaching the practices and thegames, you can catch Petosa at one Islandhigh school game after another, checkingin with coaches and players, most of whomPage 30 of 157