Spring has officially sprung â€” let the outdoor fun begin!

12:00AM / Wednesday, May 08, 2002Print Story | Email Story

It finally happened! Spring â€œofficiallyâ€ arrived last weekend with an abundance of balmy weather and a surfeit of outdoor sports activities. Major event was the annual Shaun Thornton Memorial Jiminy Peak Road Race, which saw 671 extremely fit cyclists from all over New England and Quebec racing as many as five times around the 18-mile loop formed by Brodie Mountain Road, Route 43 to Williamstownâ€™s Five Corners and down Route 7 to the finish atop the Brodie Mountain Road. Matthew Svatek of Carlisle, a pro racer on the nine-member Cannondale/Wheelworks team, became the first repeat winner in the 19 years of the race. The best Berkshire finish was a seventh by Marc Lanoue of Stockbridge. The weather was perfect and there were no serious injuries. Motorcyclists, who seemed to be everywhere, were not so fortunate, as three were injuries in a two-cycle collision Sunday noon on twisting, narrow Blackstone Road in Savoy. As years go by, more and more bikers are in their 50s and even older, and the death rate for those over 40 has jumped 150 percent since 1990. Helmets are mandatory in most states, but are optional for bicycle riders. There is little question that head protection is necessary for wheelmen (and kids) and I see where the town of Florida was recently awarded 50 helmets by the Governorâ€™s Highway Safety Bureau. With a population of around 800, but with nearly 50 miles of winding roads, you should see a lot of helmeted bikers in that rustic community this year. While road racing is extremely popular, the Berkshires and Southern Vermont are more acclaimed for the hundreds of miles of superb mountain bike trails. Holiday Farm in Dalton, owned by the Crane family, has recently become the mountain bike headquarters for the Berkshires, with time trials Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. And this year, Holiday Farm will be the site of the National 24 Hrs.of Adrenalin Series, which began this past weekend in Arizona and will next take place May 18-19 in Monterey, Calif. The fastest growing mountain bike series in America will be at Holiday Farm June 29-30. Call (905) 944-9436 for details, or Holiday Farm at 684-0444. Bikers can get to more distant starting points by taking advantage of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority buses equipped with bicycle racks mounted up front. Less strenuous competition (although perhaps mentally more taxing) was found on area golf courses over the weekend, with 120 signed up for the second annual Jack Kelley Memorial at Waubeeka Golf Links. The winning team in gross play was made up of Brian Manoogian, John Baran, Jack Dabrowski and Jim George, with a 63. Net winners were Dave and Ann Harpin and Sue and Bob Desanty, at 55. Berkshire high school teams, after weeks of playing in often wintry conditions, are warming up for the Massachusetts High School Championships at Waubeeka June 3, but only the best will qualify. Waubeekaâ€™s founder, Rowland Armacost of Hinsdale, is back at his home now, after several weeks of hospitalization for pneumonia. The 86-year-old former pro and still active course designer will soon see his latest project open for play, a second nine at the historic Wilbraham Country Club. High school tennis is still going strong with regional and state tourneys a few weeks away. At this writing, the young Mount Greylock team was unbeaten after six matches under the direction of an extremely young coach (MGRHS was to play Taconic Tuesday). Blake Johnson is 21 and his team is made up of 8th and 9th graders and one 10th grader. Johnson played for Greylock through his 10th grade and did not continue on the academic competitive scene. But he has strong tennis genes. Mother Cheri is the longtime Greylock girls coach (3-2 on Monday). Dad Dave is the award-winning Williams College tennis and squash coach with the immediate task of defending his NCAA Division III crown, having already nailed down his 10th consecutive New England Small College title. Blake stepped in when former coach Seth Gabriel of the Equinox Tennis Club had to give up his Greylock post a few days before the start of the season. John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.

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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

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