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Former Ballston Spa Wrestling Coach Receives Lifetime Service Award

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


Photo of Harold “Harvey” Staulters via the Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

BALLSTON SPA — The Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has named former Ballston Spa High School Varsity Wrestling Coach Harold “Harvey” Staulters as one of the recipients of its 2025 Lifetime Service Award. He’ll receive the honor at a Sep. 21 ceremony at the DoubleTree Hotel in East Syracuse.

Staulters started his wrestling career at Ballston Spa, wrestling for Section II under Vince Johnson, and then wrestled for two years at the University of Albany, where he wrestled for Hall of Fame coach Joe DeMeo. A serious neck injury ended his career, but it didn’t end his love for the sport. He would go on to have an accomplished coaching career at Ballston Spa High School, where he was named the Section II Class A and Class B Varsity Coach of the Year. 14 of his wrestlers went on to win Section II titles and placed highly in the NYSPHSAA Championships. 

Staulters also served as the Suburban Council Wrestling Coordinator, and worked in the community with the volunteer fire department and the Ballston Spa Police Benevolent Association.

Coach Staulters retired from teaching after 31 years as a social studies teacher at Ballston Spa, then began working at Clarkson University’s Master of Art Teaching program, where he guides new teachers in their student teaching experience.

Spa Catholic Ballplayer Commits to Siena

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Sports.


Image via Coach Alphonse Lambert’s X account.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Pierce Byrne, a junior pitcher and hitter for Saratoga Central Catholic, has agreed to play college ball at Siena, Saints Coach Alphonse Lambert announced in a social media post last week. 

“We’re all very proud of you Pierce,” Lambert wrote. “You worked very hard to get to this point. I believe the best is yet to come.”

Byrne is a 6’2” right hander from Warrensburg with a fastball that can hit 88 mph. In previous seasons, he’s posted ERAs as low as 0.48 and 0.82, racking up more than 200 strikeouts in the process. On Saturday, he crushed a walk-off home run in a Florida scrimmage game.

Byrne will be joining a program that has sent dozens of players to the majors. Currently, two Siena alum, Matt Gage and Brendan White, are pitchers for the Toledo Mud Hens, the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

“Unbelievable”: Ballston Spa Runners Celebrate Historic Achievements 

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


From left to right: Ballston Spa Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gianleo Duca, Petrina Zborovszky, Devin Hemraj, Gabrielle Bozeth, Coach Matt Germann, and School Board President Jason Fernau. Image via the district’s March 19 board meeting livestream.

BALLSTON SPA — Matt Germann, a coach for Ballston Spa High School’s indoor track program, celebrated his team’s “unbelievable” achievements at a March 19 Board of Education meeting.

Germann said that runners Devin Hemraj, Petrina Zborovszky, Kala’i Makanani, and Gabrielle Bozeth have broken a combined 40 school records. 

In Section 2, which Germann called “the best running section in the state,” Bozeth and Zborovszky are ranked #3 in the 4×200 meter relay, #1 and #5 in the 200-meter dash, #1 and #4 in the 300-meter dash, and #1 and #2 in the 55 meters. They’re also top two in the 60-meter dash.

Bozeth, this season alone, broke the 55, 60, 200, and 300-meter school records. In the 55, she was 5th in the federation championships and 4th in the state. She was also #2 in both the state and federation championships in the 300. 

In New York State, Bozeth is ranked #11 in the 4×2, #7 in the 55, #3 in the 60, and #2 in both the 200 and 300. She holds the all-time Section 2 records for the 60 and 300. At New Balance Nationals, she was #15 in the country in the 200-meter dash en route to breaking the school record.

Zborovszky has broken the 55-meter record four times this season. In the 55, she’s ranked #6 in the federation out of all public and private schools, and she’s ranked #5 among all New York public schools. Out of roughly 30,000 athletes in the state, Zborovszky is ranked #31 in the 300, #24 in the 200, #11 in the 4×2, #8 in the 55, and #6 in the 60.

Makanani is ranked #3 in the 200 and 400, and #1 in both the 300 and 600. Makanani also broke the 300 and 600 records this season.

Hemraj is ranked #1 overall in the entire state for the 60-meter hurdles.

“It’s been an absolute joy to coach them,” Germann said of his historic team. “It’s just amazing what these people have done.”

Oklahoma Training Track Opening April 19; Public Access Expanded

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Oklahoma Training Track at the Saratoga Race Course will open for the 2025 season on Saturday, April 19, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced on Tuesday.

This year, NYRA said it will be expanding public access to the training track. Beginning April 19, and continuing up until the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. In previous years, the training track and viewing stand were only accessible to the public on weekends prior to the start of the summer meet. 

NYRA will provide updated operating hours for the Whitney Viewing Stand during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival prior to the start of the festival on June 4. After the festival, beginning June 9 and continuing through Labor Day, the viewing stand will be open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

Pedestrians may access the Oklahoma Training Track by entering the property via Gate 21 off East Avenue. Vehicles are not permitted on the property at this time.

Local Author Advocates for Retired MLB Players

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Sports.


The cover of the 2019 edition of “A Bitter Cup of Coffee,” written by Douglas J. Gladstone. Image via Word Association Publishers/Amazon.

HOUSTON, TEXAS — Douglas J. Gladstone, a freelance writer from Gansevoort, is advocating for retired MLB players who he says are getting stiffed out of pensions.

Gladstone discussed the issue, detailed in his book “A Bitter Cup of Coffee,” at the Houston Public Library last Friday alongside two retired ballplayers, David Clyde and Scipio Spinks.

According to Gladstone, in 1980 the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA) told MLB that they would strike unless their demands were met regarding a collective bargaining agreement. A strike was averted when the league’s negotiator approached Marvin Miller, who was the head of the players’ union, and made him the following offer: call off the strike and MLB will allow its players to be vested into the pension plan after just 43 game days on an MLB roster (the previous eligibility requirement was 4 years). 

The offer was accepted, but the deal did not retroactively include players who were on an MLB roster for 43 game days prior to 1980. Thus, post-1980 players benefited from the new deal, but more than 500 other players, such as Clyde and Spinks, did not benefit because they played prior to 1980.

After the first edition of Gladstone’s book was released in 2010, MLB and the MLBPA announced that these pre-1980 players would begin receiving annual stipends. However, those payments, Gladstone said, are significantly less than those received by vested retirees. The stipend also doesn’t allow players to designate a beneficiary for when they pass away.

Gladstone, who described himself as a “pro-union man,” said he thought the MLBPA was “stiffing the pre-1980 players.”

“I’m pleading with you,” Gladstone said at the event in Houston, “to help me end this blight on the national pastime.”

By day, Gladstone is an assistant public information specialist with a public retirement system in New York. An updated edition of his book, “A Bitter Cup of Coffee,” was released in 2019. For more information on the book, or to view a comprehensive list of pre-1980, non-vested MLB players who do not receive pension or benefits, visit bittercupbaseball.com.

Local Judokas Headed to Chile to Compete for Team USA

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.


Nicole Stout of the Jason Morris Judo Center (white uniform) competes in international competition.
Photo provided by Jason Morris.

GLENVILLE — Five judokas from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) in Glenville have earned the opportunity to travel to Santiago, Chile to compete for the USA National team in the Pan American Judo Championships on April 25-27. 

Making the 2025 edition are: Nicole Stout (78kg), who is making her 7th appearance; Nate Keeve (100kg), who is going to his 6th Pan Am Championship; Ari Berliner (66kg), who is headed to his 5th; Melissa Myers (70kg), who is going to her 3rd; and Jess Alaynick (+78kg), who will be making her debut.

The JMJC has now placed an athlete on the Pan Am team for 22 straight years.

Adirondack Thunder Visit Wesley Community

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.


Adirondack Thunder forward Andre Ghantous plays “hockey” with a resident of the Wesley Community. Photo by Super Source Media. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two members of the Adirondack Thunder hockey team visited the Wesley Community, a senior living campus in Saratoga Springs, on Tuesday for a meet-and-greet with residents.

Adirondack Thunder forward Andre Ghantous and defenseman Taylor Ford stopped by, as did the Thunder’s official mascot “Gunnar” and its Director of “Pawsitivity” Stormy, a service/therapy dog.

“We are delighted to welcome members of the Adirondack Thunder to our campus and to offer a new and engaging experience for our residents,” said J. Brian Nealon, CEO of The Wesley Community, in a news release. “Collaborating with the Thunder on this fun and lively event is sure to get everyone moving and to foster a strong sense of community.”

The Thunder are a minor-league hockey team based in Glens Falls that are affiliated with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. The team will be hosting its annual “Stick it to Cancer” weekend on Mar. 28 and 29.

Former Spa Catholic and Skidmore Baseball Coach Passes Away

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.


Photo of Harry Lomasney via the Saratoga Central Catholic Saints baseball team. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Central Catholic’s former varsity baseball pitching coach Harry Lomasney has passed away, the school announced last Friday. 

Lomasney coached at Spa Catholic from 2016 until 2024. He was previously the head coach at Greenwich High School for 30 years and spent 12 seasons at Skidmore College as a pitching coach.

During his time at Greenwich, Lomasney’s career record was 328-111 (a .747 winning percentage). He led the Witches to back-to-back Class C State Championships in 1992 and 1993. In 1996, he served as Skidmore’s interim head coach.

Lomasney, a Ballston Spa native, was a member of both the Ballston Spa High School and Greenwich High School Halls of Fame. He lived in Saratoga Springs with his wife Sandra.

“As a school community, we pray for his wife Sandra and all who had the pleasure of knowing him,” Saratoga Central Catholic said in a statement. “Rest in peace, Coach Lomasney.”

Ballston Spa Announces 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

BALLSTON SPA — After reviewing dozens of nominations, the Ballston Spa Athletics Hall of Fame has selected the following inductees into the Class of 2025:

Michael DeLancey (Class of 1973)

Michael Fregeau (Class of 1977)

Trevor Marsicano (Class of 2006)

Timothy Mundell (Class of 1980)

Chris Ohnsman (Class of 2011)

Ben Spoor (Class of 2013)

2019 Varsity Baseball Team

A ceremony to honor the inductees will be held on Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m. in the Ballston Spa High School auditorium.

Saratoga Firefighters Hockey Team Battles Childhood Cancer

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.


Photo provided by Chris Stewart of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Firefighters hockey team hosted the Worcester Firefighters hockey team for the Conquering Kids’ Cancer benefit game at the Weibel Ice Rink on March 16. A total $6,183 was raised for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a childhood cancer research charity, throughout the day.

Money was raised via donations, raffles, and a “Jersey Off Our Backs” silent auction for the Saratoga Fire hockey team’s St. Patrick’s Day jerseys.

The game was a partnership between the Saratoga Springs Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 343, the Saratoga City Tavern, King’s Tavern, and the Worcester Fire Fighters Local 1009.