Patch User Profile for Chris R. Vaccaro

Chris R. Vaccaro, Patch Staff
Sachem, NY

Basics

Email: Chris@Patch.com

Hometown: Sachem (Red, Black & Gold Country)

Birthday: Oct. 28

Sachem Patch Birthday: March 18, 2010

Twitter: @SachemPatch

Facebook: Facebook.com/SachemPatch

YouTube: Youtube.com/SachemPatch

Video: How do you like the site?

Video: Introducing Sachem Patch

Sachem Patch Awards: Suffolk County High School Football Coach's Association Media Award (2010); Sachem Football John W. Niski Community Service Award (2010); Suffolk County Wrestling Coach's Association News Person of the Year (2011), First Place Online Feature PCLI (2011), Second Place Online Feature PCLI (2011), Second Place Online Sports Story PCLI (2011), Second Place Online News Blog PCLI (2011)

Chris R. Vaccaro is the Regional Sports Editor for Patch.com's Long Island editorial operations, the editor of Sachem Patch and chairs Patch's national Sports Strategy Committee. Vaccaro, who serves on the board of the Press Club of Long Island, is an adjunct journalism professor at Hofstra University. He is an award winning journalist and author from Long Island, as well as a lifelong native of Sachem. Once one of the youngest editors in the history of the New York Daily News, Vaccaro was responsible for online production for the sports, news and politics sections of the site during the gruesome hours of 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Yes, the train rides home on the LIRR were eventful.) He has spent time as a staff writer and photographer at the Southampton Press and Smithtown News and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications from ESPN, the NY Daily News, Philly Inquirer, St. Petersburg Times, Newsday, Toronto Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Knoxville News-Sentinel, and Elmira Star-Gazette (Gannett), to Fox, NCAA.com, Long Island Pulse, Inside Lacrosse, Baseball America, Australian Baseball Digest and many others.

Vaccaro has covered an array of events from the Super Bowl, Heisman Trophy presentation, U.S. Open (golf), NFL draft, MLB draft and Belmont Stakes to the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs, among others.

Vaccaro is also the author of five books about Long Island sports history. He is a member of the U.S. Lacrosse Division I Men's Lacrosse ranking selection committee for the media poll and has served on the College Soccer News Division I Men's Soccer ranking selection committee. He has appeared on television and radio multiple times, including CBS Evening News, the Howard Stern Show, MSG, News 12 and TV 10/55 and lectures at conferences, universities and high schools. He also was filmed as a journalist in "Crooked Arrows" the first feature film about lacrosse set to hit theaters in spring 2012.

He is a graduate of Sachem High School (when it was just one Sachem), has a BA in print journalism from Hofstra (he went there when it had a football program) and went to Stony Brook University for his MA in public policy. When he isn't slaving over his Mac, he is busy thinking of ways to make Patch better, reading articles and books by Hunter S. Thompson, working out, working on his golf swing, shaking his head at the Mets, Jets and Islanders and wishing Jack Bauer was still saving the world.

Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for our editors to inject these beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will force us to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics

How would you describe your political beliefs? I voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. You can call me a moderate conservative.

Religion

Do you consider yourself religious? Not really.

Do you identify with a certain religion? I'm Italian and Irish, so naturally I was raised Catholic. Seemingly, like many other Patch editors, I can't say that I practice the religion wholeheartedly or know what to practice anymore these days. I wear a Christ-head necklace everyday to remember my Grandfather (it was his), but that's the extent of my Catholicism. Am I grateful for everything? Yes. Do I know why certain things happen? No. But, I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Local Hot Button Issues

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Aside from the pressing financial issues that seem to be putting everyone in a bind (high property taxes, as well as botched 401k's and unemployment), there are clear issues of separation from one end of the school district to the other, and illegal immigration in certain parts of the Sachem area, as well.

Where do you stand on each of these issues? I'm with Suffolk County Executive and Sachem alum Steve Levy on the immigration policy (there shouldn't be illegal immigrants, because it's illegal!). As for the money situation, the county, town and state government's - though trying - need to be even more responsible with fiscal matters. Unless the Sachem Central School District goes back to one unified district, there will always be at least some separation. Through thick and thin, I will always bleed Red, Black & Gold.