Displaying items by tag: Saratoga YMCA

SARATOGA COUNTY —The Saratoga Regional YMCA may be more than 150 years old, but its commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship is very much rooted in the realities of 2021. The organization recently enrolled in the Nexamp community solar program, subscribing to a solar farm in Pendleton, NY and offsetting up to 90% of its annual electricity usage, generating valuable savings that enable more programming and services across its multiple locations. 

With a 900kW subscription, Saratoga Regional YMCA will save up to $13,500 each year through the discounted rate it pays for community solar credits applied to its National Grid bills, realizing more than a quarter million dollars in savings over the course of the contract. Community solar farms generate clean energy that is fed directly to the grid, earning credits that are allocated across the subscriber base and billed at a fixed discount to create customer savings. 

“We support more than 25,000 members in the region, offering a wide variety of service focused on overall wellness for families and individuals of all ages,” noted John Pecora, CFO, Saratoga Regional YMCA. “As part of our mission, we recognize the importance of a healthy environment and the role of clean energy in making that possible. Enrolling in a community solar program provides us with the dual benefit of saving money that makes our budget go further while also participating in the growth of much-needed clean energy on the grid.” 

Four of the five Saratoga Regional YMCA buildings will receive credits through the program. The 6 MW community solar farm in Pendleton, like the dozens of other solar farms in New York and hundreds of solar farms across the country owned and operated by Nexamp, serves both commercial and residential customers. 

“Just as the YMCA serves all residents without discrimination, community solar is making the benefits of clean energy accessible to all,” said David Wells, Nexamp Director of Community Solar in New York. “We’ve seen that as more and more non-profits learn about the advantages of the program and how easy it is to get started, they realize how well it fits with their missions. It’s equally about saving money, saving the environment, and helping communities invest in a cleaner, more resilient energy grid for the future.” 

Additional capacity remains on Nexamp projects across multiple markets and utility service territories. Businesses interested in learning more about commercial offtake should visit www.nexamp.com/power-purchase-agreements. 

WILTON – The Springettes – one of the Saratoga Springs area’s premier girls gymnastics teams – continued to do their namesake hometown proud with an impressive showing at a recent state competition.

The Saratoga Regional YMCA Gymnastics Team, also known as “The Springettes,” attended the New York State YMCA Gymnastics Championships at SUNY Oneonta from April 22-23. At the meet, there were nine YMCA gymnastics teams from across NY competing, which amounted to just over 200 athletes. In all, 30 gymnasts from Saratoga Springs competed, taking part in the vault, bars, beam, and floor events.

The Springettes left SUNY Oneonta with an impressive eight all-around state champions, including Marissa Verro from Level 9, Abby Moller from Level 8, Jordan Toma and Katy Hawthorne from Level 7, Brynne Wright from Level 6, Rya Torres and Megan Wishart from Level 5, and Marianna Nasta from Level 4. In individual events, the team put up 29 first-place finishes.

“They did really well,” Kim Hewitt, director of gymnastics for the Saratoga Regional YMCA, said. “They held up against some tough competition.

In team competition, the Springettes entered four teams. The Level 7 and Level 5 teams placed first, the Level 4 team placed second, and the Level 3 team placed fourth.
“My Level 7 team has done a really good job this year,” Hewitt said. “They’ve been consistently placing very, very high, and they had a great day.”

The highest all-around score for the whole team was Abby Moller, Level 8, with a combined score of 35.8, followed by Katy Hawthorne, Level 7, with a score of 35.45. Another notable performance at the meet came from Marianna Nasta, Level 4, who claimed first place in all four individual events.

Going into the event, Hewitt had her athletes focused on repetition of their routines, making sure that they would be able to consistently get things right. Moving forward, the team will be competing at the Northeast Regionals from May 13-15. The focus on repetition remains the staple of their practices leading up to it. This year, regionals will take place in Waterville, ME. Around 40 teams from the northeast states will be competing, amounting to around 1,200 gymnasts.

“We’re really excited,” Hewitt said about going to regionals. “Our Level 5 and Level 7 teams are really strong, so we’re hoping to place in the all-around. It’s a little harder with 40 teams, but we’re hoping for those teams to do really well.”

All photos by www.photoandgraphic.com.