SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Carole 'Redmond' Stanbro '76'
This will be the story of someone who doesn't feel she is worthy of a place in the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame. The story will tell you why she does.
Carole Redmond Stanbro grew up in Sidney like most other young girls. And like some, she was considered more of a "tomboy" because she loved playing any game or any sport in a very competitive way. It would serve her well on Carole's own merits. However...
Yes, as the daughter of Athletic Director Fran Redmond this competitive spirit was somewhat expected. She outran all of the girls and most of the boys in elementary school, then played all of the sports a girl was allowed to play through junior high - and then Title IX changed all of that!
Upon her sophomore year, Carole played varsity field hockey, basketball, and volleyball while she also was a JV basketball cheerleader. These were the first real seasons of the new Sidney Girls Sports programs. Most games were played in the afternoon, so it would in no way interfere with Carole remaining a cheerleader, right?
Well, here's where the story gets good. After playing field hockey and being a Varsity Football cheerleader, Carole made a decision which sent shock waves through the school. Instead of cheering for the boys basketball team, she opted to run for the very first girls indoor track team. Hall of Fame coach Doug Quinney had started the boys program two years earlier. A small group of young ladies requested there be a girls team. led by Carole Redmond who propelled her natural speed into a winning endeavor. Her 60 yard dash time of 7.3 seconds is favorably converted to the 55 meter dash today. Thus that time remains a school record (tied by Willa Payne in 2000) to this day.
As a footnote, Carole's indoor track success prompted her to switch from softball to track for her senior year. She would set the 100 yard dash school record time of 11.7 seconds, however that record will go unpublished - and unbroken - as that distance does NOT favorably convert to meters.
All told, Carole earned 14 Varsity letters, covering six sports. She really was the first post-Title IX female athlete to take full advantage of the new opportunities. She was also her senior class president and was named the Most Active Female Student in both her junior and senior years.
Then it was on to SUNY Cortland - her dad's Alma Mater- where Carole ran one year of track. Later she would "change gears" and run distances instead of sprints, participating in many 5K road races, as well as one biathlon and several triathlons to further test her endurance.
Eventually, Carole's competitiveness was transferred into the world of education. She initially worked her way into special ed.,first as a Broome-Tioga BOCES Adapted P. E. teacher, then at Whitney Point where she specialized in the Primary and Elementary grades. There Carole also coached the same sports she had enjoyed in Sidney at both modified and varsity levels.
By 1994, she moved to Greene and was promoted to Elementary School Principal. Much of that time she doubled as chairman of Committee on Special Education (CSE) and tripled as District Curriculum Coordinator - a position she still holds. Her expertise and guidance has earned Carole numerous awards. Most recent was her selection for the Marshman-Hall Commitment to Education Award in 2012 through DCMO BOCES.
Along the way, Carole's love of physical fitness has never waned. She is a proud member of the "46er Club", the designation given to those who hike all 46 peaks of 4,600 feet or more in the Adirondack Mountains .... which she completed before her 46th birthday!
In addition, she and her husband Tom have enjoyed snow-shoeing, kayaking, and cross country skiing. Her running is now limited to the treadmill, but her thirst for life's adventures certainly has stayed a part of Carole Redmond Stanbro's personality all these years.
Congratulations, Carole, upon induction to the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame!