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Nook Burniske - #1
Since the death of Nook Burniske in 1990, the Greenfield Triathlon has annually honored a person who embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and has contributed to the Greenfield Triathlon or sports in Greenfield in a significant way. The “Nook Burniske” award has been awarded to terrific triathletes like four time champion Don Dwight and annual local favorite Cindy Mansur. Ken Kuninski who saw the talent in Patrick Bell and gave him a racing bike; crowd pleaser Lou Soquet, who you knew was finishing by the chants of “Lou, Lou, Lou!”

Organizers with can-do attitude are recognized both for their behind the scenes toil and their race-day contributions. They include, and are in no way limited to Chris Ethier who had the foresight to create and organize the first event and still does Sunday tri training for new participants; former Recreation Director, Mike Kociela who put in countless hours before and after the race … and saw the need for a committee and fresh ideas. Dan 'Mr. Can Do' Gagaris... , who spends endless days and hours behind the scenes preparing the course and doing anything and everything that needs doing; Ricky 'The Fish' Roy who manages everything swim, does race day photos and who's name is frequently next to organizing committee tasks; Bob and Deb Schilling who brought energy and organization, the web site, and Active.com that altered the race forever. These are all great people who have enriched this race and others. It is a pleasure to recognize them all.

The number 1 has been retired as an additional honor to Nook’s memory.

Nook Burniske Award Recipents

1991	Rick Roy	2006	Al Ross
1992	Marque Anthoney	2007	Chuck Adams
1993	Lou Soquet	2008	Karen Slack
1994	Cindy Mansur	2009	Irene Wood
1995	Paul Bassett	2010	Mary Ellen Perry
1996	Ken Kuninski	2011	Dr. Bob Sagor, DVM
1997	Donald Dwight	2012	Janice Bohonowicz
1998	Chris Ethier	2013	The Bell Family
1999	Becky and Steve Shattuck	2014	Marsha Martin
2000	Ken Caouette	2015	Ruth and Dick Henry, Greenfield, MA
2001	Bob Perry	2016	Peter McLean, Florence, MA
2002	Bob and Deb Schilling	2017	Claire Sagor
2003	Dan Gagaris	2018	Christa Snyder, Colrain, MA
2004	Paul Cyr-Mutty	2019	Amy Schmidt Bowse, Montague, MA
2005	Mike Kociela

The Patrick Bell Award

An annual award presented by the Bell Family honoring the youngest finisher of The Greenfield Triathlon

Year	Recipient	Age	Home Town
2005	Michael Bell, Patrick’s younger brother	14	Greenfield, MA
2006	Aaron Wiswell	13	Newmarket, NH
2007	Duncan Diviua	15	Wilbraham, MA
2008	Lexi Skovran	12	Waterbury, CT
2009	Noah Kramer	10	Amherst, MA
2010	Philip Hempstead	10	Northampton, MA
2011	Philip Hempstead	11	Northampton, MA
2012	Madeline Scott	14	Bernardston, MA
2013	Noah Kramer	14	Amherst, MA
2014	Noel Anderson	15	Ashfield, MA
2015	Silas Anderson	13	Ashfield, MA
2016	Luke Scotera	10	Greenfield, MA
2017	Luke Scotera	11	Greenfield, MA
2018	Luke Scotera	12	Greenfield, MA
2019	Dana Warren	12	Easthampton, MA

We triathletes …,” began 13 year old Patrick Bell at the family dinner table in the summer of 1995. He dismissed his older sibling’s retort, “but you’ve never done a triathlon…” with a snappy “but I’m gonna.” On that rainy August morning the optimistic youth trekked to the Green River to begin a joyful relationship with the sport of triathlon until his untimely death at age 23.

The idea of triathlon was suggested to Patrick by Cindy Mansur, who was looking to round out a team for her sons, Ethan and Seth. But on his first outing, Patrick was going it alone. Walking across the soggy field between numbering and transition, he was in awe of the spectacle. He was hooked. It was on the bike course of that first outing that he learned of the most important aspect of the sport, the camaraderie between competitors. Patrick finished at the bottom of the 29 and under age group that year. “Boy those people were really nice to me on the course.” He remarked. Racers gave him words of encouragement as they passed him on the course.

The next year, Patrick rode a borrowed road bike in need of some serious mechanical attention. Following the race he was congratulated by Ken Kuninski. At the end of the conversation Ken inquired about the bike. Hefting the bike, Ken declared it to be a “lead sled” and walked away with a curious look on his face. The next morning Ken showed up in the Bell’s driveway with a gift of a proper road bike. All his life, people were taken by Patrick’s cheerful determination. The following year, after the race, when asked if his fellow athletes still encouraged him on the road, Patrick thought for a moment and said, “only three people passed me.”

In his High School years at Deerfield Academy, Patrick encouraged his classmates to participate in the Greenfield Tri. Cycling at Deerfield, Patrick was introduced to Bob Perry who became both mentor and friend. During those years the number of young athletes crashing at the Bell house on Triathlon eve began to grow. During his college years, as Patrick’s triathlon world expanded from Cape Cod to Vermont to Lake Placid, Greenfield remained his favorite event. Year after year we would see more competitors from those venues give Greenfield a whirl as a result of his recommendation.

"The Trials of a Triathlete" from the Fall 2016 issue of Deerfield Magazine Imagine spending four years preparing for a race that lasts about two hours. Then, imagine not being able to finish that race due to an injury. For Sarah (Groff) True, that scenario didn't require any imagination: It was her 2016 Olympic reality. Sarah credits three people in particular with setting her on the path to becoming a world-class athlete. "Larry Boyle, the boys' swim coach, had a huge impact on me, even though he wasn't my coach; he always encouraged me to stick with swimming. I guess he saw more potential in me than I had in myself back then. So I stuck with it, and I'm glad I took his advice," said True, who went on to swim freestyle distance events at Middlebury and earned All-American laurels for her efforts. As for peers, it was Patrick Bell '00 who Sarah credits for being the person who introduced her to the triathlon. "Patrick and I became friends at Deerfield," said True, "and I'll never forget how infectious his love was for the triathlon. He invited me to Greenfield (MA) one summer to compete in the Greenfield Triathlon—it was his favorite, and it was one of the first ones I competed in." Unfortunately, Patrick never got to see his friend and erstwhile protégé reach the international stage; he died suddenly in June of 2005 due to an undetected heart condition, shortly after completing a triathlon in Ashland, MA. "I have to give Patrick so much credit for whatever I've been able to accomplish in the triathlon," said True. "He's one of the big reasons why I am a triathlete, and his memory will always be with me." To read the full article about Sarah >>

Patrick’s love of triathlon, especially the Greenfield Tri, inspired his cousin Colin Wilson and youngest brother Michael to participate. Michael was the youngest sprint competitor in 2004. Following Patrick’s death in 2005, the Greenfield Triathlon that year was dedicated to his memory. All three of Patrick’s siblings, Becca, Peter and Michael, along with scores of friends from around New England entered the Greenfield Tri. One respectable contingent from Central Massachusetts (including the Minuteman Road Club) arrived sporting black arm bands bearing the letters PB.

The following year, 2006, saw the placement of a new bench near the transition area in Patrick’s memory. The bench was dedicated on Triathlon weekend by Win Whitcomb on behalf of the Cyclonauts Racers, who donated it. The Bell siblings participated again, along with 16 year old cousin, Rob. That year also saw Patrick’s Uncle Charlie Bell, then 51, make his annual trek from North Carolina to Greenfield, no longer as spectator but as a competitor. Charlie’s bride, Linda, followed him in transition from sidelines to finish line in 2007. They will both be racing again this year.