-With the end of the fall high school sports season in Vermont come the accolades for the student-athletes. The Southern Vermont League (SVL) announced its all-opponent selections earlier this month, and our four local schools were well-represented.
• In boys' soccer, Brattleboro midfielders Charlie Kinnersley, Jackson Pals, and Orion Masterson were all first team selections in the A Division. Midfielders Eason DeMarscico and Teo Ogden, defensive back Benjamin Bibimba, forward Gordon Kalill, and goalkeeper Sam Bogart earned honorable mention.
Green Mountain's Andrei Solzhenitsyn, who scored the game-winning goal in the Division III state championship game, and teammates Tanner Swisher, Max Peebles, Evan Kirdzik and Derek Hodgdon all made the C Division first team. Also on the first team were Leland & Gray's Cody Hescock and Spencer Clausen; Twin Valley's Steve Oyer, Brayden Brown, and Chris Eckert; and Malik Gordon of Bellows Falls.
Earning honorable mention were Leland & Gray's Ethan Clark, Logan Plimpton and Kenrick Ewing; Twin Valley's Niko Gerding and Carson McHale; Green Mountain's Theo Schilling, Wyatt Koch, and Raz Backlund; and Tristan Boylan of Bellows Falls.
• In girls' soccer, Brattleboro forward Reese Croutworst and defensive back Sadie Cheslawski were A Division first team selections, with midfielders Kylee Mager, Sophia Albright, and Cynthia Velazquez, and defensive back Myah Waite all earning honorable mention.
Selected to the C Division first team were Leland & Gray's Avery Hiner, Samantha Morse and Abigail Emerson; Green Mountain's Linsey Miles and Kyra Burbela; and Laura Kamel of Bellows Falls. Leland & Gray's Annabelle Brookes, Sierra Berrie, and Rihanna Dryden; Aubrey Maxfield and Abby Nystrom of Bellows Falls; and Green Mountain's Autumn Fales, Donnia Blagrove and Lexi Martin all received honorable mention.
After one of their best showings in years, Twin Valley's Taryn Lawrence was named Coach of the Year in the D Division. Three of her players - Bianca Place, Alanna Bevilacqua, and Leann Crafts - were first team selections and Alejandra Bevilacqua, Scarlett Cimino, Taylor Smart, and Ella Martinez all received honorable mention.
• In field hockey, Division I semi-finalist Bellows Falls was well-represented as Emma Bazin, Veronica Moore, and Nola Sciacca were A Division first team selections, with teammates Hadley Gleim, Brooke Parker and Izzy Stoodley receiving honorable mention. Their coach, Bethany Coursen, was named A Division Coach of the Year.
Brattleboro's Jasmine Thibault, Emily LaClair, and Ericka Fletcher were B Division first team selections, with teammate Elina Young receiving honorable mention.
• In cross-country, Brattleboro's Nico Conathan-Leach and Willow Sharma were both named to the boys' A Division first team, with Division III state champion Desi Broadley of Bellows Falls selected to the girls' A Division first team.
Brattleboro Turkey Trot is Nov. 28
• The Red Clover Rovers' tradition of what the running club calls "celebrating moving in the fresh air and joining together as an active community" on Thanksgiving morning, continues Nov. 28 with the annual Brattleboro Turkey Trot.
This 3-mile race (with a 1-mile kids' race beforehand) has been run annually since 1977 as what the Rovers call their "gift to Brattleboro-area runners."
The race starts and ends near the Brattleboro Country Club on Upper Dummerston Road. The event is 100% volunteer-run and donation-funded, so there is no race-day registration. As usual, there's no entry fee, but you must register to get a bib and be timed. Participants are asked to register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at runsignup.com/Race/Register/?raceId=27373&eventId=910409.
Once again, the Rovers are asking participants to consider making a donation. After expenses, proceeds will go to Groundworks Collaborative and the Vermont Foodbank.
Check-in and bib number pickup is Thanksgiving morning from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Participants are asked to be on time to check in, as they sometimes have more than 300 participants, so give yourself a few extra minutes to navigate the busy Country Club parking lot.
Don't forget to dress appropriately; it can get pretty cold on a late-November morning in Vermont. Strollers are welcome; no dogs please. The road will be open, so runners/walkers need to keep to the left and be aware of traffic. If there are questions, contact race director Jennifer Smith at lovebugisthebest@msn.com.
Registration open for Skating 'FUN'damentals
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department is accepting applications for a second session of Skating 'FUN'damentals for anyone 5 years old and older at Withington Rink starting on Jan. 7.
Classes last one hour and will be held weekly on Tuesdays, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., through Feb. 25. Stacey Chickering, Suzanne McCaughtry, and Megan Pratt will be the instructors. The cost is $126 for Brattleboro residents and $141 for nonresidents. Skate rentals are available for $3, and participants should wear gloves, a hat, and warm clothes.
For all programs, events, facility information, and more, visit brattleboro.gov and click on the "Departments" tab. A new drop-down menu will appear that will take you to the Recreation & Parks site. If there are special needs required for these programs, let them know five days in advance by calling 802-254-5808.
Brooks Library offers free passes for Withington Rink
• This winter, Brooks Memorial Library will have ice skating vouchers available for the Nelson Withington Skating Facility in Living Memorial Park.
This pass entitles library patrons to two free ice skating vouchers with free skate rental valid anytime during the winter of 2024-25.
The skating facility is open now through Sunday, March 9. For public skating hours and more information, visit the Recreation & Parks website at brattleboro.gov.
Reserve your vouchers online at brookslibraryvt.org. This pass is generously sponsored by the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 11 of the fall/winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on Nov. 14 saw Number 3 (40-15) remain in first place, followed by Slo Movers (35-20), Spare Change (33-22), Lucky Strikes (30-25), Candi Men and Pin Heads (both 27-28), Wunderkind (25.5-29.5), Ricks Picks (21.5-33.5), Jerry's Team (20-35), and Aging Teens (16-39).
Roberta Parsons had the women's high handicap game (248) and series (669). Chuck Adams had the men's high handicap game (255) and Wayne Randall had the high handicap series (703). Jerry's Team had the high team handicap game (892) and series (2,518).
Chuck Adams had the men's high scratch series (676) with games of 259 and 247, while Rich Pietro had a 582 series with games of 210 and 195 and Kevin Napaver had a 562 series with games of 200 and 183. Wayne Randall had a 553 series with games of 203 and 181, Marty Adams had a 535 series with games of 200 and 180, Milt Sherman had a 541 series with a 204 game, Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 531 series with a 201 game, Peter Deyo had a 520 series with a 202 game, and Mike Pavlovich had a 511 series with a 187 game. Notable games included John Laamanen (189), Robert Rigby (181), and Stan Kolpa (180).
Carol Gloski had the women's high scratch series (448), with games of 166 and 151. Parsons had a 158 game and Diane Cooke had a 154 game.
• In Week 10 action on Nov. 7, Candida Wall had the women's high handicap game (265) and Doris Lake had the high handicap series (672). Chuck Adams had the men's high handicap game (267) and series (677). Pin Heads had the high team handicap game (871) and Slo Movers had the high handicap series (2,462).
Chuck Adams had the men's high scratch series (677) with games of 267, 224, and 186, while Napaver had a 631 series with games of 226. 203, and 200. Rigby had a 611 series with games of 224, 202, and 185, Marty Adams had a 578 series with a 191 game, Corriveau had a 545 series with games of 189 and 188, Gary Montgomery had a 529 series, Deyo had a 522 series with a 212 game, Pavlovich had a 516 series with a 205 game, and Sherman had a 506 series with a 200 game. Laamanen had a 182 game.
Nancy Dalzell had the women's high scratch series (457) and game (172). Gloski had a 168 game and Wall rolled a 167.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at news@commonsnews.org.
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.