Three local high school football players have been selected to play on the Vermont squad in the 60th annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl on Aug. 3 at Dartmouth College's Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H.
Lineman Zachary Tarvit and running back Zachary Rawling will represent Bellows Falls, while quarterback/defensive back Tyler Higley is the lone Brattleboro representative on the Shrine team.
More than 200 graduating high school seniors from New Hampshire and Vermont were nominated by their coaches for the Shrine teams. A screening committee led by the head coaches of the New Hampshire and Vermont teams decide which 36 players make their respective rosters.
The Vermont team will be coached by Burr & Burton's Jason Thomas. Ray Kershaw of Mascoma Valley High School leads the New Hampshire team. The players are to meet with their coaches to review their game plans in Lebanon, N.H., on April 6. Training camp opens July 27 for both teams at Castleton State College.
MVL All-Star teams announced
• The Marble Valley League recently announced its All-Star teams for high school boys'/girls' basketball, Nordic skiing, and wrestling. Local athletes who were chosen are as follows:
Boys' Basketball - A Division First Team: Brattleboro's Chris McAuliffe. A Division Second Team: Brattleboro's Isaac Roach. C Division First Team: Leland & Gray's Mike Bergeron and Drew Barnum. C Division Second Team: Kendrick Mills and Mike Labeau of Bellows Falls; Billy Nupp of Leland & Gray. D Division First Team: Twin Valley's Colin Lozito and Dal Nesbitt.
Girls' Basketball - A Division Second Team: Brattleboro's Kayla Savage. C Division First Team: Ashley Goddard of Leland & Gray, and Abbi Molner of Twin Valley. C Division Second Team: Alex Morrow and Haley Buffum of Leland & Gray; Emily Dufault, Enny Mustapha, and Chelsea Wilder of Bellows Falls.
Wrestling - Coach of the Year: Claude Weyant, Bellows Falls-Hartford. First Team: Patrick Libuda, Nolan Viens, and Kyle Record, BF-Hartford. Second Team: Austin Viens and Steve Cerrone of BF-Hartford.
Nordic skiing - Girls' freestyle and classic: Brattleboro's Halie Lange and Linnea Jahn. Boys' freestyle and classic: Brattleboro's Graham Glennon.
A new tradition at Stratton
• When the U.S. Open packed its bags last year and left Stratton Mountain Resort for a glitzier (and more profitable) home in Vail, Colo., it was a real blow to Vermont snowboarders.
The U.S. Open was more than a gathering of top snowboarders: It was a week-long party where the stars and the aspiring boarders could gather for a good time. So former professional snowboarder Steve Hayes and Stratton Mountain decided that if they couldn't have the big-time competition, they could still have the party and the fun and camaraderie that was the hallmark of the U.S. Open.
The result: the inaugural edition of the Vermont Open, held St. Patrick's Day weekend at Stratton. By creating a rider-focused event that brought together aspiring riders with the legends who once ruled Stratton's halfpipe, they kept alive the spirit of the U.S. Open as it was before it got too big for Stratton.
By all accounts, everyone had a good time and there were enough sponsors to put up $20,000 in prize money. Organizers, already planning for 2014, say they hope the word gets out that a competitive and fun snowboarding experience still exists at Stratton in March.
HCRS, Compass School to host autism awareness event in April
• April is designated Autism Awareness Month in order to highlight the growing incidence of autism. In support of this effort, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS) and The Compass School of Westminster will be hosting a Bowl for Autism event to promote autism awareness in the local communities.
The Bowl for Autism Awareness event will be held on Wednesday, April 10, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road. For more information, call Charmion Lea Handy at 802-463-3532, ext. 1243.
Teams get ready for CRVBL opener
• Last week's snowstorms were a setback, but spring has sprung, and with it the return of the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League (CRVBL).
Opening day is set for Sunday, April 21, and some of the teams have started to work out indoors to prepare for the season. The Landmark College gym in Putney is the training site for the Brattleboro River Rats, with a pitching machine and an indoor batting cage to get rid of the winter rust.
The Rats, led by player-manager Kevin McElhinney, are looking for some new players. CRVBL is a wooden-bat league that plays a 14-game regular season schedule on Sundays from April to August. The minimum age for players is 20; for pitchers, it's 30.
The River Rats play their home games at Dummerston Field. Interested players can write manager McElhinney at kdm59@yahoo.com or apply through the league site at www.CRVBL.org.
Little League gets a boost
• Auto Mall of Brattleboro recently announced it will be supporting the Brattleboro Little League through Chevy Youth Baseball, a national program which provides monetary and equipment donations for local Little League programs.
Auto Mall will join other Chevrolet dealers around the Northeast in providing nearly $600,000 in funds and equipment for 339 youth baseball leagues in the region.
Take a hike with the RFPL
• The Rockingham Free Public Library (RFPL) and the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society will lead a hike to Fall Mountain's Table Rock, leaving from North Walpole Elementary School's parking lot, Sunday, April 7, at 1:30 p.m.
The view of Bellows Falls from Table Rock has been captured for centuries in photographs and paintings. Reproductions of historic photographs and lithographs from the library's collection will be available to compare the historic images to the current view from Table Rock.
The hike is timed for maximum visibility, before the trees grow their leaves back. Spring marks the return of migratory songbirds and turkey vultures to the area, so you can also look forward to bird watching.
To sign up, call the RFPL at 802-463-4270. Participation is at your own risk. The hike is 45 minutes, moderately difficult, and the terrain might be wet/slippery. Participants should dress accordingly and bring water and a snack.
Race for the Reason set for April 20
The annual Race for the Reason at the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro is Saturday, April 20.
Each year, the SIT chapter of Net Impact, an international organization created to introduce and develop social entrepreneurship, select a cause that will receive the proceeds from the race. This year, it's the United Way of Windham County's early learning and school initiatives.
Registration for the 5/10K race and fun run is $20 before April 1; $25 before April 20; and $30 on race day. For more information or to register, visit www.raceforthereason.org.