JAMAICA — The Vipers Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Girls Basketball Program came through a long winter, which saw us having to re-organize the program and essentially start over from the beginning, with many questions to answer.
Any girl who wishes to play, regardless of athletic ability or financial situation, is always welcomed on the Vipers. We currently have just fewer than 100 players on our roster, ranging from fourth grade, through the high-school varsity level. These players hail from throughout southern Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern Massachusetts.
The recently completed season consisted of nine teams, and we competed throughout New England. Our players won several tournament championships along the way, and displayed fine examples of sportsmanship, teamwork, skill, and commitment.
Their efforts were not unnoticed, and the Vipers AAU program thank all the players, along with their families, for all of their hard work and dedication. The future of girls' basketball is very bright at 12 area schools, due to player participation in AAU athletics.
With the recent completion of our basketball season, we must thank many people and businesses (in no particular order) for ensuring the success of our program: Drs. David and Kim Liebow, Drs. Moss and Elizabeth Linder, Jared Flynn, Elizabeth Caitlyn, Chris and Katie Buckley, Mike and Lisa McKenney, Jeff and Heidi Russ, Andy Drummond, Art and Sue Greenbaum, Richards Group Insurance, Lawton Floor Design, Finnell Roofing, Nichols Tree Service, The Elks, C&S Wholesale Grocers, GPI Construction, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, Commonwealth Dairy, and Hotel Pharmacy.
We would be remiss if we did not also offer a huge thank you to John Goodhue and Brightside Design for the awesome job he performed in designing our team logo, as well as the hard work of printing uniforms and practice gear for nearly 100 girls. All the Vipers gear you see worn throughout the area is a testament to the quality of his work.
With around 100 players and nine teams, practice space became a very important aspect of the program. We also thank the following schools and organizations for making space available for practices and our annual tournament: Landmark College, Leland & Gray Union High School, Hinsdale (N.H.) High School, The Putney School, Putney Central School, Dummerston School, Vernon Elementary School, and the Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department/Gibson-Aiken Center.
With this support, the Vipers program is in great shape to take on all new challenges. To learn more about the Vipers, feel free to visit us on the web or on Facebook at Vipers AAU Girls Basketball.