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High school athletes and coaches were recognized for their outstanding efforts on Wednesday at the 55th annual Sports Caravan Award Dinner.
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Wahconah football coach Gary Campbell received the outstanding male sports coach award.
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Gary Bianchi accepted the John Codey Official’s Award on behalf of his father Albert Bianchi.
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Wahconah football player Will Genaway received the male athlete of the year award.
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Mount Everett basketball coach Scott Rote received the outstanding female sports coach award.
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More than two dozen athletes were presented with most valuable player awards by WSBS' David Winchester.
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Berkshire High School Athletes, Coaches Honored at Sports Caravan

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Jay Anderson of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank noted the closing of St. Joe
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As the 55th annual Sports Caravan Awards were given to outstanding athletes and coaches of area high schools, a moment was taken to note it would be the last year that one of those schools would be represented. 
 
Jay Anderson, president and CEO of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, introduced the winners of the Robert "Boog" Powell Awards, and opened by noting the closing of St. Joseph's Central High School and acknowledging girls swimmer Jessie Tobin, who will be the last St. Joe athlete to be presented with a Caravan award.  
 
"What I noticed this year is how well represented each one of the schools is throughout the county and I have to mention with the closing of St. Joe it is good to see that there is an award winner here," he said. "I think it is important to look back at the history of both athletes and coaches who came from St. Joe who had a big role in this event and high school sports because in general."  
 
The county's only Catholic high school will end its 120-year run this June when it graduates its last class.
 
Wahconah Regional football coach Gary Campbell, who received the outstanding coach of a male sports award, shared Anderson's sentiment but felt the smaller the county gets, the closer the athletes will become.
 
"We are getting smaller and high schools are getting smaller and so on and so forth but to be honest with you, I think it just makes us a little tighter," he said. "We are a community in Berkshire County and in the county, we have more sports and more kids participating and that is something to celebrate."
 
Upon receiving his award, Campbell also thanked his family, friends and athletes. 
 
"We get the kids to work together and we get too much credit because it is because of the athletes who come to practice every day with fire in their eyes," he said. "But it is also the assistant coaches who have the same passion for the kids and the program and the parent and booster clubs who help bring the whole thing together."
 
Mount Everett girls basketball coach Scott Rote, who received the outstanding coach of a female sports award, shared Campbell's thoughts. 
 
"I truly don't believe this is an award for me or about me it is for the school, the program, the athletes and what we have done," he said. "I have been blessed and lucky through the years to have mentors and great people and athletes by my side."
 
Will Genaway received the male athlete of the year award. Genaway is a Wahconah student who plays football, baseball and basketball.
 
Genaway thanked his family, coaches and teammates.
 
"I want to thank my family who have been there to support through these four years… second I'd like to thank my coaches .. they made me who I am today," he said. "I'd also like to thank my teammates who every day would talk about the games with me. It is something I will never forget."   
 
Emmy Cote received the female athlete of the year but was unable to attend the banquet. Cote is a Wahconah athlete who plays lacrosse, soccer and basketball.
 
The final award given was the John Codey Official's Award, sponsored by the Berkshire County Athletic Directors Association. Gary Bianchi accepted the award the on behalf of his father, Albert Bianchi.
 
Bianchi said his father would want him to thank his mother for putting up with the athletics over the 20 years of official work.
 
He added that his father loved athletes. 
 
"He would do anything for any kid anywhere," he said. "He knew every athlete on every team and when I would go to games with him he would talk about the game from the moment we got in the car to the moment we got home."  
 
Athletes of the year each received a $500 scholarship and coaches of the year received $500 to be used at their schools. 
 
One boy and girl from each contested high school sport also received a most valuable player award.
 
The annual banquet and awards night was held at Berkshire Hills Country Club and hosted by AM-1420 WBEC and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Peter Barry of WBEC gave the opening remarks, David Winchester of WSBS presented the MVP Awards, and Lori Cote, St. Joe athletic director, presented the Cody Official's Award. 
 
 
 
Award Name School   Award Name School
Athlete of the Year Emmy Cote Wahconah   Boys Lacrosse Patrick Storie Mount Greylock
Athlete of the Year Will Genaway Wahconah   Girls Lacrosse Emmy Cote Wahconah
Coach of Year, Female Sport Scott Rote Mount Everet, Basketball   Boys Soccer Jackson Rich Pittsfield
Coach of Year, Male Sport Gary Campbell Wahconah, Football   Girls Soccer Sarah Stripp Mount Greylock
John Codey Official's Award Albert Bianchi     Softball Ashley Keegan Taconic
        Boys Swimming Brandon Louison Monument Mountain
Boys Alpine Skiing Tanner Hill Wahconah   Girls Swimming Jessie Tobin St. Joe
Girls Alpine Skiing Ella King Lenox   Boys Tennis Brady Foehl Mount Greylock
Baseball Izanya Mestre Taconic   Girls Tennis Victoria Vittori Lenox
Boys Basketball Hayden Bird Drury   Boys Track & Field Matt Lighten Wahconah
Girls Basketball Gwendolyn Carpenter Mount Everett   Girls Track & Field Shannon Meisberger Lenox
Boys Cross Country Connor Meehan Drury   Volleyball Kendra Williams Lee
Girls Cross Country Emma Jourdain Lenox   Wrestling Devin Pelletier Mount Greylock
Football Will Genaway Wahconah   Boys X-Country Skiing Cameron Castonguay Mount Greylock
Golf Kevin Quinto Pittsfield   Girls X-Country Skiing Alice Huth Lenox
Hockey Jake Corcoran Lenox        

 


Tags: banquet,   high school sports,   sports awards,   

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North Adams Regional Reopens With Ribbon-Cutting Celebration

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz welcomes the gathering to the celebration of the hospital's reopening 10 years to the day it closed. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The joyful celebration on Thursday at North Adams Regional Hospital was a far cry from the scene 10 years ago when protests and tears marked the facility's closing
 
Hospital officials, local leaders, medical staff, residents and elected officials gathered under a tent on the campus to mark the efforts over the past decade to restore NARH and cut the ribbon officially reopening the 136-year-old medical center. 
 
"This hospital under previous ownership closed its doors. It was a day that was full of tears, anger and fear in the Northern Berkshire community about where and how residents would be able to receive what should be a fundamental right for everyone — access to health care," said Darlene Rodowicz, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. 
 
"Today the historic opportunity to enhance the health and wellness of Northern Berkshire community is here. And we've been waiting for this moment for 10 years. It is the key to keeping in line with our strategic plan which is to increase access and support coordinated county wide system of care." 
 
Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, under the BHS umbrella, purchased the campus and affiliated systems when Northern Berkshire Healthcare declared bankruptcy and closed on March 28, 2014. NBH had been beset by falling admissions, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, and investments that had gone sour leaving it more than $30 million in debt. 
 
BMC was able to reopen the ER as an emergency satellite facility and slowly restored and enhanced medical services including outpatient surgery, imaging, dialysis, pharmacy and physician services. 
 
But it would take a slight tweak in the U.S. Health and Human Services' regulations — thank to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal — to bring back inpatient beds and resurrect North Adams Regional Hospital 
 
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