Director wants Games to stay in Berkshires

By Glenn DrohanPrint Story | Email Story
The Christmas Brook Figure Skating Club team, all of whose members skated, either in competition or in the production number “Footloose” at Saturday’s Bay State Skate. (Photo by Will Parmenter, courtesy of the club.)
Forget the rumors, Bay State Games Executive Director Kevin Cummings said Tuesday: His organization wants the Winter Games to return to the Berkshires next year and as far into the future as possible. “This was the 19th year we’ve been out in the Berkshires, and I’m extremely grateful for the support we get,” Cummings said. “It’s not just the rink [Lansing Chapman Rink at Williams College]. It’s support from hotels, all the volunteers, restaurants and businesses. I find it hard to imagine we could match that support anywhere else in the state. “We hear the rumors that this will be the last year for the Games in the Berkshires,” he added, “but we want to come back, and we have held no face-to-face meetings about going anywhere else.” The rumors started, he said, when the organization had some scheduling difficulties this winter, which stemmed from a combination of conflicting dates of other events for which local hotels were booked and the availability of Jiminy Peak Ski Resort, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink and the Williams rink. In the end, the skiing and master’s ice hockey competitions and the figure skating events had to be held about seven weeks apart, which was not an ideal situation, Cummings said. He acknowledged holding discussions with other potential venues in other parts of the state when the potential conflicts arose but said he was grateful to Williams for keeping its rink open beyond its normal closing date in order to accommodate the figure skating. “As soon as we heard from the college, we ended those discussions and we came back,” he said. He also acknowledged that Bay State Games has struggled for financing ever since its state funding was cut from about $200,000 per year for nine consecutive years to zero over the last two. However, corporate and private sponsors, fund-raising, athletes’ fees and hordes of volunteers have helped see the organization through so far, he said. The impact on the Winter Games cannot be underestimated, he said, both in terms of providing a venue for young amateur athletes and for boosting the economy. According to a study two years ago, the Winter Games contribute approximately $1 million to the state economy — at least half of that in Berkshire County. About 800 athletes statewide — mostly from eastern Massachusetts — take part in the skiing, master’s hockey and figure skating each year in the Berkshires. “What we have found and heard is that the participants really have a place in their heart for the area,” Cummings said. “It’s not only the beauty of the Berkshires but the sites and the people that are showcased. We’re able to get people to come out to an area of the state they normally don’t go to, and they often come back to see it again, when they’re not taking part in the Games.” Of course, the 65-degree weather for the skiing competition in February helped quite a bit this year, he said. “It was more like baseball weather than skiing. People couldn’t get over it.” Cumming said organizers will start planning earlier for next year’s events and try to arrange dates so that all Winter Games events can be held close together — in the Berkshires. “There’s two factors,” he said. “One is the availability of the venues, and the other is the availability of hotels. Right now, we’re not having discussions with anybody else, and we have made absolutely no decision in terms of where the Games will be held in the future. We’re still struggling with loss of state funding, but it is my hope we can continue to come to Williams College and the Berkshires for years to come.” Meanwhile, Cummings is busy planning for the Bay State Summer Games, which will be held July 8 through July 18 in the Boston area and July 12 through July 18 in central Massachusetts. Information about those games will be posted on the organization’s Web site, www.baystategames.org, next week. By that time, all photographs from the figure skating events should be posted as well. Local winners The following skaters from The Advocate’s coverage area placed as followed in the weekend figure skating of the Bay State Winter Games. Congratulations to them all: Tiffany Gundler, North Adams, Pre-Preliminary Group B, 11th place. Dylan Furlano, Pittsfield, Pre-Preliminary Group B, 10th place. Katelyn Parmenter, Adams, Pre-Preliminary Group C, 7th place. Elizabeth Meiklejohn, Adams, Pre-Preliminary Group C, 11th place. Tegan O'Neill, Stamford, Vt., Preliminary B Group B, 2nd place. Alexandra Hill, Adams, Preliminary B Group B, 8th place. Jenna Waltermire, Adams, Preliminary B Group C, 1st place. Molly McKenna, Lenox, Preliminary A Group B, 1st place. AShley Smith, Lee, Preliminary A Group B, 10th place. Kristen Dame, Lee, Preliminary A Group A, 11th place. Brianna Sporbert, Pittsfield, Preliminary A Group A, 12th place. Hannah Bushway, Cummington, Preliminary A Group C, 6th place. Hanne Booth, Williamstown, Freestyle 4 Group B, 2nd place and Artistic Freestyle 4 Group B, 1st place. Cooper Stanton, West Stockbridge, Preliminary B, 4th place. Tyler Stanton, West Stockbridge, Preliminary B, 5th place. Adam Stanton, West Stockbridge, Preliminary B, 7th place. Emily Sadlowski, Pittsfield, Juvenile Group B, 7th place. Biana Litano, Pittsfield, Intermediate Group C, 5th place.
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Pittsfield School Committee Updated on Middle Restructuring, Morningside Closure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Pittsfield Public Schools will have a different middle-level structure and one less elementary school in the 2026-2027 school year. 

On Wednesday, Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips delivered updates on these efforts.

"We've got a lot of change happening in our school district, a lot of work happening leading up to the end of the school year and over the summer," she explained. 

Late last year, the former committee voted to restructure Pittsfield's two middle schools in the fall, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School. 

One of the top priorities for middle school restructuring is staff assignments.  Phillips reported that the Human Resources department has taken a "tremendous" effort to support teachers with their grade 5-8 assignments. 

"The teacher is the most impactful school-based input in student success, and so I really want to make sure that as we support our students, we're also supporting our staff as we make plans for next school year," she explained. 

Classrooms also need to be packed and physically moved, and the district has communicated with families about move-up ceremonies for upcoming fifth graders. 

Start and end times are also important factors, as well as student visits to Herberg and Reid.  Phillips said it is important to give students another opportunity to visit the schools now that a decision has been made to restructure in the fall, and that they meet principals before the first day of school. 

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