NEW ORLEANS — The NFL’s New Orleans Saints apparently liked what they heard, inviting Saratoga Springs native and Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver back for a second interview regarding their head coaching position, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“Weaver impressed in multiple interviews with [the Washington Commanders] and Atlanta [Falcons] last year, and now is in the final round again,” Pelissero wrote in an X post on Monday.
Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Senior NFL Insider Dianna Russini reported that the Chicago Bears had made a formal request to interview Weaver as well.
Weaver is a graduate of Saratoga Springs High School and a member of the Blue Streak Hall of Fame. In his first year heading Miami’s defense, the team ranked fourth in the league in net yards allowed per game.
Photos via Skidmore College/Sarah Condon-Meyers Photos via Skidmore College/Sarah Condon-Meyers
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College has completed construction of its new McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center, which officially opened its doors at the start of the spring semester on Tuesday.
Built alongside the existing Williamson Sports Center, the new facility features spacious cardio and weight rooms with a range of modern equipment; dedicated spaces for exercise and wellness programming such as yoga, meditation, group fitness, martial arts, and spin; four indoor tennis courts; locker rooms; and team meeting rooms.
The center is also the new home of Skidmore’s Health Services, Counseling Center, and Department of Health Promotion, which together follow an integrated care approach to support students’ health and well-being.
The project was supported by a lead gift from Kim Wachenheim Wagman, Amy Wachenheim McCaffery, and their families.
“This extraordinary milestone, made possible by a transformative gift from the McCaffery-Wagman-Wachenheim families, embodies Skidmore’s deep commitment to holistic health and wellness for our entire community,” said President Marc C. Conner in a statement. “This long-awaited project reflects Skidmore’s commitment to the well-being of our campus community, a dynamic residential experience for our students, and sustainability.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic boys varsity basketball team won its tenth straight game on Tuesday, defeating Waterford-Halfmoon 78 to 42. The victory improved Spa Catholic’s season record to 12-1, with an undefeated 7-0 record in the Wasaren League. As of press time, the Saints were first in their league standings, with the 5-2 Hoosic Valley in second.
Against Waterford-Halfmoon, Ryan Gillis led the Saints with 12 points, while Tyler Hicks added 11. Last Friday, Hicks led Spa Catholic with 19 points in a 54 to 39 victory against Tamarac. Gillis contributed 9 points and 13 rebounds in the contest.
Saratoga’s only loss thus far came on December 8, when they fell to Berne-Knox-Westerlo, 55 to 49. Since then, their ten-game win streak has seen them beat Hoosic Valley, Greenwich, Schuylerville, Stillwater, and Corinth. Their two most dominant victories came against Berlin/New Lebanon (71 to 17) and Hadley Luzerne (81 to 32).
The Saints will have a home rematch against Hoosic Valley on Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Schuylerville girls varsity runner Meaghan Lynch poses with her medals after breaking two school records in Boston. Photo via the Schuylerville Central School District.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Schuylerville High School’s Meaghan Lynch broke two school records at the Beantown Winter Classic in Boston last month, recording a 7.48 in the varsity girls 55-meter dash (6th place overall) and a 35-03.25 in the triple jump (4th overall).
Last year, Lynch was a Section 2 Division III individual champion in the 55 meter and the long jump.
Additional Black Horses with strong showings in Boston included Campbell Bailey (7th in the girls high jump), Adeline Ballou (14th in the girls 1,000-meter run), and Willem Foster (18th in the boys high jump).
Screenshots of the redesigned Saratoga Race Course and Skidmore Athletics websites.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The online homes of both the Saratoga Race Course and Skidmore Athletics underwent renovations recently, launching redesigned websites this week and last.
According to the New York Racing Association (NYRA), its new site features “easier navigation for players, visitors, and horsemen; a unified racing command center with live video, picks, entries, and results; and an improved mobile experience.” NYRA’s revamped Saratoga Race Course page can be viewed at: www.nyra.com/saratoga.
Skidmore College said that its athletics site features “a bold, modern design” as well as streamlined navigation, an improved user experience, a greater focus on events, an updated facilities page, and easier access to live game coverage. Skidmore partnered with SIDEARM Sports for the project. The new site can be seen at: SkidmoreAthletics.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Central Catholic’s varsity bowling team continued their winning streak with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Berlin-New Lebanon at Saratoga StrikeZone last Thursday.
The Saints were led by Jason Pescetti, who achieved a season-high 644 series, with games of 221, 223, and 200. Mark Mahay also delivered a standout performance, recording a season-high 584 series, including a 215 in Game 3.
Berlin-New Lebanon had strong efforts from Myra Snyder, who rolled a 493 series, and Avyn Capasso with a 480 series. However, Saratoga Central Catholic’s consistency across all three games proved insurmountable.
The Saints won all three games with scores of 1069-967, 1105-868, and 1064-949, culminating in a total pinfall of 3238 to Berlin-New Lebanon’s 2784.
PORTER CORNERS — The Town of Greenfield Recreation Department will hold a Winterfest Celebration on Saturday, January 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brookhaven Winter Park (333 Alpine Meadows Road, Porter Corners).
The event will begin with a 5K snowshoe race. Families or individuals are invited to register for $20 a person at https://www.runreg.com/brookhaven-trails-snowshoe-race. Snowshoes are available for rental for $15 for adults and $10 for kids and seniors.
A free community celebration following the race will include horse-drawn sleigh rides, a snowman building competition, outdoor story time, food specials, live music, and more.
New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner was recently appointed to the Assembly’s Racing and Wagering Committee. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, whose district includes Saratoga Springs and other parts of Saratoga County, was appointed the new chair of the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee last week by Speaker Carl E. Heastie.
“The racing and wagering industry is deeply woven into the fabric of my district and plays a vital role in the economies of both our local communities and the entire state of New York,” Woerner said in a news release. “The potential for growth in this sector is immense, with far-reaching benefits that include supporting small businesses, providing equine therapy for veterans and others in need, and channeling wager revenue to fund education for our children. I look forward to showcasing how this powerful economic engine positively impacts so many individuals and communities.”
Woerner previously served on the Racing and Wagering Committee and currently represents both the Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Casino Hotel’s harness track.
Other members of the committee include Scott Bendett, Michael Durso, Jeff Gallahan, Paula Elaine Kay, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Angelo Santabarbara, Nader J. Sayegh, Michaelle C. Solages, Clyde Vanel, and Jordan J.G. Wright.
The Schuylerville varsity football team poses after winning the 2024 Class C New York State championship. Photo provided by the Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHUYLERVILLE — Eight members of the Schuylerville varsity football team that captured its first-ever Class C State championship in December have been selected to the 2024 Class C All-State team by the New York Sports Writers Association.
Quarterback Ollie Bolduc and running back Landen Cumm, both seniors, were named co-players of the year. Offensive lineman Josh Bowen and linebacker Chase DeLisle made the first All-State team, while placekicker Silas Schulte-Lindhorst was selected to the second team. Defensive end Luke Griffen, offensive lineman Emajie White, and linebacker Jameson Brownell all received honorable mention.
The accolades further cement the Schuylerville football program’s stellar reputation. Under Coach John Bowen, the Horses have won more than 100 games and captured five sectional championships (including three in a row from 2019 to 2021), before securing their first state title in 2024.
A rendering from the Henry Street Pilot Project shows a 2020 plan for new bike lanes in Saratoga Springs. Image via the final report prepared by Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C.
“The issue here is some sort of leadership to actually follow through and get these projects done.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Much happened in the city of Saratoga Springs in 2024: the first Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the first Republican mayor in a decade, and the approval of a massive new Tree House Brewing location. But one thing missing from this list, according to a local organization, is the construction of new bike lanes.
There is support for the lanes, and some funds as well. Yet, in 2024 not a single new bike lane was created in the Spa City. This, says the nonprofit advocacy group Bikeatoga, is “extremely disappointing.”
For Union Avenue, a final plan to create bike lanes does exist but hasn’t yet been presented to or discussed by the city council.
“It simply fell off the table,” said Bikeatoga’s Advocacy Chair Ed Lindner. “We would’ve liked to have seen them move forward on actually building the final recommendation.”
Bikeatoga says that the city spent $40,000 on consulting and engineering fees to design improved pedestrian crossings, slow down traffic, and extend bike lanes from East Avenue to Congress Park. Hired consultants produced a final plan that maintained the current four travel lanes and on-street parking, improved pedestrian crossings, and included a paint-only bike lane. But the city has yet to do much of anything with it.
There’s also the Downtown Connector, which currently ends at Lake Avenue. A 2020 Henry Street Pilot Project study recommended that the connector be extended to Congress Park, where it could link up with the proposed connection to the West Side and Railroad Run. But again, little progress has been made.
“It’s these connections that we’re missing,” Lindner said. “Until you have a connected network, you don’t have anything. We now have a half of a bike lane on Union Avenue, a half a bike lane on Lake Avenue; we need to connect those.”
Despite the lack of new lanes, there are some “rays of hope,” according to Bikeatoga. The city’s Complete Streets Advisory Board (which Lindner called “excellent” and “extremely well qualified”) presented the city council with some project ideas that Bikeatoga says the council should support. The city is also currently applying for grant funding to build the Crescent Avenue bike lane, and may be moving ahead with the Grand Avenue multi-use path.
“The issue here isn’t expertise,” Lindner said. “The issue here is some sort of leadership to actually follow through and get these projects done.”
The creation of new bike lanes is designed to aid those who’d like to bike around town but don’t feel safe riding in traffic. A network of connected lanes could increase ridership, according to at least one study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Data analyzed from ten American cities that worked on improving and connecting their bike networks showed that all ten cities had both increased ridership and decreased accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Another study of 74 U.S. cities found that dense bike networks with direct connections were the most likely to increase bike commuting. A third study from Portland State University also asserted that bike lane networks are especially valuable for women and low-income families.
For those reasons and others, Bikeatoga’s principal advocacy goal is for Saratoga Springs to build a functional bike lane network.
“We have a lot of good ideas. We have a lot of studies and plans. It’s time for the city to commit,” Lindner said. “If you talk to people in City Hall, they’ll tell you that it’s happening, but the results speak for themselves.”
