Displaying items by tag: YMCA
Athlete of the Week: Patrick Deschaine
[Photos provided]
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Patrick Deschaine, an eighth grader at Maple Avenue Middle School, is currently a star on the YMCA Youth Basketball League.
“I love sports, they’re the biggest part of my life,” Deschaine said.
Deschaine has been playing on the YMCA team for the last two years.
“One day I was at the Y playing basketball and Mike Laudicina called me over and asked me if I wanted to play in the league for sixth through eighth grade,” he explained.
Deschaine, however, was asked by Mike Laudicina, basketball league coordinator, to move up in the league to the high school division for grades nine through twelve.
“This is my second year playing and I like it, it’s pretty fun,” Deschaine said.
“First of all, he is in the eighth grade which would be in our junior division but he’s so big and so good that I asked his parents if he could move up to the ninth through twelfth graders. He did, and he has flourished. He’s a great team player, a leading scorer,” Laudicina said via phone.
He also enjoys baseball and considers that to be his main sport.
“I focus more on baseball, but basketball is a game I play competitively, and I still have a lot of fun with it. I like competition, it’s fun, but playing with younger kids doesn’t really make me better or get me to where I want to be so playing with older people makes me better and gets me to where I want to be,” he said of the YMCA league.
Deschaine plays on the Village Photo team for the YMCA, as a center or power forward. For baseball, he is a pitcher and first basemen.
“I didn’t really start playing basketball until I was in fourth grade, but I love every sport and basketball came naturally to me. I started playing at the rec center with some of my friends and I played there for three years and then I moved on because that league was getting a little too easy so moving up to the Y and playing with the high schoolers, it’s just more competition and it makes it more entertaining for me,” he said.
“He’s just an all-around good kid. Always looking to help. He helped a little in the summer with summer league. He’s a kid of very good quality, not just a good ball player, but a good student in school too. He’s really adapted and is playing very well. I would be ecstatic if he was my son, he’s such a good kid that if I could have a son like him I definitely would,” Laudicina said, highly praising Deschaine.
Other than sports, Deschaine said that school is going well, and his favorite subject is science “because we’re doing a lot of labs. I like hands-on activities way better than taking notes all class.”
Next year he will be a high school freshman and he is excited to be involved in high school athletics.
“It’s going to be a fun experience playing with older kids,” he stated.
Local All-Star Moments
[Photos provided]
Saratoga-Wilton Youth Baseball Champs
WILTON - Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161 – On Saturday, February 10, 2018 the Boys Grade 4/5 Saratoga-Wilton Elks Team won the Saratoga Springs Recreational Basketball League Championship with a score of 44-22. Members of the Lodge watched several games throughout the end of the season. The boys played with confidence and determination and the Lodge was very proud to have sponsored this team of fine young men.
The Saratoga-Wilton Basketball Team was undefeated the entire season and to celebrate their victory the Lodge is holding a special Bowling/dinner Banquet for the youth and their families at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on February 23rd and will present trophies to the Champs.
Saratoga Regional Y
Over 50 Basketball League Scores
WEEK TEN Scores - Wednesday, February 14
Game One D’Andrea’s Pizza Parlor – 62 Gennaro’s Pizza - 52
Four players scored in double figures as D’Andrea’s Pizza Parlor defeated Gennaro’s Pizza 62 – 52. Mike Scanlon paced the winners with 22 points and was aided by 17 from Alex Marin, 13 from Tim Ward, and 10 points from Scott Waterhouse. Kevin Reilly rimmed a game high 26 points for Gennaro’s and Mark Sohl added 16 points for the losers.
D’Andrea’s Pizza Parlor – 62 Mike Scanlon (22), Alex Marin (17), Tim Ward (13),
Scott Waterhouse (10)
Gennaro’s Pizza – 52 Kevin Reilly (26), Mark Sohl (16)
Game Two Post Time Wine & Spirits - 58 Village Photo, LLC – 48
Post Time Wine & Spirits used a strong 2nd half effort to defeat Village Photo, LLC 58 – 48. Post Time’s Ed Benway was the game high scorer with 24 points while Jim Eliopulos chipped in 22 points. For Village Photo Lamont Williams snapped 16 and Pat Reidy 15 points.
Post Time Wine & Spirits – 58 Ed Benway (24), Jim Eliopulos (22)
Village Photo, LLC – 48 Lamont Williams (16), Pat Reidy (15)
Game Three West Side Sports Tavern – 56 Nemer Chrysler – 48
Nemer Chrysler’s 2nd half rally fell short as they lost to West Side Sports Grill 56 – 48. Joe Twomey of West Side and Tom Kelly of Nemer both tallied 24 points while John Mooney added 23 for West Side and John Bishop added 16 for Nemer.
West Side Sports Tavern – 56 Joe Twomey (24), John Mooney (23)
Nemer Chrysler – 48 Tom Kelly (24), John Bishop (16)
Game Four Mama Mia’s Café – 75 Jones Steves – 60
Bobby Hanson’s league high 41 points led Mama Mia’s Café to a 75 – 60 victory over Jones Steves. For Jones Steves, Rory Wilson rimmed 31 points, and Andrew Sephas added 17 points. Reggie Durden banked 16 points and Andy Kramarchyk12 points for Mama Mia’s.
Mama Mia’s Café – 75 Bobby Hanson (41), Reggie Durden (16), Andy Kramarchyk (12)
Jones Steves – 60 Rory Wilson (31), Andrew Sephas (17)
Blue Streaks Ice Hockey
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Saratoga Blue Streaks Varsity hockey team played the Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville Storm in a Section 2 Tournament Play-in game at 6:45 PM on February 16th at the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink. Saratoga won the game 4-0 with goalie Brad Hipsley recording his fourth league shut out. For Saratoga, Sam Jacob scored the first goal with an assist from Ryan Seales; Matt Shamberger scored the second goal; Ryan Jones kicked off the second period with an assist from Zak Ogden; and Mack Ogden scored the final goal with an assist from Ryan Seales. Saratoga Goalie Brad Hipsley had seven saves and GMS-G Goalie Daniel Cooper had 26 saves.
Schuylerville Skiing
SCHUYLERVILLE – Hannah Klingebiel, a sophomore from Schuylerville, has made it to state finals for skiing. Section II competes at States on Feb. 26 and 27 at Bristol Mountain at Canandaigua, NY.
All-Star Moments
[Photos provided]
Saratoga Gymnastics Hosts All-Around Meet
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs High School gymnastics hosted their annual All-Around Meet on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Wilton YMCA. Gymnasts from Bethlehem, Shaker and Guilderland also competed in the event. The gymnasts were broken into two groups: (1) gymnasts who had scored greater than 29.0 allaround during the competition season; and (2) gymnasts who had scored less than 29.0 all-around during the competition season. With respect to the higher scoring group, Saratoga took home the top three places led by all-around winner Ava Dallas with a score of 37.1, followed by Sophia Damiano who scored 36.7. Laura Eberlein was third with an allaround score of 34.925. Rounding out the top five were Rachel Drislane (Guilderland) with a score of 34.55 and Kate Dellaratta (Saratoga) with a score of 33.0. Top finishers in the under 29.0 scoring group were: Domenica Hotaling (Shaker) with an all-around score of 27.75, Anna Green (Bethlehem) – 27.55, Savanna Schalberg (Saratoga) – 26.85, Courtney Rafferty (Guilderland) – 26.625 and Kate Sager (Shaker) – 26.50.
Saratoga Blue Streaks Hockey
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Blue Streaks Varsity hockey team played the Guilderland/
Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville Storm in a league game at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink. Saratoga won the game 3-0 with goalie Brad Hipsley recording his third league shut out. Will Detora scored the first goal in the first period with an assist from Sam Jacob; Joe Amodio scored goal two in the first period with assists from Will Detora and Xavier Clark; the final goal was scored in the second period by Will Detora again, with an assist from Sam Jacob. Blue Streaks Goalie Hipsley had 13 saves and Daniel Cooper, from the opposing team, had 45 saves.
Saratoga Regional YMCA Youth Basketball League
ROTARY JUNIOR DIVISION: Saratoga Financial Services 31 - Mexican Connection Restaurant 24 Saratoga Financial had an early lead and took a 31 to 24 victory over Mexican Connection. The winners got eight points apiece from Ryan Boyle, Alex Cutler and Carter Wood while teammate Eric Eckard had two points. Ethan Dinsmore had a game high 10 points in the loss Saratoga PBA 37 -
PJ BAR-B-QSA 18 PBA took a 13-point lead into the second half and never looked back in their 37 to 18 win over a depleted PJ’s BAR-B-QSA. Steve Bebee had 11 points, Emylyn Tineo added another nine points in the victory. PJ’s had only six players because of injuries but they never
gave up, and were led by Jason Bell’s eight points along with five points from Antonio Calderon. SENIOR DIVISION: Saratoga Firefighters 54 - Berkshire Hathaway Blake, Realtors 49 The Firefighters were behind until the last four minutes of the game. They used their “never say never” attitude to pull off a 54 to 49 victory over Berkshire Hathaway Blake Realtors. Firefighters had three players scoring in double figures, led by Noah Rourke with 17 points, Eyner Tineo with 15 points and Robert Orr had 10 points. Rourke hit nine out of nine free throws in the last 90 seconds to seal the win. The Realtors battled right down to the final horn got a game high 19 points from Ian Fisk while teammates Seth Koval and Isaiah Barnes had 13 and two points respectively. Village Photo 51 - Cudney’s Launderers 42 This was also a game that was close until a technical foul in the last two minutes gave Village Photo an eight point lead which helped them get the nine point win over Cudney’s Launderers. Village Photo now goes into the final game of the season leading the division. Village Photo spread the scoring around and were led by Jose Garcia, Donald Steves and Pat Deschaine each scoring 14 points. Cudney’s, as always, fought to the final second, Hunter Regels and Elias Whol each had 13 points and Will Sambrook added four points, Coleman Fignar and Nate Scott scored four and three points each.
Over 50 Basketball League at the YMCA
SARATOGA SPRINGS —
On Wednesdays between November and March, you can watch the Over 50 Basketball League enjoy themselves on the court in a healthy competition between eight teams. Gentlemen aged 50 and over gather once a week to play basketball and socialize. Bill Carey, who also plays in the league, is the commissioner who works every year to coordinate the season.
“Bill does a great job coordinating all the schedules and working with the Y and getting the refs there. He does a great job with that,” said Rory Wilson, a player in the league and owner of D’Andrea’s Pizza.
“There are sign-ups every year, usually in September and there is a fee for non-members and members, but it is open to anybody that wants to play,” Wilson explained.
Each team has five to six players, totaling about 45 athletes between the eight teams, and upwards of 55 people involved, including the referees.
“The coaches are players, too. So, it’s a good thing that they can play and coach at the same time. Player-coaches we like to call them,” Wilson said.
The league has several sponsors, including D’Andrea’s Pizza, which also sponsors the YMCA Youth Basketball League.
“I’m actually on Jones and Steve’s team. I sponsor a team but I’m not on it. That’s one of the funny parts of the league,” Wilson laughed.
Barely making the age cut for the league at 50 years old, Wilson has been involved in YMCA basketball for many years.
“I coached my kids many years ago in Y basketball, so I’ve always been involved with that. I’ve stayed in touch with people through the years and I knew a couple of guys that played, and they asked me to play. You meet new friends and keep old friendships growing. It’s a good way to keep the bonds going,” he said.
“I just like being a player. It’s too much on me to try to direct the team and know who’s going to sub in and sub out; just ‘tell me what to do, I’ll go do it.,’” he explained.
Wilson plays forward on the court and he played basketball for LaSalle in high school.
“The league keeps growing. Some years you have your good years, some years you have an offyear but we try to keep getting the message out that it’s there, it’s a good competitive league. It’s a lot of fun, just guys getting together playing some hoops, making friendships, keeping friendships going. It’s a great group of guys. It’s more than just basketball. It’s like a family and that’s what I think gets missed sometimes with the way things are. Once the playing is done, the game is over, you’re all friends and it’s just a great feeling. It’s good to get out of the house and stay athletic,” he said.
Championship games begin in March, two sets of games take place every Wednesday; the first set begins at 7:15 p.m. and the second set begins at 8:25 p.m.
Ava Dallas: Athlete of the Week
[Photos provided]
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ava Dallas, a freshman at Saratoga Springs High School, is already breaking records for the district. Last Saturday, Dallas broke the Section II vault record; it was previously 9.325 in time and she had a 9.4.
“It was really exciting, and it was nice to see that my hard work paid off. It was also a great experience to see my coaches and teammates and how they congratulated me, it really made me feel good,” Dallas explained.
Dallas is also a cheerleader during football season, having started that this year.
“Cheer was really fun, it was very different for me because it was something I hadn’t done before and I was a flyer so I went up in the stunts. It was fun to learn something new and if I don’t make it into college for gymnastics I have something to fall back on. I plan to do it again next football season,” Dallas said.
Other than sports, Dallas is also in the Best Buddies program at school.
“The Best Buddies program is basically you are paired with somebody with learning disabilities and you get to go to events with them and really spend time and become friends with them. I went to the clubs’ fair during the walk-through at the high school and I was really interested in it, so I decided to join. My sister also did it,” she said.
Dallas started doing gymnastics at only 10-years-old at the YMCA, doing the beginning levels. She then transitioned into a club team called Stepping Star in Ballston Spa.
“After two years at Stepping Star, I decided it was very time consuming and since I was going into high school, I wanted something less time consuming, so I decided that I would start varsity gymnastics at school,” Dallas explained.
She has dreams of doing gymnastics in college and is attending a camp this summer at Penn State where she intends to scope out the gymnastics program there.
“When I was younger I really wanted to go to the Olympics but as you get older, gymnastics is such a very hard sport on the body; it’s not really likely at my age now to be able train elite and then go to the Olympics, but I still want to go to college for it,” she said.
Dallas loves her gymnastics team and immediately felt at ease once the season started.
“It was very easy to make the transition from club to team. The girls and coaches are really friendly.”
Her favorite gymnast is Laurie Hernandez.
“I love how expressive she is in her floor routine; she really makes it look fun,” Dallas explained.
Dallas’ favorite part of gymnastics is the floor routine. Dallas is also an Honors student.
“Her mother and I are quiteproud of her accomplishments. She is able to juggle everything and still maintain a 98 average while taking all Honors classes, no less,” said her father, Eugene Dallas.
Dallas cites her mom as her main inspiration.
“I really want to make my mom proud because she gets really excited when I go to competitions and she’s really there to support me through everything. Even at school when I have a test, she’s like ‘good luck’ and it makes me feel really good inside,” Dallas said.
For more information on when the Saratoga Springs gymnastics team plays, check out the Sports At a Glance page.
YMCA: Not Just A Gym, A Community
[Photo by Lori Mahan]
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The YMCA “is a lot more than just a gym. It encompasses everything. If there is anything someone is looking for, we probably offer it. Whether it’s childcare, aquatics, gymnastics, tennis. Even if we don’t have it at a specific branch, it is probably offered at one of our other Y’s,” said Mike Miakisz, marketing director of all Saratoga Regional YMCA branches.
Whether you are going to the YMCA to work out or participate in one of their many fitness classes offered, or take a dip in the pool, you will be greeted warmly by every employee you pass, and probably every member you see as well.
The Saratoga Springs YMCA (SRYMCA) is much more than a gym to its’ members, it is a place to gather and socialize, too. Allison St. Pierre, executive director, knows every member and employee by name and greets them without hesitation.
Their most popular employee seems to be Connor McEvoy, a young man who has been working in the custodial department for the last three months.
“When I first moved up here, which was in June of last year, I had no job and my mom, and my support team wanted me to get a job. I became a member here and then we talked to my now-boss, Chris Schumacher, and he got me a job as a custodian,” McEvoy explained.
“Connor is always in the fitness area lifting weights,” Miakisz said, “or he’s walking around the track listening to his music and singing. When he works, he always interacts with the members and it’s just fun to see them interacting. He’s smiling, they’re smiling. He always puts a smile on people’s faces.”
“He’s the best, period,” said Lou Gregory, affectionately called Mayor Lou by fellow members.
Gregory has been working out at the SRYMCA since 2009.
“This is a really great place, it truly is. Connor makes it a little better. I come in sometimes, you know I’m older, I get a little grumpy, but then I see him, and I cheer right up. He’s always in a good mood, he’s a good man,” Gregory said affectionately.
“I don’t want it to go to your head though,” he said to McEvoy, “because you do cause trouble sometimes.”
“I do not!” McEvoy laughs.
It’s clear the two men have a wonderful friendship, all because of the SRYMCA bringing them together.
Matt Murray, an employee, started off as a member, too.
“I was having problems with my hip, so my doctor said, ‘we’re going to replace the first hip, but you need to lose 30 pounds before we do the other hip.’”
Murray decided to follow his wife’s lead and join the SRYMCA and began to work with a personal trainer. He lost the necessary weight, had the surgery, and after having such a positive experience with the staff and other members, he retired from his job at the state where he had worked for the last 35-years and decided to work at the Y. He has been an employee for the last year.
“I feel wonderful, it keeps me young. Working here has been a great experience,” Murray said sincerely.
“We’re really unlike any other gym because of the relationships that people form here. These guys on our senior league basketball team will probably stay here for a half an hour to an hour in the café just sitting and socializing and having a coffee. It’s a really neat thing to see. It’s more of a community,” Miakisz said.
Financial assistance is provided to whoever needs it, no one is ever turned away from a membership.
“I think we gave over $500,000 in financial assistance last year,” Miakisz explained, “we’re always giving back to our community and that’s a big perk of us being a 501(c)(3) charity.”
Aside from all the fitness classes, childcare, and sports teams offered, SRYMCA also has a LiveStrong program which is open to anyone who has battled any illness, whether in the past or presently. It is a free program for people to get back on their feet with their fitness.
“It isn’t set up as a support group, but it forms into one,” St. Pierre explained.
Membership applications, pricing, and class schedules can be found at www.srymca.org. The SRYMCA is located at 290 West Avenue, with other branches located in Battenkill, Corinth, Malta, and Wilton.
Adventure Around the Corner: YMCA Debuts New Adventure Course
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Regional YMCA concluded the first phase of its outdoor development program by bringing adventure to our very own backyard.
Tucked into the woods on the south end of the Saratoga Regional YMCA (SRYMCA) on West Avenue is the brand new Adventure Course, which had its grand opening on June 22. The 4,340-square-foot course consists of a multiple rock-climbing walls, rope bridges, and tire bridges suspended at varying levels above the ground. Affixed to the top of the main rock wall tower structure is a zip-line, which brave participants can use to ride down to the bottom. When press and other attendees arrived for the grand opening of the course, SRYMCA Board President Alysa Arnold addressed the crowd from the top of the course before riding the zip-line down.
“Today, I am so excited that we are at the point where we have an amazing team that is well-trained, and this summer, kids and adults in our area are going to be able to experience this wonderful adventure course,” Arnold said from the top of the structure. “We have 300-plus campers this summer, and they are gonna have a lot of fun and learn a lot of life skills right on this course.”
Arnold went on to emphasize that the course was far more than just a way for kids and families to have healthy fun, but that it will also give them the opportunity to safely challenge themselves by going outside their comfort zones. Then, using herself as an example of this due to her fear of heights, she ended her speech and rode the zip-line down to a round of applause.
“This is one of those resources that helps us make sure that Saratoga is the healthiest county in all of New York State,” Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said, introducing the course to the gathered crowd. “As well as, hopefully, the world, someday.”
The Adventure Course is just one part of the first phase of SRYMCA outdoor development initiative. Other aspects of the first phase have included an enclosed pavilion for rainy days and a traverse wall on the north side of the West Avenue location. Planning for the course began approximately three years ago, with construction taking about a year to complete, beginning with the procurement of building permits. The actual time that it took to physically construct the course was around three months. The costs for constructing the course were covered through community fundraising, according to Chief Operations Officer Kelly Armer.
“The best way children learn is through play,” Armer said. “And this is a great structure to add [for that].”
The next phase of development for SRYMCA will begin soon, with plans to build a new pool and another gym, as according to Armer, they are quickly outgrowing their current space. There is currently no set timeline for this second phase.
All photos by Thomas Kika.
Springettes Conquer at States
WILTON – The Springettes – one of the Saratoga Springs area’s premier girls gymnastics teams – continued to do their namesake hometown proud with an impressive showing at a recent state competition.
The Saratoga Regional YMCA Gymnastics Team, also known as “The Springettes,” attended the New York State YMCA Gymnastics Championships at SUNY Oneonta from April 22-23. At the meet, there were nine YMCA gymnastics teams from across NY competing, which amounted to just over 200 athletes. In all, 30 gymnasts from Saratoga Springs competed, taking part in the vault, bars, beam, and floor events.
The Springettes left SUNY Oneonta with an impressive eight all-around state champions, including Marissa Verro from Level 9, Abby Moller from Level 8, Jordan Toma and Katy Hawthorne from Level 7, Brynne Wright from Level 6, Rya Torres and Megan Wishart from Level 5, and Marianna Nasta from Level 4. In individual events, the team put up 29 first-place finishes.
“They did really well,” Kim Hewitt, director of gymnastics for the Saratoga Regional YMCA, said. “They held up against some tough competition.
In team competition, the Springettes entered four teams. The Level 7 and Level 5 teams placed first, the Level 4 team placed second, and the Level 3 team placed fourth.
“My Level 7 team has done a really good job this year,” Hewitt said. “They’ve been consistently placing very, very high, and they had a great day.”
The highest all-around score for the whole team was Abby Moller, Level 8, with a combined score of 35.8, followed by Katy Hawthorne, Level 7, with a score of 35.45. Another notable performance at the meet came from Marianna Nasta, Level 4, who claimed first place in all four individual events.
Going into the event, Hewitt had her athletes focused on repetition of their routines, making sure that they would be able to consistently get things right. Moving forward, the team will be competing at the Northeast Regionals from May 13-15. The focus on repetition remains the staple of their practices leading up to it. This year, regionals will take place in Waterville, ME. Around 40 teams from the northeast states will be competing, amounting to around 1,200 gymnasts.
“We’re really excited,” Hewitt said about going to regionals. “Our Level 5 and Level 7 teams are really strong, so we’re hoping to place in the all-around. It’s a little harder with 40 teams, but we’re hoping for those teams to do really well.”
All photos by www.photoandgraphic.com.
Saratoga YMCA Youth Basketball Finals
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The play-offs for the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s youth basketball league were held recently, marking the end of the league’s current season before the new summer league commences in June. In the Saratoga Rotary Jr. Division, the D’Andrea’s Pizza and BHHS Blake Realtors teams faced off, with D’Andrea’s coming out on top, 42-32. In the Saratoga/Wilton Elks Lodge Sr. Division, the Toyota of Clifton Park and Mexican Connection teams competed in the finals, with the Toyota of Clifton Park team taking the win, 56-46.
Along with the finals, the youth league also gave out the James Cudney Award, which goes to the player who most exemplifies the YMCA’s core values. This year, the award went to Saratoga Springs High School junior Elias Wohl.
Saratoga YMCA Gymnasts Soar on Home Turf
WILTON – The Saratoga Regional YMCA’s “Springettes” jumped, spun, and balanced their way past the competition at a recent home meet, landing several first place wins over the visiting teams.
The competition was held in the Wilton Branch’s gymnastics center from March 18-19, and saw the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s competitive girls gymnastics team – or, the Springettes – face off against both the Glens Falls and Oneonta YMCA gymnastics teams. Gymnasts age 6-17 competed in four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Overall, 116 young athletes competed at the event, ranging from levels 2-9, according to gymnastics director Kim Hewitt.
“The Saratoga Y did very well,” Hewitt said. “We had 13 athletes come in first place in the all-around competitions in their levels and age divisions. We also had 46 1st place medals on individual events during the meet. We have really been consistently improving throughout the year.”
According to Hewitt, a number of Springettes gave standout performances at the event. The two level 9 competitors, Sophie Hrebenach and Marissa Verro, competing in their last home meet before graduation, both put in strong work. Hrebenach placed 2nd all-around for level 9, and placed 1st on the vault with a well-executed Tsukahara flip. She also placed 2nd in floor exercise with 9.425 points, a season high for her. Verro, meanwhile, placed 3rd overall for level 9, and was 2nd on the vault with two front-front vaults. This was all the more impressive for Verro because, as Hewitt noted, the front-front vault was a new maneuver for her.
Beyond Hrebenach and Verro, a handful of other Springettes placed first at different levels and in different events. These individuals are as follows: Abby Moller, level 8, all ages; Jordan Toma, level 7, ages 16 and up; Kaitlyn Kidder, level 7, ages 14-15; Alina Williams, level 6, masters division; Brynne Wright, level 6, ages 13-15; Morgan Thompson, level 5, ages 12 and up; Leah Torres, level 5, ages 9-11; Lauren Closson, level 4, ages 12 and up; Erika Sudigala, level 4, age 11; Erin Ward, level 3, age 11; Addison Furze, level 2, age 9A; Lola Ferrillo, level 2, age 8; and, Amelia McBain, level 2, ages 11 and up.
From here, the Springettes will be focused on the upcoming championship meets, beginning with the League Championships in Watertown, which will take place from April 1-2. Following that, there will also be the State YMCA Gymnastics Championships at SUNY Oneonta and the Regional YMCA Championships in Redfield, ME. The team also has 19 girls attending the National Championships in Savannah, GA, which will run from June 29-July 2.
