The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation announced today the winners of the fall 2011 Kids Fitness Challenge. The four schools chosen were:

Eastham Elementary School (Eastham, MA)
Hale Elementary School (Roxbury, MA)
Longsjo Middle School (Fitchburg, MA)
Norrback Ave School (Worcester, MA)

Each school will be awarded a $500 grant to be used to support the institution’s health and physical education programs.

This falls’s edition of the Kids Fitness Challenge, held November 14-18th, included over 30,000 participants from 75 schools across Massachusetts.

The Bay State Games will hold the next Kids Fitness Challenge in May.

Registration interest for the 2012 Bay State Games Figure Skating competition is extremely high, with registrations well above 2011 levels. Ice time is limited, therefore we will only be allowed to accept approx 500-550 skaters. There is a strong possibility that the competition will be full before the 12/23 deadline. Interested athletes should register as soon as possible to ensure they will get a spot in the competition.

Registrations received after the event is full will be returned with a full refund

Registration Links:

USFS: Online Registration Mail-In Form

ISI: Online Registration Main-In Form

Runners are now being recruited to participate in the 2012 Boston Marathon on April 16th.

If you are interested in running the Boston Marathon for Bay State Games visit our BSG Marathon Team homepage for more information.

Applications will be available starting September 12.

Athletes vie for gold in basketball, filed hockey and lacrosse on Sunday.

For game-by-game recaps and full results, be sure to check out the Results page. Stay up to date with latest information by following the Bay State Games on Twitter and Facebook!

The Summer Games return with a heavy slate of sports beginning today through Sunday.

Three of the Summer Games' sports with the largest participation - wrestling, track and field and swimming - are in full swing today, while soccer and ice hockey continue to chug along.

Three more sports - ice hockey, soccer and softball - joined baseball July 7 as the 2011 Bay State Summer Games' Olympic-style format began to take shape.

As has become customary, a slew of college coaches and professional scouts were on hand at the baseball tournament to check out Massachusetts' most talented players.

Despite the 4th of July holiday weekend and temperatures in the 90's, almost 70 scouts and coaches from almost every college in New England were in attendance.

The second day of the 2011 Bay State Summer Games baseball tournament will kick off at 9am at Bentley University. There are four games scheduled for today.

The 2011 Summer Games start today with baseball at Bentley University. Four games are scheduled for Tuesday with Northeast and Southeast kicking off the tournament at 9am.

All results will be posted on the website as games conclude.

The locations for the satellite weigh-ins for wrestling scheduled for Wednesday, July 6 are now available on the Wrestling webpage.

Results from the swimming and track qualifiers are now available:

SWIMMING
Metro/Central
Northeast
Southeast/Coastal
West

TRACK & FIELD
Metro
Northeast
Southeast/Coastal
Central/West

The Bay State Games is proud to announce the 2011 Future Leaders Scholarship recipients. After a rigorous application process, filled with countless deserving Bay State Games participants, the following six student-athletes were selected for possessing outstanding credentials in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Joseph Kuykendall: Andover, Andover High School
The Andover native has been the captain of his varsity volleyball team for two years. He also acts as the girls’ team manager, and plays for the Beantown Volleyball Club. Though volleyball is his passion, he is heavily involved in his community in other ways as well. He is a member of several groups, including Andover Youth Council, Youth Alpha Group, and Junior Board of Directors. Kuykendall is also dedicated to his church community, and is an active member of their youth group. He enjoys every aspect of sports, including public relations, and is a leader of his school’s Radio and TV Production Club, as well as a contributing writer for bostonsportsu18.com. Despite his many commitments and accomplishments, he maintains a 3.95 GPA.

Samantha Flecchia: Burlington, Burlington High School
Flecchia is a varsity swimmer at Burlington High, and has been elected as her team’s captain for the upcoming season. This year she earned the MIAA Sportsmanship Award, and participated in swim meets of all levels, including States. In addition to her school team, Flecchia swims for the Woburn Boys and Girls Club Team, and works as a lifeguard and swim instructor. Also an accomplished pianist, this student-athlete splits the rest of her time between music, community service, and academics. She is an active member in her church group, a peer mentor, and a member of several school clubs. All the while she maintains a 3.88 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Gilson Hogan: Stow, Nashoba Regional High School
Hogan is a varsity soccer and track and field athlete at Nashoba, and volunteers as a coach of a local girls’ soccer team as well. Though he is an accomplished athlete, Hogan is perhaps most passionate about community service. He spent nine years in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where he completed much-needed repairs in an underprivileged high school as part of his Eagle Project with the Boy Scouts of America. In addition to his work as an Eagle Scout, Hogan is an Emergency Medical Technician, a volunteer academic tutor, and Bible study group leader. Even with all his commitments, Hogan maintains a 4.33 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Amanda Konieczny: West Springfield, Granby High School
Konieczny has been a member of Granby High’s varsity swimming and cross-country teams for the past three years. The West Springfield native started swimming at 4 years old and never stopped. In addition to her involvement with her school team, she participates in the Holyoke YMCA swimming program, including volunteering in their “Learn to Swim Week.” Along with swimming, her other passion is music. Konieczny is an accomplished tenor saxophonist and has been playing for the past seven years. She earned the principal chair position in her school’s senior concert band, and a member of their jazz band as well. She has compiled a 4.22 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Rachael Camara: Fall River, B.M.C. Durfee High School
As a member of her school’s varsity basketball and varsity soccer teams, Camara has proven herself as a talented and driven athlete. She serves as the captain of the soccer team and volunteers as a coach in several youth basketball programs. Camara is passionate about mentoring kids in her community, and does so through the Freedom Writers Club, Interact Club, and Literacy Action Plan Committee. In addition to her school involvement, she volunteers at the Special Olympics and area soup kitchens in her spare time. In addition, her outstanding academic performance has earned her a spot in the National Honor Society and a 4.12 GPA.

Torin Zonfrelli: Carver, Tabor Academy
Zonfrelli is a three-sport athlete at Tabor Academy - football, lacrosse and wrestling - and will graduate with nine varsity letters. He has been honored with several school-wide awards, including Tabor Academy Athlete of the Year. He has also been elected captain of his football team for the upcoming season. Splitting his time between sports, it could be difficult to find room in his schedule for anything else. However, Zonfrelli maintains consistently high grades and is heavily involved in community service. He recently established the “Zonfrelli Project,” a service that collects and donates food to those in need. He also volunteers with the Special Olympics, Step2Autism, and local athletic programs. Zonfrelli will go global with his philanthropy later this summer when he travels to New Zealand to coach underprivileged children in rugby and singing.

Applications for the scholarship were submitted by Bay State Games athletes who were in the 11th grade as of the 2010-11 academic year. More than 100 applications were reviewed by Bay State Games staff and board members, before a pool of 18 were asked to interview. This year, six students from that pool were selected to receive a $2,000 scholarship. For more than two decades, the Future Leaders Scholarship program has distributed over $200,000 to students. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship and the Bay State Summer Games, please visit www.baystategames.org.

For more information, visit the Future Leaders Scholarship webpage.

Trap shooting at North Leominster Rod and Gun Club kicked off the 30th celebration of the Bay State Summer Games on Saturday, June 18. The competition was held on the first of 21 days of Bay State Games events which will continue on July 5 with baseball at Bentley University.

For results from the singles divisions of the trap shooting competition, click here.

The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation announced today the winners of the spring 2011 Kids Fitness Challenge. The four schools chosen were:

Highlands Elementary School (Braintree, MA)
Memorial School (West Springfield, MA)
Rochester Memorial School (Rochester, MA)
Trinity Christian Academy of Cape Cod (Barnstable, MA)

Each school will be awarded a $500 grant to be used to support the institution’s health and physical education programs.

This spring’s edition of the Kids Fitness Challenge, held May 31 to June 3, included almost 30,000 participants from 75 schools across Massachusetts.

The Bay State Games will hold the next Kids Fitness Challenge in November.

The spring edition of the Kids Fitness Challenge kicks off today, May 31, and runs through Friday, June 3. Almost 30,000 Massachusetts elementary and middle school students will take part in the event.

Thank you to all the schools that have committed to spending a portion of their school day emphasizing the importance of health and fitness with their students.

We will have a drawing in the next few weeks to determine the four schools that will each receive a $500 grant to be used to fund the winners' health and physical education departments.

Good luck to every school and thank you for participating.

Carlos Pena, who was recently selected to the Bay State Games Hall of Fame, accepted his plaque from executive director Kevin Cummings as the Chicago Cubs prepared to play the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park.

While at Haverhill High School, Pena participated in the Bay State Summer Games baseball tournament in 1993 and 1994 as a member of the Northeast team which captured medals in both years. He went on to star at Northeastern University and the Cape Cod League before being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1998 draft. Pena has gone on to become an All-Star at the Major League level while also claiming several major awards and achievements.

Along with Pena, Carol Kronopolus and Ted Neill were also inducted into the Class of 2011. Both will receive their plaques at a ceremony held at Fenway later this summer.

The BSG Hall of Fame was created to recognize alumni who have gone on to prestigious and successful athletic careers, as well as former and current coaches, officials, sports organizers, volunteers, venues and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Games throughout its history.

All internship positions for the 2011 Bay State Summer Games have been filled. Thank you to all the great candidates who applied!

The Bay State Games staff would like to welcome:

Jonathan Casey - UMass Amherst - Operations
Stephen Farmer - University of Virginia - Finance / Operations
David Gay - Western New England College - Operations
Shayne Kirkpatrick - St. Leo's College - Operations
Carly Salerno - UMass Amherst - Operations
Kristian Rose - UMass Amherst - Operations

We are excited for the new interns to get started, as we look forward to another great summer.

Fall and spring semester internships are available and applications are now being accepted. See the Internship webpage for more information.

The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is pleased to announce that Jeff Cournoyer has been named to the organization's Board of Directors. Cournoyer joins 15 other individuals in overseeing the activities of the Bay State Games and other MASF programs.

Cournoyer is the director of corporate communications for the The Kraft Group, a family of businesses that includes the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place.In that role, he works with more than 50 corporate and community partners to integrate their communications efforts with The Kraft Group’s. He also executes public relations for Gillette Stadium, Patriot Place and several other properties.

Prior to joining The Kraft Group, Cournoyer was deputy chief of staff and budget director for Massachusetts State Senator Stephen M. Brewer (D-Barre). He also served as director for the Senate Committee on Ethics & Rules.

Cournoyer earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in corporate communications from Boston University.

To see the complete list of members, visit the Board of Directors webpage.

Registration is now open for the 2011 springedition of the Kids Fitness Challenge. All Massachusetts elementary and middle schools are eligible.

You can sign up your school today by clicking on the Register tab in the Kids Fitness Challenge menu on the left of the screen and entering your school's information. You can also download a brochure which you can either fax to 781-932-3441 or mail to the Bay State Games, 55 Sixth Road, Woburn, MA 01801.

If you have any questions about the Kids Fitness Challenge, please contact Peter Cohenno via e-mail or call 781-932-6555.

Registration for select sports in the 2011 Bay State Summer Games is now open with all other sports opening by April 1.

The Summer Games features 27 sports with tryouts and qualifiers taking place in June and the finals being played July 5-24 in the metro Boston area and central Massachusetts.

For more information, check out our website or contact the Bay State Games office by calling 781-932-6555 or e-mailing info@baystategames.org.

Several members of the Bay State Games medical team including Dr. Pierre d’Hemecourt, Jeff Stone, Diane Sartanowicz, Frank Mastrangelo and Nairi Melkonian received prestigious awards at the 63rd annual Eastern Athletic Trainers Association Meeting held January 8-9, 2011, at the Lowes Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. The Eastern Athletic Trainers Association is an organization consisting of over 5,000 certified athletic trainers and athletic training students from 10 different states in eastern United States.

Congratulations to this Fabulous Five! We're honored to have you as a part of our medical team.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2011 Bay State Winter Games in Northern Berkshire county of Massachusetts. The 26th anniversary was an amazing event, and we can't say enough good things about all the people who helped make this possible including the athletes, volunteers and facilities.

Check out a slideshow iBerkshires.com for photos from the figure skating competition.

We hope to see everyone back next year as we continue building memories.

Action has come to an end in the second day of competition at the 2011 Winter Games. After an amazing performance in the Bay State Skate Figure Skating Show, Fred Palascak and Melanie Lambert signed autographs for a huge line of fans still buzzing from their spectacular moves on the ice.

A ton of metals were also distributed at figure skating and alpine skiing.

All the results from Friday and Saturday can be found on the Winter Games Results website.

The Games finish up Sunday with figure skating beginning at 7:30am at Williams College.

The 2011 Bay State Winter Games kicked off its 26th annual event on Friday morning with USFS Figure Skating from Williams College in Williamstown, MA..

Phoebe Vatis (pictured on right), of Shelburne, VT, made history when she became the first skater not a Massachusetts resident or member of a Massachusetts club to medal in the history of the Bay State Winter Games. Under the new rules set forth this year, athletes from throughout New England with the exception of Connecticut are eligible to compete in the Bay State Winter Games figure skating competition.

Also pictured are Stacey Tutela (center), of Dalton, MA, who captured gold, and Julie Boulais, of Pittsfield, MA, who took home silver.

Check out the Results Page throughout the day for updated results straight from Williams College.

The 26th annual Bay State Winter Games begins today with ISI and USFS Figure Skating at the Lansing Chapman Rink on the campus of Williams College. The Bay State Games staff and board of directors are very excited to kick off another year in the beautiful Northern Berkshires.

Track all of the results from Williamstown on the Results page.

Straight off his championship performance on ABC's "Skating with the Stars", Fred Palascak and his partner Melanie Lambert will headline the 2011 Bay State Skate Figure Skating Show that will take place Saturday, January 29 at 7:30pm at the Lansing Chapman Rink at Williams College.

The show also features national, state and regional skating stars, as well as 2011 Bay State Winter Games medal winners.

Tickets are $10 and available at the following locations:
Where'd You Get That!? in Williamstown
North Adams City Hall
North Adams Veterans Memorial Rink

Or you can order tickets directly from the Bay State Games by filling out the order form and sending it to the BSG office.

Figure skaters can now sign up for the 2011 Winter Games competition.

Athletes can register by clicking on the "Winter Games" tab to the left, then on "Sports", and then by selecting their sport and completing the online registration.

The Winter Games features three sports - figure skating, alpine skiing and masters ice hockey - and will take place January 28-30, 2011, in Northern Berkshire county.

For more information, check out our website or contact the Bay State Games office by calling 781-932-6555 or e-mailing info@baystategames.org.

The Bay State Games is excited to announce two significant modifications to the figure skating competition at the 2011 Winter Games. The Bay State Games will now allow skaters from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont to take part in the Winter Games. Secondly, subsequent to the USFS addition of test track and unrestricted, ISI will now offer freestyle and open freestyle divisions.

The National Congress of State Games, which governs all state games across the country, allow for participants in states that don't have a recognized figure skating competition to participate in a neighboring state that does have an event. This is the case for all of the New England states with the exception of Connecticut. It is important to note that medals for the competition and invitations for the 2011 State Games of America will be handed out using two different criteria: Medals in each division will be based strictly on results regardless of state affiliation, while invitations to the State Games of America will be handed out in each event based on the top three from each state.

The 2011 Bay State Winter Games figure skating competition will be held January 28-30 in the northern Berkshires. Registration opens on November 1. Additional information on the new formats will be posted on the Winter Games website in the coming weeks.

Athletes, family and friends can now visit Sportspix.biz for action photos of several BSG sports.

Also, relive the action of Bay State Games baseball 2010 with NESportsTV.com. DVD's of all 16 games of this years baseball competition are available now at www.NESportsTV.com or by clicking here.

The shorthanded Metro squad fought tough against a talented Southeast team, but in the end Southeast got vengeance for their only loss of the tournament, beating Metro, 4-3, in the gold medal game of the 2010 Bay State Games ice hockey tournament at New England Sports Center in Marlboro. Ryan Hall (Westwood, Xaverian HS) scored twice and Tim Driscoll (Hingham, Hingham HS) tallied a pair of assists to lead Southeast to victory.
For Metro, Nick Finn (Canton, Boston College HS) had a hand in all three goals, posting two and adding an assist.

As has been the case for most of Northeast’s opponents during the 2010 Bay State Summer Games ice hockey tournament, Coastal fell victim to the offensive barrage of the line of Sullivan, Czarnota and Rolli, as Northeast cruised to the bronze medal with a 5-2 win.
Joe Czarnota (Reading, Reading HS) scored four goals while teammates Bryan Sullivan (Burlington, Burlington HS) and Christoper Rolli (Stoneham, Stoneham HS) posted four assists apiece. Sullivan, the tournament’s most outstanding player, also added a goal to bring his point total in the six-game tournament to 32 – 12 goals and 20 assists.

Go to the Results page for full recaps.

The schedules for the 2010 Bay State Summer Games 7v7 Soccer Tournament scheduled for July 17-18 are now posted on the 7v7 Soccer webpage. Please take note that the Girls U12 and Girls U16 divisions are only going to be played on Saturday, in a double round robin tournament.  Any questions, please contact Megan Richard.

After a day off on Monday, the 2010 Bay State Games pick back up with boys and girls ice hockey at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, MA.

For game-by-game recaps and full results, be sure to check out the Results page.

Today teams will compete for gold medals in six different Bay State Summer Games sports. The schedule for the medal games is as follows:

Basketball
Boys 9/10 – Southeast 78, West 53 (Gold medallists pictured above)
Girls – Northeast 73, West 63
Boys 11/12 – West 73, Northeast 63

Softball
Northeast 2, Metro

Soccer
Boys – Southeast 2, Metro 1
Girls – West 2, Northeast 1

Field hockey
Southeast 4, Coastal 0

Lacrosse
Boys – Northeast 10, Southeast 9
Girls – Northeast 12, Southeast/Coastal 11

Wrestling, swimming, track & field, field hockey and juniors basketball join the four sports already in progress as the 2010 Bay State Summer Games enters its fifth day of competition.

Congratulations to the West baseball team which won its second consecutive gold medal yesterday at Bentley University.