Springs girl honored for heroism
Noely Martinez awoke early one morning to shouting in her kitchen.
It was about 1:30 a.m. when Noely left her bedroom in her Springs home. She found her father in the kitchen with an air rifle, and her mother, Noemi Sanchez, had been shot behind the ear.
Her two older sisters, ages 22 and 20, were also awake, and everyone was in a shock, she said.
Noely’s father, from whom Sanchez was separated and in the middle of a custody battle, picked up a kitchen knife, stabbed Sanchez and inflicted serious wounds on himself, according to an East Hampton Town police report filed Feb.13.
“I was scared,” said Sanchez, 41. “I had blood all over my hands and my head.”
Sanchez said she told her daughters to call the police, and Noely -- then 11 -- called 911.
The police and an ambulance arrived, and Noely’s father was taken away. Sanchez said she's only seen him in a courtroom since.
But the impact on Noely’s family did not end there, especially for Noely.
“It affected me in school, I couldn’t focus,” Noely said. “I had nightmares. I had these emotions -- one minute I’m mad and the next I’m crying.”
Noely had always been a quiet and shy girl, her mother said, and the traumatic experience made it worse.
But that spring, Noely was chosen for i-tri, a small group of female students from the Springs School that work together to train for a youth triathlon. The group, founded by Springs parent Theresa Roden, targets nonathletes and aims to instill not just athletic ability, but good self-esteem and body image.
“I just thought they picked me because I wasn’t athletic,” Noely said. “I didn’t exercise. and I wasn’t really active.”
Roden said she works with the school personnel -- guidance counselors and the social worker -- to find candidates for the program, and that's how Noely was recommended. Roden didn’t know at the time about the incident with Noely’s father, but she assumes that had to do with the reason she was chosen.
She said Noely is a model for the program, having made a complete transformation physically and mentally.
“She’s like this little bright light in the world,” she said. “I just saw her blossom.”
In July, Noely crossed the finish line at the Maidstone Park Youth Triathlon, but she achieved an equally impressive feat last month, when she was asked to speak before a crowd of about 800 at a Manhattan gala for the Women’s Sports Foundation, which provides the curriculum for i-tri and awarded the program a $10,000 grant last year.
Wendy Hilliard, past president of the foundation and director of WSF’s GoGirlGo! curriculum, said Noely showed “poise and passion” on the stage.
“To be able to see how she was able to use sports and fitness and the GoGirlGo! program to help her overcome and grow during this time,” she said. “Everyone was really amazed.”
Dressed in a pink cocktail dress, Noely was introduced on stage by Laila Ali, president of the foundation, and received a standing ovation after she her story.
“It was amazing,” Noely said. “I got to stand up there with a world-famous boxer.”
Sanchez said she could barely believe it was her daughter on stage.
“It’s something I can’t explain,” she said. “I never thought I’d have any of my girls in a place like that.”
Sanchez said the experience has been a blessing.
“I never thought something like that would happen,” she said of the incident. “But I always say, ‘From bad things come good things,’ and we’re thankful for everything we have now.”
Yankees pushed to brink, game 3 wrap ... Queens County Farm ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Yankees pushed to brink, game 3 wrap ... Queens County Farm ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV