Snapshot from last year’s Saratoga Bridges Great Pumpkin Challenge, 2022. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Bridges will host its 23rd annual Great Pumpkin Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 30, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The event includes a 5K, 10K, and Kid’s Fun Run, starting and finishing at the Columbia Pavilion in the Saratoga Spa State Park, according to a press release. The races are NET Chip-timed.
The fundraiser benefits Saratoga Bridges’ essential non-funded or underfunded programs, services and activities, as well as assists with rewarding their staff.
Individuals, friends, families, coworkers and corporate teams can register at saratogabridges.org. The registration fee is $25 through Friday, Sept. 15. The registration fee increases to $30 beginning Saturday, Sept. 16.
Online registration will end on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. After Tuesday, September 26, registration will only be available in person at 16 Saratoga Bridges Blvd. in Ballston Spa on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 27 and 28, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. No registration will be available after this time.
Saratoga Bridges will also be holding a virtual option for $30. T-shirts will be mailed to virtual participants. Times for virtual can be submitted to the timing company. The first 1,500 registered will receive a long-sleeve moisture wicking shirt.
Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd males and females in each age group. There will be giveaways, refreshments, donated food and beverages, favorite pumpkin and costume contests.
For more information on volunteering or about the event, contact Pamela Polacsek at ppolacsek@saratogabridges.org or 518-587-0723 ext. 1255.
Three local high schools have received academic honors from the NYSPHSAA for the 2022-23 school year.
Ballston Spa High School, Saratoga Springs High School, and Schuylerville High School were all named NYSPHSAA ‘Schools of Excellence’ for the 2022-23 school year. To qualify as a School of Excellence, three-fourths of the school’s varsity sports teams must receive the Scholar-Athlete team award, according to the release.
“The School of Excellence and School of Distinction Awards highlight the best student-athletes in New York State,” said NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas in the release. “For 234 member schools to be honored for their commitment to academics as well as athletics is a testament to the outstanding leadership and student-athletes we have in this state.”
Saratoga Springs High School has 31 varsity teams, while Schuylerville High School has 26, according to the NYSPHSAA website. Ballston Spa High School has 23 varsity teams.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs senior Ryan Farr has been nominated as a Boys High School Soccer All-American Player to Watch for the 2023 High School Soccer All-American Game.
Farr, a forward, led the Blue Streaks last season with 20 goals and 11 assists. He was named Suburban Council and Section 2 Class AA Boys Player of the Year, and also earned First Team All-State and All-Region selections, said head coach Jeff Geller.
Farr is one of just four boys in New York State to be nominated, along with Drew Leardini (Lewiston-Porter), Kyle Milburn (Spencerport), and Thomas Poz (Garden City), according to the High School Soccer All-American website.
The Saratoga Springs boys soccer team opens its regular season with a home contest against Averill Park on Sept. 5 at 4:15 p.m.
MALTA — Kenny Tremont Jr. will hang up his helmet after the Malta Massive Weekend at Albany-Saratoga Speedway this year. To honor his final laps, the Super DIRTcar Series Feature on Saturday, Sept. 23, will be 115 laps and pay $11,500 to win – a nod to Tremont’s famed #115.
“The right thing to do is to honor him, being it is his last race ever and it’s taking place at one of his main tracks he’s raced his entire career at,” Lyle DeVore, who runs and promotes Albany-Saratoga Speedway, said in a statement. “I got thinking, we’re going 100 laps, why don’t we go another 15 and make it 115 laps and make it $11,500 to win.
Tremont, 61, of West Sand Lake, has spent most of his career racing regularly at Albany-Saratoga, collecting 13 track championships and 81 wins. In addition to his success in Malta, Tremont has scored five Super DIRT Week titles – one in a Big Block and four in a Small Block Modified – won 15 Super DIRTcar Series races and has collected 392 total wins across 20 different tracks – 143 of them at Lebanon Valley Speedway.
After the checkered flag falls on Lap 115, Tremont will park his #115 Modified in the trailer for the final time. It’s a thought he hasn’t let linger. But he also knows it won’t be his last time at a racetrack. Tremont’s legacy will carry on through his son, Montgomery Tremont, as he helps him build his racing career.
For more information on the event, visit albany-saratogaspeedway.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —With approximately 185 members throughout the Capital Region, the Saratoga Lake Sailing Club is running a sailing program for STRIDE Adaptive Sports for individuals with disabilities.
Every Monday evening in August, students learn the basic principles of sailing including: boating safety, points of sail, sailboat handling, sail trim and racing strategies. Participants learn to sail both through classroom instruction and on the water. Weather permitting, they complete the program with a mini-regatta.
According to Mary Kate McCarty, Board Publicity Chair, “It’s very rewarding for instructors and students alike, and the local community is very supportive of our program.”
The club was founded in 1957, and has a strong emphasis on sailing, racing, and sailing instruction. For more information about the Saratoga Lake Sailing Club, visit sailsaratoga.org.
SCHUYLERVILLE — After five seasons with the women’s lacrosse team at UMass, Schuylerville alum Amy Moreau said she wasn’t quite ready for her playing career to end.
This summer, Moreau has been playing professional women’s lacrosse with Athletes Unlimited at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks Glencoe, Maryland. She said the experience has been “amazing.”
“I loved my five years at UMass, and I loved playing at Schuylerville. When I was finished, I wasn’t really finished playing and competing,” Moreau said. “When I got the opportunity to play here, it was a no-brainer for me.”
A graduate of Schuylerville High School, Moreau recorded 76 points in 79 career games at UMass. She scored 35 goals in 19 games during the 2023 season, and was named Atlantic-10 Midfielder of the Year, according to the UMass Athletics website.
Moreau said her time playing professionally with Athletes Unlimited has been “unreal.”
“I grew up watching some of these players play in college and play on the world stage,” said Moreau. “So getting here now, and being able to play with them on an equal playing field, has really been rewarding.”
Moreau is also playing for a cause, supporting the ‘Kendra’s Kindness’ Fund through the HEADstrong Foundation. The fund was created to support families of those going through cancer in honor of Kendra Muscella, the mother of Moreau’s former UMass teammate Olivia Muscella, their website states.
“Throughout my time at UMass, we’ve been raising money for them through HEADstrong. Obviously, I just want to carry that on here,” Moreau said. “I’m just so happy that I’m able to raise money for that by playing here.”
The league competes with four teams, which are redrafted every week. Players are scored individually, and can earn points for stats such as goals, assists, saves, and caused turnovers, as well as team wins and being named a game MVP.
At the end of each week, the top four players in the league standings become team captains, and draft their teams for the week from the remaining players, according to the Athletes Unlimited website.
Moreau said adjusting her style of play to fit with new teammates each week has been a valuable experience.
“My (lacrosse) IQ has just risen so much being here, having to kind of change my play each week to fit into a different team and fit that mold,” Moreau said. “Each team operates differently. I have different roles on every team, or have had. … I think that’s been really great for me.”
This is especially valuable as Moreau prepares for her next role, she said, joining the staff of the Davidson College women’s lacrosse team as an assistant coach. Her hiring was announced by the school in a July press release.
“I want to say, like, 40 percent of the women here are college coaches, which is really helpful for me and where I’m going next,” said Moreau. “I’m really looking forward to the two coaches that I’ll be joining at Davidson. They’re amazing already, and I’m so excited to learn from them and work with them.”
Moreau credited UMass head coach Jana Drummond as inspiration for her coaching career, saying they developed a strong relationship during her time in Amherst.
“My relationship with (Drummond), and how she was able to create such a good team culture and a successful team culture, I just wanted to pay that forward as well,” Moreau said. “I have loved being with her, watching her, and learning from her. I’m excited to do that for someone else.”
Moreau also credited her coaches at Schuylerville, and said the local community is “so special.”
“I have told everyone that I’ve ever met that I would not want to come from any other town,” said Moreau. “I still have parents from teams that I was on when I was 14 (years old) texting me, watching me, and following me on TV. That’s so special.”
Performance Industrial Team The Fitzgibbons Team. Photo provided. Performance Industrial Team Stewart’s Shops Team CEO Jane Mastaitis with (left to right:) Keith Wharton, Jeff Sherrin andSteve Mastaitis. Photos provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Bridges’ 20th Annual J. Michael Fitzgibbons Memorial Golf Classic raised over $60,000 on July 30 at the Edison Club.
The day featured a scramble format, BBQ luncheon, beverages courtesy of DeCrescente Distributing Company, Saratoga Eagle and Hixny, a zip pullover sponsored by Performance Industrial, Awards Ceremony, MVP Health Care goodie bags filled with items from Adirondack Trust Company/Amsure, DeCrescente Distri-buting Company, Hixny and assorted treats, course contests, and a silent auction.
Prizes were awarded to:
1st Place – Dan Cardella, Mandy D’Andrea, Matt Horton, Diane Jorgeson
2nd Place – Tom Beck, Dave Dannett, Rich Flaherty, Brian Joyce
3rd Place – Jami Burnetter, Aaron Buzzell, Chris Pontiff, Patty Tesch
Men’s Closest to the Pin on Hole #5 – Matt Cummings
Women’s Closest to the Pin on Hole #11 – Diane Jorgensen
Men’s Longest Drive on Hole #18 – Jack Kelleher
Women’s Longest Drive on Hole #6 – Diane Jorgensen
Saratoga Bridges hosts this event to keep the J. Michael Fitzgibbons’ memory and spirit alive and are exceedingly grateful for the Fitzgibbons’ family and their friends as their support has ensured that the tournament has grown and continues to raise funds to empower individuals’ lives. Saratoga Bridges’ CEO Jane Mastaitis presented Carol Fitzgibbons with a collage print entitled, “Downtown,” created by collaborative artists for her ongoing help.
A portion of the fundraiser proceeds benefit the J. Michael Fitzgibbons Memorial Scholarship Fund. Annually, one of their staff members is awarded an educational scholarship in Michael’s memory. The scholarship was established to honor their long-time Board Member who passed away unexpectedly in 2005. Saratoga Bridges encourages their staff to seek academic opportunities whereby they can elevate and enrich their own service delivery skills.
For more information on Saratoga Bridges’ fundraising events or to become a sponsor, please contact Pamela Polacsek at ppolacse@saratogabridges.org or 518-587-0723 ext. 1255.
SARASOTA, Fl — Ten middle school kids (6 girls and 4 boys) from Saratoga Rowing Association flew down to Sarasota, Florida to compete in the U15 coxed quad sculling competition at the USRowing Youth Nationals.
The girls U15 coxed quad (four girls, and one female coxswain) came in seventh place overall, after competing in the 2000-meter time trial (4th place), the semi-final (3rd), and the final (7th).
The boys U15 coxed quad (four boys, and one female coxswain) came in third place overall after competing in the 2000-meter time trial (2nd), the semi-final (1st), and the final (3rd).
The kids are all members of the Saratoga Rowing Association (SRA), that trains and races on Fish Creek out of the SRA boathouse. They are coached by Abbie Albright.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has donated $18,000 to the Saratoga Shredders, covering the cost of bicycles and helmets for elementary school students in grades 2-5 in the Saratoga Springs City School District.
The grant was provided by Tara Gaston and Matthew Veitch, the Saratoga County Supervisors representing the City of Saratoga Springs, a press release states.
“We are thrilled to gift these funds to Saratoga Shredders, who are piloting this exciting new program in our schools,” said Gaston in the release. “As City Supervisors, we aim to help bring equity to Saratoga families. This donation will remove financial and transportation barriers and provide children with access to bicycles at an early age. We are excited to bring bicycles and safe bicycle practices to the youth of Saratoga Springs.”
“We were fortunate that there was funding available to purchase the bikes for the students,” said Veitch in the release. “It’s great that we can help out the Shredders organization, which in the end will benefit the health and well-being of children in our schools. We look forward to hearing about the success of this program from Shredders and the School District as it moves forward.”
The $18,000 donation will cover the cost of 30 bikes, 30 helmets and a skills progression-based PE curriculum for the elementary school kids, according to the release.
Saratoga Shredders is still looking for donations to cover the cost of the trailer that will house and transport this fleet of bikes between the 6 elementary schools, the release states. To become a donor, visit www.saratogashredders.com/bikes-in-schools.
