Young Saint Nick

December 22, 2014
Fairfield, CT

Earlier this year, paddle pro Nick Bergman participated in the Paddle For Hunger marathon, put on at The Patterson Club in Fairfield, Connecticut. What made Bergman’s participation special was the way he went way above and way beyond the usual commitment. Fifty miles beyond, in fact.

Bergman and David Amendola, who heads the paddle marathon, were brainstorming ways to make the event even more special. Bergman mentioned that he was a runner, and they came up with the idea of reaching out to other clubs. “I know it’s a bit of ridiculousness, but I really like to run distance. I’ve run marathon distance (26.2 miles) for fun. Some weekends I’ll do it alone, and friends may join me for their ‘normal’ distance,” Bergman tried to explain.

“This event was really fun, because I ran with a racquet in my hand the whole time. I was fundraising for the event, getting people to look at the Paddle For Hunger website, and played at almost every club,” Bergman said.

YOUNG SAINT NICK’S ROUTE

TIME         PLACE                                               NAUGHTY/NICE LIST                     MILES TO NEXT STOP

5:15 PM    Fox Meadow, Scarsdale, NY              Super Gary Squires                          +2. 9 or 10 miles
7:30 PM    Manursing Island Club, Rye, NY        Naughty Mark Parsons                      6 miles
9:30 PM    Millbrook Club, Greenwich, NY          Enthusiastic players                           7 miles
12:00 AM  Stamford Yacht Club, Stamford, CT   Nice night owls                                  Home to bed
7:15 AM    Stamford Yacht Club                          Sweet early birds                               6 miles
9:00 AM    Wee Burn Country Club, Darien, CT  Good Anton Mavrin/League players  2 miles
10:00 AM  Country Club of Darien, Darien, CT   Bit Bad Karl Levanat                          5 miles
12:00 PM  New Canaan Field Club, NC, CT       Super good George Wilkinson          12 miles
2:00 PM   Weston Field Club, Weston, CT         All really good ones                             9 miles
4:30 PM   Patterson Club, Fairfield, CT              The best HOME

“I wasn’t the most agile guy at this point. At one point, one of the members I was playing with at Patterson said, ‘You are so calm.’ I said, “I can’t move!” Bergman laughed.

Like Santa, he was delighted to meet so many new people along the way. He nibbled on the nut bars left out at the clubs. His wife, Vickie, and his three little elves were at the finish to greet him. “At home that night, my kids, Louise, Emmit, and Elin, took great joy carrying ice to me.” Young Saint Nick flew quite a route. We wish the Bergmans and all of the APTA family a rewarding holiday season!