GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, have signed former Skidmore College hockey player Everett Wardle to an amateur tryout contract.
Wardle, 25, just finished his fourth season at Skidmore, where he scored 25 points (8 goals, 17 assists) in 28 games for the Thoroughbreds.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dolly Cairns, a Saratoga Springs native and the all-time scoring leader at Saratoga Springs High School, competed in the first round of the NCAA women’s “March Madness” basketball tournament last weekend.
Cairns and the No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast Eagles faced off against a tough competitor: the No. 5 seed Oklahoma Sooners. The game was a nailbiter that came down to the final shot.
“It was a very fun and exciting experience,” Cairns told Saratoga TODAY. “I am extremely thankful to have gotten the opportunity to play in Assembly Hall against a very well-coached and competitive team like Oklahoma.”
The Eagles dominated the game in the early minutes, leading by 10 at the end of the first quarter. But Oklahoma quickly redeemed itself with a 10-0 run to open the 2nd quarter. At halftime, the Eagles had the lead. Florida was a perfect 28-0 in games they led at halftime. Momentum was on their side, but the Sooners didn’t give up without a fight.
Cairns made the first shot of the second half, a smooth layup to maintain an Eagles lead. But Oklahoma chipped away at Florida’s defense and finished the third quarter with a 53-50 lead. In the fourth, the Eagles hit three straight shots from beyond the arc, showing why they’re regarded as three-point specialists. (Some fans wearing ponchos opened up umbrellas every time the Eagles “rained” three-pointers, but the umbrellas were apparently confiscated).
The Sooners went on another run in the fourth, however, to put them up by 5 points with less than 4 minutes left to play. Cairns hit a huge three-pointer to put Florida within 3 points late in the quarter, causing an ESPN broadcaster to refer to Cairns as “deadly” beyond the arc. Later, Cairns fought for a rebound, and ran it all the way back for a layup, which put the Eagles up by 1 point, 68-67. With less than a minute left in regulation, the game was tied.
With only 5 seconds on the clock, Cairns attempted a three, but seemed to have either been blocked or fouled (though no foul was called by the officials). In the final play of the game, Florida was down by 3 points. With one second left, the Eagles quickly tossed up a three-pointer, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim. Oklahoma won with a final score of 73-70. Cairns finished the game with 10 points and 2 rebounds. She had the third highest point total among all Florida players.
In a postgame interview with ESPN, Sooners Coach Jennie Baranczyk praised the Eagles’ performance. “You don’t want to play them in this tournament,” Baranczyk said.
Cairns looked back on her season at Florida Gulf Coast with no regrets. “I am so proud of our team for the way we carried ourselves all season,” she said. “The relationships I have made this year with my teammates have been like no other, and I am so happy that I made the decision to come play here.”
As for the future, Cairns, a senior, said she’s keeping her options open. “I am planning to take my extra year of eligibility and stay at [Florida Gulf Coast University] for another year,” she said. “After next year, I will be pursuing a career in healthcare.”
Cairns played for the Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks girls basketball team, scoring more than 2,000 points to set the school’s all-time scoring record. In 2019, she committed to the University of Rhode Island, where she played for two seasons before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast. With the Eagles this season, she averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal per game.
BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa was one of six schools that launched unified bowling 14 years ago. Back then, the school struggled to find enough participants. Nowadays, not only is the team the largest in school history, but it also captured the Division 6 Championship earlier this month.
“We did have a successful year,” said Coach Rob Immel when his team was being celebrated by the district at the March 30 Board of Education meeting. “With unified bowling, one of my favorite aspects of it is the small celebrations, whether you get a strike, whether you win, get a spare, maybe even hit a pin, eat as many fries as you can; we celebrate all the successes.”
Unified bowling teams include a mix of people with and without disabilities. Students with limitations in adaptive areas (players) are paired with other students (partners). According to Special Olympics New York, bowling is a particularly beneficial sport to people with intellectual disabilities because it includes physical exercise, participation, and social integration.
HALFMOON — Cartwheels Gymnastics has announced that it will move from its current location in Clifton Park to 4 Enterprise Ave in Halfmoon, near the Twin Bridges Recycling Center. The move will happen this summer after renovations are completed.
“This is a stand-alone building that will be able to offer our families so many new things,” the company said in a statement posted to Facebook.
The new facility is 24,000 square feet, which is 11,000 square feet larger than the current location.
“We will have state of the art equipment for your children to continue to learn, grow, and have fun with,” the company said. “We also have plans for a bright, spacious lobby for our parents to watch their children in.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Baseball might be a spring sport, but it sure didn’t feel like spring during the Skidmore College baseball team’s home opener last Friday afternoon against Bard College. A gray sky and near-freezing temperatures not-so-subtly hinted at the winter storm that would begin pummeling the region later that night. Flurries fell intermittently throughout the game, causing occasional white dustings across the infield. But despite the cold, Skidmore starting pitcher Ameer Hasan was on fire.
Hasan announced his presence by striking out all three batters in the first inning. In six total innings, he threw 87 pitches, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk. The single run scored against him in the fifth was the result of throwing error.
While Hasan commanded the mound, the Thoroughbreds went to work driving in runs. In the third inning, the team tallied nine of them. Nate Vandersea and Sam Kornet both drove in 2 RBI each. Ewen Donald worked a walk with the bases loaded. Zachary Leiderman got hit by a pitch, also with the bases loaded. Eddie Galvao hit a single to left-center that drove in yet another run. By the time the third inning was over, Skidmore was in the lead, 11-0.
Bard starting pitcher Kane Morgan was a bit unruly, walking several batters and hitting another within the first couple innings. He left the game in the bottom of the third after allowing 4 earned runs.
After Hasan departed the game, Skidmore’s relievers struggled, allowing 7 runs in the 7th inning. But Skidmore’s third-inning performance was too much for Bard to overcome. The Thoroughbreds won with a final score of 16-9.
After the home opener on Friday, Skidmore played two more games against Bard on Sunday, winning both in shutout victories. After taking all three games of their series against Bard, the Thoroughbreds improved to 8-6 on the season.
It’s that exciting time of the year again. When we walk outside and hear the distinct chirping of Spring Peepers near any swamp or pond and see the first few daffodils poke their heads out from under the ground. This can only mean that it’s just about time to blow the dust off our fishing poles and get ready for the opening day of trout fishing. Every year on April 1, our local rivers and streams are stocked with trout, and anglers throughout the Capital Region can try their luck at catching some of these beautiful fish.
Fishing for trout on April 1 has been a tradition like no other for many anglers throughout the Capital Region for generations. The sheer chance of catching a true trophy or even just a meal has had fishermen lining the banks every year on this date. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation does an incredible job maintaining and stocking our local streams and rivers, so that we always have the chance to catch something when we go out fishing.
Whether this is your first time ever trout fishing or you’re a seasoned veteran, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has now made it easier than ever to plan your fishing trip. You can visit their website at https://dec.ny.gov/ for all the regulations, parking spots, and you can even see what size fish you can expect to catch. Additionally, if you click under the section titled “DEC Fish Stocking,” you can see exactly when they plan on stocking the rivers, streams, and lakes in your county.
Before setting out, I always recommend that everyone visits their local bait and tackle shops to pick up bait and to hear the latest fishing reports. Wiggly Worm Bait Supply, a family-owned Bait Shop in Ballston Lake, NY has been supplying worms and lures for the opening day of trout fishing for over 90 years. They usually have fishermen lining up at the door on the morning of April 1st to get what they need to be successful on the water. Some must-have bait for trout fishing include spinners, worms, phoebe spoons, and salted minnows. Wiggly Worm Bait Supply says that the best colors to use on our local trout streams always seem to be gold, silver and blue, and yellow with red dots.
Every fisherman has their favorite spot, but there are a few local hotspots that always seem to produce year after year. The Kayaderosseras Creek or locally known as the “Kaydeross’,” has some great spots along it that always get stocked early. I recommend fishing the stretch in Rock City Falls, NY near the old paper mill for a shot at some freshly stocked fish and even the chance at a giant holdover brown trout. Another great spot anglers can try is along the Snook Kill in Gansevoort, NY off North Rd. where there is a designated fishing pull off near a bridge. This spot is extremely easy to access and is deep enough to hold a bunch of fish.
This is a great year to take advantage of the warmer than average spring temperatures and enjoy the tradition of fishing for trout on our local bodies of water. There is no better way to spend a beautiful spring day, than to be outside with your friends and family. April 1st has marked the beginning of trout fishing for decades and continues to be an exciting date to look forward to every year.
See you on the water on April 1!
For more from Drew Ziehnert, Ziehnert Guide Service visit Ziehnertguideservice.com or call 518-390-0282
BALLSTON SPA — According to Coach Matt Germann, Ballston Spa runners Kala’i Makanani and Gabrielle Bozeth both broke school records for the 200m. The girls team also set a school record for the sprint medley relay.
Earlier this month, Bozeth set her school’s 300-meter dash record with a time of 39.91 at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) indoor track and field championships in Staten Island.
GLENVILLE — More than 80 athletes from across the Northeast attended the 35th JMJC Open Developmental Event hosted by the Jason Morris Judo Center last weekend.
The event aims to help develop athletes and prepare them for competitions by getting them matches in a more casual environment. This year’s event featured U.S. Sr. National Champs Ari Berliner, Kell Berliner, Nicole Stout, and Melissa Myers. Burnt Hills 8th graders Rand and Dani Morris also participated. The event is the brainchild of Teri Takemori and four-time Olympian Jason Morris.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Recreation Department is offering locals a chance to try out tennis with an area expert: high school varsity tennis coach Tim O’Brien.
On Friday, April 12 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., the East Side Rec tennis courts will be devoted to those interested in seeing if they might just be the next Serena or Nadal.
Pre-registration is encouraged at www.saratogarec.com. Any questions can be sent via email to recreservations@saratoga-springs.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs boys’ varsity swim team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in school history this year, earning top honors among Section 2 competitors at the state meet in Ithaca earlier this month.
“We had a wonderful year with an 8W and 3L season in the Suburban Council,” Coach Bill Asay told Saratoga TODAY. “All of the boys improved dramatically with their personal best swims at the sectionals.”
Led by Coach Asay, the 200-medley relay at states included John Gregory, Anthony Sanchez, Rob Shontz, and Anderson Baird. This squad broke the school record at sectionals in February. Then at the state meet two weeks later, it broke its own record. They finished 11th overall at states. The 400 freestyle relay also qualified for the state meet, finishing 14th overall.
Blue Streaks individual swimmers also had some strong showings. Sanchez set a school record in the 100 breaststroke at sectionals, then finished 39th in the 200 IM, and 26th in the 100 breaststroke at states. At states, Gregory placed 25th in the 100 butterfly and 28th in the 100 backstroke. Baird finished 18th in the 200 IM, and 18th in the 500 freestyle. Sanchez, Gregory, and Baird all qualified to compete in the finals on the second day of states.
