Shannon Mingal leaves competition in the dust

Chester and Goshen students win thousands for scholarships, By Ranisha Singh Chester - Shannon Mingal, a Chester Academy senior, was the only girl participating at the Inaugural High School Scholarship Race at the Historic Track last Saturday. She also happened to win. The race was part of the many activities held at the Goshen Historic Track as part of Youth Day on June 6. Eight local high schools, with the help of professional drivers, competed for the first-place $9,000 scholarship award. Goshen won the second-place $6,000 award (see related article on page 17). Shannon doesn’t have much experience in racing. When Mr. Closs, the athletic director at Chester Academy, and Mrs. Hyatt, the high school principal, asked Shannon to represent the Chester school district, she thought: “Are you serious? I’ve never been within two feet of a horse in my life!” “I honestly wasn’t even sure if I wanted to do it at first,” Shannon said. “But I ended up having a lot of fun.” When the race first started, Shannon and George Brennan, the professional who rode along with her, were behind. “But we ended up catching up a lot,” said Shannon. “George Brennan was amazing. They told me he was one of the best racers in the country.” In fact, Brennan set the world record for a mile by a standardbred horse in a division of the U.S. Pacing Championship. Shannon said that during the race, “my helmet was flying off my head because it was too big, and that’s honestly what I was thinking about. I kept saying, -You have to fix my helmet! I can’t see!’ And [Brennan] would grab it, and hold it on my head.” At the end of the race, the Brennan-Mingal team were head to head with Larry Stalbaum and Shawn Griffin, who represented Goshen High School. “I didn’t even realize that we won until [Brennan] told me,” said Shannon. “It felt good to actually win.” “It was a fun experience,” she said. “But I don’t plan on racing in the future. It was worth it to win the scholarship money for the school and see how excited Mrs. Hyatt and Mrs. Livingston were.” Chester Academy will receive $9,000, which can be used for future scholarships. Shannon received $1,000 for herself, and she can use the money to pay for her college expenses when she attends the State University of New York at Albany this fall. Horsemen and students raise $40,000 for scholarships June 6 was the first of three matinee racing programs at Goshen Historic Track this year, with six races that introduced the younger generation to this all-American sport. Horsemen in and around Historic Track teamed up with students to raise money for the scholarship funds of eight local high schools. Each student rode with a professional driver on a two-seat jog cart. They competed in the one-mile race with the students at the lines and the pros riding shotgun. Ray Schnittker, who last year won the Hambletonian with Deweycheatumnhowe, spearheaded the idea to get sponsors and raise $40,000, which in turn would be donated to each participating high school depending where they finished. After the half, drivers and jog carts were strung three-deep up the backstretch and around the final turn. But when the field straightened for home, six of the eight teams had a chance to win, and it was a battle right down to the finish. Meadowlands regular George Brennan, who was teamed with Shannon Mingal of Chester Academy, said the kids and the horsemen were yelling and urging their pacers on from the three-quarters home. The team of Brennan-Mingal rallied on the far outside in the final strides to gain a 2:07 victory over the team of Larry Stalbaum and Shawn Griffin, who drove for Goshen High School. Third place went to the pacer driven by Washingtonville High School student Robert Burbridge accompanied by Mike Kimelman. After the winners circle ceremonies, Schnittker handed out checks to the schools according to where their team finished. Chester got $9,000 for its school’s scholarship fund, Goshen got $6,000, and Washingtonville $4,500. Those who finished fourth through eighth all earned $2,400 for their school’s scholarships. And the winning young drivers each personally received $1,000. Other high schools represented included S.S. Seward, Monroe-Woodbury, Port Jervis, and Monticello. “This was one of the greatest racing promotions I have ever seen and we thank everyone who was involved, especially the sponsors,” said Steve Jones, vice president of the Historic Track Board of Directors. “It’s so great to see what horsemen can do when they band together for a common cause.”