At the CTE Works event, interactive Emergency Medical Services and construction exhibits give students a taste of what careers in the fields would be like. Photos by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — 8th through 12th graders from across the Capital Region packed the Saratoga Springs City Center on Wednesday for CTE Works, an interactive event that exposes students to local career opportunities.
Hands-on exhibits allowed the students to get a sense of what various careers might be like. Local businesses across a number of industries participated in the event, including construction, government, tourism, finance, public safety, transportation, and agriculture.
CTE Works was organized by WSWHE BOCES Innovative Programs, the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, Saratoga County, and local industry partners.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa varsity football team advanced to the Section 2 Class A semifinals after defeating Bethlehem 27 to 14 last Friday night at home.
The Scotties scraped by in the quarterfinals, at one point trailing Bethlehem by 1 point in the third quarter. But in the final stanza, Ballston surged and scored 14 unanswered points to capture the win.
The Scotties will now head to Averill Park for a November 8 semifinals game at 7 p.m. The teams last played on September 13, when Ballston lost to Averill, 41 to 21.
QUEENSBURY — The Schuylerville High School boys and girls varsity cross-country teams both had strong showings at the Foothills Council Championships in Queensbury last week. Overall, both teams placed second, with the girls scoring 55 and the boys 83.
The Black Horses’ Adeline Ballou took second among 45 girls varsity competitors in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 20:00.02. Taylor Brown finished tenth with a time of 22:31.90.
For the boys, Gavin Winacott placed fifth in a field of 92 in the 5,000-meter, finishing with a time of 17:34.20. In modified competition, 8th grader Cameron Winacott finished first with a 10:41.90 time.
The Saratoga Springs girls varsity soccer team celebrates its Section 2 Class AAA title victory at Niskayuna High School on Monday night. Photo via Saratoga Athletics.
NISKAYUNA — The Saratoga Springs girls varsity soccer team captured the Section 2 Class AAA championship on Monday night, defeating Shaker 1 to 0. It was the girls soccer program’s first sectional title in more than three decades. Senior Keegan Reinhart scored the lone, winning goal for the Blue Streaks.
The team advanced to the finals after beating Shenendehowa 1 to 0 last week in another shutout. Both the semifinals and finals games were played at Niskayuna High School.
Victory in the big game was far from a sure thing for the 12-4-2 Blue Streaks. The last time they played Shaker, on September 28, they lost 2 to 1.
The team was led throughout the season by stellar performances from Ava Goodman, who scored the winning goal against Shen in overtime last week, and goalie Olivia Goodman, who secured two back-to-back shutouts in the postseason.
The Blue Streaks got off to a hot start this season, winning 7 of their first 8 games before falling to Shaker in September. They quickly recovered from that loss, however, and tied Ballston Spa before winning 4 straight games. The momentum then slowed a bit as they were thwarted by Niskayuna and Broadalbin-Perth in close contests. But everything seemed to come together at the perfect time when they sealed the deal in the postseason.
The Saratoga soccer squad will next take on Section 3 champions Cicero-North Syracuse on Saturday, November 9 at 2 p.m. at Nottingham High School in Syracuse.
Section 2 Class C varsity football playoff bracket via NYSPHSAA.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville High School varsity football team has taken one of the top seeds in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Section 2 Class C playoff bracket.
The Black Horses will face the fourth-seed Johnstown on Friday, November 1 at home in the first round of the playoffs. Should they emerge victorious, they’ll next play either two-seed Fonda-Fultonville or three-seed Watervliet-Heatly on November 8.
Last year, Schuylerville’s season ended when they fell to Fonda 31-21 in the Section 2 Class C championship game.
The Saratoga Springs girls varsity soccer team celebrates after advancing to the finals on Monday night. Photo via the team’s Instagram.
NISKAYUNA — The Saratoga Springs varsity girls soccer team has advanced to the sectional finals after a 1-0 win in overtime against Shenendehowa on Monday. Saratoga standout Ava Goodman scored the lone, winning goal at the semifinals matchup played at Niskayuna High School.
The Blue Streaks, who finished the season with an 11-4-2 record, will next take on Shaker (9-3-4) in the finals. The two teams last played each other on September 28, when Shaker bested the Streaks 2 to 1. Despite the loss, the squads were evenly matched, with Saratoga taking 14 shots and Shaker taking 12. Defensively, the Blue Streaks’ Olivia Goodman had 7 saves compared to Shaker’s 6.
The finals showdown will occur on Monday, November 4 at Niskayuna High School at 7 p.m.
Saratoga Racers Head Coach Bob Catherwood and his players “bring it in” after a timeout during the team’s home opener at Saratoga Central Catholic last Sunday afternoon. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Historically, first-year teams tend to finish near the bottom of their leagues. It’s difficult to recruit talented players to a new franchise, especially when there’s no guarantee that the team will be successful.
But the Saratoga Racers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) have managed to defy the odds, adding talented veterans and All-Stars to their roster before winning their first-ever game last Sunday afternoon.
The Racers, led by two-time ABA All-Stars John Ryals and Tobias Holmes, looked surprisingly sharp during their first game, demonstrating unselfish play and making smart passes for easy layups when defenders from the Connecticut Flyeerz were caught sleeping. About 200 spectators watched as Saratoga held an early 34 to 19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Racers looked good defensively as well, racking up 18 steals and 4 blocks. They were especially aggressive on inbound passes, putting pressure on Connecticut across the entire court.
Towards the end of the first half, Shaheem Sanders (an ABA rookie) excited the crowd with two back-to-back dunks. Sanders was also active on the glass, reeling in 14 rebounds. The Schenectady High School alum’s efforts helped keep Saratoga comfortably ahead at halftime, 65 to 49.
But the Racers looked a bit shaky coming out of the halftime break, committing some unforced errors like ill-advised passes into double or triple coverage. The team also struggled mightily at the line, missing 15 foul shots throughout the contest.
In the fourth quarter, Connecticut seized upon Saratoga’s mistakes and went on a hot streak, swishing one shot after another from beyond the arc. With 8 minutes left in the game, Connecticut pulled to within 7 points of the Racers. A minute later, they trailed by only 5 points.
But that’s as close as the Flyeerz would come. High IQ plays and easy buckets by big men Casey Hall (who was 6 for 8 from the floor) and Todd Spottswood (who finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds) helped dig Saratoga out of trouble. Despite the last-minute threat from Connecticut, the Racers sealed the deal with a 119 to 107 win.
The Racers will next play two more home games on Saturday, November 2 against the Rochester Royal Ballers at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, November 3 versus the Herkimer Originals at 3 p.m. All Racers home games are played at Saratoga Central Catholic at 247 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Game Notes:
Holmes led all Saratoga scorers with 31 points, making 8 of 14 2-pointers and 3 of 9 3-pointers. Holmes also led the team in assists, with 5. Ryals was the second-highest scorer with 19 points.
The intensity of the final quarter got to some of the players. A pair of technical fouls were called after some trash-talking went too far in the refs’ eyes.
The ABA has some of its own rules and practices that differ from the NBA, including the use of its signature red-white-and-blue ball, and the “3D light,” which, when on, means that 2-pointers become 3-pointers, 3-pointers become 4-pointers, and half-court shots are worth 5 points.
Joey Harden and Luke Perez each had 4 steals apiece for Saratoga.
Saratoga’s Dominique Threatt made a splash with his pair of mismatched blue and orange Nike sneakers.
Julien Bouget tells Startup Saratoga attendees about his company re:Charge-e at the Universal Preservation Hall. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At Startup Saratoga, an event reminiscent of the hit ABC reality series “Shark Tank,” local entrepreneurs took to the Universal Preservation Hall stage last Wednesday night to pitch their business ideas. After introductory songs like “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant and “Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys rocked the hall, slide show presentations documented the dollars, cents, and details of each presenter’s venture.
Kirk Becker, co-founder and CEO of Rushdown Studios, discussed his video game company’s many projects and rapid growth.
“We started with three people in 2021 and now we’re 30 people three years later,” Becker said to a round of applause. “We were profitable year one; we doubled our revenue in year two.”
Rushdown’s office, located above the AMC movie theater in downtown Saratoga, houses about half of the company’s employees (the rest are remote workers). The company has contributed to a number of notable games, including PUBG, Among Us, League of Legends, and Last Epoch. Becker said Rushdown is expected to grow to about 100 people, with jobs frequently being posted to the company’s LinkedIn page. He sought advice from event attendees on company growth and talent recruitment.
Foothills Farm co-founder Max Poritzky explained how his company’s solar-powered vertical hydroponic container farm operated. Foothills grows specialty lettuces, leafy greens, and culinary herbs year-round with no pesticides, delivering more than a ton of fresh produce to local restaurants such as Hamlet & Ghost, Kindred, and The Brook Tavern.
Poritzky said he was seeking partnerships with local businesses, governments, and educational institutions.
“I think the technology in farming is sort of a wakeup call,” Poritzky said. “You think about the old farming model, it’s not sexy, right? But I think that we’re in a new time. When you bring students, young students, into this thing, their eyes just blow up. It’s really incredible.”
Julien Bouget, a French-American physicist, discussed his company re:Charge-e, which aims to provide universal charging solutions for electric micromobility. re:Charge-e says it can power more than 100 bikes or scooters with the same amount of energy required to power one electric car.
Earlier this year, re:Charge-e and the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) deployed a new universal wireless charging station in Amsterdam, New York, in support of CDTA’s bikeshare program. It was the first such installation in the country to use wireless power transfer to charge a variety of shared electric micromobility bicycles.
Bouget said his company is now seeking a $2 million seed investment to help expand this system to the entire Capital Region within the next few years.
The Startup Saratoga event, a collaboration between the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Startup Tech Valley, also featured speakers from irl Media and P1ston.
Players on the Saratoga Racers ABA team gather for a quick meeting during a practice session at the Saratoga Central Catholic gym on Monday night. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Drop by a Saratoga Racers game or practice and you’ll hear the same sentiment expressed again and again: this team will do whatever it takes to make their ambitious new venture a success.
“I’ll play whatever position they need me to play; point guard all the way down to a big,” said John Ryals, a two-time American Basketball Association (ABA) All-Star who joined the Racers after averaging more than 20 points per game for the Bennington Martens. “I’ll make sacrifices for our team.”
“My goal is to win the conference and then compete in the final four,” said Tobias Holmes, another ex-Bennington two-time ABA All-Star who joined Saratoga this year. “I don’t got no personal goal, I have a team goal.”
“My goal is just to help build the organization,” said Casey Hall, an ABA veteran who came out of retirement to play for the Racers. “To help the younger guys grow, look for better opportunities, and just put a good brand out here.”
The Racers are about to dive head-first into their inaugural ABA season. Launching a new team in a semi-professional league hasn’t been easy, but with proven talent on the floor, the Racers aim to be competitive and make a playoff run. Their first game, a home opener, is this Sunday.
“I went and watched the [ABA] playoffs last year, I went to the All-Star game, so I know what kind of players are in this league,” said Head Coach Bob Catherwood. “I’m looking forward to doing my homework and having these guys as best prepared as we can.”
The Racers will compete in the ABA’s East Region White Division, which also includes fellow Capital Region team the Albany 518 Ballers. The season will consist of around 20 games, starting this Sunday and finishing up at the end of February. Single elimination playoff games will follow in March.
“I’m excited for this opening weekend; I hope we can bring a great big crowd,” Catherwood said. “If you want to go see a professional team, you either have to go up to Glens Falls or you gotta go to Albany. Nothing against either one of those cities, but right here in town, we’re the place to be in the winter time.”
The Racers will face off against the Connecticut Flyeerz on Sunday, October 27 at 1 p.m. in the Saratoga Central Catholic High School gym at 247 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Team merchandise will also be available.
Pictured: U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko, Siena College President Charles Seifert, Siena College Research Institute Director Dr. Don Levy, Vice President and Director of Athletics John D’Argenio, Head Men’s Basketball Coach Gerry McNamara, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Terry Primm, Men’s Basketball Student-Athletes Brendan Coyle and Major Freeman, Women’s Basketball Student-Athletes Valencia Fontenelle-Posson and Ahniysha Jackson, and Cross-Country and Track & Field Athlete Jennifer McClintock. Photo provided by Siena College.
LOUDONVILLE — Congressman Paul Tonko hosted a roundtable discussion last Thursday at Siena College to solicit feedback from student-athletes and coaches on the impact of sports betting. Gerry McNamara, Siena’s new head men’s basketball coach, attended the event, along with other coaches, student-athletes, and school administrators.
Although the roundtable was meant to promote Tonko’s recently introduced SAFE Bet Act, the discussion turned more towards the issues of mental health and online harassment of college athletes.
“Personally, I have had some [direct messages], and it could be related to sports betting now that I see the bigger picture, but I’ve had a lot of friends on men’s teams who get hate mail and death threats, which is crazy because all athletes are just human at the end of the day,” said Valencia Fontenelle-Posson, a graduate student and guard on the women’s basketball team.
Jennifer McClintock, a cross-country and track runner, said a friend of hers had to turn off his social media accounts because he was receiving so many messages from sports betters putting additional pressure on him to play well.
Brendan Coyle, a forward on the men’s basketball team, said that college athletes are especially vulnerable because they live on campuses, where they can be easily tracked down. Coyle said he’d been approached a number of times by strangers, resulting in both positive and negative exchanges.
“A pro athlete, they go home to their own place where nobody really knows where it’s at,” Coyle said. “We’re on a college campus, people know where we are.”
Earlier this month, the NCAA released the findings of a pilot study that examined online harassment of college athletes. It found that 12% of all abusive online messages were related to sports betting. As betting markets increased, so did the prevalence of harassment, with 19% rates in men’s basketball and football.
Tonko’s SAFE Bet Act includes a nationwide ban on proposition bets that involve college athletes. The ban aims to curb online abuse targeting student-athletes.
“To me, the mental health aspect of this is the most important thing because it impacts [student-athletes] directly,” said McNamara. “Protecting mental health has always been a key issue for student-athletes, now this component has taken on even greater importance.”
Women’s Head Basketball Coach Terry Primm said that gambling’s impact on online harassment “has incentivized me to add this component to athlete education.”
In addition to prohibiting all proposition bets featuring college athletes, Tonko’s SAFE Bet Act would, among other things, prohibit sports betting advertising during live sporting events; prohibit reckless or purposeful targeting of problem gamblers, individuals suffering from gambling disorder, or individuals ineligible to place a bet; prohibit operators from accepting more than 5 deposits from a customer in a 24-hour period; and prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track individual player’s gambling habits.
