Displaying items by tag: Karen SMiley

[Photos provided]

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa School District is known for their athletics, which is why it was so disappointing to district teacher Karen Smiley when the Alpine Ski team got cut five years ago. Smiley’s son was also disappointed as he was finally the right age to join the team. Now with the team reborn and entering their second season, Smiley has nothing but praise for the group of people that helped her make this team a reality again.

“Ballston spa had a team while back, they were a very competitive team and then it kind of dissolved for a few years. We were really excited to have the support of the administrators and the athletic director to get the team up and running again,” she explained.

Smiley laments though, she could not have rebuilt the team alone.

“Mitch Huff has been phenomenal, he really deserves all of the credit.,” Smiley said.

Along with help from Huff, Christine Phelps, Mike Barnum, and Tim Shelton wanted to see this team brought back to life.

“These parents have certainly done 10 times the leg work and have been very invested in the program. Certainly, at least from my perspective, not anything I could have even begun to do myself, so they really deserve all the credit,” Smiley enthused.

Funds have come from the school, for the essentials and the basics, and then a group of active volunteer parents and coaches that have done a lot to promote the team through fundraising, establishing a booster club. There was a fundraiser in the fall that was a golf outing and brought in a “good deal” of money. A basket raffle is planned in the next few weeks.

“It’s not a cheap sport, it’s an expensive sport. That’s why we’re grateful,” she said.

In Smiley’s opinion, their first season back, which was in January 2017, was a successful one. Now with their second season just beginning, Smiley feels like, “we have our feet underneath us more and we’ve got the kinks worked out from last season. We will be more competitive athletes this year and I only see that continuing in the years to come. We have a strong contingent of up and coming athletes who have some ski racing background I think that long term we’ll be a really competitive team.”

Mitch Huff, a ski coach at Gore, who was also a ski racer in college, with a son on the Ballston Spa team, said the feedback they received last year was all positive. Smiley was also a competitive skier. Last season the team had a couple of kids at sectionals and they have high hopes for this season, as well.

“Generally, all of our athletes are really good skiers. We’re a young team so we have a strong contingent of middle school students so we’re hoping that the longevity will be there for our team,” Smiley explained.

As far as coaching goes, Huff explained that the transition between skier and coach, “is a pretty simple transition, with me being a ski racer i’m very familiar with the sport. I had some good coaches along the way that led me down the path to coaching.”

“Skiing is one of those unique sports because it involves so much more than just an athletic field behind the school. You’re going to ski mountains and there is a lot of equipment. Ski racing is not something that anyone can just walk on and learn,” Smiley said of the sport.

“The best part of coaching is sharing your experiences and knowledge with these young athletes,” Huff said.

For information on when the team has their ski matches, visit the Sports at a Glance page.

Published in Sports

Blotter

  • New York State Police The New York State Police announced that it issued 5,576 tickets during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day enforcement initiative. The campaign began on Friday, March 15, and continued until Sunday, March 17. During the campaign, funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and underage drinking and sales to minors detail. State Police also ticketed distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices. State Troopers arrested 132 people for DWI and investigated 199 crashes, which resulted in 25 people being injured and no fatalities. As part of the enforcement, Troopers also…

Property Transactions

  • BALLSTON Heather DiCaprio sold property at 473 Garrett Rd to Justine Levine for $288,000 Sharon Willman sold property at 99 Jenkins Rd to Charles Lemley for $165,000 CORINTH George Montena sold property at 422 Oak St to Stephen James for $142,250 Mark Makler sold property at 313 Oak St to Sabrina Sinagra for $195,000 GREENFIELD Landlord Services of Upstate New York sold property at 1935 NYS Rt 9N to Cochise Properties LLC for $210,000 MALTA  Linda LaBarge sold property at 35 Snowberry Rd to Qu Haozheng for $270,000 Dennis Mitchell sold property at 60 Village Circle North to BGRS Relocation…
  • NYPA
  • Saratoga County Chamber
  • BBB Accredited Business
  • Discover Saratoga
  • Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association