Patricia Putnoky attended Somerville School in Ridgewood in the early to mid 1980s which was instrumental in her eventual involvement in the sport of gymnastics. Trisha recalls that it was a third grade gymnastics unit taught by her physical education teacher Gene Steidl that sparked an interest in the sport to a degree that Trisha became involved at the club level at that early age. That interest intensified over the years where she was involved with the Paragon club in Closter, N.J. and US Gymnastics in Englewood. These were commitments to vast amounts of time training to perfect her skills.                                                 

In her training Trisha became adept at all phases of the sport uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and the vault. This would prove to be the path to great success at the high school level of competition when Trisha would move on to Ridgewood High School with the class of 1996 in 1992.                                         

In coming to RHS as a freshman, Trisha made an impact right away as a member of Coach Gene Steidl’s varsity gymnastics squad. Trisha was reunited with the man who gave her, her start in gymnastics and Trisha did not disappoint Coach Steidl in any way. In 1992 Trisha was first team all league on the uneven bars while being named first team all county on the balance beam. The team would win the league and county tournament that season which served as a precursor of things to come.                                                                                                                         

Training winter, spring and summer with the Wayne Eclipse Gymnastics Club, Trisha perfected her skills to a higher level that again was reflected in her selection to many special teams of recognition over her next three seasons of high school competition.. In 1993 she was first team all league on uneven bars and first team all county on uneven bars. In 1994 she was first team all league in all around and first team all county on the beam. She was named captain of the team her junior year, a rare honor in any sport at RHS. In 1995 Trisha again was named captain of the team  while getting an outstanding double as first team all league in all around and first team all county also in all around under two new coaches at RHS Angela Rebone and Sue Kameno.                                                                                                                                                                   

During this time, 1992-1995, the team was winning consecutive league and county championships while taking a state sectional crown in 1994.During that competition the team, lead by Trisha, set a school record for points scored in a single competition 111.                                                                             

Upon graduation Trisha attended West Chester University and competed her freshman year for their women’s gymnastics team. Completing her degree in social work, Trisha began a private counseling practice back in the Ridgewood area and then took a position as a psychiatric social worker at Bergen Pines Hospital in Paramus.  Still maintaining her interest in the sport by training young Ridgewood gymnasts at the elite gymnastics club in Hawthorne (the junior Maroons program), Trisha saw that the Ridgewood High School head gymnastics coaching position was open and decided to apply. Trisha was hired and in taking over the program Trisha saw that she was blessed with a plethora of talent including RHS Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2020) Chelsea Steinberg who would become Ridgewood’s most outstanding gymnast in history. Trisha coached that talent to great ends going undefeated as Ridgewood’s head coach over four seasons 2003-2006 with a record of 41-0 while winning the league, county and state sectional championships each of those seasons. Upon getting married and having her first child ,Emma, Trisha thought it was best to give up coaching to give more time to the care of her family . But the interest in gymnastics still prevailed. While stepping down from coaching, she took on new roles to support the structure of gymnastic competition across the state such as league liaison, county tournament director and state sectional tournament director. The NJSIAA recognized Trisha for her contributions to gymnastics with their “Sport” award in 2010.                                       

Patricia Putnoky Piotrowsi has been a main contributor to the sport of gymnastics as a student athlete at RHS , as a coach for her alma mater and as an important representative for the administrative side of the sport. Her love of gymnastics is evident as well as her willingness to give back to the sport and to her high school for many decades. For this we welcome Patricia Putnoky Piotrowski to the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame Class of 2024.