Author: Jonathon Norcross

Elite Fighting Promotions is holding its first official event at the Saratoga Springs City Center on July 13. Image provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Don Walton was criss-crossing the country, chasing after the next opportunity to compete in combat sports. Vermont. New York City. Indiana. Delaware. He was always on the road, and tired of it. Then he had an idea: how hard would it be to launch a fighting promotion at home in Saratoga Springs?

To answer that question, he called Jay Ingleston, a former fighter and promoter who had booked Walton in the past. The more the duo thought about it, the more convinced they became that Saratoga needed its own fighting promotion; one that could offer more variety of competition.

“It’s an honorable product that we’re trying to give to the community,” Ingleston said. “We want these guys to have a showcase for their skills. That’s why I started this. That’s why I started fighting. I didn’t care if I won or lost. It was a respect thing, and it was the honor of going out and testing yourself.” 

Although it wasn’t officially under the Elite Fighting Promotions banner, Walton and Ingleston held an event in March that, to their surprise, sold out. Hundreds of people strolling around Broadway bought tickets the day of the event, proving to Walton that Saratoga is indeed a fight town.

“Clearly there’s a demand and we hear what the people are saying, so we’re going to bring it back again and again,” Walton said.

“Saratoga will show up for you if you give them a product or brand to latch onto,” added Ingleston.

The plan is to start putting on three to four shows per year, starting with the first official Elite Fighting Promotions event at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Saturday, July 13.

The main event, with a Bantamweight MMA title on the line, will be Christian Alvarez versus Edward Brown. Alvarez is from Troy, and Brown hails from South Carolina. The co-main event, a 180-pound Muay Thai bout, will be Albany’s Logan Samarija versus Buffalo’s Malik Abdus-Sabr. 

For Walton, it was important to book fighters from all over the country, many of whom he met while on the road. He believes that spectators ultimately care more about seeing a good show, and are less concerned with where the fighters come from. 

“A lot of amateur-level shows rely on local fighters selling the tickets,” he said. “For us, it’s just good quality.”

The July 13 card includes ten fights total, including Muay Thai bouts, MMA bouts, and a grappling match. Event sponsors include Druthers Brewing and Northern Lights Dispensary. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the fights begin at 7 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.elitefightingpromotions.com/events. 

Rower Christian Penny poses with his dad Chris after winning a silver medal at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida this month. Photo provided by Chris Penny.

Homeschooler Wins Silver Medal

SARASOTA, FLORIDA — Despite not having the advantages of a public school athletic program, Mohawk Homeschool Rowing Association’s Christian Penny captured a silver medal in the Men’s U17 1x at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Florida earlier this month.

Christian, who lives in Saratoga Springs, was coached by his father Chris Penny at the event.

“Based on his times,” Chris said, “we were pretty confident or hopeful that he would make it to the grand finals.”

In the finals, Christian finished with a time of 07:38.46, about 7 seconds behind first.

Chris, who is also board president of the Mohawk Homeschool Rowing Association, said it’s important for homeschoolers to “have an athletic outlet that isn’t just recreation, where you can compete at a pretty high level.”

The association doesn’t have the funding or resources of public school rowing teams, and thus subsists on dues and private fundraising efforts. 

“Homeschoolers are sort of a different breed,” Chris said. “Our resources are relatively limited.” 

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But none of that has stopped Christian from becoming a successful rower. He took up the sport in fifth grade and hopes to continue through college. He placed first in the Men’s U17 Single event at the New York State Rowing Championships, which allowed him to qualify for the Youth National Championships in Florida.

Girls and Boys Teams Successful

The Saratoga Rowing Association (SRA) also competed at nationals, with six teams qualifying for the event in Florida.

“After having watched the group qualify in person at the State Championships, I can attest that this group was on a clear mission to not only achieve top results with the most senior boats, but qualify and contend with a strong deep program,” SRA’s Co-Executive Director Eric Catalano told Saratoga TODAY.

The U16 girls team finished 9th in the country in the eights division.

Team members included Emilia Acquavella (coxswain), Sophie Sampanthar (seat 8/stroke), Caroline Jackson (seat 7), Isabella “Pisa” Bonitatibus (seat 6), Meghan Kempf (seat 5), Sabrina Maglienti (seat 4), Rylie Sheldon (seat 3) Katie Oke (seat 2), and Catherine Fedoroff (seat 1/bow).

The team is coached by Ronnie Cantrell, who recently accepted an offer to become the men’s freshman rowing coach at the University of Virginia. 

Other SRA achievements included top 10 finishes with the senior boys eight and the senior girls eight.   

“We, the greater community, are so proud of the work and effort the youth rowers put into this sport, and were thrilled to see those efforts rewarded with strong performances at the national level,” Catalano said.