LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP

CANAAN -- Canaan’s Bethany Ladd hit two free throws with 30 seconds left in overtime to break a 34-34 tie as the No. 8 Eagles beat No. 9 Arlington 38-34. Arlington was led by Molly Elwell, Jennah Lacoste and Julia Lacoste, who all had eight points.

Canaan was led by Erin and Rebecca Marchesseault who each scored 10 points.

Arlington finishes the season 9-12.

SVC softball wins first game since 2010

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Southern Vermont College women’s softball team earned its first win in more than a year, beating Penn State-Harrisburg, 3-0, during the team’s spring break trip to Myrtle Beach.

Haley McDonald threw a complete game 6-hit shutout, walking one and striking out five. She got all the offense she needed from Hoosick Falls graduate Shelby Jones, who blasted a double, then scored on an error. The freshman also drove in a run.

Senior Alyssa Davis was 2-for-3 with a run as well. SVC improves to 1-2, while PSU-Harrisburg is 1-5. The Mountaineers have two more games tomorrow to end their trip, then come back North to face Sage College on March 22.

MAU freshman qualifies for state ski event

BENNINGTON -- Mount Anthony Union High School freshman Jessie Kuzmicki qualified for the U.S. Skiing Association’s J3 Eastern Regional Finals, taking place today through Sunday at Killington.

Kuzmicki skies independently through the VPA because MAU doesn’t have an alpine ski team.

She made the field through her performances in the state championships in Super-G, Slalom and Giant Slalom. J3 is for athletes ages 13-14.

More than 150 finalists will be vying for the 10 remaining Jr. Olympic spots (5 male and 5 female) not yet filled from earlier qualifying competitions.

Newell reaches final

DRAMMEN, Norway -- Shaftsbury native Andrew Newell reached the final of the cross-country World Cup event in the 1.2-kilometer sprint.

Newell qualified in 12th place, but finished the main heat sixth in a time of 3 minutes, 17.9 seconds. He was 12 seconds behind the winner and was the only American to qualify for the final.

Athlete Summit at MAU

BENNINGTON -- The Mount Anthony Union Athletic Department and Southshire Partnership for a Healthy Community will be co-sponsoring a Coaches/Parent/Athlete Summit on Monday at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

With the financial assistance of a Healthy Living Grant from the American Medical Association, MAU will be presenting former NFL lineman Dennis O’Sullivan of the American Athletic Institute as a guest speaker on Pure Performance. His presentation will illustrate the negative physical, psychological and physiological effects of drugs and alcohol -- specifically on the student athlete. It is designed to tap into not only the individual’s athletic motivation, but also address the concept of team and collective responsibility.

O’Sullivan played in the NFL from 1999-2004 with the New York Jets and Houston Texans. He graduated from Tulane where he captained the 1998 team to an undefeated season.

The presentation is geared toward middle school and high school athletes, coaches and parents, but is open to the public and free of charge. O’Sullivan will be available for questions.

Questions can be directed to MAU Activities Director Tim Brown at 447-1899, Ext. 5, or by e-mail at tbrown@svsu.org.

Arlington seeks youth hoops coordinator

ARLINGTON -- Arlington youth basketball is seeking a volunteer coordinator for the 2012-2013 season. From November to February, the coordinator will oversee all aspects of the youth basketball program including hiring coaches and scheduling games for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

For more information, contact Todd Wilkins at wilkinst
@bvsu.org.

Norshaft LL signups

SHAFTSBURY -- The Norshaft Little League will have signups on March 13-15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m at Shaftsbury Elementary School. Boys and girls ages 5 to 12 are eligible to participate. Contact Brian Bushee at 802-733-7825 or by e-mail at brianbushee
@yahoo.com.

Donkey Basketball

ARLINGTON -- Don’t miss the wild and crazy fun when the Arlington Memorial High School junior class hosts a Donkey Basketball Tournament on March 30 in the AMHS gymnasium at 7 p.m.

Come and enjoy the laughs as teachers from Fisher Elementary School and AMHS square off against members of the Arlington Fire Department, and stay for the second game when AMHS students seek retribution against the Arlington Parent All-Star team.

Tickets sold in advance are $6, and tickets at the door will be $8. Children under four are free. Advance tickets can be purchased at the school store, Paulin’s and the Wayside Store. Proceeds benefit the Junior Class. For more information or to register, contact Marshall Cross at crossm@bvsu.org or call 375-2589.

Tour of the Dragons

BENNINGTON -- The organizers of the Tour of the Battenkill and the Stan’s Notubes Great American Cycling Series are proud to announce the Tour of the Dragons Cycling Race on May 5-6 in the ‘Shires of Vermont.’

The Tour of the Dragons is a 2-day, 3-stage event, with a Saturday time trial and downtown criterium in Bennington, and a Sunday 62-mile road race in Manchester, similar to the Tour de France where racers compete on cumulative overall time.

Starting on Beech Street, the time trial is an individual race where racers compete against the clock on an 11-mile course in southeast Bennington, finishing on South Stream Road.

The marquee event on Saturday is the Warren "Chuck" Jensen Memorial Downtown Criterium. Professionals and amateurs will race on the streets of Bennington on a short, spectator-friendly 1/2 mile circuit with fast corners.

The signature race of the weekend is the Daniel S. Maneely Memorial Road Race in Manchester and surrounding communities.

See the event website at www.tourofthedragons.com for registration, expo, and sponsorship information.

Racers will compete on a 62-mile course, traveling north from Dana Thompson Recreational Park on Route 30 into Dorset, Pawlet, and Rupert including the challenging dirt road sections of Rupert Mountain Road. Racing south through Sunderland, another dirt road section on North Rd, and then north through the Chiselville Covered Bridge, racers will reach an exciting uphill finish at Burr and Burton Academy.

A race expo for sponsors and area vendors is planned for both Saturday and Sunday. Local merchants are encouraged to engage the many hundreds of cyclists and families expected to attend.

Vermont hunting course

ARLINGTON -- A Vermont hunter education course will start on March 23 at the Arlington Memorial High School common room from 5:30 to 8 p.m. It’s the first of three classes with the others taking place on April 6 from 6 to 8 and Saturday, April 7, from 8-10 a.m. then 11-3 in Sandgate for the field test.

The program will not be online and all classes are required. To pre-register or any other questions, call Tim Williams at 802-375-6119.

Lax official training

BENNINGTON -- The Vermont Lacrosse Officials Association is offering training clinics through the state for individuals interested in officiating boys lacrosse.

The clinics include a glossary of terminology, technical and person fouls, field mechanics, proper signaling, communication, penalty enforcement and pre- and post-game preparation. The clinics are free, pre-registration is required.

The southern Vermont training session is March 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at MAUHS. For questions or to RSVP, contact Jim Farrell (jimza@comcast.net).

Mack Attack AAU basketball tryouts

ARLINGTON -- The Mack Attack AAU girls basketball team will host try-outs for the 2012 season on Sunday, March 11, at the AMHS gymnasium. Try-outs will be held for girls in grades 4 to 11.

For more info, about coaches, tournament dates, etc., visit www.mackattackaau.org or contact Kerry Csizmesia at kerrycsizmesia@yahoo.com or 430-7031.

Shires Marathon

BENNINGTON -- The second annual "Shires of Vermont Marathon," a classic point-to-point 26.2 mile road race connecting the southern Vermont towns of Bennington and Manchester, has been scheduled for Sunday May 20, 2012.

Race applications and online registration are available at www.shiresofvermontmarathon.com. Runners who register by Feb. 29 will receive a $10 discount. The race is organized by the Batten Kill Valley Runners.

The race begins at 9:00 am at the beautiful Bennington Center for the Arts, just outside historic Old Bennington.

Runners will follow a USATF-certified course along secondary and back roads through North Bennington, Shaftsbury, Arlington, and Sunderland before finishing at Hildene Meadows in Manchester.

The marathon is sponsored by Southern Vermont Health Care, The Vermont Country Store, and the Vermont Department of Tourism. All proceeds benefit the Children and Family Services program of United Counseling Service of Bennington County.