SOUTH GLENS FALLS — Beginning on Friday, March 2 and running through Saturday, South Glens Falls High School presents its traditional 28-hour marathon dance. High school students and alumni raise money for local people and charities in need. South High Marathon Dance (SHMD) began in 1978 with 50 dancers and raised $1500 for a local EMS squad. Since then, SHMD has grown exponentially over the years, raising more than $823,000 in 2017. Since this dance began 40 years ago, over $5.6 million dollars has been raised.

A list of this year’s recipients: 
Alzhiemer Association
Angel Names Association
Bridging People And Places
Captains Youth and Family Services Family Service Assn. of Glens Falls
Glens Falls Area Youth Center
Jay Honsinger
Keyon Jace
Marshall Moreau Community Center
Nick’s Fight to be Heald
Foundation Rebuilding Together   
Saratoga County Spina Bifida Assn. of NE NY
The Ben Osborne Memorial Fund
The Family of Adam Powers
The Family of Ashley Young
The Family of Aurora Bombard
The Family of Austin Lane
The Family of Austin Naylor
The Family of Brandy Palmer
The Family of Brian Washburn
The Family of Brock Lescault
The Family of Bryan Watkins
The Family of Carmella Childs
The Family of Cora Rosa Gagrano
The Family of Dan McCane
The Family of Elizabeth Porter
The Family of Fawn McCall
The Family of Heather Palmer
The Family of Ingrid Engelhard
The Family of James Doriski
The Family of James Manning
The Family of Jason Fuller
The Family of Jennifer Park
The Family of Joseph Brown
The Family of Kimberly Bartlett
The Family of Lexi Beecher
The Family of Lorraine Powers
The Family of Rhyan Towne
The Family of Steve Gillingham
The Family of Tabitha Wren
The Family of Thomas O’Sullivan
Woofs for Warriors

[Photos by Laurenkeepstime Photography]

SOUTH GLENS FALLS — Stage 42 Drama Club presents Ghost, on Friday, March 16 and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 in the high school auditorium. This will be the first regional theater company to produce Ghost in the entire Capital District, at 7 p.m.

“This show has been an enriching and meaningful experience for all involved. First off, we’re dedicating the show to the memory of former Drama Club president, Nick Heald, who lost his seven year battle with cancer just this past summer. This has certainly raised the emotional connectivity. Secondly, being one of the first high school troupes to produce this show really provides the opportunity to create a unique vision and tell a story that we feel will really impact audiences. I’ve really enjoyed working on a musical that has strong emotional content that has furthered the growth and range of our theatre students’ acting. This show also incorporates extensive stage combat which has provided new experiences for the students on stage,” said director Betsy Stambach-Fuller.

Featuring Brandon Sarti as Sam Wheat, Allison Hillebrandt as Molly Jensen, Kate Nelson as Oda Mae Brown, and Josh Daley as Carl Bruner. Ghost is written by Bruce Joel Rubin with music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard.

“This show really taught me the importance of living in the moment because you never know if and when it could be ripped away. As an actor, I’ve grown emotionally and really enjoyed exploring the real process involved with stage combat,” said leading man Brandon Sarti.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or online at www.sgfdrama.ticketleap.com.

[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 23^rd 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 16^th 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.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Brad Hipsley, a senior at Saratoga Springs High School, is in the middle of his first varsity ice hockey season as goalie and already has his fourth league shut out.

“My fourth shut out this year happened against Guilderland. It was our first play off game, it’s good to get a playoff game under my belt,” Hipsley explained.

A shut out is when the defense is doing a great job of blocking shots.

“It means I’m making saves, which is a good thing,” Hipsley said.

Even though this is Hipsley’s first year playing varsity, he’s played ice hockey for the majority of his life.

“When I was younger my cousin played ice hockey, he lives in Maine, so whenever I went up there we used to play. He had an ice rink in his backyard and I developed a love for the game and I bugged my parents, I told them I really wanted to play ice hockey and they wanted to make sure it was something that I really wanted to do because the time commitment was a lot, but I finally convinced them,” he said.

Though he loves hockey, baseball has always been his main focus. He will be attending Stonybrook University on Long Island next fall with a baseball scholarship, and potentially majoring in either physical therapy or business.

“I stopped playing hockey around fifth grade and then I picked it back up my freshman year, not with the varsity team but with a club team, and then this year I decided to play again for my senior year,” he explained.

After making the decision to attend Stonybrook University, he decided, after some “badgering” from Coach Torres, that “it would be cool to play hockey again and Coach Torres asked me to play and he kept badgering me and said it’d be fun and I’m really glad I did it,” Hipsley laughed.

Hipsley is excited for his senior baseball season, where he plays shortstop.

“I’m excited, I think we have a lot of good players coming back. A couple good pitchers. I’m friends with Brian Hart, an outfielder, he’s coming back for his senior year, and some other really good players. I think we have a really good shot at winning in the sectional championships and possibly winning at state as well,” he said.

Aside from hockey and baseball, Hipsley is also a member of the National Honor Society and takes accelerated classes.

“I’m taking AP biology right now and AP calculus, so that’s consuming most of my academic energy. Two pretty difficult classes and along with playing sports, it’s tough but I’m managing to do pretty well,” he explained..

Hipsley credits Matt Shamberger as his friendliest competition on the ice.

“We usually compete with each other in practice. He always likes to pull some cool moves and tries to score on me and that’s fun. He’s always pushing me to be better,” he said.

The highlight of Hipsley’s high school playing career though, was his sophomore baseball season.

“I got to play with a bunch of kids that are playing in college right now, like Nick Condo, and some guys are playing Division I baseball now. It’s cool to look up to those guys and see what they do and what works for them,” he said.

“I’d like to thank Coach Torres. I think he’s been a really key part of my success so far and I really think that he was the main reason why I decided to come back,” Hipsley stated.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Stadium Sports Bar hosted former pro basketball player and four-time All Star Latrell Sprewell on Saturday, Feb. 17 during NBA All-Star Weekend. In his 13-year career, Sprewell played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sprewell’s appearance featured autograph opportunities with NBA All-Star Weekend action being aired on Saratoga Stadium’s TV screens in the background.

Sprewell, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, towers over the court at 6’5”. In 1992, he was picked twenty-fourth in round one in the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, where he played shooting guard and small forward. After six years with the Golden State Warriors, Sprewell began playing with the New York Knicks from 1998-2003, ending his career with a two-year stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2003-2005. In his career, Sprewell racked up 16,712 points, 3,664 assists, and 1,294 steals. He is a four-time NBA All-Star (1994, 1995, 1997, 2001), All-NBA First Team (1994), NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1994), and NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1993).

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Each week during the school year, TCT Federal Credit Union salutes local educators and school employees for their outstanding efforts during the year. For the week of Feb. 19, the Teacher of the Week Award was presented to Mrs. Dianne Petteys, Kindergarten Teacher at the Ballard Road Elementary School in the South Glens Falls School District.

“Mrs. Petteys makes sure that every child in her class has exactly what they need to make learning fun and engaging. When you see Mrs. Petteys interacting with her students, you can tell she gives them 100 percent of her attention. She always welcomes her students with open arms and a warm smile. Thank you Mrs. Dianne Petteys, at the Ballard Road Elementary School for all you do,” said the official press release.

The Teacher of the Week is nominated by a fellow school community member who wants to acknowledge their dedication to students and enthusiasm for learning. All school employees including teachers, aides, assistants, administration staff, janitors, nurses, bus drivers, and more are eligible to receive the award. To nominate a special school employee, email teacher@adirondackbroadcasting. com. View past Teachers of the Week at: www.tctfcu.org. Nominations are kept through the school year and one recipient is selected each Monday morning and announced on–air at Adirondack Broadcasting radio stations. The award includes gift certificates to local businesses, a commemorative plaque, flowers and gift bag. Teacher of the Week is sponsored by TCT Federal Credit Union and Adirondack Broadcasting.

[Photo provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Saturday, Feb. 3, Saratoga Springs High School students Isabel Herzog and Veronica Sih competed at the sub-regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Each presented their own original research, and each placed third in their respective categories. Herzog presented research in the field of environmental chemistry and focused on “Optimizing a Paper Microfluidic Device with the Purpose of Measuring Iodide Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater in Natural Water Sources.”

“It was very exciting to win third place, especially considering how accomplished and impressive the other students’ projects were. I could not have done it without my science research teachers, Mr. Robinson  and Ms. Lohnes, and my mentor. I encourage other students to get involved in research, as it is such a unique and amazing experience,” Herzog said.

Sih explained her research, “after reading some articles speculating a possible correlation between eating disorders and Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis when they found a high prevalence of underweight Scoliosis patients, I wanted to verify that hypothesis, and I also thought that perhaps it could be a hint to the unknown cause of Scoliosis; not so much that eating disorders was a cause of scoliosis, but a vitamin, mineral, or specific eating behavior could be linked to scoliosis. Thus, I wanted to find if BMI and psychological wellbeing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis patients are correlated. I gave questionnaires assessing psychological well-being and eating behavior in scoliosis patients and non-scoliotic patients. The scoliotic group came from Albany Medical Center and the control group came from the local school district. I found no correlation between a decreased psychological well-being and BMI, no significant differences in questionnaire scores between patient and control groups, and surprisingly, no underweight scoliotic patients. Even though my null hypothesis was accepted, I still think that it is important that future studies consider the results of my study for some reasons. First, there are many studies expanding on the finding of many underweight AIS patients to continue searching for AIS’s cause, and since my study found no underweight patients, I think those studies who have accepted that AIS is linked with a low weight should consider more carefully the validity and reliability of that finding. Second, my research is one of the only comprehensive studies that used five validated questionnaires in a population of approximately 50 patients and 50 controls.”

Regarding her win, “I wasn’t expecting anything huge, so it was a pleasant surprise. After hearing that the judges mostly just found my presentation skills lacking, however, I feel slightly greedy for more, but now I will definitely practice public speaking more,” Sih said.

[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.

[Photos by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA COUNTY — With eight matches at a time taking place, it can be a little hard to catch up on who pinned who and in what amount of time. On Saturday, Feb. 10, Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Schuylerville, and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, among other local schools, took to the mat. At 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 and 24, NYSPHSAA Division I and Division II Championships will take place, venue TBA.

BALLSTON SPA:
170 - Tyler Barnes pinned Liam Mooney (Colonie), 1:27.
182 – Jake Cooke pinned Dom Nassivera (Queensbury), 1:05.
285 – Jake Stangle dec. Paul Brown (Mohonasen), 3-2.

BURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE:
113 - John DeConno dec. Brennen Rivas (Amsterdam), 3-1.

SCHUYLERVILLE:
126 – Orion Anderson pinned Austin Lints (Schoharie), 1:16.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Madison Duguay, a 17-year-old senior at Saratoga Springs High School, is a triple threat: top-scoring bowler, inspiring feminist, and hard-worker, with two part-time jobs. On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Duguay took top honors at the Suburban Council bowling tournament, ranking the number one female with a score of 699. Duguay has previously made Second and Third Teams in the Suburban Council, but that 699 is the highest she’s ever bowled, finally securing her a spot on First Team. She has been a bowler since she was seven years old, following in her father’s footsteps.

“I started in junior programs and then worked my way up,” she explained.

She has been on the varsity team since the seventh grade.

“I love it. When I first started, all the girls were really welcoming, that’s how I learned to be really nice to the new incoming girls. I try to be as welcoming as possible, I thought it was welcoming when I was little so, hopefully the new girls see it like that,” she explained.

Duguay will not be continuing her bowling career in college at SUNY Cortland, where she will be majoring in Early Childhood Education.

“I’ve always been a volunteer at elementary schools and preschools and I love kids, I’ve been around them my whole life. I find my teachers to be my mentors, so I aspire to be like them,” she said, of her career choice.

While school has always “come easy” for her, she does struggle with math and has overcome that with receiving extra help staying after school. She also works two part-time jobs, at the bowling alley, and Justice, a clothing store.

Duguay states that she would choose Emma Watson to play her in a movie of her life, “because I’m really into feminism so I feel like she would be good for me.”

“I’m always empowering girls and I always find it fun to inspire them. I’ve always followed women in the news and social media, especially Emma Watson. She’s at all the conventions. I love to inspire girls now, so they know what to do later,” she said.

“I’m grateful that bowling has brought me all of this opportunity and all my best friends are on the team so I’m really glad I’ve been able to meet them,” Duguay stated.