DPB Station #1: Mike Semkus Memorial Workout Station

The Mike Semkus Memorial Workout Station was erected behind Sag Harbor’s Pierson High School as one of the Dawgpatch Bandits founding projects in 2019. The outdoor workout area consists of a set of parallel bars, three pull up bars at varying heights and a large rock embedded with a memorial plaque. The plaque contains a quote about ambition said by Mike Semkus which reads, “To be a positive role model, have a loving family, and affect people the way I have been affected by the people I love. To be remembered.” This donated space is not only meant to be utilized by the youth of the Sag Harbor community to pursue a lifestyle of heath and fitness, but to also inspire people towards pursuing their own positive ambitions and remember how delicate life can be.

Mike Semkus was an elite Pierson Athlete, lieutenant of Sagg Main Beach, head of the local junior lifeguard program, Pierson soccer coach, and a substitute teacher at Pierson Elementary School. Mike Semkus devoted his life to giving back to the local community from which he came, and was a man who tragically succumbed to the opioid epidemic that cripples Suffolk County and the U.S. alike. It is our hope that young people coming up through the school district of Sag Harbor are educated by the very real dangers of drug use, and can learn from those who came before them. By educating the youth, raising awareness about the affects of opioids, and providing positive outlets for the people of the community we can begin to get ahead in the fight against opioids.