Photo provided by Ballston Spa Central School District.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Middle School Physical Education staff recently presented students with the annual Sandy Morley PE Leadership Award. The Physical Education (PE) staff selected six eighth grade students who demonstrated great leadership and responsibility in the PE program, are respectful of others, make good decisions, value learning, are physically active, and have a positive influence on their peers.
“You were nominated by the PE staff for these characteristics and we congratulate you on standing up for what is right, not what is always popular,” indicated PE Instructor Kevin Dayton. “Please keep leading the way as you always have; today, tomorrow, and into the future.”
The staff gave the students certificates and t-shirts during a brief ceremony with other PE students and Principal Laszewski in attendance to celebrate their accomplishments.
The following students are the recipients for the 2022-2023 school year: Corbin Malmfeldt, Sam Bentley, Jackson Rosato, Caiylin Bodkin, Avery Arnold, and Molly Tracey.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Behind a dominant outing in the circle by sophomore Jacqueline Cutting, the Saratoga Springs varsity softball team earned a 5-0 win over Shaker at home on Tuesday.
Cutting threw a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits. She struck out eight batters and did not issue a walk.
The Blue Streaks quickly jumped out to the lead on Tuesday, scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Olivia Tetreault led off the inning with a walk before scoring on an RBI double by Karley Austin. Austin eventually came around to score on a wild pitch, giving Saratoga a 2-0 lead.
Austin delivered again for the Blue Streaks in the third inning, driving home two more runs with another double, scoring Tetreault and Maddy Vaughn to make it 4-0. An RBI double by Natalie Conroy in the sixth inning scored Nia Law for Saratoga’s fifth and final run of the game.
Austin was 2-3 with two doubles and three RBIs for Saratoga, while Decker was 2-3 with a double. Conroy went 1-3 with an RBI double, while Tetreault went 1-2 with a double and two walks. Law also added a single for the Blue Streaks.
Kaitlin Neumeister and Abagael Taylor each had singles in the loss for Shaker. Hannah Hipwell started for the Blue Bison, allowing four earned runs in five innings, striking out four batters and walking three. Talyn Chernosky allowed a run in one inning of work in the circle.
Saratoga (12-2 overall, 8-1 Suburban Council) hosted Colonie, the third-ranked team in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa varsity baseball team has battled through adversity this season, and the Scotties are looking to put it all together as they hit the home stretch of the regular season.
Head coach Curtis Nobles, in his 10th season as the Scotties’ head coach, said he feels the team experiencing ups and downs in the early portion of the season will benefit them down the line.
“Baseball’s not always meant to be perfect,” said Nobles. “The fact that we’ve experienced ups and downs, I feel more equipped to be going in toward the second half of the season, trying to fight for a way for playoffs, versus kind of on cruise control.”
He also noted that the Scotties have played in several tight games already, including a one-run victory over La Salle Institute and one-run losses to Shenendehowa and Christian Brothers Academy.
“So we’re right there,” Nobles said. “Sometimes you don’t see the fruits of your labor until you have success.”
Senior first baseman/outfielder Matt Arnold echoed this, saying adversity can prepare the team moving forward.
“We faced some good teams, so we did face some adversity,” said Arnold. “Those were all really good games, really close games, and I do feel like that’s helped shape us to kind of where we’re at right now.”
The Scotties have been led offensively by Arnold, junior Blaine Zoller, and sophomores James Haughton and Mike Pritchard, among others. Nobles also highlighted two of the team’s pitchers, senior Nick Rychcik and freshman Jameson Hotaling.
“(Rychcik) was a reliever last year, he stepped into the role of a starting position,” said Nobles. “He’s been giving us quality innings. Jameson Hotaling, who’s a freshman, has been totally nothing but growth and maturation. He’s a guy to watch coming up, for sure.”
As the Scotties move through the second half of their schedule, Nobles said they will look to “win each day.”
“We’re trying to be humble and hungry. We want to take it one day at a time,” Nobles said. “Trying to get guys to be more present, be in the moment. Don’t practice to play, practice to be successful. We’ve got to win today first.”
“Our mindset right now is to take it one game at a time,” added Arnold. “Stay focused on us, stay locked in on us. I feel like that’s really going to help us in the long run.”
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa varsity softball team began 2023 with a young team, but one with “a lot of potential,” said head coach Amanda Fifield. Entering May, the team has turned that potential into success, with the Scotties earning wins in five of their last six games.
The team finished the 2022 campaign with a 12-10 record, falling to Shenendehowa in the Section 2 Class AA semifinals. The Scotties have no seniors on this year’s roster, and return a strong group of players from last season’s squad.
Fifield said the team having no seniors is “definitely a unique situation.”
“I think it’s the first time ever in my coaching career I haven’t had a senior as a varsity coach,” Fifield said. “With each day, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, this team’s coming back for two years.’ So there’s so much to build from.”
The Scotties are 9-5 overall and 5-4 in the Suburban Council so far this season. Fifield highlighted pitching as one of the team’s strong suits this season, with the duo of junior Hadley Donnelly and sophomore Livia Wiltsie.
“Our pitchers are definitely, I would say, the strongest aspect of our team,” said junior catcher Calleigh Sisk. “They both work really hard. … They definitely help our team just keep the energy up, and they’re just great players.”
Fifield also said Sisk, junior shortstop Natalia Guthrie, and sophomore first baseman Madelyn Perrone have been important parts of the team this season.
“(Madelyn) doesn’t carry herself like a sophomore, she carries herself like a junior or senior, one of those upperclassmen,” Fifield said of Perrone. “Having that experience coming back, it doesn’t matter how young or how old you are, it’s all about the experience.”
The Scotties have also seen important contributions at the plate from juniors Carlie Koebbeman and Abigail Stagl, and freshman Carina DeCenzo, among others.
Fifield said one of the team’s goals is to reach base as much as possible, saying this will “allow the bigger pieces to happen.”
Donnelly said the Scotties will look to “come together as a team,” and take things one game at a time as they move through the rest of the season.
“Overall, just keep a positive team dynamic through the whole thing, and just take it one game at a time,” said Donnelly. “Hopefully, that will lead us to sectionals. … But right now, it’s just one game at a time and little successes.”
Rendering courtesy of Pillar Skateparks, provided by OnDeck Saratoga.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The skatepark at East Side Recreation Park will soon be renovated for the next generation of skaters to enjoy.
Benj Gleeksman, vice president of local nonprofit OnDeck Saratoga, said he and his wife Belinda Colón, who is the president of OnDeck, have recognized the need for a modern skatepark in the city for over a decade. Gleeksman said many towns around the country are beginning to recognize the need for updated skateparks.
The East Side Rec skatepark originally opened in 1989, according to OnDeck Saratoga. The park is constructed out of metal, and Gleeksman said the metal ramps have been in place for over 20 years and are “getting worn out.”
The new park will be constructed with concrete, which Gleeksman said is a preferred material for construction of skateparks.
“(Concrete is) longer lasting, it’s a lot quieter, and it’s a lot smoother and faster,” said Gleeksman. “The metal ramps kind of rest on a surface now, so when you ride up them, it’s almost like hitting a separate obstacle, because it makes a clanking sound. With concrete, it’s kind of like riding one big, smooth piece.”
The new park will feature an improved bowl, a new halfpipe, and a series of banks, ledges, and rails, Gleeksman said, noting the park will also be friendly for skaters at all levels.
“The new design is going to be sort of friendly for everybody, beginners, intermediate, and advanced skaters alike,” said Gleeksman. “Little kids will be able to go out there, and start from the beginning and learn from the ground up.”
Gleeksman and Colón assisted the city in the selection of companies to send requests for proposals, and also helped select the vendor to design the park. Gleeksman referred to the process as “a partnership between us, as OnDeck, and John Hirliman in the Recreation Department.”
“I think that they really were appreciative of the fact that we have institutional skateboarding knowledge,” said Gleeksman. “For them to sort of recognize that, I think we’re humbled by it. We’re really honored to have been able to play the role that we have in working with them.”
Construction of the park will be conducted by Artisan Skateparks, a company based in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Gleeksman said construction will begin in mid-May, and is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
He said the updated park can also help draw skaters in from other areas.
“And the great thing about having a skatepark like this is that it brings skaters in from other communities,” Gleeksman said. “And it also boosts tourism. If families are looking to vacation somewhere, and they have kids that skateboard, well one of the things they’re going to be looking at is, ‘Oh, I’m going to Saratoga Springs, is there a cool skatepark there?’”
QUEENSBURY — West Mountain is busy preparing for an incredible summer with an extensive array of outdoor activity offerings. Here is a list of 2023 summer activities at West Mountain:
Aerial Treetop Adventure
Aerial Tour + Chairlift access rates are $35 (7-12 years), $49 (13+ years) with an add-on picnic lunch. Take an exhilarating tour through the trees in West Mountain’s five-acre Aerial Treetop Adventure Park. The park offers six high ropes courses for all different ability levels – beginners to advanced. The park is situated at the peak of West Mountain and is nestled among the treetop canopy. After taking the chairlift to the park, adventurers will be met by the West Mountain climbing crew who will outfit guests with helmets and harnesses before participating in a safety clinic. Adventurers will then climb up to a treetop platform to begin their journey through rope spider webs, zip lines, log waves and more. Aerial treetop tickets include 2 hours in the park and the chairlift ride to the park and back to the lodge (approx. 3-hour tour).
Mountain Biking & Trail Riding Access
2023 Mountain Biking + Chairlift all day rates are $20 for ages 12 and under, and $30 for ages 13 and up. West Mountain’s Bike Park has over 25 cross-country and downhill trails. Riders are welcome to bring their own bikes or rent from West, which offers Scott mountain bike rentals and protective gear packages that can be pre-reserved online. Picnic lunches – packaged in an eco-friendly box and placed in a picnic basket, prepared daily by West’s in-house chef – can be added on to your bike tour. Enjoy a relaxing picnic lunch on the mountain before, during or after your ride.
Tickets and programs are available online at westmountain.com.
Songbird with Mike Smith after their victory in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course in 2016. Photo by Lauren King, courtesy of NYRA
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Eight new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The class of 2023 is comprised of jockey Corey Nakatani and the racehorses Arrogate (KY), California Chrome (CA), and Songbird (KY) in the contemporary category; jockey Fernando Toro via the Historic Review Committee; and Pillars of the Turf selections John W. Hanes II, Leonard W. Jerome, and Stella F. Thayer.
Arrogate, California Chrome, and Songbird were all elected in their first year of eligibility.
The 2023 Hall of Fame class will be enshrined on Friday, Aug. 4, at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the Museum website at www.racingmuseum.org. The event is open to the public and free to attend.
Corey Nakatani, 52, a native of Covina, CA, won 3,909 races with purse earnings of $234,554,534 in a career that spanned from 1988 through 2018. His 341 graded stakes victories included 10 Breeders’ Cup races. Nakatani ranks No. 14 all time in career earnings and finished in the top 20 in annual earnings 16 times, including 11 times in the top 10. A winner of 10 riding titles on the Southern California circuit, Nakatani ranks in top 10 in overall wins and stakes wins at both Santa Anita and Del Mar. He won 1,033 races at Santa Anita (No. 9 all time), including 131 stakes (No. 8), and 705 races at Del Mar (No. 6), including 104 stakes (No. 2).
Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song—Bubbler, by Distorted Humor) compiled a record of 7-1-1 from 11 starts while racing from 2016 through 2017. His earnings of $17,422,600 represent the highest total in history for a horse with at least one start in North America. Winner of the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 2016, Arrogate was bred by Clearsky Farms and purchased for $560,000 by Juddmonte Farms at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Arrogate finished third in his career debut in April 2016 at Los Alamitos before winning seven consecutive races, including the Travers Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup, and Dubai World Cup.
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit—Love the Chase, by Not For Love) was bred and owned by Perry Martin and Steve Coburn. Taylor Made Farm later joined in the ownership, purchasing Coburn’s share. Trained by Art Sherman, California Chrome raced from 2013 to 2017 with a record of 16-4-1 from 27 starts and earnings of $14,752,650. He was voted Horse of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and earned additional Eclipse Awards for Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 2014 and Champion Older Male in 2016.
Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro—Ivanavinalot, by West Acre) was bred by John Antonelli and purchased for $400,000 by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Songbird raced from 2015 through 2017 with a record of 13-2-0 from 15 starts and earnings of $4,692,000. Winner of Eclipse Awards for Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 2015 and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2016, Songbird won a total of 12 graded stakes, including nine Grade 1 events.
Fernando Toro, 82, a native of Santiago, Chile, won 3,555 races with purse earnings of $56,299,765 during his North American riding career of 1966 through 1990. Toro won his first race in his native country at the age of 15 in 1956 and topped the Chilean national jockeys’ standings twice. Before arriving in America, Toro won three editions of the prestigious Gran Premio, as well as the 1964 Clasico St. Leger, a race in the Chilean Triple Crown series. Based in Southern California, Toro won 80 graded stakes in North America. At the time of his retirement, he ranked in the top 10 in stakes wins at Del Mar (No. 6), Hollywood Park (No. 8), and Santa Anita (tied at No. 8).
John W. Hanes II (1892 —1987), a native of Winston-Salem, NC, graduated from Yale University and served in the Navy during World War I before becoming a bond salesman on Wall Street. He eventually became a senior partner in a brokerage firm and a governor on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Hanes to the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission. Two years later, he was named Under Secretary of the Treasury.
Hanes played a key role in the revitalization of New York racing in the 1950s. He was elected a steward of The Jockey Club in 1953 and tasked by the organization to chair a special committee to improve New York’s tracks and quality of racing. Along with committee members Christopher T. Chenery and Harry F. Guggenheim, Hanes secured $109 million to revitalize Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. He also helped obtain legislation to establish the management corporation that eventually became the New York Racing Association. Hanes served as the organization’s president from 1954 through 1960 before transitioning to the role of NYRA chairman. He remained a NYRA trustee until 1973.
Leonard W. Jerome (1818 —1891) was born in Pompey. He originally enrolled in Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey) before leaving for Union College in Schenectady, where he graduated with a law degree. Jerome went on to practice law in New York for a time in both Albany and Rochester, then moved to New York City, where he became a stock speculator, financier, and patron of the arts. The flamboyant Jerome eventually built a significant fortune and became known as the “King of Wall Street.” Thoroughbred racing began to pique his interest in the mid-1860s. Jerome was a driving force in the creation of three major racetracks in the New York City area. He also helped establish the American Jockey Club (not affiliated with the modern Jockey Club) and served as the first vice president of Saratoga Race Course upon its opening in 1864. Jerome also partnered with William Travers, Saratoga’s first president, in what became a powerful financial firm on Wall Street.
Stella F. Thayer, 82, a native of Tampa, FL, purchased Tampa Bay Downs with her brother, Howell Ferguson, in 1986. She currently serves as the track’s president. Thayer was elected the ninth president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2005. The first woman to hold the position in the institution’s history, Thayer served as Museum president until 2014. She has been a Museum trustee since 1994.
DOHA, QATAR — Five athletes from the Glenville-based Jason Morris Judo Center have qualified to compete for Team USA at the World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar, May 7-14.
Ari Berliner, Kell Berliner, Alex Knauf, Hannah Martin and Nicole Stout all were named to the team. Ari Berliner will be the 66kg representative and be competing in his second straight Worlds. Kell Berliner (81kg) will also be going to his second worlds, having made the team for the first time in 2017.
This will be Knauf’s second time attending the Worlds, as he qualified last year. Stout (78kg) is making her third trip to Worlds, having made it in 2022 and 2017. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School graduate Hannah Martin (63kg) is making a JMJC record eighth appearance at the worlds, with her best results coming in 2013 when she finished ninth.
The JMJC has now placed an athlete in 14 straight worlds, starting in 2005, with five representatives this year being the most since having five athletes in 2011. The JMJC has placed a remarkable 54 athletes on the world team since its inception in 2000. Ari Berliner, Alex Knauf & Hannah Martin also represent the New York Athletic Club. Knauf trains at the Cohen Brothers Judo Club when he is home in Chicago, Illinois.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — It was certainly a year to remember for Saratoga Springs sophomore bowler Macallan Gagne.
Gagne finished the year as the team’s top bowler, threw a perfect game, and made an appearance at the New York State Championships for the Blue Streaks.
Gagne began the season as Saratoga’s #2 bowler, but quickly earned the team’s top spot. He said it “felt great” to become the team’s #1 option.
“I was going up against the top bowlers, and I had a chance to beat them or even come close with some of the greater bowlers,” said Gagne. “That was pretty cool.”
Gagne’s regular season was highlighted by a perfect game, bowled during an 18-14 win over Averill Park on Dec. 1. Gagne’s 300 came in the second game of the night, just after he had lost a perfect game in the ninth frame of his first game.
“That was fun. The first game, I shot like a 266,” Gagne said. “Ninth frame, I messed up, and I was upset. I just reset, see if I could try again. … Their coach was actually kind of saying, ‘It’ll come soon, just try to get it next game.’ I just stuck with it, figured out a line and threw the same shot.”
He said the final frame was “very nerve-wracking,” but Gagne finished the perfect game and celebrated with his coaches and teammates.
“Both of my coaches were behind me and stuff like that, and it was pretty fun,” said Gagne. “To see my friends and stuff like that behind me, it was also really fun.”
As a team, Saratoga finished as Section 2 runner-ups this season, one year after winning the sectional title. Although the Blue Streaks did not advance to states as a team this year, Gagne qualified individually as a composite bowler.
While he said it “would’ve been nice” for the team to earn another section championship, Gagne said it still felt great to return to states individually.
“I enjoyed it. It was tough, but I stuck through it,” said Gagne of states. “Our team did pretty well, and I enjoyed the overall experience.”
Gagne, who also plays JV baseball for Saratoga, said he will be competing in bowling tournaments across the country in preparation for next season. He said his early goals for next season are to shoot another perfect game, and qualify for states once again.
“Just doing that, and then when the season starts to come, I’ll probably get in (Strike Zone) once or twice a week, just to practice, sharpen up skills and stuff like that, and work on anything I need to,” Gagne said.
ALBANY — Coach Rich Johns recently took his Act With Respect Always message to Sage College. Invited to speak to his good friend Bob Stulmaker’s class, titled “Current Trends and Topics in Sports Leadership”.
This also gave Rich a chance to visit with Bob, who was his athletic director while at Saratoga Springs. Pictured is Coach with some of the student-athletes following his presentation. All students received an AWRA tie-dye shirt.
Contact Coach Johns at www.actwithrespectalways.com
