NEW BRITAIN — Anthony Labbadia soared to 9th place in the triple jump at the 2025 New England track and field championships Saturday, June 14.
On his first attempt of the event he leaped 44 feet and one inch, qualifying for the finals and setting the new Housatonic Valley Regional High School record. The previous school record of 43 feet eight inches was set by Don Hurlbutt in 1967.
The HVRHS junior was pleased with the result of his first triple jump of the day June 14.Photo by Riley Klein
Conditions were rainy for the meet with the grounds crew utilizing a leaf blower to dry the track between events. Labbadia said he had experienced similar weather at the Berkshire League championships in May, and he won the triple jump there, so he was confident.
“It doesn’t bother me,” said Labbadia of the rain, noting he was excited to be back at Willow Brook Park. “Being here makes me jump farther... I just have to make sure I’m thinking about everything without overthinking.”
Labbadia, a rising senior at HVRHS, wrote his capstone on the triple jump. In his research, his mother explained, he studied and broke down the biomechanics of the event.
Labbadia was injured during track season his freshman year. His sophomore year, he took up triple jumping. He ended his junior year with a 9th-place finish against the top competition in New England.Photo by Riley Klein
Two days before the championships, he made a bold change to his jumping approach — switching from a “right, right, left” sequence to “left, left, right” — and it paid off.
“I’m glad I switched my feet,” he said after the result. “I’m happy with my performance.”
Once all the jumpers from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont had finished, Labbadia’s distance held for 9th place.
The triple jump gold medal winner was Amar Skeete, sophomore from Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, who jumped 48 feet two inches. The 2nd place finisher was Mitch Krasco of Mahar Regional High School in Orange, Massachusetts, with a distance of 46 feet two and a half inches. Jessie Singleton Jr., junior at Bloomfield High School in Connecticut, placed 3rd with a distance of 45 feet ten inches.
Labbadia was the first HVRHS athlete to compete at the New England meet since Sydney Segalla in 2022. Track coach Alan Lovejoy said he cannot recall another HVRHS male athlete qualifying since he became coach in 2009.
Hosted at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, the 2025 New England track and field championship was held in Connecticut for the first time in three years. Events took place all day Saturday, June 14. Full results are available at nestiming.comPhoto by Riley Klein
Rain came down heavy in the morning June 14, but conditions improved as the day went on. The crew used leaf blowers to dry the track between events.Photo by Riley Klein
A Lifestar helicopter prepares to land after a fatal drowning in North Canaan on Saturday, June 6.
The man was recovered from the pond, but life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead.
A Lifestar helicopter was seen landing in the area near the Lone Oak Campsites in East Canaan, though it did not land on the campground property, according to employee Jean Goodall. She said the helicopter was visible from the campground.
According to emergency dispatch records the man was pulled from the water just before 1:15 p.m.
DEEP Environmental Conservation Police are leading the investigation, which is ongoing.
The drowning occurred in a private pond behind Freund's Farm Market and Bakery in North Canaan, west of the Lone Oak Campsites.
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