RHS Athletic Hall of Fame
Members of the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame are those that have made a lasting impact on the school’s sports program as either student players, coaches, or supporters. Often the student players have continued to influence their chosen sports after high school by ongoing participation in athletics.
Patricia Putnoky Piotrowski
GYMNASTICS
Patricia Putnoky attended Somerville School in Ridgewood in the early to mid 1980s. This school on South Pleasant Avenue was instrumental in her eventual involvement in the sport of gymnastics. Tricia recalls that it was a third grade gymnastics unit taught by her physical education teacher Gene Steidl that sparked an interest in the sport to a degree that Tricia became involved at the club level at that early age. Her interest intensified over the years where she was involved with the Paragon Club in Closter, N.J. and US Gymnastics in Englewood. These were commitments to vast amounts of time and training to perfect her skills. In her training Tricia became adept at all phases of the sport uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercises, and the vault. This would prove to be the path to great success at the high school level of competition when Tricia would move on to Ridgewood High School with the class of 1996. In coming to RHS as a freshman, Tricia made an impact right away as a member of Coach Gene Steidle’s varsity gymnastics squad. Tricia was reunited with the man who coached her start in gymnastics. Happily, Tricia did not disappoint Coach Steidl in any way. In 1992 Tricia was first team All-League on the uneven bars while being named First Team All-County on the balance beam. The team would win the league and county tournament that season which served as a precursor of things to come.
Training winter, spring and summer with the Wayne Eclipse Gymnastics Club, Tricia perfected her skills to a higher level that again was reflected in her selection to many special teams of recognition over her next three seasons of high school competition.
In 1993 she was First Team All-League on uneven bars and first team all county on uneven bars. In 1994 she was First Team All-League in All Around and First Team All-County on the beam. She was named captain of the team her junior year, a rare honor in any sport at RHS. In 1995 Tricia again was named captain of the team while getting an outstanding double as First Team All-League in All Around and First Team All-County also in All Around under two new coaches at RHS Angela Rebone and Sue Kameno.
During this time, 1992-1995, the team was winning consecutive league and county championships while taking a state sectional crown in 1994. During that competition the team, lead by Tricia, set a school record for points scored in a single competition 111.
Upon graduation Tricia attended West Chester University and competed her freshman year for their women’s gymnastics team. Completing her degree in social work, Tricia began a private counseling practice back in the Ridgewood area and then took a position as a psychiatric social worker at Bergen Pines hospital in Paramus. Still maintaining her interest in the sport by training young Ridgewood gymnasts at the elite gymnastics club in Hawthorne (the junior Maroons program).
Tricia saw that the Ridgewood High School head gymnastics coaching position was open and decided to apply. Tricia was hired and in taking over the program Tricia saw that she was blessed with a plethora of talent including RHS Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2020) Chelsea Steinberg who would become Ridgewood’s most outstanding gymnast in history. Tricia coached that talent to great ends going undefeated as Ridgewood’s head coach over four seasons 2003-2004 with a record of 41-0 while winning the league, county and state sectional championships each of those seasons. Upon getting married and having her first child, Emma, Tricia thought it was best to give up the coaching to give more time to the care of her family.
But the interest in gymnastics still prevailed. While stepping down from coaching, she took on new roles to support the structure of gymnastic competition across the state such as League Liaison, County Tournament Director and State Sectional Tournament Director. The NJSIAA recognized Tricia for her contributions to gymnastics with their “Sport” award in 2010.
Patricia Piotrowsi has been a main contributor to the sport of gymnastics as a student athlete at RHS, as a coach for her alma mater, and as an important representative for the administrative side of the sport. Her love of gymnastics is evident as well as her willingness to give back to the sport and to her high school for many decades. For this we welcome Tricia Putnoky Piotrowski to the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame Class of 2024.
Lynne Collazo, Chuck Johnson, Patricia Putnoky Piotrowski, Tyler Roten, Kelci Smesko, Brett Sowers,
2022
Patti Auger, Eric Benedict, Eunae Jo, Peter McGinley, Karla Mixon, Clair Nowakowski, 1983 Softball Team, Joe Pedone, Julia Rappa
2020
Carlos Peay, Louis Edward “Eddie” Peay, Kelly Conheeney, Samantha Cermack, Chris Rae, Chelsea Steinberg, Mark Strittmatter, Andrew Clarke, Jim Dee, Phil Ross Sr.
2018
2016
Maureen Greico, Larry Coyle, Jacob Brown, Richard Bennett, Toshiko D’Elia
2014
John Marshall, Jim Bruni, Mark Romeo, Jean Hughes, Chris Van Note, Nancy Hogan, RHS Football Team 1913, Don Taylor, Rachel Grygiel, John Cerf, Paul Tornatore, Michele Marangi, RHS Boys’ Lacrosse 1990-92
2012
Craig Halyard, Tom Flatt, Tricia Pappalardo, Mike Henderson, Kandie Latham, Leigh Jester, Tom Dusel, Roger Sweeney, Linda Zabielski, Patty Capasso, Dennis Sullivan, Nick & Dottie Capasso, Track and Field (Bain-Daley-Oliver Era)
2010
Primo “Duke” DeRochi, Debbie Paul, George Monro, Bill Dunne, Amy Lyons, James Sullivan, Michael Culver, Keith O’Connor, Josh Kauke, Patti Mileski, Mary Ellen Mileski
2008
Kitty Batterson, Henry Blauvelt, Frank L. Bradley, Jr., Lucia Cancelmo, Chris DuFlocq, Renee DuFlon, RHS Girls’ Basketball 1922-1923, Harry Grundy, Jim Jones, Joe LeMay, Jen McDermott, Shannon McGarrigle, Tony Napier, Margaret Niemann, Vince Robertiello (Jamie Roberts), Damian Ross, Mike Springer
2006
Mario Ferraro, Paul Ferraro, Don Haldane, Wendy Hartwig, Tom Hopper, Bob Keino, Frank Mozeleski, Tim Mullen, Jenna Rogers, Donna O’Connell, Carin Cone, Charles Yennie
2004
Paul Arrigoni, Pete Campbell, Doug Cook, Becky Deetz, Otis Grendler, Jodi Hartwig, Gene Links, Debbie O’Connell, Aimee McGuire, Walt Perdue, Tom Simos, Kazbek Tambi, Jack Van Yperen, Bob Whitaker, Margaret Scutro