By Jack Reidy
Sophie Ginsberg and Joey Demillio light the torch.
The Loucks Games is a large nationally renowned elite track and field meet hosted here at White Plains High School May 11-13. Over 3,000 athletes compete in a variety of different competitions.
The games are named after Glenn D. Loucks who was an athlete, coach, veteran, teacher, administrator, and important member of the White Plains community. Mr. Loucks was a Syracuse graduate and star football player. He came to White Plains High School in 1931 as the head basketball coach. He temporarily left White Plains to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and he returned to White Plains in 1948 and became the head football coach, leading his team to win 35 consecutive games in four years.
In 1953, Loucks was the first to win the White Plains Junior Chamber of Commerce Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the community. Mr. Loucks did it all: he was a YMCA director, a member of the Board of Governors of White Plains Hospital, and a trustee of both the Home Savings Bank and the National Bank of Westchester. Mr. Loucks passed away in 1962 and six years later the first Loucks meet took place.
Since 1968, the Loucks games have grown from a small one-day-only meet to a three-day meet with thousands of the best athletes from ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Loucks Games and the 55th anniversary of honoring Glenn D. Loucks through the meets. The Loucks Games is an amazing event to enjoy and admire for both athletes and viewers.
Sean Thomas Reidy, who ran the Loucks mile for Fordham Prep, said, “It is a very exciting atmosphere, makes me remember why I love to run, and thank you to the White Plains coach for putting on such a fun meet.”
The Loucks Games is an amazing meet that you should go to if you ever have the opportunity. The athletes are talented, the events are entertaining, and the atmosphere is festive. White Plains High School holds the honor of hosting, and it holds the honor of immortalizing Glenn D. Loucks, who did so much for the White Plains Community.