Name: Kim Scharoff
Age: 41 (will turn 42 during this week)
Hometown: Merrick
Current town: Long Beach
Marital Status: Single
Pets: None
Occupation: Speech-Language Pathologist and Special Education Administrator
Howdy warriors! I haven’t been a hillbilly for even a year yet, so I was honored when Lou asked me to be your WOTW. I don’t get out to the Hills as much as I’d like because of my crazy schedule but love the family atmosphere of the group. Here goes my story…
I was born in November 1975 to 2 awesome parents. I have one older brother and pretty much grew up in the same place my whole childhood (moved into he house when I was 11 months old and mom sold the house 6 years ago). My brother and I are 3 years apart and can fight like crazy but are there for each other in a heartbeat. My mom was a NYC teacher and my father was an attorney and judge before he passed away in 1997. We were very lucky because my parents always put us first and made sure to be at all our events and functions.
As a kid and teenager, I was the last person you would find participating in athletics. I did dance for a bit and tried soccer for one season. I was the girl medically excused from running the mile in high school and was diagnosed as hypoglycemic. My interest in sports was going to and watching the Mets and the Islanders.
I went to SUNY Geneseo for my undergrad. I always knew I wanted to be in education. My mom told me to specialized and that’s when I went for speech-language pathology because I had seen one as a little kid. I did my graduate studies at The College of New Jersey aka Trenton State. After being away from home for most part of 6 years, I returned home to start working. I worked for 1 year at the Developmental Disabilities Institute and then decided to return back to New Jersey since I had a lot of friends there and going back and forth every weekend was crazy. I worked down there for 3 years before returning to Long Island permanently. I worked in the Wantagh School District before becoming the Assistant Director of Special Education in the Levittown School District. For the past 6 1/2 years, I have been the Supervisor of Speech-Language and Hearing Services for Nassau BOCES.
While in NJ, I started training at Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts and got hooked. I kept training when I moved back home and was living in Carle Place. I hated even the short runs we had to do at the start of some classes. I have earned a black belt in mixed martial arts.
Outside of work, I am actively involved in a couple of organizations. I am a past president and continue to serve on the board of the Long Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The biggest volunteer organization I am involved with is Kiwanis. My local chapter’s biggest fundraiser is running the holiday gift wrapping booth at Roosevelt Field Mall. I also work on the state level with Key Club, our high school program and serve on the board of our state foundation which runs a sleep away Summer Kamp for underprivileged youth and disabled adults.
If you ever told me I was going to become a runner, I would have called you crazy. I don’t know why, but in September/October 2012, I decided to do a couch to 5k program. I was doing the program on the treadmill at the gym. Then Super Storm Sandy hit and I continued to train on the treadmill even though I was displaced to my moms for 3 months. It was at this time that I decided if I was going to do a 5k, it needed to be fun and that meant Disney to me. I turned it into a little vacation by myself. I completed the race using the run a song/walk a song method. I met lots of friendly runners throughout that weekend and found myself both inspired and hooked.
I started running with a Disney charity team and started running half marathons. I am working towards running 100 half marathons now. I will run my 50th half marathon at Disney in January.
I have also run the Marine Corps Marathon and the Goofy Challenge (Half on Saturday and full on Sunday at Disney). I am sticking to halfs or shorter distances.
I became friends with some of the Warriors through my love of sparkle skirts and they kept trying to get me out to the Hills. They tried to get me out during the summer of 2016 but it just didn’t happen.
On New Year’s Eve last December I finally ran those infamous hills and became a hillbilly! I cursed them the whole way. I have made an amazing group of friends from the hills and love all the support.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first post and I’m looking forward to sharing more.