SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Blue Streaks continue their hot start to the season after another win against the Columbia Blue Devils. 

The match was played under the lights on September 27 at Saratoga High School. Xavier Rusico, Ryan Farr and Lucas Varghese all netted goals for Saratoga. Assists came by way of Vincent DeVito, Riley Fowler and Ryan Farr. The lone goal for Columbia came from Kejhaune Lester. The match finished 3-1 in favor of the home team. The win on Tuesday makes for Saratoga’s sixth win of the season while Columbia falls to 2-2-3 overall. Looking forward, the Blue Streaks will travel to face Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) on Thursday, September 29 and then have a week off before they face Shaker High School on October 6, who handed the Blue Streaks their only loss of the season in a tight 1-0 contest.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — This winter, Section II athletics are commissioning an inaugural girls’ ice hockey season. The team is called Adirondack United, and it will consist of six local school districts combining to offer one varsity team: Corinth Central School District; Glens Falls City School District; Hudson Falls Central School District; Saratoga Springs City School District; South Glens Falls Central School District and Queensbury Union Free School District. 

Tryouts will begin on November 14 at the Glens Falls Recreation Center Ice Rink on Fire Road. The team will consist of students in grades 9 -12. Games will be played against teams in Section 7, Section 10, Section 3, and a few area programs out of Vermont. The districts are excited to provide a merged experience, bringing students from multiple area high schools competing together all under one umbrella. The team has a deep pool to choose from, with local youth hockey programs for girls exploding over the past several years. “We’re pulling from a talented group of girls that have won state titles at the club level. We’re going to compete immediately,” Adirondack United coach Jeff Willis said.

 “Our goal is to generate so much excitement that within the next four to five years, we will start seeing additional teams pop up throughout the Capital Region. We ultimately want Section II represented in the state championships,” said South Glens Falls Central School District Athletic Director Matthew Griep. “We’re extremely excited and blessed to be in an area where the community embraces ice hockey. We have the infrastructure and support to make this a reality. All participating districts have administrations that support student extracurricular activities, and for them to allow us to pursue this endeavor, we’re very grateful for that,” Griep said. “We know it’s going to be a huge success. We’re already hearing the buzz. I’ve been fielding calls about schools wanting to join the merger, so we know it is generating interest.” 

The team’s first game will be on November 23 on the road against the defending state champion, Skaneateles Central School District. The first home game will be at the Glens Falls Recreation Center on December 3 versus Beekmantown Central School District. For additional information regarding Adirondack United Ice Hockey, questions can be directed to the Athletic Director of each participating school.

SARATOGA — On Saturday, September 17, 10 local high schools competed in a mid-season volleyball tournament. From 9am to 3pm, games were held at Saratoga Springs High School, and the home team eventually came out on top after a long day of bumps, sets and spikes. The final match was a contest between the Saratoga Blue Streaks and the Burnt Hills Spartans. In game one, Saratoga was down 24-18 and rallied to score 8 unanswered points for a remarkable 26-24 comeback. Game two was just as close, as Saratoga edged out Burnt Hills 25-23 to claim victory in an enthralling finals match.

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville football improved to 3-0 overall (2-0 in league contests) after their commanding win on Friday, September 16, against Granville/Whitehall. Martin Flanders Jr. opened the scoring for the Black Horses with a 5-yard touchdown on the ground, and Schuylerville didn’t look back. Flanders would go on to score three touchdowns in the contest with rushes of 5, 10 and 13 yards. Quarterback Luke Sherman connected on 8 of his 9 passes, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for one of his own. Schuylerville’s offense totaled an impressive 369 yards, while their defense held Granville-Whitehall to just 55 total yards. This contest marks the second consecutive game Schuylerville’s defense has pitched a shutout. 

Looking forward, Schuylerville travels to Watervliet for a Friday night contest under the lights against the Cannoneers on September 23 at 7pm. The Black Horses have a chance to improve to 4-0 while the Cannoneers are looking for their first win of the 2022 campaign.

SARATOGA — Built in 1989, the East Side Recreation skatepark is the oldest municipal skatepark in New York state. Now, more than three decades later, with rusted ramps and decaying metal, skatepark goers think it’s time for a proper upgrade. And many thought that was coming a few years ago during the Saratoga Great Outdoors Project, when the LA Group partnered with Mosaic Associates and the school district to improve recreation spaces across the city – projects that totaled $15.6 million dollars. For the East Side Rec, this meant new basketball courts with lights, 10 new pickleball courts, a new fieldhouse with concessions and bathrooms, a new synthetic turf baseball field with lights, expanded irrigation and more. Unfortunately for those that skateboard, the skatepark was left virtually untouched.  

The charge to have the skatepark upgraded is being led by ON DECK Saratoga, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization under the umbrella of the Saratoga Institute. Benj Gleeksman, co-founder of ON DECK, has been outspoken about this whole process, releasing a recent statement saying, “this decision [to not upgrade the skatepark] seems like a way for the skatepark to not be recognized as important as the rest of the facilities in the complex… The Great Outdoors Project was a New York State grant, not a fundraising initiative for particular interests. For a skatepark that is used daily, and almost year-round, a significant investment is warranted.” ON DECK has been lobbying the city for an upgrade since 2012, and this year it finally seemed like a go – but unfortunately the plans of an upgrade keep getting stymied. 

The renovations were initially projected to cost $265,000 when the plans were first unveiled – and the city council unanimously approved the project. However, due to supply chain disruptions and the ever-rising price of materials during the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost to the city increased by $140,000. So, ON DECK took matters into their own hands. Using the power of grassroots fundraising and help from local businesses, the organization has raised over $70,000 for the new skatepark – covering half of the unforeseen expenses. On June 7, 2022, the city approved the new expenses, and the project was seemingly green-lit, that is, at least on paper. In reality, though, nothing has changed at the park. “As residents of the city, taxpayers and supporters of skateboarding and other action sports, we are frustrated about this hold up. We would like public transparency from the City of Saratoga or the school district about why the building contractor has not been signed, nor a construction date determined,” said Gleeksman. 

“Every time this project gets delayed our costs rise. We were told by the recreation department to raise money to help with the effort – so far, we have raised over $70,000 dollars for the project and want to move forward,” Gleeksman told Saratoga TODAY. 

Ostensibly, the recreation department has always been supportive of the skatepark and its planned upgrades, however the recreation commission, a seven-member board appointed by the mayor, is the group pushing back on the plan. “We’d like to ask the public to join us in voicing the needs of the skatepark to the recreation commission during their next meeting on Tuesday, 9/27 at 6:30pm at the Vanderbilt Recreation Center,” said Gleeksman in a statement. For more information about ON DECK, or to donate to the project, visit: www.ondecksaratoga.org.