Warning

JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 791

Displaying items by tag: motherhood

Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Rachel Uccellini, 38, kickstarts her mornings jumping into her full riding gear, gathers the kids, makes sure they're fed, dressed, and buckled into the car to shuttle them to morning drop off. Yes, dressed head to toe in her full cycling kit. She’s got about three hours left to scramble back home, hop on her bike and begin her intensive training. After miles are biked throughout town, she jumps off her bike and back into her car to pick up her youngest from pre-school and resume mommy duties. That is an average morning for this dedicated Category two cyclist balancing her passions for the sport and her passion for her family.

"For me, the juggle is looking at my week, and just fitting all of that in, in a way that does not take away from my kids being kids,” said Uccellini, who bikes 200 to 225 miles per week in preparation for her next road races.

Ten years ago, Uccellini purchased her first road bike and would spend her free time biking around town with her fellow cyclist friends. A few years later Uccellini decided, almost on a whim to try her hand at a race in Killington, Vermont and thought, "Oh this is fun, something to train for, not having any idea what racing was like."

With little to no formal training, Uccellini came in second place and thus, her passion for competitive racing was sparked. With help from her husband Tommy, Rachel got connected with local T3 coach Kevin Crossman who aided her in learning the technicalities of competitive cycling.

In the spring of 2016, she began seriously competing and training and noticed early that she had a lot more to learn. From having her bike properly fitted by Steven Fairchild to learning proper gear ratios to shift in and out of, and proper racing etiquette.

"The best way I’ve learned in cycling is in a race,” said Uccellini. “When you make a fatal mistake out there, you're sure to never do it again."

Uccellini is currently coached by Kyle Wolfe, a level one USA cycling coach of Finish Fast Cycling. In a short span of time, Uccellini competed in several races with some wins and some losses. But if you ask Uccellini, she’ll tell you that she’s never truly lost a race.

"I never lose, I learn. Cause honestly, I’ve lost a lot more than I've won. I've had a lot of successes in a short period of time, but I’ve definitely lost. And you have to take away from that situation…so much of bike racing has to do with being smart, not strong," said Uccellini

Labor Day weekend, 2019, the largest professional/ amateur stage race in the region The Green Mountain Stage Race took place, and for Uccellini, it’s her most anticipated race of the year.

“We were to leave Thursday, and my daughter fell off the monkey bars on Wednesday and broke her arm. I spent that entire day in the emergency room with her - I didn't really sleep that night.”

Dedicated to both the wellbeing of her family and her passion to compete, Uccellini fastened both her athlete and mommy helmet. As she had to juggle tending to her injured daughter, wake up early to head to the race, pack activities for her kids, get them packed away in the car, register for the race, pre-ride the course and then get her head in the competition.

With the support of her family and teammates, Uccellini not only tackled the race with all of her drive but came in second place – resulting in her athletic category upgrade to a two. Uccellini has an ambitious goal to make an upgrade to becoming a category one cyclist by the time she’s 40.

"I have these aggressive goals in this aggressive timeline because my children are getting older. My daughters are gonna start having interests...it’s not gonna be summer of Rachel anymore. They're gonna be soccer camps and practice and weekends are gonna be completely dictated by their schedules because I’m not gonna cheat them of that. I realize my daughters are gonna have dreams and passions too."

With two more years, two achieve her new goal Uccellini uses each of her passions to fuel the other.

"This is a hobby at the end of the day. I love it, so much, but you can't lose sight of what's truly important. My husband and my daughters are a big part of what inspires me to do this. So I have to make sure all of that is paid forward."

Published in Sports

SARATOGA SPRINGS –Mother’s Day: a holiday dedicated to celebrating motherhood and the unconditional love (and life) our mothers gave to us. It’s a joy when we are able to spend the day with our mothers, allowing us to show them how much they are cherished and appreciated.

For Joan Hoeft, she feels the Mother’s Day love three-fold. Hoeft, who lives in Woodlawn Commons at the Wesley Community, gets to spend her special day with her daughter, Kris Mikeska, granddaughter, Meg Porto, and great-granddaughter, Lucia, who is just nine-months old.

“It’s a huge blessing,” said Porto, who just became a mom last summer. “Family is everything to us.”

This four generation family is incredibly close and stays busy by spending a lot of time together. Though Mikeska and Porto live further north, they make the drive down to Wesley at least three times a week to visit and do all their favorite things – from enjoying meals together to shopping on Broadway.

“It’s pretty cute when we go out – Mom has her walker and Lucia’s with her stroller,” said Mikeska. “We always have people stop and say how special it is that we’re all together.”

Over the years, Hoeft has taught Mikeska and Porto a lot about what it means to be a mom, handing down traditions and values her own mother taught her.

“My father died when I was just a baby,” said Hoeft. “My mother had to take care of me on her own. It was hard on her. She rented out all of our house but three rooms, which is where we lived.”

Hoeft helped her mom a lot when she was a kid, for example going grocery shopping on her bicycle because they didn’t have a vehicle. Through her mom, Hoesk learned the meaning of hard work and sacrificing for your child.

“They depended on each other,” added Mikeska. “They worked as a team. A mother-daughter team.”

Unlike her mom, Hoeft had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, and Mikeska and Porto followed in her footsteps, making motherhood their full-time career.

“I’ve definitely learned my values from them,” said Mikeska about her mom and her grandmother. “Values like honesty and always being there for each other. Family traditions are huge for us. It’s all about being together.”

Porto feels the same way, knowing that if she has a question about being a new mom, she can always rely on her mom and grandmother for help.

“It’s very reassuring that if I don’t have the answer, one of them will,” said Porto. “From day one, I have always felt so supported. All of their advice is something I truly take to heart. It’s not always spoken either; I’ve learned so much by their example.”

This will be Porto’s first Mother’s Day with her daughter Lucia in the family; it will be a true celebration of a family’s growing legacy.

“Mother’s Day just makes you feel good – it’s a celebration of having children,” said Hoesk, looking lovingly at her great-granddaughter cooing in her granddaughter’s lap. “The most rewarding part is when they keep growing up, then they get married, then they have babies of their own, and you just feel a part of it all. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

Published in News

Blotter

  • Saratoga County Court  Kathleen M. Callanan, 62, of Saratoga Springs, was sentenced to 1 year in local jail, after pleading to felony grand larceny.  Cassandra R. Barden, 38, homeless, was sentenced to 1-1/2 to 3 years incarceration after pleading to felony attempted assault, charged in Milton.  Ashley Vetrano, 35, of Glens Falls, pleaded to felony robbery, charged in Moreau. Sentencing May 23.  Gabrielle Montanye, 63, of Stillwater, was sentenced to 5 years probation, after pleading to felony attempted identity theft, charged in Ballston Spa.  Daniel J. Koenig, III, 53, of Round Lake, was sentenced to 2 to 4 years incarceration, after…

Property Transactions

  • BALLSTON Eastline Holdings LLC sold property at 12 Aspen Dr to Shaun Scott for $596,673 Sunmark Credit Union sold property at 15 17 & 19 Main St to Landmark Holdings 2023 LLC for $240,000 CORINTH Gary ONeil sold property at 115 Hollister Dr to Aaron Schips for $345,000 GREENFIELD Jeffrey Fuller sold property at 4 Lanie Dr to Jacob Brooks for $221,700 Bernice Moeller sold property at 395 North Creek Rd to Devin Vernon for $270,000 MALTA  Maureen Weise sold property at 13 Pepperbush Pl to Robert ONeill for $245,000 MECHANICVILLE Robert Murphy sold property at 406 Park Ave to…
  • NYPA
  • Saratoga County Chamber
  • BBB Accredited Business
  • Discover Saratoga
  • Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association