OWEGO ATHLETE, FAMILY MEMBERS MAKE MASKS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS (2020-04-20)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — Tyler Taft doesn't participate in interscholastic sports in the spring, but the Owego sophomore does work on preparing for the fall and winter seasons at that time.

"During spring I normally workout and practice more bowling," he said. "I bowl at Owego Bowl in a Saturday bowling league for 18 and under."

Taft bowls from September to late April, early May, and has bowled for the high school team for four years, starting as a seventh grader.

Like so many other teens, his sophomore year of high school has been interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

While continuing his studies from home, Taft also decided to do his part to help with the battle against the coronavirus. Together with his grandmother, Melody Patterson, and aunt, Michelle Hogancamp, he has made masks for first responders.

"We decided to make the masks, because we new there were going to be shortages," Taft said. "The masks are friendly to others and have personality for the person wearing them.

"The process we (used) was to leave a hole in the top, then sew the outside, flip inside out, iron the folds, pin in the straps on the sides then sew around," he said.

They made 105 masks and donated them to the EMTs, New York State Police, Tioga County Sheriff's Office, Owego Police Department and Spencer Police Department.

Taft, who participated in football in seventh, eighth and 10th grade, has been bowling for the Indians since seventh grade.

This year, he carried a 177 average during the regular season. He had his best day Jan. 15 when he rolled three games of 200 or better (with a team-high 231) for a team-best 644 series in a 5-0 sweep of Binghamton.

Owego finished third in the STAC Metro division and seventh out of 15 teams at the STAC championships this past season.

On the gridiron, Taft was an offensive and defensive lineman for the Indians' JV team, which went 7-1.