Items tagged with 'sports'
Checking out the Saratoga Ninja Lab
If you've ever watched the television show American Ninja Warrior and thought "I could do that" -- -- here's your chance.
The show -- on which ultra-fit competitors run through a punishing obstacle course -- has inspired an entirely new type of workout, and now you can try it locally.
A pro soccer team for the Capital Region? Sure, in some form, why not?
FC Cincinnati -- and its big fanbase -- is making the jump from USL to MLS next season. / photo: Flickr user Hayden Schiff (CC BY 2.0)
Every now and then we see the idea of the Albany area getting a pro soccer team pop up during a discussion.
And, yeah, that could be a lot of fun.
Of course, when most people think "pro soccer" for the United States, they think MLS. And that... well, that's not going to happen in the Capital Region anytime soon (if ever).
Here's why, along with some other options for pro soccer that look a lot more likely.
The Albany All Stars Roller Derby opens its home season this weekend
The Albany All Stars Roller Derby 2018 season opens this Saturday, April 28. The All Stars will be back at the Albany Capital Center to take on the Suburbia Roller Derby Suburban Brawl from Yonkers.
Tickets are $12 ahead / $15 day of / kids 10 and under are $5. First whistle is at 7 pm.
Last season was the roller derby's first at the new convention center. It makes use of the big multi-purpose space on the second floor. (The one with the LED ceiling.) There's food, a bar, music, and halftime activities.
The All Stars have seven home games this season -- one a month through October. Season passes start at $75.
Hellions of Troy
The Hellions of Troy started up their new season in March at the Rollarama in Rotterdam. They're next in action at home May 19 against Suburbia Roller Derby. Tickets are $10 ahead / $12 at the door / kids 12 and under are $3.
The NCAA women's basketball regional is at the TU Center later this week
Let's look ahead to the weekend: One of the NCAA women's basketball regionals will be at the TU Center this Saturday and the following Monday. The series of three games will decide one of the teams for the women's tournament final four.
The field of four teams for Albany regional isn't set just yet. Three games this evening (Monday) at other sites will narrow the field. But...
+ There's a very good chance that one of the teams will be undefeated, #1 ranked UConn -- women's college basketball's Death Star just has to find a way to somehow slip past the powerhouse that is Quinnipiac. The Huskies beat St. Francis (PA) in the first round 140-52. Yep, 140-52. Presuming they win Monday night, they'll bring a big crowd to Albany. UConn has won the title 11 times.
+ And the group of four already includes #2 seed South Carolina, which won the title last year.
All-session tickets for the games at the TU Center start at $40 for adults / $20 for kids and seniors. Single-session tickets start at $21 for adults / $12 for kids.
Future years: The TU Center is set to host the women's tournament again in 2019, and the men's tournament in 2020.
Registration is now open for the 2018 Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany
The 5k course map.
This year's Freihofer's Run for Women is June 2 and registration is now open. The entry fee for the 5k is $25 for the first 500 registrants online. The fee increases by $5 increments monthly starting in April leading up to the race.
This is the 40th year for the Freihofer's Run for Women. It draws all sorts of runners, including some high-level competitors seeking the $10,000 first-place prize. Last year more than 3,200 women participated with times that ranged from 15:49 to 1:18:58.
The course for the 5k starts near Albany City Hall, heads up Washington Ave, winds through Washington Park, and then returns back on Washington to finish near the start.
Race day also includes a junior 3k (registration $15) and a free kids run.
Leading up to the race, there's also a training program with beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. It's a 10-week program and it starts in March. Registration for that is $55.
And the name is... Albany Empire
The new arena football team that will be playing at the TU Center officially announced Tuesday evening that it will be calling itself the "Albany Empire."* The team says the name won the public voting with 44 percent.
Name and logo blurbage:
Team Name Manifesto: Power gets more intense as it is confined. A wide river wedged through a tight canyon. Wind forced through a tunnel. Politicians squeezed into a small state capital.[**] Power is why New York is the Empire State. There may be more prominent capitals and bigger cities, there is no better place for Arena Football. If Albany knows anything, it's the X's and O's of a good strategy, and the bloody knuckles of a good fight. We know that a committee of eight is more than enough to get things done and any more than that is just slowing things down. [***] And we know power - where it comes from, how its used, and that it is the ultimate aphrodisiac. [****] The AFL is coming home to Albany. But we aren't just fielding a team. We are BUILDING AN EMPIRE!
The unique Empire logo features the team's official colors, a fiery reddish orange, dark navy blue and grey accents. The logo encapsulates strength, versatility and boldness, with an attractive display of the Empire battle mask and shield, as well as a football. Designed by The Martin Group--an award-winning Upstate New York branding and integrated communications firm, with existing clients such as New Era Cap and Under Armour--the bold, yet attractive design conveys the inherent power of both the team, the sport and city it now represents.
The Albany Empire joins just three other teams that currently make up the active participants in the AFL: Philadelphia Soul, Baltimore Brigade, and Washington Valor. The Tampa Bay team announced in December it was ceasing operations. And the Cleveland team is sitting out the next two seasons to catch its breath, hydrate, and eat some orange slices.
Albany's new team opens its season April 14 at the TU Center against Philadelphia. Season tickets are currently on sale, with single-game tickets still to come.
The new-again Albany Patroons open their home season this weekend
The resurrected Albany Patroons open their home schedule at the Washington Ave Armory this Saturday. The Patroons face the Rochester Razorsharks at 7:05 pm. Tickets are $10-$30 and available online.
The new-again Pats are playing in the new North American Premier Basketball, an 8-team pro league that's a bit of throwback to the old the CBA (Yakima Sun Kings!) in which the Patroons had their heyday in the 80s and 90s.
And the Albany roster includes a few players you might recognize, including former Siena star Edwin Ubiles and former NBA player Smush Parker. And the coach/general manager is Derrick Rowland, the all-time leading scorer in Patroons history.
The Patroons and Razorsharks opened the league December 31 in Rocester, a 110-92 Albany win in which Ubiles had 24 points.
The Armory seats about 2,500 people for a basketball game, so there's basically not a bad seat in the house. And if the games can draw decent-sized crowds, the atmosphere could be fun. The season runs through April, with playoffs in May.
Earlier:
+ The Albany Patroons are making a comeback
+ What's up with the Washington Ave Armory
Arena football is returning to Albany
It's now official: Albany is getting an Arena Football League team. Again.
The ownership group for the team publicly announced the new, un-named team Tuesday morning. It will start play in the spring of 2018.
The team's ownership group includes Times Union publisher George Hearst III, Dan Nolan, and Ed Swyer. And it's partnering with the league's Philadelphia team. The teams will share top level management, and there will also be local management here in Albany.
And the name? Press release blurbage:
The name of the team has yet to be selected. Fans can go to AlbanyAFL.com and submit a team name suggestion. Final choices will be selected and made available for fan vote. The winning name will be announced after the voting period. The person that submitted the team name that was ultimately selected will receive a special team prize pack.
(Paul's voting for "The Albany Steamed Hams.")
This will be the AFL's second go-around in Albany.
The Albany Patroons are making a comeback
A new version of the Albany Patroons is set to play in a new professional basketball league next year in their old venue, the Washington Ave Armory.
Here are a few details about what's coming up...
Rock climbing at The Edge
A part of the bouldering section at The Edge.
Rock climbing might have once had the reputation as a sport reserved for the young, fearless, living-in-a-van-while-touring-the-country crowd. But in recent years, the explosion of rock gyms around the nation has made the sport more popular and accessible for everyone.
And for the first time, rock climbing will be included in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, which will likely make it more popular than ever.
Even if you don't have Olympic dreams in your future, there are a few places around the Capital Region you can try it for yourself. This time of year, when the snow is melting but the grass isn't quite green yet, visiting a climbing gym is a great way to beat the spring blues, get a challenging workout in -- and have some fun.
Albany All Stars Roller Derby has a new home
At the Albany Capital Center ribbon cutting, there was a full-size basketball court set up in the center's big multi-purpose space to show off both the size of the room and its ability to host sporting facilities.
Updated Thursday morning.
The Albany All Stars Roller Derby launches into its 10th season April 15 -- at.a new home.
The All Stars are moving to the new Albany Capital Center.
"It's a huge, beautiful space and we're very excited," said Kimberly Eisen, AKA "Dottie Damage."
A night match on the pitch
The other kind of football.
The local college sports that tend to get the most attention in the Capital Region are basketball and hockey. And that's understandable -- the local teams usually do well in their conferences, and sometimes make a bigger, national splash.
But the calendar's full of other sporting events. For example: Tuesday night UAlbany's men's soccer team took on Syracuse at (the relatively new and very nice) Casey Stadium. We'd never caught a soccer game there, so we dropped in.
It was a lot of fun! Tickets were just $7 -- if you get there a few minutes early you can snag one of the seats with a chair back. Parking was free, easy, and close. There was even a good-sized crowd (1,000+).
And UAlbany won 2-1, pulling off the upset against #3 Syracuse, thanks to a few opportunistic goals and some gritty goalkeeping.
Not bad for a Tuesday night.
Golf lessons for adults?
Fred emails:
I'm trying to find some golf lessons in the Capitol Region, but haven't had much luck as far as suggestions. I know that every course has a pro who will (usually) give lessons, but I'd like to hear some recommendations. I'm not looking to become the next Tiger Woods here, just want to get myself playing at a level where I'm not embarrassing myself. I'm possibly looking for a place with indoor facilities, so I can brush up over the winter. And, I know this isn't a cheap sport, but I'd also like to avoid a huge price tag, if possible.
As Fred noted in his message, we had a similar questions a few years back about finding golf lessons for kids. As he wrote, "hoping that you would have some insight for us big kids."
We've been kind of curious about these indoors places, too, if only because they might be something to do during the winter that gets you up and moving.
So, got a suggestion for Fred? Please share!
Capital District Roller Derby Showdown
Check it out: The Albany All Stars and The Hellions of Troy will be facing off at the TU Center on June 4. It's the first time the two local roller derby orgs will go at it against each other on the track.
There is, of course, some history here. Back in 2008 the Albany All Stars Roller Derby had its first official bout at the Washington Ave Armory. And it was successful, drawing thousands of people. But later that year there was a derby schism and the Hellions of Troy broke off into their own org. Since then the two derby orgs have been operating in parallel here.
Both groups are now part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, and they're separated by a just a handful of spots in the WFTDA rankings.
The bout at the TU Center will be a home game for the All Stars.
Doors open at 6 pm, the first whistle is at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 / $5 for kids 12 and under.
There will be music from Diva & the Dirty Boys, along with activities and a raffle. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Food Pantries of the Capital District. A non-perishable food item will get you entered in a drawing for a prize.
Shattered
Well that escalated quickly... pic.twitter.com/vMlhFBYmzn
— AHL (@TheAHL) May 11, 2016
Check out the short clip above from Tuesday night's Albany Devils playoff game against the Toronto Marlies at the TU Center. Yep, Albany's Ben Thomson shattered the glass on the penalty box with a hit. [TU+]
The Devils lost the game 7-2. And the series is now tied 2-2. [Daily Gazette]
Game 5 of the Calder Cup playoff series is Thursday night at the TU Center at 7 pm.
There's an Albany Patroons documentary in the works, and it looks like it could be good
Via Chuck comes word that there's a documentary in the works about the old Albany Patroons professional basketball team. It's being produced by the Upside Collective, which is based here in Albany. Blurbage:
As the premiere franchise in the Continental Basketball Association from 1982 to 1992, the Albany Patroons left an indelible mark on the city of Albany, the CBA and the NBA. From elite coaches like Phil Jackson, Bill Mussleman and George Karl to standout players like Michael Ray Richardson, Mario Ellie, Tony Campbell, Sidney Lowe, Rick Carlisle and Scott Brooks, the Patroons' legacy continues to shape the world of professional basketball. We are working to bring you the untold story of the Patroons' quick rise, championship success and ultimate downfall. Beyond the franchise's ups and downs, the stories of the individuals involved, from fans, to executives to coaches and players are implausible, hilarious and inspiring.
The site linked above includes some clips of interviews with Phil Jackson, George Karl, Rick Carlisle, and others. The clip embedded above is from an interview with former player Derrick Rowland about coach Bill Musselman -- it's a funny story (and the editing in the clip is really good).
The documentary is scheduled to debut in 2017, according to the website. The producers of the doc are looking for old video, photos, memorabilia, and other stuff like that. Contact info is at the project website.
Dodge, dip, dive, duck, and... dodge
These could be fun... or prompt uncomfortable grade school flashbacks:
Kearney Cup Dodgeball Tournament
The annual Kearney Cup Dodgeball Tournament will be at Siena April 17. The tournament is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany.
Registration for a ten-member team is $500. (There's also an option to register as an individual for $50.) The deadline to register is April 11.
That first link above includes photos from last year's tournament.
Corporate Challenge Dodgeball
The Empire State Sports Council has organized a new tournament -- The Corporate Challenge Dodgeball -- at the Schenectady Armory April 15-16. Registration is $150 for adult teams, $60 for youth and scholastic teams. The registration deadline is April 1 (there's a $25 late fee after that, and there's no day-of registration).
The tournament will include round-robin match-ups in each division, with seeded, single-elimination championship round.
Admission to watch the tournament is $3 per day, $5 per weekend, $1 per day for students, kids 10 and under are free.
photo: Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany
Syracuse is in the Final Four. That is completely bonkers.
No shoe, no problem. Tyler Lydon shoots his shot anyway #MarchMadness https://t.co/GNNL3vIjdF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 27, 2016
Hit a three-pointer while only wearing one shoe? Sure, of course, why not.
As you've probably heard, the Syracuse men's basketball team punched its ticket to the Final Four with a win over Virginia Sunday night. And there was much rejoicing throughout Upstate New York.
But if you don't follow college basketball, it might not be clear the levels of bonkers this string of Orange tournament victories has been. (Hint: totally, completely, unbelievably bonkers.)
Let us quickly run through some of the ways.
UAlbany women get NCAA matchup
The brackets for the NCAA women's basketball tournament are out and UAlbany has its matchup: The #12 seed Great Danes will face #5 seed Florida Gators at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse Friday at noon. The game will be on ESPN2 (and also available via WatchESPN).
As the seeding indicates, a Great Danes win would be an upset. But it might not be that surprising. UAlbany was very competitive in games against big schools such as Tennessee (a #7 seed in this year's tournament). And in last year's NCAA tournament the Great Danes almost pulled the upset against Duke.
UAlbany has been on a remarkable streak of success in recent years. This will be its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The Great Danes have one of the Capital Region's all-time great college basketball players -- senior forward Shereesha Richards has now scored 2,403 career points (best all time at UAlbany) and is the three-time conference player of the year; she had three straight games of 30+ points in the America East tournament.
AOA NCAA Tournament Pool V
In true franchise fashion, the AOA NCAA Tournament Pool is returning for a fifth installment. And again the prize is a $25 gift card to Stewart's. Because the only thing better than delighting in the knowledge you lucked out in picking Directional State University in an upset is doing so while eating ice cream.
The AOA pool is set up at Yahoo. This link should take you to the sign up page for the pool. The password is "greatdanes" (no quotes). If you already have a bracket set up at Yahoo, you should be able to add it to the AOA pool with just a few clicks. (Or, if made up a bracket for the AOA group, you can add it to other groups.)
The deadline to complete your bracket is 12:15 pm this Thursday. The "first four" games Tuesday night aren't included.
As we did last year, we'll post the winning bracket and the top-10 finishers here at AOA. The reigning champion in the AOA pool is Jenna. (Thank you, again, Jenna for your patience on getting you the prize.)
Important: The winner will be determined by Yahoo's tournament pick 'em system. In the event two (or more) people tie for the win, we'll randomly draw the winner from the top finishers. The winner will be notified via email by 5 pm the day after the championship game and must respond by 5 pm the next day. We'll contact you through the Yahoo system, so please be sure to designate an email address that you actually check.
Tournament teams
UAlbany women
The UAlbany women find out Monday night who they're playing in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse
By some sort of miracle, the Syracuse men's basketball team got picked for this year's NCAA tournament. The #10 seed Orange play #7 seed Dayton in the Midwest bracket on Friday at 12:15 pm on CBS.
Siena men and UAlbany men
The Siena men and UAlbany men are playing in the College Basketball Invitational. (It's the post-season tournament Siena won in 2014.) Siena plays Morehead State this Tuesday at 7 pm at the TU Center. UAlbany travels to Ohio University for a game Wednesday at 7 pm.
So, Shereesha Richards is pretty good
In case you haven't been paying attention:
+ UAlbany senior Shereesha Richards is averaging 24.4 points per game, a rate that ranks third in the nation in women's Division 1 college basketball.
+ Richards is putting up those points while shooting 59 percent from the field, good for 17th in the nation. (We'd love to know what her offensive rating is. Why is there no KenPom for women's college basketball?!)
+ While making all those buckets, Richards is averaging more than 8 rebounds per game (including almost 3 offensive rebounds per game).
+ Richards was named the America East women's basketball player of the week this week. That's the third time she's gotten the honor this season. And the 18th time in her career (a conference record).
+ In the Great Danes' last game -- a 74-70 win over Yale last Wednesday -- Richards had 31 points (on 13-19 shooting from the field) and 12 rebounds. It was the 11th time she's put 30 or more in a game during her career.
The Great Danes women's basketball team -- four-time consecutive conference champion, and 9-3 this year so far -- starts America East play at UMBC this Wednesday. Then they're back home at SEFCU Arena against Vermont this Saturday at 2 pm. Tickets start at just $5 to see one of the best college basketball players in the nation.
Albany All Stars Roller Derby opens 2016 season this weekend
The Albany All Stars Roller Derby opens its new season this Saturday, January 9 at The Armory on Washington Ave in Albany.
The Brawl Stars will be taking on the Battle Cats of the Southshire Roller Derby. There will be music from DJ Trumastr and halftime activities. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Orange Street Cats.
The first whistle Saturday is 7 pm. Tickets are $10 ahead / $12 at the door / $4 for kids 12 and under.
The All Stars have home bouts scheduled just about once month from now through June. And if you're interested in joining the derby, there's an info/recruitment night Wednesday, January 13 at 6:30 pm at The Armory.
Earlier on AOA: How to behave (or not) at a roller derby bout
UAlbany and Siena open college basketball season with marquee opponents
The college hoops season tips off today, and both the UAlbany and Siena men's teams are starting off with marquee opponents.
UAlbany men's team
The Great Danes are in Lexington to take on #2 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Peter Hooley -- who hit the game-winning shot to send UAlbany back to the NCAA tournament last year -- returns for the Great Danes this season. The game versus Kentucky is at 7 pm Friday and is on the SEC Network (TWC 384) and ESPN3 (which you can watch online via Watch ESPN or via something like Chromecast).
Siena men's team
The Saints are in North Carolina to take on #5 Duke -- last season's national champ -- at Cameroon Indoor Stadium, one of the most famous college basketball arenas. Siena returns a bunch of players from last year's team (including a few key contributor who were out injured). The game against Duke is at 7 pm and is on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN site/app.
Oh, and Siena's next game? It's at #17 Wisconsin -- last year's national runner-up -- on Sunday.
UAlbany women's team
Don't sleep on the UAlbany women's basketball team! The Great Danes have been to the NCAA tournament the last four season. They have conference player of the year Shereesha Richards back, and they were picked to win the America East again. They open their new season this Sunday at SEFCU Arena versus Pepperdine. Tip time is 1 pm.
Siena women's team
The Siena women's team opens its new season Friday night with a game at St. Bonaventure. And then they're at home this Sunday vs. Northeastern. Tip time on campus is 2 pm.
The New York State AG's attempt to tackle daily fantasy (and the state's complicated relationship with gambling)
If you had Eric Schneiderman starting in your state attorney general attention fantasy league this week, you're rolling up a lot points.
New York State's AG caused a big splash yesterday when his office sent cease and desist letters to the two biggest daily fantasy sports companies ordering them to stop operating in the state because his office had concluded they're "illegal gambling" operations. A clip from the press release:
"Our investigation has found that, unlike traditional fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports companies are engaged in illegal gambling under New York law, causing the same kinds of social and economic harms as other forms of illegal gambling, and misleading New York consumers," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "Daily fantasy sports is neither victimless nor harmless, and it is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multi-billion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country. Today we have sent a clear message: not in New York, and not on my watch."
If you're thinking "Daily fantasy what?" or "Billions of dollars?" right now, this New York Times article includes a lot of background.
Fantasy sports was already immensely popular. And it's changed the way a lot of people view sports -- following individual players and performances rather than teams. You could argue the games have, in a way, just become number generators for the fantasy games.
It's curling season again
The Schenectady Curling Club
Autumn has arrived and that means that curling season is near.
Curling? Yeah, curling. You know, that sport in which people slide stones down a sheet ice while other people furiously sweep the path of the stone with brooms. It's an Olympic sport -- and a wintertime way to get together with other people.
The Capital Region has two curling clubs, the Albany Curling Club (which is in Guilderland) and Schenectady Curling Club (which is in Niskayuna).
If you're curl curious, the Albany Curling Club has a free open house at its facility off Schoolhouse Road this Saturday (October 10, 10 am-4 pm) and Sunday (October 11, noon-4 pm). You'll have a chance to try out curling (bring clean sneakers so you can go on the ice) and check out the place.
The Schenectady Curling Club's fall open house was last weekend (we dropped the stone on that). But its offering beginners' curling classes tonight (October 7) and Friday (October 9) that are open to anyone for $15 each night. (The cost of the classes is deductible from your membership fee should you decide to join the club.)
So what's a curling club like? Casey wrote about visiting the Schenectady Curling Club a few years back: "Overall, going to the curling match was... relaxing. I like the idea of a sport that is tight-knit, informal (in some leagues), and friendly. The players laugh, joke around and, sometimes, drink a beer while they're playing (though only from cans, glass isn't allowed on the ice)."
And here's Jess writing about her experience trying out curling at the ACC.
By the way: Curling has some great vocabulary -- bonspiel, kizzle kazzle, keen ice, and so on.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?