Commentary
There's more to the Empire State Games than winning
MATT KRUEGER Sports Reporter
I've never seen someone so excited to finish second as the Central Region synchronized swimming team was Sunday afternoon.

Moments after climbing out of the pool at Iona College, the six girls clutched each other's hands or wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders and cried heavily at seeing their scores. The scream at hearing they won the silver medal streamed down the hallways, so nobody could miss the exultation. You'd think these teenage girls just won a contest to meet Justin Timberlake the way they sobbed and laughed at the same time.

That's what the Empire State Games can do for you. One of the largest and most recognizable amateur sporting events in the country, the ESGs provide spectators a chance to see athletes who care about something other than endorsement deals, contract extensions and fat paychecks. The Games are all about the love of competition and the thrill of sport. It's the ideal, before corruption and greed sink in their pointed teeth.

Of course, the silver medal was about all those girls could hope for. The Western Region stomped the competition again to win its 30th straight gold medal and hold its distinction of being the only team to never lose at the ESGs. Western winning gold was about as expected as Old Faithful spouting off.

So, those girls from Central were essentially competing for second place. And when they got it, they achieved their goal in rousing fashion. I'll bet the party rages on even now.

Take a look at the faces of the Western Region softball players, days after competition ended, and measure just how far across those smiles are. After three years of getting left off the medal podium, Western rallied to win bronze through guts and grit. And the payoff was huge, like a kid seeing the ice cream truck roll down the street with "free" written on the side.

Outfielder Kristin Brunetto said she couldn't have been happier than she was with that bronze medal hanging around her neck. She'd felt the sting of losing before, which made that final victory over Central in the bronze medal game so sweet.

The Western men's lacrosse team became cheerleaders for an earlier opponent as soon as it finished its last game Sunday. Having already clinched the bronze medal and needing Central to lose by at least three goals to earn the silver, the guys from Western, including Amherst's Casey Rich and Orchard Park's Jeff Tundo started cheering on Adirondack to put a serious hurt on Central. It was a quick changeover from wanting to beat Adirondack to becoming its biggest supporter.

At any of the venues in Westchester County, you didn't have to look far or wide to find athletes from all across the state checking out each other's medals. It wasn't just another trinket from some random competition. This was an Empire State Games medal. It was special. It meant something more to the athletes who won and motivated the ones who lost to come back next year.

That's the magic of the Empire State Games. It's a community-building event that unites people from all corners of the state. That's why it's lasted 30 years, and will, hopefully, last at least 30 more.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com