Advance Robbinsville
JANUARY 2023 FREE
Humble (pizza) pie
COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
Pond Road teacher runs for fun and fitness Track and field coach Conroy sets sights on some of ultra running’s biggest bucket list races BY JOE EMANSKI
This January, many people will declare that 2023 will be the year that they finally start exercising. Only some will honor these promises to themselves.
Joe Conroy is one person who has kept his resolve. More than two decades ago, the Pond Road Middle School language arts teacher started joining the Running Company of Haddonfield on its weekly group runs. He joined, he says, to get into better shape, and also for the social aspect. It turned out to be a great decision. Now 47, Conroy still runs 15 hours a week or more, including weekly runs with the Bordentown Area Running Club, or BARC for short.
BARC, formed in 2013, is full of locals who, like Conroy, have committed to keeping up with regular exercise in the effort to keep in shape. They meet Wednesday nights at Tindall Road Brewing Company on Farnsworth Avenue before taking a group jaunt around the city. If they have a beer or two afterward, well — that’s fair reward for keeping at it week after week. Conroy enjoys these runs. But more and more over the years, he See CONROY, Page 8
Stoldt swims for success BY RICH FISHER
Allentown Mayor Thomas Fritts (left) presented Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried with a stack of pizzas at the Dec. 8, 2022 meeting of Robbinsville Council. The mayors had bet on the outcome of the CJ III final boys’ soccer game on Nov. 5, 2022, which Robbinsville won 2-1. Under the terms of the bet, Fritts had to deliver the pizzas during a Robbinsville council meeting. The pies were donated by La Piazza Ristorante in Allentown. Fritts is also the associate publisher for Community News Service, which publishes the Robbinsville Advance. For more Around Town news, turn to page 4. (Staff photo by Bill Sanservino.)
Considering that she grew up wanting to be a mermaid and finds varsity swimming to be a fun aspect of her life, it would stand to reason that if Isabelle Stoldt joined any branch of the service, it would be the Navy. But the Robbinsville High senior actually spurned Annapolis for West Point, which is where she will enroll next year. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do (career-wise) until my freshman year when someone told me about the Naval Academy,” Stoldt said. “I
visited there first, but it wasn’t until I went to West Point that I found the place I wanted to go to. The people there had such a strong sense of discipline and self security. They were really great people and when I was there I realized I wanted to be there because those are the people I wanted to be like. Those were the people that inspired me.” Much like Stoldt inspires the Ravens swim team as a senior captain. Despite not being a club swimmer and not coming out for the team until last year, Isabelle has quickly become a team leader. “I’m super excited to have her
as one of the captains to just keep up the positive morale we had last year,” coach Annie Menninger said. “She is an all-around great leader. She really encourages all the other swimmers and does a good job with cheering and motivating. We had a really great season last year, both boys and girls. I’m hoping that under her leadership we can keep that energy going as well.” Stoldt decided to try swimming as a junior because she heard good things about the team members. Once she arrived, she noticed that See STOLDT, Page 10
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