MCLA Athletics to celebrate 2023 National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Today MCLA will host a celebration for National Girls and Women in Sports Day. There will be a pickleball clinic and tournament for women from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the James T. Amsler Campus Center Gym and a sports clinic for girls in grades three to eight with softball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and volleyball being offered from 12-4 p.m. in the James T. Amsler Campus Center Gym.
Advanced registration and payment are required online at athletics.mcla.edu. The pickleball clinic is currently full and taking a waiting list.
Women will have the opportunity to learn from clinicians Barb LoPiccolo, who has been playing pickleball casually and competitively since 2005, and Pat Mele, a certified pickleball teaching professional and one of only four “Level II” teaching professionals in Massachusetts providing lessons at all skill levels.
The pickleball clinic & tournament is followed by lunch sponsored by Bousquet Sport and Berkshire Money Management.
Jumpfest
Salisbury, Connecticut's annual ski jump competition, called Jumpfest, is where folks can watch a range of incredible ski jumpers, including Olympic hopefuls, compete at Satre Hill, at 80 Indian Cave Road in Salisbury, CT.
This is the 97th year of Jumpfest which offers three days of excitement on the snow. The tower stands 70 feet atop Satre Hill and jumpers perch on their bar 350 feet above the ground. As the flag is dropped, they speed their way down the 300-foot run, picking up speed along the way. There are only six ski jumping venues on the East Coast and Salisbury is among the oldest. Satre Hill is also one of the most respected jump venues because of past hopefuls that have competed in the Olympics.
Jumpfest began yesterday but today, it will start at 9:30 a.m. with the junior competition on the 20 and 30 meter hills. The Salisbury Invitational Ski Jumping Competition will begin at 11 a.m. with practice jumps followed by the real competition that will start at around 1 p.m. At the end of the day, there will be the "Snowball", taking place at the Lakeville Town Grove at 42 Ethan Allen Street from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
There will be plenty of food and music by the Steve Dunn Band as well as a stone fireplace and chandeliers. Entry to the Snowball is $20 per person with children under 12 free.
On Sunday, the Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships begin at 11 a.m. with practice jumps and the actual competition starts at 1 p.m.
Lee looking for new coaches
Lee High School is looking to hire two new head coaches, with openings for boys tennis and girls lacrosse. Boys tennis won the Class C Western Massachusetts championship last season and went all the way to the Sweet 16 in the MIAA Division 4 tournament before losing a nail biter, 3-2 to West Bridgewater.
The girls lacrosse team went 10-6 last season and made it to the Division 3 MIAA tournament, losing in the preliminary round to St. Marys (Lynn).
Pittsfield Little League Registration
Registration for Pittsfield Little League is now open for the majors division, ages nine-12 and the Triple A division, ages seven and eight. Tryouts for the Majors division will be either the last weekend in March or the first weekend in April.
Players that are not selected for the Majors division will be assigned to teams in the Triple A division. The league is open to girls and boys that reside in Pittsfield, Lenox, Lanesboro and a small area of Richmond. The fee to play is $75 and there is a $15 discount for more than one participant.
All returning players and new players must register online at www.pittsfieldlittleleague.com. Please refer any questions to jayarseneau@yahoo.com.