Sports Shorts

At the Shore Invitational Gymnastics Meet at Jackson Liberty High School, area high school gymnasts shined. In the vault, Howell's Megan Hatch was first (8.30) and Marlboro's Kelli Casamassina, third (8.20). On the uneven bars, Marlboro's Jessica Lowy won with a score of 8.30. On the balance beam, Howell's Kellie Bresz (8.10) and Lindsey Rehberger (7.75) went one-two. Manalapan's Amanda Depasquale (7.70). Allie Burke of Colts Neck won the floor exercise (8.65) with Howell's Alexandra Barone, third (8.10).

Brookdale Community College's men's tennis coach Rich Karpinski ran Sunday's New York City Marathon to raise money for the Asbury Park Recreation Trust Fund. This was the first marathon for the Asbury Park resident. With each mile he clicked off, he raised money for the town's recreation department.

Marlboro Youth Football picked up the first win in the program's history when the Jr. Varsity (fifth/sixth grade) beat Pinelands, 20-6. Nick Decolibus scored on a pass reception and Miche Gregg had a three-yard touchdown run for the Marlboro squad.

The YMCA of Western Monmouth County will host the 2006 YMCA Fall Hoops Clinic tomorrow and Friday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Freehold Township High School. The clinic is for boys and girls in grades second through eighth.

To register for the event, call (732) 845-5273 or stop by the Freehold Borough YMCA Community Center, 41 Center St., Suite 2 in Freehold Borough.

Freehold Raceway will be hosting a Thoroughbred Handicapping Contest on Nov. 24. The contest will be restricted to 100 entrants and will consist of races from Churchill Downs, Aqueduct, Philadelphia and the Fairgrounds.

The format for the contest consists of $10 win and place wagers, however, on two races contestants may increase the wager to $50 win and place. Entrants must wager on a minimum of 10 races, but, may bet up to 12.

Total cost to compete is $350 with $150 the entry fee and the rest going towards prize money. The remaining $200 is used for betting stakes. Contestants will keep all parimutuel winnings and prize money will be paid out to the five handicapper with the highest bankrolls.

The winner receives 50 percent, second place 25 percent followed by 12 percent for third, eight percent for fourth and five percent for fifth. The top five contestants will also have their entry fee waived for the next contest at Freehold. The contest will be held in the popular Inside Track room in the Clubhouse. Contestants receive a program and will be treated to a lunch buffet.

An added prize for the winner is entrance to the 2007 Horseplayer World Series in Las Vegas.

For more information on the handicapping contest, call the raceway at (732) 462-3800 or long on to www.freeholdraceway.com. Deadline to enter is Nov. 22.

Referees are wanted for tackle football. Training sessions are being formed to prepare individuals to become certified for the fall 2007 season. Anyone interested in becoming a referee can contact Joe Sparacio at (732) 772-9888 or e-mail sparaciojoe@aol.com for information.

The Monmouth Women's Basketball League (a fall/winter recreational league that runs from October through March) is looking for players. Games are played on Sunday at the Salvation Army gym in Red Bank.

Any teams or individual players are welcome. Players must be 21 years old. For more information, call (732) 213-8216 or e-mail MWSL2002@yahoo.com.

The 14U Monmouth Maniacs Fastpitch softball team is looking for strong, serious, experienced players. The team has just added a former college player to their coaching staff. See the team's Web site for location and time. The goal is to build a strong competitive team that will compete on the highest level that they can.

Contact Jim Cook for Maniac tryout information at (732) 446-6919, e-mail jcmccook@msn.com or visit www-.eteamz.active.com/monmouthmaniacs.

The Central Jersey Hawks eighth-grade (U14) boys basketball team is seeking dedicated players for the 2006/07 season. For more information, contact Bob Dziobak at bobdz1@cs.com or call (732) 547-3648, or visit the team Web site at leaguelineup.com/cjhawksdziobak.

Red Banks Park & Recreation is co-hosting an eight-on-eight co-ed dodgeball league to begin Nov. 14. Teams will play eight-on-eight, with a maximum of five males and three females to start the game.

Games will be played on Tuesday nights at the Red Bank Middle School. Games will be played between 7:30-9:30 p.m. for approximately eight weeks. You can sign up as an individual or put your own team together. The emphasis is on having fun and all co-ed rules to be explained before the first game.

The cost is $50 for Red Bank residents and $65 for nonresidents.

Please e-mail your name and phone number to Scott at cannonsportnsocialclub@verizon.net or call Scott at (908) 461-8946.