Hilltopper coaches, students help ACS

     Fort Plain girls and boys basketball teams joined other Section Two basketball teams in hosting Coaches vs. Cancer games: Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity versus Canajoharie on Jan. 22 and Girls JV and Boys JV versus Canajoharie on Jan. 23.
      The games were played in honor of or memory of all those who have battled or are battling cancer. The normal admission fee on both nights was waved in lieu of a donation to the American Cancer Society. The Karker family donated four team-autographed basketballs, four McDonald’s gift cards, four Stewart’s gift cards, and three Applebee’s gift cards for a raffle. The raffle and donations raised $1,632 for the American Cancer Society.
          Coaches vs. Cancer is a joint effort by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and communities to help win the fight against cancer. Photo shows Canajoharie and Fort Plain cheerleaders who helped with the event.

 Donation to allow  baseball players to attend hitting camp

      Ten Fort Plain baseball players will be able to attend this spring’s Hilltopper Hitting Camp because of the generosity of a local business owner.

       Randy Wojdyla, owner of Sievert’s Sports of Amsterdam donated $1,000 to the Fort Plain baseball program in the form of ten, $100 scholarships to be awarded to players who might otherwise have been unable to attend the camp.
 
          Fort Plain Varsity Coach Craig Phillips and Wojdyla have been friends since 1981 and have coached together. “Randy is not just a personal friend, he is a friend to Hilltopper baseball,” Phillips said. “Whenever I need anything for our kids, he’s been there for us. Our players are thankful they can count on Sivert’s to come through for them.”

        Wojdyla said he made the donation not only because of his friendship with Phillips, but because of Phillips’ relationship with his players. “It’s about much more than baseball. Coaching the way he has builds character traits that last well beyond high school. The extra time and effort he spends with the kids is why the Hilltopper baseball program has been so successful.”

      The 5th annual Hilltoppers Hitting Camp for Boys and Girls will take place on March 6-7 for players in modified to varsity and on March 13 -14 for Little League and softball players, 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. each day.

     Photo shows Coach Phil Thibodeau, Associate Varsity Head Coach Dale Smith, varsity players Brent Baker and Tyler Barhydt, Randy Wojdyla, and Varsity Baseball Coach Craig Phillips.
 

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