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Displaying items by tag: Scotties

Friday, 20 December 2019 10:11

Scotties Backpack Program

BALLSTON SPA — In collaboration with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the district launched the Scotties BackPack Program in 2017 at Milton Terrace Elementary School and has now expanded to all four elementary schools. The program provides a bag of easy-to-prepare food to selected students each week to eat throughout the weekend. The program started with providing weekend meals to 30 students and the goal is to provide food for 175 students this school year. The cost to provide weekend meals for one student for the school year is $183. Revenue to support the program is raised by individual and corporate donations as well as through any available grant sources. Brookside Museum, Ballston Spa Rotary, and Malta Sunrise Rotary recently joined together and sponsored a Chicken BBQ to benefit the Scotties BackPack Program. Through their efforts and contributions from many local businesses, they raised over $3,000 to donate to the program. They have also placed collection containers in businesses throughout the district. Please contact Ray Otten at 518- 852-2642 for additional information on the community support efforts. Other major contributors to the program have been Applied Materials, The Saratoga Hospital, Ballston Spa Elks Lodge #2619, and Global Foundries/Town of Malta Foundation. Individual and corporate sponsorships are always welcome! For a link to donate online visit https://www.bscsd. org/domain/28. Donations by check should be made payable to the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region or CFGCR and may be sent to: Kelly Delaney-Elliott, BSCSD. 70 Malta Ave., Ballston Spa, NY 12020 Anyone interested in volunteering to support the BackPack program, please contact 518-884-7195, ext. 1369.

Published in Sports
Thursday, 19 September 2019 16:29

Scotties on Fire

BALLSTON SPA – A season that kicked off with the largest attendance for tryouts, and four players injured, Coach Brian Retersdorf is confident this self – driven group of athletes will achieve great success this upcoming season.

This is Coach Retersdorf’s ninth season coaching soccer at the school, and with each year he notices the team grows whether it be in participation or skill. This year’s team has 16 seniors, a majority of whom were players in preceding years.

"Last year we made it to the semifinals in sectionals. I would like to see a sectional final game and honestly, I would like to have a sectional final win,” said Coach Retersdorf. “We were one-off from being the Grey Division Suburban council leaders."

The Scotties are making their way through the season currently with a 4 – 2 League standing and a 6 – 2 overall standing.

With ambitious goals for the upcoming season with two starting players out for the season, one would think that would create some worry, but Coach Retersdorf believes that this group of athletes is adaptable and can power through a less than ideal circumstance.

“What's been amazing about this group of girls is that they all step up. And with the amount of depth and talent that they have - yes we miss those girls and yes those girls play a critical role to our program…I think yes, it's a big loss but we have such an amazing group of girls that we can make up for it."

Coach Retersdorf is sure to stress each year at tryouts that school comes first. The girls are keeping up with their high standards off the field as well. Each year Coach Retersdorf’s team has made the Scholar – All – Athlete Program and received recognitions for their academic achievement.

The support he and the team receive from the community, the administration and family, are part of what coach Retersdorf attributes his team’s fortunate success to. But alongside that, he states that his athletes are the driving force of the direction the team is going.

“I think that one of our biggest team successes is how the girls interact with each other on and off the field, and I think their team chemistry is one of our biggest strengths. Especially with our team captains,” said Coach Retersdorf. “And that I think is why we've had such success early on, and why I think we will continue to have success throughout the season.”

The girls take on Saratoga Springs at home Tuesday, October 1.

Published in Sports
Thursday, 11 April 2019 13:12

Meet The Team: Ballston Spa Scotties Softball

BALLSTON SPA — Coach Amanda Fifield heads into her 7th season coaching a sisterhood of varsity softball players.

In 2016 the Scotties softball team won their first ever section championships. That win solidified Fifield’s new approach to selecting her team each season. Uniquely her team tryouts are open to all softball athletes from grades nine through twelve, and the best players, regardless of age, will play on her varsity team. She makes sure her team knows that it’s not about age, but about talent and attitude.

Having a flexible attitude is important for Fifield as each year her athletes may not play the same position they did the prior year or a position they play on their travel team.

One player that comes to Fifield’s mind as an example of a positive attitude is her senior first baseman and co-captain, Megan McMahon.

“I tell anybody, I’m looking for people like Megan McMann,” said Fifield. “She’s the first person in a practice, last one to leave.”

Off the field, she holds her athletes to a high academic standard with a goal of having a 95 average grade point average for her team.

“I tell them we are student-athletes. Student comes first,” said Fifield.

In order to achieve her athletic goals for her team, she teaches her players accountability for not only themselves but for the team. At the beginning of the season Fifield asked her players to find a personal goal, and a team goal and to figure out how their personal goals can help the team achieve the team goal – which is to win another championship.

“The biggest focus for our team is to be able to communicate and be united like a family,” said Fifield. “If we can do those things one pitch at a time, we should be able to achieve our goal.”

 

ScottiesSoftballTeam

Published in Sports
Friday, 01 September 2017 10:13

Ballston Spa Scotties

[Photos courtesy of Ray Toohey.]

BALLSTON SPA – Coach Ray Toohey has an amazing lineup for his Varsity football team this year including four “vital” players.

Jake Cook is the starting linebacker and tight-end.

“A natural leader and phenomenal player with a very sound technique. He had 94 defensive tackles last year,” Coach Toohey said.

Tyler Barnes, starting defensive end and offensive tackle, “he’s also a state champion wrestler. He’s a tough kid, about 185 pounds but playing like he’s 210,” Toohey said of Barnes.

Jason McCarthy, only a junior but is on his third year on the varsity team, is the two-way starter running back linebacker.

“Jason was one of our top running backs and defensive players last year, he is an exceptional player,” Toohey said.

 Joe McDonald, “Joe took a couple years off and came back to the game last year. He ended up being a starter on defense last year and now he’s a two-way starter for us. A great athlete and a great leader.”

Ryan O’Reilly, Jason Onsman, Matt Corwin, and Matt Murphy assist Toohey.

“Right now, it’s all about getting the scheme down,” Toohey said.

There are five sophomores on varsity and, “every single one of them is either starting or involved in the rotation somewhere. They are very good players. They are kids that have earned out trust through off season commitment too,” Toohey spoke highly of the sophomores.

“More than anything, we’re thrilled at the amount of kids we have this year. We have 41 kids and I know compared to some of the other Double A’s that may not sound all that impressive but we’ve never had 40 kids on the roster that I’m aware of. We’re very happy with where we’re at numbers wise. These are all kids that really buy in and care a lot about team goals,” Toohey said.

“We don’t have a ton of seniors,” Toohey continued, “but the ones that we do have are great. And most of our starters are sophomores and juniors so the future looks bright. We know that playing at the Double A level, there is never a week where it’s anything other than competitive. It’s a war every week.”

The Ballston Spa Scotties play their first game against the Albany Falcons on Saturday, September 2 at 1:00 p.m.

Published in Sports
Thursday, 13 April 2017 14:18

Scotties’ Winning Debut

BALLSTON SPA – It was the warmest and sunniest day of spring so far on April 10 when the Ballston Spa High School baseball team took to the diamond for the first time.  Heading out onto solid turf that had recovered from recent bouts of rain, the team warmed up for the first game of their spring season against Albany High School as a playlist of high-energy hip-hop filled the air.  Varsity head coach Curtis Nobles stood to the side near the dugout, monitoring his players and directing them to help improve their play-styles. 

“[We’re] very confident,” Nobles said about his faith in the team heading into the season. “Everyone’s chasing the same thing, getting sectionals, and trying to make a run at a sectional title.”

This goal to grab a sectional title got off to a solid start, as the Scotties bested the Albany High Falcons with a strong 11-5.  Standout players from the game, according to Nobles, were sophomore Luke Gold, who put up two hits and two RBI’s, and senior Aaron Hinman, who scored two RBI doubles.

Practice began for the spring season on March 7, but it was mostly indoors on account of the damp and frigid weather that only let up recently. 

“They’ve been productive,” Nobles said about the Scotties’ spring preparations.  “Lately they’ve had to be short and sweet because we’ve been inside so much.  So, just to kind of keep things efficient but not over-dragged we made sure that we come in and gets quality reps rather than quantity.”

Nobles expressed particular excitement for senior Grady Gawrys, citing impressive relief appearances last season and the hard work that he has been putting into practice for this season.

“He looks like he’s prepared and ready and willing to do whatever it takes to have a winning season,” Nobles said about Gawrys.

Jared Winkle, a team captain, was also singled out as a strong, quiet leader for the team, one that leads by example on and off the field

The Scotties are coming into spring off of one of their strongest runs ever.  Last season, they became Ballston Spa’s first ever state-ranked baseball team, being ranked 11th in the state, and put up a 15-5 win-loss record.

“The best [season] in school history from what I hear,” Nobles said.

All photos by Photoandgraphic.com.

Published in Sports

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