SARATOGA SPRINGS — “How good can we expect to be if our best player is not our best teammate,” said Brad Stevens, head coach of the Boston Celtics.

Brian McCarthy started playing basketball within leagues such as Jr. NBA and then got serious about the sport in seventh grade.

“I started playing in the YMCA league in the summer because I had been doing a lot of pick up at the YMCA and I saw some flyers for it so I decided to do the league with a couple of friends. That led into me doing the winter league,” McCarthy explained.

McCarthy played for his school, Saratoga Springs, his freshman year and did not try out this year due to wanting to hone his game before attempting varsity next year, his senior year.

“I’m doing a travel league and the YMCA league right now so I thought it would be best to work on my game this year and try to be the best I can be for next year,” he reasoned.

McCarthy plays on the Saratoga CYO travel league as well as the youth league at the Saratoga YMCA.

“The travel league is definitely my main league; it has some really good competition. I really like to compete in it and get other people involved. It’s kind of in-between Y ball and school ball, as far as the competition goes. I score a lot of points in the YMCA league and I try to get other people involved. I’ve been trying to do the same in my travel league,” McCarthy explained.

McCarthy loves the dedication of the players that he sees on both his travel league and YMCA team.

He is on the Spa Café team, coached by Dallas Wells.

“Actually, the first time I played against Dallas was in the summer, I had 48 points against his team, and he ended up taking me for the winter league,” he laughed.

On the court, McCarthy possesses a natural shooting and scoring ability, but he is still pushing himself to work on his other skills to be better overall in the future.

“I usually play shooting guard because there are some people that are better handling the ball and I like to get ready to shoot the ball, I’m usually a 3-point shooter so I usually play the wing and try to create shots for myself and other people,” McCarthy explained.

McCarthy is known as a leader on the court and takes pride in that.

“I love being the person that people look up to and look to when there’s a shot that needs to be made. I like trying to get other people involved. I think everybody deserves an opportunity,” he said.

Off the court, McCarthy takes great pride in his schoolwork, he is on the high honor roll, and enjoys spending time with his friends. He also likes to play pickup basketball with his younger brother Matt.

“He’s actually a really good shooter too,” he said.

He cites his parents, Paige and Peter, as his biggest supporters.

“I try to make the best of my opportunities because why wouldn’t I try to do the best that I can to set myself up for the future,” McCarthy said definitively.

SARATOGA COUNTY — Saratoga Youth Hockey (SYH) is offering the opportunity of a lifetime for anyone interested in ice hockey… Two programs that allow anyone with an interest to test the sport out for free.

“Our goal of these programs to is to grow the hockey community in Saratoga and the surrounding areas and also making it much more affordable to get involved with hockey,” said Travis Higbee, board of director member and Learn to Skate Learn to Play coordinator.

These programs involve a partnership with the New York Rangers, which was announced in November 2019.

The first, Learn to Skate Learn to Play, is a 10-week program (that began on January 4, 2020) that runs until March 21 for one hour in the morning. Due to the partnership with the New York Rangers, any child who signs up for a 10-week session receives free hockey equipment to keep. 

Half of the kids who are actively participating in this program come from the second program: Try Hockey for Free.

This event will take place on February 22 and the goal is to “get kids on the ice with little or no skating/hockey experience. The New York Rangers coaching staff is onsite and provides all the equipment to borrow for the day,” explains the website.

“This is a Grassroots experience for Saratoga. This time last year at Learn to Skate we had about 30 kids signed up and now we have 65,” Higbee explained.

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Currently, 50 kids are signed up for the Try Hockey for Free program, but Higbee is adamant that there are plenty of spaces left.

“The goal is to take kids with zero or very little experience and in skating and/or hockey and get them to Try Hockey for Free. Step two is to get them engaged in the ten-week Learn to Skate Learn to Play program, where they actually get to participate. Then we look to convert them into our Saratoga Youth Hockey programs,” Higbee said.

SYH has age-appropriate programs for all kids who are interested. Mite is for ages fives to 8, Squirt is for 9-and 10-year-olds; Pee Wee is for 11-and 12-year-olds; Bantam is for 13- and 14-year-olds; and Midget is for 15 to 18-year-olds.

“The nice thing about the Rangers having done this in multiple locations in the past, 80% of the kids who did Try Hockey for Free signed up for Learn to Skate Learn to Play. 80% of those kids then convert to either the Mites or the Squirts. It’s great participation and great continuance that they stick with hockey,” Higbee explained.

“It’s literally taking a kid who never potentially played hockey or skated and then getting them into it and eliminating the burden of needing all of the equipment,” he said.

These programs are time friendly and affordable.

For more information, visit these links: www.syhi.org, juniorrangers.leagueapps.com/events/1483549-try-hockey-for-free-at-weibel-arenas-w-saratoga-youth-hockey, and learntoplay.nhl.com/rangers/6257.

Contact Travis Higbee at learntoskatelearntoplayshyi@gmail.com with any and all questions.

Blue Streaks Hockey

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, January 21, the Blue Streaks had a massive win over the Mohawks, 9-0. It truly was a team effort with eight players scoring goals: Joe Amodio had two; Andrew Blanchard, Will Detora, Grady Frasier, Sam Jacob, Mack Ogden, Luke Shapiro, and Jax Todorovic each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had nine saves.

On Friday, January 24, the Blue Streaks played a closer match against La Salle. Saratoga took the win, 8-5. Joe Amodio and Will Detora each had two goals; Sam Jacob, Charlie Leary, Riley Lefebvre, and Griffin Sarver each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had 10 saves and other goalie Jesse Bradley had seven saves.

On Wednesday, January 29, the Blue Streaks played The Storm, winning 6-0. Joe Amodio and Andrew Blanchard each had two goals; Charlie Leary, Ryan McCoskey, and Michael Montague each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had 12 saves.

SRYMCA/Saratoga Honda Youth Basketball Scores

JR DIVISION:
Cudney’s v. Blend Realty
Cudney’s-41: Ben Van Valkinburg-15, Marcus Vary-10
Blend-15: Jacob Alexander-6, Finn Kelly-3

PBA v. Olsen’s Associates
PBA-39: Stephon Lindsay-9 , Bryant Savage-9
Olsen’s-29: Colin MacGregor-9, Xavier Rusico-7

SR. DIVISION:
Vahanian & Associates Financial Planning v. Village Photo   
Village Photo-54: Josh L-15, Jacob Krygruski-9, Patrick Deshane-9
Vahanian-32: Tommy Maurer-9, Paul Steves-7

Pashley Construction v. Spa Cafe
Spa Café- 49: Brian McCarthy-12, AJ Covota-10
Pashley’s-47:  Quin Frank- 15, Raymond Garcia-10

Teams for Dreams Basketball Tournament to Support Local Scholarships

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The inaugural Teams for Dreams three-on-three basketball tournament will be held April 4 to support local scholarships.

The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation has partnered with Saratoga Financial Services to sponsor the event, which will be held at Saratoga Springs High School. 

The tournament will feature men’s, women’s or coed teams of three or four players competing in various youth and adult brackets. All skill levels are welcome. Build a team and support a good cause. For pricing and to register, visit SaratogaSpringsScholarships.org.  Registration closes March 1. 

The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation invests in students’ potential because everyone deserves the opportunity for a brighter future. Each year, the foundation awards about $70,000 in scholarships to local high school students to further their dreams. Visit saratogaspringsscholarships.org to learn more.

NATIONWIDE — Speaking to What’s Your 99?, the kindness you bring every day to others, Coach Rich Johns presented the importance of understanding yourself and that respect and kindness begins and ends with you, the individual. 

By stressing the word empathy and its meaning, one can have a more fulfilling life. You need to be ‘looking’ to see empathy in everyone you meet.

If one is empathic and kind your, 99 will shine through. 

Addressing mental health is a key component to AWRA and The Visible Project stresses the importance of always being kind. The kinder you are the more visible you become. 

“When you give kindness, it comes back to refresh your own daily mental health,” Coach Johns stated. 

I want everyone to have a Solid 5 to go to. What is a Solid 5? They are the people who you can go to anytime, anyplace for physical and emotional support without judgement. 

“I always stress that I am a Solid 5 for each person in my presentation,” Johns said.

Coach Johns traveled to Duke University recently and presented to about 200 freshmen student-athletes who are a part of the Duke Freshmen Action Program. He traveled with three Saratoga Springs CSD students: Kelsey, Emily, and Conner McFadden, who traveled with their father Dennis, to help Coach Johns with his presentation. 

For more information, visit www.actwithrespectalways.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “There’s been a lot of talk of me being a one-man show but that’s simply not the case. We win games when I score 40 points and we’ve won when I score 10.” – Kobe Bryant

Charlie DiDonato is a 16-year-old sophomore from Saratoga Springs who plays on the 9-12 grade youth league team at the Saratoga YMCA. He is known on the court for his point scoring ability as a power forward.

“I’ve lost track of how many points so far this season,” he laughed. “The first game I had 28 points and then after that I just stopped counting,” he explained.

He discovered the Y program by practicing there for his try-outs at the school in 8th grade. He saw a flyer and his mom suggested he sign up.

“Basketball is something I picked up around six years old. I played through a recreation league first and then I just liked it from there,” DiDonato explained.

DiDonato played on the high school team his freshmen year and then tried out this year and got cut so he’s unsure if he’ll retry for that team next year or not.

“It’s a more laidback atmosphere at the YMCA, I’m able to have more fun instead of playing intensely like I would on the high school team,” he said.

He is on the Spa Cafe Team, coached by Dallas Wells, who has coached him for a few seasons. DiDonato requests to be on his team because he’s used to his coaching style, which he feels propels him to success.

“Coach Wells is laid back for the most part. Sometimes he’ll get on you, he motivates me a lot. When he needs you to play a certain way, he’ll tell you,” DiDonato explained.

“Dallas is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” he raved.

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DiDonato says shooting is his most valuable basketball skill but acknowledges he needs to work on his ball handling.

“When I was younger, I used to be taller than everyone else because I had my growth spurts before them. I was always a center and now as I get older, I’m not going to be taller than everybody so I just need to adapt to that.”

So far, the Spa City Cafe team is having a great season. “We’ve had a pretty good season so far. We’ve lost one game only, we’re pretty good. We have good chemistry, I’m good friends with most of the kids on the team through school and stuff so that helps,” he said.

Still, he acknowledges that sometimes you don’t always have the best game. “When you put in all of that dedication and you don’t have the best game, it’s like dang, but you keep your head up and push through,” he said.

DiDonato also plays summer league and is coached by Wells then as well. 

His best basketball moment to date occurred last summer: “I had 27 points and I made the two game winning free throws in a really tight game. It was an amazing moment. It was pretty intense.”

DiDonato is 100% dedicated to basketball and does not play any other sports; he puts his whole heart into the game. His favorite team is the Knicks and he was in the middle of a game when he heard the news about Kobe Bryant.

“I was really surprised, it’s heartbreaking,” he said.

In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with his friends and is looking for a part-time job. He is also a high honor roll student.

He credits his parents, Gina and Charles, as his biggest supporters.

His advice to the younger kids at the YMCA youth league is this: “Just know that it takes time and work to get to where you want to be, it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Blue Streaks Hockey
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, January 21, the Blue Streaks had a massive win over the Mohawks, 9-0. It truly was a team effort with eight players scoring goals: Joe Amodio had two; Andrew Blanchard, Will Detora, Grady Frasier, Sam Jacob, Mack Ogden, Luke Shapiro, and Jax Todorovic each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had nine saves. On Friday, January 24, the Blue Streaks played a closer match against La Salle. Saratoga took the win, 8-5. Joe Amodio and Will Detora each had two goals; Sam Jacob, Charlie Leary, Riley Lefebvre, and Griffin Sarver each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had 10 saves and other goalie Jesse Bradley had seven saves. On Wednesday, January 29, the Blue Streaks played The Storm, winning 6-0. Joe Amodio and Andrew Blanchard each had two goals; Charlie Leary, Ryan McCoskey, and Michael Montague each had one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had 12 saves.

SRYMCA/Saratoga Honda Youth Basketball Scores JR DIVISION: Cudney’s v. Blend Realty Cudney’s-41: Ben Van Valkinburg-15, Marcus Vary-10 Blend-15: Jacob Alexander-6, Finn Kelly-3 PBA v. Olsen’s Associates PBA-39: Stephon Lindsay-9 , Bryant Savage-9 Olsen’s-29: Colin MacGregor-9, Xavier Rusico-7 SR. DIVISION: Vahanian & Associates v. Village Photo Village Photo-54: Josh L-15, Jacob Krygruski-9, Patrick Deshane-9 Vahanian-32: Tommy Maurer-9, Paul Steves-7 Pashley Construction v. Spa Cafe Spa Café- 49: Brian McCarthy-12, AJ Covota-10 Pashley’s-47: Quin Frank- 15, Raymond Garcia-10

TEAMS FOR DREAMS
Basketball Tournament to Support Local Scholarships
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The inaugural Teams for Dreams three-on-three basketball tournament will be held April 4 to support local scholarships. The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation has partnered with Saratoga Financial Services to sponsor the event, which will be held at Saratoga Springs High School. The tournament will feature men’s, women’s or coed teams of three or four players competing in various youth and adult brackets. All skill levels are welcome. Build a team and support a good cause. For pricing and to register, visit SaratogaSpringsScholarships.org. Registration closes March 1. The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation invests in students’ potential because everyone deserves the opportunity for a brighter future. Each year, the foundation awards about $70,000 in scholarships to local high school students to further their dreams. Visit saratogaspringsscholarships. org to learn more.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It was the second Sunday of the new decade, and Tulane Stadium in New Orleans was filled with more than 80,000 people. Jack Casson was one of them.

“There were about 12 of us, all ad agency people,” recalls Casson, of that Super Bowl IV week a half-century ago.

“The year before we all went down to Miami for Super Bowl III when Joe Namath and the Jets won,” he says. “In New Orleans we went down about a week before the game to play some golf, but the weather was just terrible. It got up to 60 degrees for gametime, but that was the highest reading we had for the whole week.”

The Super Bowl featured The American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs – coached by Hank Stram and led by quarterback Len Dawson, against the National Football League champion Minnesota Vikings, who played under the direction of coach Bud Grant and boasted a defensive line nicknamed the “Purple People Eaters.”

By the time it was over that January day in 1970, the Chiefs had upset the Vikings by the score of 23–7.  It was the last Super Bowl that matched the AFL against the NFL – the two leagues merged into one at the conclusion of the game – and marked the last time the Chiefs appeared in the Super Bowl. That 50-year string will come to an end this Sunday, when the Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers.  

Casson settled in Saratoga in 1972. He grew up in New York City and in the late ‘60s worked for the Estee Lauder company. “I procured their promotional printing, mailings the stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bonwit Teller would do. Everything with Estee Lauder was high-end.”

While Super Bowl IV was memorable because of the Kansas City Chiefs upset, there was also a segment of the half-time activities that particularly stands out in Casson’s mind, attended the game with a dozen of his industry friends, one of whom had brought along a camera.   

Newspaper reports of the day document a “bizarre” military reenactment with booming cannons and thick blankets of smoke filing the air. There were marching bands. There was an on-field Mardi Gras parade. But, Casson and his friends captured something apparently out of the TV broadcast eye.  

“At halftime there was this big gondola with a Viking in it. It was kind of tied down but got loose when the wind took it. We saw it come right across (the endzone), right to our side, where we were like 8 or 10 rows up,” Casson says. “It got all tangled up. Some people got hurt. And several people were taken off in stretchers. I don’t know to what extent their injuries were…” 

The price of his ticket: “Twenty dollars! Now? forget it,” he says. Sports Illustrated reported this week that the average ticket for Super Bowl LIV is going for $6,390.  

“See, back then everybody could afford it. You didn’t have to be a big money-maker. The expense would be flying there, or getting transportation,” Casson says.

“I used to know a number of the (New York football) Giants in the ‘60s. Back then they had second jobs. Dick Lynch was the cornerback and he worked for an outfit out on Long Island. They were promotional printers and I used to do some business with Dick in the off-season. Another player was Andy Robustelli – he was defensive end and an All-Pro, and he worked for the Fugazi Travel Agency in Manhattan. When he retired, he opened up his own travel agency out in Stamford, Connecticut where he lived. And Alex Webster, he coached the Giants and before that he was a fullback, he worked for an outfit that made printing plates for the printing industry. So, they all did that. We’d sit around a table at a restaurant in a private room and ask him questions about the game,” he says.

“Baseball was the same way. In the ‘50s, the teams would play doubleheaders on Sundays, so I would get on the subway, get off at River (Avenue), come up and there was Yankee Stadium,” Casson recalls. “I’d go in and sit in the right-center field bleachers. The ticket was 60 cents.  I mean, can you imagine?”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Gymnastics has made me strong. I feel like it broke me down to my lowest point, but at the same time, it has given me the greatest strength anyone could ask for.” – Olympian Shawn Johnson.

Ava Dallas is a record-breaking 17-year-old junior at Saratoga Springs High School with a passion for gymnastics that she pursues, regardless of the injuries or other things she sacrifices to succeed. 

“I started when I was really little, around two years old, and I stopped for a while but then I started to get serious about it when I was 10,” she explained.

“Just watching college gymnastics on TV and the summer Olympics, I got really inspired and then I started taking classes at the Y and then I joined the team there.”

Dallas then switched to a club team which was more serious and eventually made the choice to join the school’s team full time. She was with Stepping Star for three years and then switched to the high school team because she wanted something more team oriented and with less hours in the gym. From November to the end of February, the gym is where you can find her.

“Right after the season is over, we have about a month and a half off and then we go back to practicing on Sundays and then when it gets into the summer, we practice twice a week,” Dallas specified.

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Dallas currently holds the Section II record for vaulting, which is 9.475.

“My freshmen year on the team, I broke the record for the first time and then last year I broke it once in the beginning of the year and then once again at the end of the year at the state meet,” she explained.

However, she is still recovering from a stress fracture in her back from over the summer. 

“It was very hard for me to do anything because it was so painful. When I went to the doctor, he advised that I slow down and possibly stop to prevent any further injury. I didn’t want to do that and compromise my junior season so I modified my routines to do skills that didn’t hurt me and now I’m building back all of my skills and all of my routines to get back to where I want to be,” Dallas said.

Dallas also coaches the little girls the basics of gymnastics at the Wilton YMCA.

“Coaching the little girls definitely provides a different perspective on the sport. As a coach, you have to think about putting the skill into words that the little kids would understand and sometimes it takes multiple times to explain things so it really makes you think about every single little part of each skill that you do. Also, to see them enjoy it as much as they do, it really brings a new enjoyment for me,” she mused.

Her family supports one another tremendously. Her sister cheers at Syracuse and the family goes to watch her games whenever they can.

She cites her father as her biggest fan: “it means a lot, I can always look over and see him cheering for me… He’s like my number one fan,” she laughed.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Friday, January 24, Saratoga Springs high school celebrated their six senior boys on the varsity basketball team; Aidan Holmes, Bryce Emery, Garrett Myers, Grayson Dumortier, Dan Spillane, and Aidan Dagostino. The team is coached by Matt Usher and assistant coached by Geoff Loiacono.

The team played Bethlehem in a rematch from last year’s Sectional Championship, which the Blue Streaks won.

“It was a tight game to the end. Blue Streaks were down 58-56 with 7 seconds left when Luke Britton hit a 3-point shot on a pass from Aidan Holmes for the win,” Alicia Holmes, a booster club member, explained.

The final score was 59-58.

Holmes scored 11 points; Emery had five points; Myers had four points; Dumortier had three points; Spillane and Dagostino each had two points. Luke Britton, junior, had a team high of 19 points.

Blue Streaks Hockey
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Wednesday, Jan. 15 the Blue Streaks took a big win, 6-1, over the CD Jets. Assistant Captain Joe Amodio had three goals and two assists; Assistant Captain Will Detora scored one goal with three assists; Michael Montague had one goal and two assists; and Griffin Sarver had one goal. Goalie Jesse Bradley had nine saves. On Friday, Jan. 17 the Blue Streaks played a close game against Ithaca, Saratoga took the win, 4-2. Joe Amodio, Charlie Leary, Ryan McCoskey, and Devon Wormley each scored one goal. Goalie Brad Blake had 18 saves.

SRYMCA/Saratoga Honda Youth Basketball Scores

JR DIVISION:
Blend Realty v. Olsen Associates
Blend Realty-26: Jacob Alexander-15, Robert Tucker-3
Olsen Associates-17: Jacob Hernandez-4, Chris Perera-4, Xavier Rusio-4

PBA v. Cudney’s
PBA-39:  Bryant Savage-17, Isaac Ryan-9
Cudney’s-35: Ben Van Valkenberg-12, John Gerardi-12

SR. DIVISION:
Village Photo v. Spa Café 
Spa Café-52: Everett Smith-14, Joe Reynolds-13
Village Photo-40: Jacob Krygowski-16, Josh L. -9

Pashley Construction v. Vahanian & Associates Financial Planning
Vahanian’s-45: Michael Torani-15, Thomas Mauer-12
Pashley’s-34: Ziyair White-13, Nate Siewert-12

SRYMCA Over 50 Basketball League Scores

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

Lazy Dog Cookie Company v. Nemer Chryslers
Lazy Dog-68: Scott Clark -34, Todd Mcshane-16
Nemer-54: Steve Brown-33, Frank Pascuito-10

West Side v. Turning Point Chiropractic
Turning Point-76: Bob Hanson-42, Mike Scanlon-14
West Side-48: Dave Wolf-28, Tom Welch-10

Walton’s Sport Shop v. Mama Mia’s Restaurant
Walton’s-56 : Alex Marin-20, Mike Bentley-16
Mama Mia’s-49: Philip Fitrzpatrick-22, Lamont Williams-16

D’Andrea’s Pizza Shop v. Stephen’s Chryslers Jeep Dodge of Greenwich
D’Andrea’s-59: Mike McMorris-19, Scott Waterhouse-12
Stephen’s-48: Paul Gross-22, Jerry Hefferman-22