Keystone State Games Ice Hockey History

By Maria Sciullo

TAKING ITS CUE from a number of states holding annual amateur “sports festivals,” Pennsylvania will celebrate its first Keystone State Games next month. Championships in 26 sports will be held Aug. 13-16 at Penn State University; in most cases, qualifiers are scheduled. Squads will represent the different geographical zones of Pennsylvania, although interested participants may try out for any of the teams, regardless of their hometown. All Pennsylvania residents who have lived within the state for at least 30 days are eligible to compete, provided they meet the requirements specified by each sport. Sports vary according to age divisions, level of expertise and type of qualification needed. Although some qualifiers already have been held in field hockey and fencing, for example, most will take place within the next few weeks. One of the biggest local turnouts is expected at the track and field trials, which will run July 31 at Baldwin High School. Bethel Park residents Mike Agostinella and Craig McKay, plus Baldwin High School Coach Chuck McKinney, will serve as the Western Pennsylvania squad’s coach, meet manager and assistant coach, respectively. Agostinella is head of the track program at Pitt, and McKay has organized a number of local The Athletics Congress meets. “The chairman (of the Keystone State Games) is Franco Harris, a college coach is the meet director, and then the coach from Baldwin represents the high school segment. The Athletics Congress is the umbrella over everybody, so it’s kind of unique in that regard,” said McKay. Since this is a TAC-sanctioned event, participants must purchase a TAC card at registration, the day of the meet. Track and field competition will be divided into age groups. One includes athletes who will be seniors in high school this fall and younger; all

others fall into the next group. The top two finishers in each event, plus four “at-large” athletes chosen from the various meets around the state, advance to the finals at Penn State.
Thanks to donations and help from the Pennsylvania Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, meals and lodging will be provided for all athletes and coaches at Penn State for the length of the Games. Transportation to State College, however, is not included. Agostinella noted that there are no qualifying standards for the Western Pennsylvania meet at Baldwin. “One of the goals is to try to increase participation,” he said. “You want to get the best team, but you want to do that within the confines of just starting out.” The coaches, said Agostinella, “are hoping for a high turnout. I think from quantity comes quality.”
Besides track and field, the other sports in the Keystone State Games are: archery, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoe/kayak, cycling, diving, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, ice hockey, judo, rowing, shooting, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, synchronized swimming, team hand- ball, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling and wheelchair competition. There will be Senior Games for participants age 55 and over, held Aug. 12-14 at Shippensburg State College. For more information regarding the Senior Games, write: Senior Games, P.O. Box 155, Harrisburg, Pa., 17120. Telephone number is (717) 783-1549.