Y's Men News -- Sunday, May 17, 2026 | | |
Table of Contents
(Scroll Down to Find the Article Behind the Headline. Articles are
in the same order as the Table of Contents)
- How Y’s Men Leadership Works – And How You Can Plug In
- GIDG Tomorrow: War with Iran and Summit in China
- Season Finale: Meet the Press with Our First Selectpersons
- Fairfield Coaches Discuss the New NIL World in Sports
- Volunteer Opportunities for This Year's Parade Float
- An Appeal to the Hearts of All Y's Men
- Save the Date: Y's Men Annual Meeting May 28
- T&E Lists Outings
- Mindfulness "Just for Men" Meeting Set for This Thursday
-
A Place for Y's Men Ladies to Meet
- Y's Man Tom Kretsch Selected for Westport Fine Arts Festival
- Y's Men Ancient Mariners to Kickoff 2026 Season
- Y’s Men 2026 Spring Golf Outing Set for June 2
- Clambake Date Changed to June 18
- Interested in West Point Football This Fall?
- Y's Man Dan Burstein Calls Attention to Ukraine Film Benefit
- Y's Men Pickleballers Fill All Four Courts Last Saturday
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How Y’s Men Leadership Works – And How You Can Plug In
Nominees for officers and directors for the Y's Men 2026 - 2027 season have just been voted upon. How were they nominated, how long will the new officers and directors serve, how can members get on the ballot?
Please click How Y's Men Leadership Works to learn more about leadership and how you can become more involved in the future of the Y's Men.
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GIDG Tomorrow: War with Iran and Summit in China
The Global Issues Discussion Group (GIDG) meets tomorrow (Monday, May 18) at 9:00 am in room 203/204 at the Saugatuck Congregational Church. Members will discuss the war with Iran and President Trump’s summit with Premier Xi.
For more information on GIDG, contact Y's Man Harvey Luft at harveyluft@gmail.com
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Season Finale: Meet the Press with Our First Selectpersons
We need your questions — and here's why.
For our season-end Y’s Men meeting this Thursday, May 21, we're welcoming two important guests — Kevin Christie, Westport's new First Selectman, and Sam Nestor, Weston's First Selectwoman — and we're running the program Meet-the-Press style. That means the conversation is only as good as the questions we put on the table.
What's on your mind? School budgets and the healthcare squeeze? State housing mandates and Saugatuck? Flooding and resilience? Where Westport and Weston could be cooperating but aren't? Whatever you'd genuinely want to ask, we want to hear it.
Send your questions to Speaker Chairman Allan Siegert at news@siegert.us. The more pointed and specific, the better.
The moderator panel includes former Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe, Westport RTM Moderator Jeff Wieser, and Y's Men Speaker Chairman Allan Siegert — but the sharpest material will come from you.
Y's Men Thursday morning meetings are in Hoskins Hall downstairs in the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East in Westport. Coffee, donut, and bagel social hour begins at 9:00 am, business meeting at 10:00 am, speaker at 10:30 am. Come early, bring a guest, and bring your questions.
| | Fairfield University Athletics: Rising to National Prominence and Addressing "Name, Image, Likeness" | | |
Three leaders from Fairfield University's Athletics Department addressed the Y's Men last Thursday. They are (left to right): Chris Casey, Tyler Nelson, and Paul Schlickmann.
Photo by Dick Kalt
In their presentation to Y's Men last Thursday, Paul Schlickmann, Director of Athletics, Tyler Nelson, Director of NIL and Player Relations, and Chris Casey, Men's Basketball Head Coach, provided insights into the changing concept of a "college athlete," and the challenges facing Fairfield, whose goal is to recruit and retain the best competitive talent for their four year college careers.
As defined by ESPN: "NIL" stands for "name, image and likeness." It refers to a person's legal right to control how their image is used, including commercially.
In college, student-athletes have long been prohibited from making deals to profit from their fame, so they forfeited their NIL rights by signing on with college sports teams. A combination of NCAA rule changes and state laws restored NIL rights to college athletes, and they've been making sponsorship deals ever since.
As noted by Tyler, Fairfield's all-time scorer, NIL is the "lightning rod" creating new financial opportunities for college athletes, as well as uncertified agents and "Athletics Influencers," and likely forever changing the recruitment process. Traditionally, recruiting for college athletes was a relatively simple two-year process, with coaches visiting high schools, and establishing relationships with players and families.
Chris, a coach for more than 40 years, described today's process as more like "speed dating," with athletes, generally represented by agents or influencers; in one incident, an Athletic Influencer was paid by an agent to inflate the offers reported to competing colleges. There are no databases available, and all athletic contracts
Fairfield is careful and diligent in its athletics recruitment. It recognizes that although athletes will be compensated for branding deals, and other aspects of their name, image and likeness, they are still students, not professionals. Fairfield's goal, led by Tyler, is to recruit students who will derive all the benefits from a Fairfield education.
It endeavors to ferret out athletes who appear to be on a money chase, choosing one college for one year, and then transferring to another school whose package is more lucrative, with some students actually attending four different schools over four years. Tyler has taken the NIL process in-house at Fairfield, affording it greater control over assessing the merits of its offer to a prospective athlete.
Click here to view the entire discussion.
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Volunteer Opportunities for This Year's Parade Float
Here are specific tasks where your help is needed to make this year's Y's Men float a winning entry in the Westport Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 25:
- Friday, May 22 - Drive up to North Haven to pick up AV equipment – A SUV is required.
- Thursday, May 21, 2:00 pm – Help move lumber in Westport
- Saturday, May 23, 9:00 am – Help build and decorate the float
- Monday, May 25 – Hand out flyers while walking the parade route with the float
- Monday May 25, 11:30 am – Help dismantle the float
- Tuesday, May 26, – Return the speakers and AV equipment to North Haven -- A SUV is required.
To volunteer, please contact Baxter Urist at burist@optonline.net
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An Appeal to the Hearts of All Y's Men
Y's Men President Mike Boyle is organizing a new group, effective immediately. It's not advanced pickleball or extreme ping pong. It's from our hearts, and it's easy, and most rewarding.
It will be called the "3H Club." The 3H's stand for Home, Hospital & Hospice.
This will be a simple "Club," with a simple yet vital mission: To visit Y's Men who are at home with perhaps a broken bone or non-contagious disease; in a hospital or rehab center; or in hospice.
It's a wonderful concept. It's tough to be sick; it can be even worse when you're alone.
Please be assured that we will only visit a member who has expressly asked for a visit. No one will be forced to make a visit, or receive a surprise or unwelcomed visitor.
Connections will be by mutual agreement, between the Y's Man and the man he visits.
Even if you're only able to spend a half-hour with someone in need, you can bet the guy will appreciate it.
Mike is looking for a large group of 50 or more volunteers, so that when he learns that someone would like a visitor, he will query the guys on the list, and see if anyone knows the man or is available to visit.
If interested in volunteering, please contact Mike at mikeboyle1@gmail.com
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Save the Date
Thursday, May 28, 9:00 am
Compo Beach Pavillion
Notice of Annual Meeting
On Thursday May 28, the Y's Men will meet at the Compo Beach Pavilion.
Please note two important changes. One is the new location for our meeting. Instead of Sherwood Island we will be meeting at the Compo Beach pavillion. The second is that we will be serving a catered breakfast and not our typical lunch.
The meeting will start at 9:00 am with coffee and breakfast followed by the last business meeting of the year where we will ratify the vote on the new slate of officers for 2026/2027. We should finish by around 11:00 am.
Note: The Sherwood Island Pavillion is being renovated and so closed to the public until the end of the year or beginning of the next.
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Monday, May 18
Tour of Amazon Fulfillment Center
A handful of places is still available on this tour but the deadline is approaching. Please contact Y's Man Alan Jones at alandwales@aol.com to register.
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Friday, May 29
Prospect Gardens
Spouses, Significant Others, and Guests Welcome!
https://conta.cc/4tyVo5r
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Wednesday, June 3
Walkway Over the Hudson
Spouses, Significant Others, and Guests Welcome!
https://conta.cc/4wsDu6d
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Wednesday, June 17
Grace Farms
Spouses, Significant Others, and Guests Welcome!
https://conta.cc/4rvEvHe
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Wednesday, June 24
Tour of Amazon Fulfillment Center
Due to anticipated demand, we must restrict
participation to Y’s Men members only.
https://conta.cc/4v4R1Ar
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Monday, June 29
Copp’s Island Oystering
This event is sold out. Later opportunities will be offered if possible.
https://conta.cc/48EKHGf
Be sure to refer to the NYC Travel Hints on the T&E website. They were revised recently, and are helpful to those who may not be familiar with train travel to and from the City.
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Mindfulness "Just for Men" Meeting Set for This Thursday
The Y's Men Mindfulness Group offers two distinct gatherings for Y's Men. Both are facilitated by Y's Man Dr. Paul Epstein.
Just for Men is an in-person discussion group that meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Westport Center for Senior Activities. This month the meeting of Just for Men is two weeks later than usual, this Thursday May 21 from 3.00 to 4.00 pm.
The next monthly zoom meeting in June may be changed to an in person session at Longshore beach depending upon interest and availability.
For further information contact Paul Epstein or Jeff Rubin at, respectively, epsteinmb@aol.com and jeffrubinwpt11@gmail.com
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A Place for Y's Men Ladies to Meet
During Summer Y's Men Social Hour
Liz Wong, wife of Y's Man Jim Wong, is organizing a new meet-up for wives, girlfriends and daughters of Y’s Men.
The group would meet at Compo Beach where the Y's Men are meeting during the summer. It would get together during the same time the Y’s Men have their weekly Thursday coffee meetings, which is from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. The women would meet in another location at the park, separate from the Pavilion, to sit and talk with each other.
The group could also offer great support for wives who have husbands who are infirm. In that case, these women could bring their spouses to the beach to meet with the guys and then have something to do themselves while the men are having their coffee. In another scenario the wife may be infirm but would like to socialize. In that case the Y's Man could bring his wife to the group while he goes to the coffee. It’s a win-win for everyone! Guys, talk to your wives if they don’t get our newsletter themselves.
Note that this will not be a Y’s Men club and should not be confused with The Y's Women of Westport, which is a group that, like the Y's Men, sponsors speakers and provides a variety of its own activities.
If interested, have your wife, partner or family member contact Liz Wong at liz.yswives@gmail.com
| | Y's Man Tom Kretsch Selected for Westport Fine Arts Festival | | |
Cityscape, Fez, Morocco (Photo by Y's Man Tom Kretsch)
Y’s Man Tom Kretsch has been selected to participate in The Westport Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday May 24. The Festival will be on Main Street from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day .
Tom's business, Peaceful Places, takes him many places to photograph. His work covers a wide range of themes such as travel which includes Maine, Vermont, Cape Cod, and Westport.
His booth is Number 25.
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Y's Men Ancient Mariners to Kickoff 2026 Season
The 2026 Ancient Mariners Season Kickoff Meeting will be held in Room 109/110 at the Saugatuck Congregational Church immediately following this Thursday’s Y’s Men meeting (at approximately 11:30 am) on May 21. All current members, as well as anyone interested in more information about joining the Ancient Mariners, are encouraged to attend.
The Y’s Men Ancient Mariners Boating Group links members who own boats in local harbors with members who enjoy serving as crew, or simply like getting out on the water along our beautiful Long Island Sound coastline. The group currently holds local sailing and powerboating events on members’ vessels every one to two weeks during the boating season, weather permitting.
The sailboats typically anchor and raft up at a protected local anchorage for an on-board lunch, while the powerboats often travel to more distant ports in Connecticut and New York to have lunch at a restaurant.
For additional information, contact Y's Man George Kalan at grkalan@gmail.com
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Y’s Men 2026 Spring Golf Outing Set for June 2
This year’s Spring Golf Outing will be on Tuesday, June 2, at the Longshore Golf Club. The first tee time is 11:10 am and the entry fee is $85.00 which covers the greens fee, cart rental, refreshments, and goodies at the 19th hole, which will be at the Black Duck. And prizes are awarded to the lowest scoring team and to individual golfers for the longest drive, closest to the line and closest to the pin on two holes.
The Tourney’s format will be Scramble or Best Ball utilizing a team of three or four players.
Please register for the outing by email, leng_7@msn.com or text 978-289-0940. The deadline is Friday, May 29, 2026.
Click here for additional details.
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Clambake Date Changed to June 18
The date for the Y's Men Clambake at the Ned Dimes Marina has been moved to Thursday, June 18, because of construction by Parks & Recreation.
Tickets will go on sale soon, and you'll be notified via Y's Men email. As always, this event sells out in one day — so watch for the announcement. Despite rising fuel and lobster costs, we've negotiated a great price.
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West Point Football
Interested in seeing a game?
In recent years, we've made trips to see West Point football.
We are going again this year.
We aim for a good match-up while Fall weather is still pleasant.
Football game, tailgating, etc.
The choices will be:
Saturday, October 10 (vs Tulane)
Saturday, October 17 (vs Florida Atlantic)
The official sign-up will be sent out shortly – keep an eye out.
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Y's Man Daniel Burstein brings this film showing to the attention of Y's Men.
Click here for additional information and to buy tickets.
| | Y's Men Pickleballers Fill All Four Courts Last Saturday | | |
Y's Men Pickleball players meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. at Town Farms Courts on North Compo Road. This season they added Saturday from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm as a third day of play.
Last Saturday (May 9) all four courts were used for play and the players gathered for this photo.
To learn more about this increasingly popular Y's Men activity, contact any of the four Y's Men listed below.
Hayes Clark hayesclark53@gmail.com
Ed Diamond erdli@aol.com
Jay Dirnberger jaydirnberger@gmail.com
Matt McNerney matthewmcnerney0@gmail.com
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