SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Suburban Scholastic Council Baseball League named six Saratoga Springs players to its All-Star teams this week. Five additional players received honorable mention.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sunlight reflecting off the water. The scent of pine trees. A light breeze carrying with it the rehearsals of a live orchestra. The most zen place in all of Saratoga Springs might be the Spa State Park, where summer yoga classes will be held June through August.
“When you’re outside, it’s this really beautiful alchemy of everything working all together, the way it should be, the way it was originally meant to be,” said Amy DeLuca, the founder and teacher coordinator of Yoga in Spa State Park. “One of the things that yoga does is it helps to get you into that parasympathetic nervous system where it’s more restful, and you need that. We need that right now.”
Yoga in Spa State Park launched in 2013, offering classes on the lawn in front of the reflecting pool. Years later, when the pandemic hit and yoga studios suddenly closed, the program grew rapidly. “It was a huge plus for everybody during a very challenging time,” DeLuca said.
The program now includes year-round classes held in the Roosevelt II Pavillion during the colder months. Summer classes take place under the brick arches of the Administration Building behind the Spa Little Theater. The classes are donation-based, with a suggested contribution of $15, but participants can pay what they wish. DeLuca said nobody is ever turned away. The only thing necessary for taking a class is a yoga mat.
DeLuca has six teachers at the moment, some of whom are teaching three classes per week. They’re all “highly certified,” DeLuca said, with some having twenty years of experience. “What makes us unique is that these teachers, including myself, have a clear focus about what we feel yoga can be, the benefits that it offers.”
Beginners are more than welcome. “We as teachers, because we’re experienced, know how to do variations and modifications so that anybody, any size, in any condition can really benefit from the first class,” DeLuca said.
The program’s summer schedule begins on June 1, with at least one class occurring every day of the week. Classes include “Foundations of Flow,” “Intuitive Yoga Flow,” “Gentle Yoga,” and “Vinyasa Yoga.” No pre-registration is required. For more information, visit the Yoga in Spa State Park Facebook page at www.facebook.com/YogaInSpaStatePark.
TROY — The No. 3 Ballston Spa varsity baseball team entered the Section 2 Class AA playoffs with a bang on Saturday, defeating No. 6 Columbia 8 to 2.
The win sent the Dawgs to the semifinals at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, home of the Tri-City ValleyCats. But faced with a tough game on Monday against No. 2 Bethlehem Central, BSpa fell short, 4 to 0. It was a rough game for the Dawgs, who finished with zero hits and two errors.
Despite the loss, the team finished with a strong 13-7 record on the season and has a large group of returning players next year. This year’s graduating seniors include Tyler Corry, Conner Garrant, Nate Gurwitz, Jake Nagengast, and Blaine Zoller.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Five members of the Skidmore College baseball team and three members of the Skidmore softball team were voted to All-Liberty League teams.
Junior Zachary Leiderman was voted to the first team, and senior Ameer Hasan was selected for the second team. Senior Christian Giresi, junior Trey Bourque, and freshman Owen Roy all received honorable mention.
Leiderman was named to the first team as a designated hitter. His batting average for the season was .388. Among all Liberty League players, he was fifth in total hits (52) and tenth in slugging percentage (.560). Hasan, a southpaw pitcher, finished third in the league with a 3.28 ERA. He was also ninth in strikeouts with 44.
For softball, senior Grace O’Connell was named to the first team, while senior Bernie Berner made the second team. Sophomore Elle Harrison received honorable mention.
O’Connell, an outfielder, was an offensive juggernaut this season. Among all Liberty League players, she was first in stolen bases (30), second in batting average (.454) and hits (54), third in OPS (1.047), and fourth in runs (29) and on-base percentage (.484). Berner, a utility player, posted a .950 fielding percentage for the year. She also finished with a .355 battering average and .456 on-base percentage.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has announced post times for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at the Saratoga Race Course from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9.
Post time for the 10-race program on June 6 is 12:50 p.m. Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.
Post time for the 12-race program on June 7 is 12:20 p.m. Admission gates will open to the public at 10:30 a.m.
Post time for the 14-race Belmont Stakes Day program on June 8 is 10:45 a.m. Admission gates will open to the public at 9 a.m.
Post time for the 10-race New York Showcase Day program on June 9 is 12:50 p.m. Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.
SCHENECTADY — The Ballston Spa girls track and field team impressed once again on Saturday at the William F. Eddy Jr. Meet in Schenectady.
The relay team won both the 4×100 and the 4×400. Gabrielle Bozeth won the 200 meter dash, and teammate Harriety Healey won the 400 meter. In the 100 meter dash, Gabrielle Bozeth finished second, and Petrina Zborovszky wasn’t far behind in third.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Gavin Park will host the Abigail Jenks Memorial Ruck Race at 9 a.m. on Memorial Day. The 5K is in honor of all those who died in the line of duty, especially Specialist 4th Class Abigail Jenks, a town of Wilton resident and Saratoga Springs class of 2019 graduate.
Proceeds go towards the Abigail Jenks Scholarship at Saratoga High School, awarded to graduating seniors enlisting in the military; as well as the Veterans Community Housing Coalition, a local organization that advocates for veterans seeking housing.
Tickets are available for both racers and non-racers. Racers must be prepared with either a rucksack, weighted backpack, or weighted vest. Army standard is 35 pounds. Non-racer tickets are for those who wish not to carry the extra weight. All ticket holders will receive a t-shirt.
The race will begin at the large pavilion after a prayer service, National Anthem performance, and some words from Abigail’s mother. Refreshments will be available before and after the race.
GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder advanced to the ECHL Eastern Conference Final after defeating the Norfolk Admirals in round two of the playoffs, 4 games to 2.
The Admirals took the first two games of the series but the Thunder wouldn’t fall that easily. They won four straight games, with a combined total score of 14 to 5.
Adirondack then split the first two games of the conference final against the Florida Everblades last weekend, winning the second game in a 2-0 shutout. The next three games of the series will take place in Florida. If necessary, games six and seven will be played at home at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on May 28 and 29.
BALLSTON SPA — Six Ballston Spa Middle School students were recently presented with the Sandy Morley Physical Education Leadership Award. The winners were selected by the PE staff for demonstrating leadership and responsibility in the PE program, being respectful of others, making good decisions, valuing learning, staying physically active, and having 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,” said PE Instructor Kevin Dayton in a statement. “Please keep leading the way as you always have; today, tomorrow, and into the future.”
The 8th grade students that won the award were Owen Fersch, Jeffrey Fumarola, Aiden Werner, Mackenzie Johnson, Natalie Thomas, and Haley Wiltsie.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ever watch Aaron Judge crack a fly ball to the Yankee Stadium short porch in right field and think to yourself, “hell, I could do that”? Well, it’s time to put up or shut up.
A baseball and softball training academy that allows kids and adults alike to practice hitting, pitching, and fielding is coming to Saratoga Springs. D-BAT, which has about 160 locations around the country, is opening its first facility in New York State at 30 Gick Road this summer.
Franchise owner and general manager Adam Britten said the 18,000-square-foot academy will include 13 cages; three industrial-sized pitching machines that can hold hundreds of baseballs or softballs; Rapsodo, a ball launch and flight monitor; Pocket Radar guns that measure pitch speed; and HitTrax, a system that provides real-time stats and performance metrics.
“You can use HitTrax for basically any ballpark. You can put in Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, and you’re actually simulating hitting at those ballparks and it shows your distance and everything else with almost spot-on accuracy,” Britten said.
Although D-BAT academies attract kids across different age groups and levels of play, parents and older folks are welcome too. A parents’ lounge with four TVs will allow adults to take it easy while their kids train. And if you’re getting up there in age but still want to crack a few dingers, you can do that too.
“We’re really excited to provide an outlet for not just kids, but for adults,” Britten said. “It is more than that demographic of 6 to 18 year olds. You get 3 year olds to 75 year olds.”
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Although the academy focuses primarily on baseball and softball, the space can also be used for lacrosse, field hockey, flag football, and other sports.
“I have cricket, I have cornhole leagues; all these leagues are reaching out because there’s a need for indoor space,” Britten said.
That need was obvious to Britten, a Saratoga native who has been heavily involved in youth sports throughout his life. He’s the president of Saratoga Battle, a basketball program with 150 kids, and he’s the assistant coach of the Saratoga Central Catholic varsity basketball team.
“I grew up in these programs along with my brothers, and my dad was always a coach, so it kind of comes second nature,” Britten said. “But there’s never been a facility like this locally big enough to support rain delays, the eight months of winter we get. Kids aren’t playing baseball year-round like they should, like they are down south or in the midwest.”
Britten plans to open up shop this summer and is already giving potential customers tours of the facility. For more information or to keep tabs on the academy’s progress, visit www.dbatsaratogasprings.com or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
