Decathlon is not an event that Vermont's high school track and field athletes do during the spring season. But after the state and New England meets are in the books, they get a chance to try it at the annual Jerry Jasinski Vermont State Decathlon Championships.
The 45th edition was held June 14 and 15 at Burlington High School and several local athletes were there.
The top local finisher was ninth-grader Tela Harty of Bellows Falls, who finished 23rd overall in the girls' competition. Her finish may not sound that impressive, until you consider that she was trying four of the 10 events for the first time in competition.
Harty, BF's lone representative, was runner-up in the girls' discus, with a throw of 77 feet, 2 inches. She finished fourth in the javelin, eighth in the shot put, tied for 11th in the high jump, and was 19th in the 100 meter hurdles, 26th in the long jump, 30th in the pole vault, 31st in the 100 meter dash, 32nd in the 400 meters, and 41st in the 1,500 meter run.
Leland & Gray's Kate Petty and Emma O'Brien wound up 45th and 46th overall, respectively, with teammate Raena Sanderson finishing 54th. O'Brien tied for 13th in the pole vault.
Quincy Massey-Bierman of Burlington was the overall winner, with Emma Briggs of Fair Haven finishing second and Isabella Bostic of St. Johnsbury finishing third.
In the boys competition, Leland & Gray's Trevor Stillwagon finished 32nd overall, highlighted by a 14th place finish in the long jump on Day 1. Teammates Hunter Fillion came in 44th, with a 13th in the shot put on Day 1, and Peter Broussard was 67th.
Wyatt Lamell of Essex was the overall winner, with Owen Abrahamsen of Windsor finishing second and Maliek Everett of Mount Mansfield in third.
SVL selects its spring All-Stars
• The Southern Vermont League announced its All-Star teams last week, as well as honoring the top coaches in baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, and track and field.
Brattleboro Chris Groeger was named SVL A Division Coach of the Year in baseball after leading his squad to the Division I state championship game. Brattleboro's Kelly Markol and Twin Valley's Joni Sullivan earned Coach of the Year honors in A Division and D Division softball, respectively.
The local student-athletes named to All-Star teams are as follows:
A Division Baseball First Team: Jack Pattison and Zinabu McNeice (Brattleboro).
C Division Baseball First Team: Elliott Graham, Ethan Kelly, and Jamison Nystrom (Bellows Falls); Dylan Greenwood and Kristian Pierson (Leland & Gray).
A Division Softball First Team: Alexa Kinley, Leah Madore, and Natalie Hendricks (Brattleboro).
C Division Softball First Team: Emma Graham and Taryn Darrell (Bellows Falls), Ansley Henderson and Hannah Landers (Leland & Gray).
Boys' Track - First Team: Magnus von Krusenstiern (Brattleboro); Jack Burke, Harrison Gleim, Tylar Stanley, Luke Parker-Jennings, Elijah Ghia, and Owen LaRoss (Bellows Falls); Hunter Fillion (Leland & Gray), and Lucky Lucchesi (Twin Valley). Honorable Mention: Liam Towle (Leland & Gray) and Robert Mola (Twin Valley).
Girls' Track - First Team: Alina Secrest, Genevieve Redmond, Ava Whitney, and Sylvie Normandeau (Brattleboro); Maya Waryas, Stephanie Ager, and Breanna Stockman (Bellows Falls); and Emma O'Brien (Leland & Gray). Honorable Mention: Kate Petty (Leland & Gray).
A Division Girls' Lacrosse First Team: Juliana Miskovich and Brianna Paul (Brattleboro).
A Division Girls' Tennis - First Team: Ariana Wunderle and Haley McAllister (Bellows Falls). Second Team: Anya Taylor (Bellows Falls), and Lydia Hazzard Leal and Cearra O'Hern (Brattleboro).
A Division Boys' Tennis - First Team: Nathan Kim, Ben Luna, and Will Taggard (Brattleboro). Second Teamers: Ty Smith and Mason Foard (Brattleboro).
Post 5 loses season opener
• Brattleboro Post 5 opened the American Legion Baseball season on June 17 with a 13-11 loss to Bennington Post 13.
Jack Pattison, Turner Clews, and Andrew Peloso all had two hits for Post 5, while Chris Frost, Alex Bingham, and Aidan Davis added one hit each.
This was a game for the hitters as both teams piled up the runs. Brandon Weeks was the losing pitcher for Brattleboro. He gave up nine hits over two innings, including a three-run homer to Bennington's Jake Sparks.
Post 5's Alex Kendall took over in the third inning, but Post 13 kept on hitting as they took a 11-4 lead heading into the fourth inning. Brattleboro rallied for a pair of runs in the fourth, but Bennington responded runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a seven-run lead in the seventh inning.
Brattleboro then staged one last rally that fell just short. Two walks, an error, and a two-run double by Alex Bingham cut the lead to 13-11 with the tying run coming to bat with just one out. Post 13's starting pitcher, Josh Colegrove, was lifted for Sparks, who got the final two outs to end a wild opening night.
Youth Services golf tournament set for July 28
• In another sign that the pandemic is over in Vermont, Youth Services is set to hold its annual golf tournament at Brattleboro Country Club on Wednesday, July 28, presented by GS Precision and NorthStar.
Now celebrating its 49th year helping local families thrive, Youth Services promotes the healthy development of nearly 1,500 local youth and families each year, in addition to restorative justice programs serving both youth and adults offenders.
This is the 36th year that Youth Services has organized this tournament to support the safety net for youth in our community, making it the longest-running charity tournament in the area. Youth Services' Pacesetter Sponsors, who underwrite all events in 2021, are Brattleboro Subaru, Headwater Precision and The Richards Group.
Registration opens at 11 a.m. and there will be free gourmet bag lunches. The shotgun start for the Scrambles format tournament will take place at noon. Following the tournament, there will be the Helicopter Golf Ball Drop and the banquet on site at the Country Club's Italian Restaurant Bella Notte, with indoor and outdoor seating.
If you just want to have dinner and not play in the tournament, you can reserve a banquet seat for $35 per person.
The tournament's Hole-In-One Contest prizes include a 2021 Subaru Impreza, a 60-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV, a $500 Visa Gift Card, and Callaway Irons. Prizes will also be awarded for low gross and low net game scores, as well as for the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin and Closest to the Line for both men and women.
Mulligans also will be on sale, and the traditional putting contest will take place during the tournament. A raffle of themed gift baskets and a silent auction will take place during the banquet. All proceeds from the tournament, which annually nets close to $20,000, will help support Youth Services' programs.
The all-inclusive registration fee for the tournament is $145 per individual or $580 per foursome. The fee covers greens fees and cart, a bag lunch and the banquet. Registration encouraged online at www.youthservicesinc.org/golf. Tournament participants must provide their handicap or average game score. For more information, call Youth Services at 802-257-0361.
Bike ride supports Boys & Girls Club
• Cyclists of all abilities can register for the 12th annual Going the Distance Bike Ride fundraiser happening on Sept. 18. This event benefits all free and subsidized programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro.
Organizers says Going the Distance is “a ride, not a race.” Participants can choose from 40, 60 or 100-mile rides, fully supported with rest stops, delicious foods, and support vans. The popular century ride is fully supported and loops from Brattleboro to Northampton, Mass. If you need the flexibility of a virtual ride, you can do that too.
All routes begin at the Club on Flat Street in Brattleboro, then travel through scenic areas of Vermont and Massachusetts along the picturesque Connecticut River. Rest areas will provide a lunch from the Marina Restaurant. At the finish line, bikers are greeted with a celebratory meal and drinks at the Club.
The Boys & Girls Club has provided crucial in-person programming for youth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will offer a robust offering of summer camps for all ages.
“Board members and staff remain committed to serving youth suffering from a year in isolation, Board Chair Lisa Ford said in a news release. “This fundraising event typically raises $50,000 and, this year, we need it to raise more.”
Ford said all money raised will support unique aspects of our programming, including their indoor skatepark, a professional performance space, a computer lab and outdoor after-school programming at Retreat Farm.
Riders and teams are asked to join the event's fundraising page and help solicit sponsors for their ride. Each cyclist sets their own fundraising goal. Top fundraisers will receive a specially designed bike jersey. For more information regarding registration, sponsorship, or donations, contact Renee Woliver at 802-254-5990 or email [email protected].
Senior bowling roundup
• In Week 8 of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League on June 17 at Brattleboro Bowl, the lead is widening between first place Team 2 and the rest of the league. Team 2 remains in first place (29-11), five games ahead of second place Team 6 (24-16). Team 3 is now in third place (23-17), followed by Team 7 (21-19), Team 5 (18-22), Team 4 (16-24), and Team 1 (14-26).
Carole Frizzell had the women's high handicap game (252), while Pat Bentrup had the high handicap series (673). Marty Adams had the men's high handicap game (265) and series (643). Team 2 had the high team handicap game (911), while Team 6 had the high team handicap series (2,472).
In scratch scoring, Chuck Adams led the men with a 564 series that featured a 243 games, while Marty Adams had a 226 game as part of his 526 series. Wayne Randall had a 185 game as part of his 516 series, and Pete Cross had a 180 game.
Frizzell had a high scratch series of 488 to lead the women, while her 200 game was the women's high scratch score. Carol Gloskie rolled a 186, Shirley Aiken had a 172, and Frizzell also had a 171 game.