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Park plaques to spot sites where star athletes trained
New York Daily News, July 16, 2004
By Mark Fass
Day campers are inspired to try hurdle-jumping yesterday
in Central Park after attending ceremony honoring Olympic and other
athletes who trained in city parks.
The Parks and Recreation Department honored a dozen New
York-area athletes, including 10 Olympians, yesterday, unveiling plaques in
their honor in Central Park.
The plaques were announced as part of Park Dreams, which
honors Olympians and other great athletes who honed their skills in city
parks. The plaques will be posted in areas where the athletes trained.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe introduced six honorees
to the crowd, including cyclist Nelson Vails. A Harlem native, Vails rose
from bicycle messenger to 1984 Olympic silver medalist by riding
"hundreds of thousands of miles" around Central Park.
"Of 6 billion people in the world, only one person
was faster than this guy," Benepe told the crowd.
"And not by much - by half a wheel," added
Vails.
Vails' plaque will be posted on a lamppost near the
Harlem Meer.
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