GLENS FALLS — Patrick Grasso, captain of the Adirondack Thunder, has been named an ECHL all-star, and will play in the 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on January 15.
Grasso earned his all-star status with 13 goals and 7 assists through 29 games. He was also named ECHL Player of the Week for December 5-11 for scoring six goals in three games against the Norfolk Admirals.
GLENS FALLS — Some say revenge is a dish best served cold. In this case, ice cold. The Adirondack United girls’ hockey team defeated Clinton in a rematch of the 2023 state championship last month, then followed it up with three more victories during the holidays. The team is now 7-0 on the season.
Against Clinton, the United scored three goals in the first period, cruising to a 4-1 victory. Coach Jeff Willis said his team was “definitely wound up to play against [Clinton] emotionally and it showed in the first period.”
Despite the big win, Willis said the United are primarily focused on their end goal: a state championship. “I don’t think we’re really getting caught up in any individual game because their goal is really pointing toward the end of the season,” he said. “So a lot of activity right now is really built around development.”
Bayley Duffy, the team’s leading scorer last season, had two assists against Clinton and continues to be one of the United’s biggest scoring threats. But Coach Willis also praised Tekla Fine-Lease, a player he said has stepped up this season. “She’s showing some great leadership, as well as improvement on the ice,” he said. “She’s shown an ability to create her own shot.”
Despite being undefeated thus far, Willis said his team is always focused on improving. “We beat Saranac-Lake Placid eight to nothing and we were talking about different things we need to do better,” he said.
Last season, the United finished with a 19-2 record. Both of those losses came at the hands of Clinton. The squad’s next game is on Friday, January 5 at Ithaca.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Freezing temperatures couldn’t stop hundreds of runners from participating in the Saratoga First Day 5K on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2024.
Only 16 minutes and 15 seconds after the race began, Cameron Davis became the first runner to cross the finish line, followed seconds later by Nicholas Conway. Emily Bush, a standout on the Saratoga Springs girls cross-country team, finished first among all female runners and fourth overall.
According to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, nearly 800 people registered for this year’s race. 651 officially finished the race, leaving about a hundred people who decided not to brave the cold and/or their New Year’s Eve hangover.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Community Education program is offering two adult sports programs in the new year: co-ed indoor soccer on Mondays and men’s basketball on Wednesdays. The ten-week sessions begin next week. A $35 fee and pre-registration are required for residents of the district.
Those interested in registering can do so by mail or in-person at the District Office at 70 Malta Ave.
Additional information regarding the programs is available at www.bscsd.org or by calling 518-884-7195 x 1329.
GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder are atop the ECHL North Division for the first time since November of 2019. The last time the team won the division was in 2018.
To kick off the new year, the Thunder had a winning percentage of .672, significantly ahead of the second-place Norfolk Admirals.
The Thunder sold out their final two games of 2023, earning a pair of victories against the Newfoundland Growlers. The team has two home games this weekend: Friday night against the Maine Mariners, and Sunday afternoon’s Kids Day game against the Trois-Rivières Lions.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs High School wrestling team’s annual Alumni Night will take place on January 10 at 6pm in the high school gymnasium.
All former Blue Streaks wrestlers are invited to attend.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The winners of this year’s annual Hoop Shoot free throw competition have officially been crowned. Of 78 total participants, the following kids won their respective divisions:
• Rocco Colonell (Boys ages 12-13)
• Ava Sullivan (Girls ages 12-13)
• Joe MacArthur (Boys ages 10-11)
• Abby Sheridan (Girls ages 10-11)
• John Ogden (Boys ages 8-9)
These five champions will go on to the District Hoop Shoot competition at the Glens Falls High School on Saturday, Jan. 7.
The Hoop Shoot event was hosted by the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge No. 161.
ROUND LAKE — Guilderland grad and Saratoga resident Dylan Collett played baseball at the high school, college, and professional levels. A few weeks ago, he opened the Collett Baseball training facility in Round Lake so that he can pass on his experience to future generations of ball players.
The 8,000-square-foot, all-turf warehouse features some high tech gadgets. “We have the TrackMan sensor, which is a high-end sensor that MLB uses now,” Collett said. “It gives you a tremendous amount of data on every hit and every pitch.” TrackMan allows Collett to analyze and track the development of every player.
The facility also houses a pitching lab with Plyo Ball throwing, which improves arm strengthening and conditioning. “The beauty of pitching is you’ve got to know a lot about hitting to be a good pitcher,” Collett said. “So I actually give just as much hitting instruction as pitching.”
The bulk of Collett’s playing experience was on the mound, where the southpaw was a starter in college, before coming out of the bullpen in the pros. After three years at Saint Leo University near Tampa, Florida, Collett transferred to UMass Dartmouth, where he finished with a 4-1 record and 4.30 ERA.
Collett expected to be drafted, but an injury during his senior year put those plans on hold. He took a year off before playing two years of independent pro ball for the Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers outside Detroit, Michigan. As a reliever, Collett pitched 47.2 innings, earning an impressive ERA of 2.45.
“I ended up going to spring training with the Boston Red Sox the first year of COVID,” Collett said. But when he didn’t receive an invitation from the Sox to return, he decided to retire as a player. “I was kind of old for baseball at that point, for the level I was at,” he said.
Nowadays, Collett instructs all levels of players, from five-year-olds to professionals. He also leads group clinics.“Teams will actually give me five or six pitchers at a time, or five or six hitters at a time,” he said.
By his estimate, Collett has coached at least 100 players so far, with more on the horizon.
The Collett Baseball training facility is located at 17 Wood Road in Round Lake. For more information, visit www.collettbaseball.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs varsity gymnastics team opened its season with a bang last week in a decisive victory against Guilderland. The Blue Streaks came first in all four events.
“To get a win in your season opener is always a confidence boost for athletes,” said Coach Deborah Smarro. “I’m excited for the season. The girls are looking good. They work hard every day.”
The gymnasts were led by junior Ellie Ott, who won the all around. “She had an amazing day,” Smarro said. “Overall, she’s cleaned up her routines, and she’s looking more confident every single day.”
Second-year captain Gia DiMaggio placed first on balance beam. “I was really glad to see she went four-for-four that night and was able to put out a very good effort,” Smarro said.
Saratoga defeated Guilderland by an overall score of 163.6 to 147.3.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The trendiest sport in America right now is pickleball, and the Saratoga region is paddling furiously to keep up with demand.
“We’ve been watching the sport grow like crazy in Saratoga Springs,” said Brandon Mackie, co-founder of the Pickleheads website. “We’re seeing new courts being built all over. East Side Rec Field now has 10 dedicated courts and Wilton Town Gavin Park has 10.” Mackie also said that searches for pickleball in the Saratoga area have increased 213% since April.
A number of regional locations are now hosting pickleball games, including the Saratoga Recreation Center, the Saratoga Regional YMCA, McGregor Links Country Club, The Paddocks of Saratoga, and the Burgess Kimball Memorial Park.The Malta YMCA branch hosted its first pickleball tournament earlier this year, and a Legacy Pickleball Club location is set to open soon in Ballston Spa.
But how exactly does one explain the public’s voracious appetite for this sport? “The most important thing that happened at the [recreational] player level is that the sport is really easy to learn,” Mackie said. “Our theory is that COVID was an important catalyst for this.”
According to Mackie, COVID turned the primarily indoor sport of pickleball into an outdoor game played at gyms, churches, and recreation centers. “I think we’ve just seen a snowballing of it over the last year,” Mackie said. “So now, depending on what data you believe, between ten and forty million players have tried the sport.”
According to Pickleheads, pickleball has seen a 158.6% growth rate over the last three years and has become “the fastest-growing sport in America.” There are now around 400 places to play pickleball in New York State, with dozens scattered throughout the Saratoga region.
To learn more about pickleball or to find a court, visit www.pickleheads.com.
