Five join Blue Streaks Hall of Fame
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Only one thing would have kept Brianne Bellon from attending Blue Streak Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Friday.
She wouldn’t have missed it for anything except, as fate would have it, the event took place on the former track star’s wedding day.
“Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 must be my new lucky day!” she said in a social media posting. “I am marrying my high school sweetheart, Alex Lushkevich, and getting inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame.”
Bellon is one of five new Hall of Famers, joined by fellow Class of 2018 members Lawrence “Toby” Youngblood, a two-sport star and long-time coach; Rory Pedrick, a football and lacrosse standout; the late Claudia Didziulis, an athlete and longtime athletic director’s secretary; and the late Bill Scott, a 1920s high school athlete, who later became Ballston Spa athletic director and founded its sports programs. The school’s “Scotties” mascot is named for him.
Bellon, a 2010 Saratoga Springs High School graduate, ran cross-country for five seasons along with winter track and spring track for six seasons. She was a member of the undefeated cross-country team, which was the Subur-
ban Council, Section 2, and NYS Federation champions for five years.
Bellon was on seven national champion relay teams: 4xmile, 4x800, and the distance medley relay squads.
“She has more national championship wins than any other girl we coached,” said Coach Linda Kranick, who accepted the award on Bellon’s behalf. “Her hard work really paid off.”
Bellon remains the current 800-meter record holder for Saratoga Springs, and is a member of the Saratoga and Section II record-holding 3200-meter relay team. She attended the University at Albany and ran in all three disciplines there and also was part of the record-holding distance medley relay squad for the Great Danes.
She is currently a social studies teacher at Galway School District.
Youngblood, a 1975 alum, told how his parents moved to Saratoga Springs from South Florida in the early 1960s to give their children a better life. His father, who didn’t get past fourth grade, worked three jobs to support the family and never had a chance to play sports.
“He told me, so you be a shining star for me and your mother,” Youngblood said. “Thanks mom and dad. I made it, so that means you made it.”
Youngblood was a member of the undefeated 1974-75 Saratoga Springs basketball team. In baseball, he hit .444 as a junior, .525 as a senior and stole 76 consecutive bases during his career without ever getting caught.
“Baseball always came natural for me,” he said. “Basketball, I really had to work at it.”
After high school, Youngblood coached basketball for CYO, and was the coach and general manager for Saratoga American Little League. In addition, he coached baseball and basketball at Saratoga Central Catholic, Schuylerville and Galway high schools and is currently at Ballston Spa.
He remains active in the Saratoga American Little League program, NY Mets semi-pro baseball team, Black Student Alliance All-Star Basketball, and the Schuylerville Community Theater.
Youngblood’s presenter, Alphonse “Phonsey” Lambert, said, “Toby is loved, admired and respected. He was a big part of many, many athletes in this community.”
Pedrick, a 2004 graduate, was a football and lacrosse captain his senior year, and was twice named a Suburban Council first-team member in lacrosse.
He was a high school All-American in lacrosse, and earned the Ray Waldron Outstanding Athlete Award and a National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Award.
“I’m really, really humbled to be here,” said Pedrick, who thanked his family, teammates, coaches, teachers and athletic opponents for making his many accomplishments possible. “Saratoga athletics were always a staple in our upbringing. I’ll never forget watching guys like (future Notre Dame and NFL star) Anthony Weaver play.”
After high school, Pedrick played four years of Division I lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts and participated in the NCAA championship game in his sophomore year. He was a senior captain at UMass and was the first Blue Streak to be recognized by ESPN’s “Play of the Day” segment.
Pedrick was presented by former Superintendent of Schools John MacFadden. Didziulis graduated from Saratoga Springs in 1952, where she played basketball, baseball and was a cheerleader. However, she is best-known as a highly-skilled and wellliked secretary to Athletic Directors Ray Waldron and Bob Stulmaker from 1976 to 2000.
“The success of any athletic director is having a good secretary,” Stulmaker said.
Didziulis received the first-ever Section II Athletic Director’s Secretary of the Year Award in 1999.
2016 Hall of Fame member and multi-sport Coach Sue Hoffman said, “She took care of all the chaos and made it go away.”
Didziulis’s son, Steve, and his sister, Sandra Durkin, accepted the Hall of Fame plaque on their mother’s behalf. “If I could say one thing to my mom today it would be how wonderfully proud I am of her,” Steve Didziulis said. “She was the kindest and most generous person I’ve ever known.”
Scott graduated from Saratoga Springs in 1929 after starring in football, basketball, and baseball for four years. From there he went to Springfield College where he competed in baseball and track. During World War II, he played baseball and batted third in front of Red Sox great Ted Williams on a service team.
After the war, Scott became the athletic director at Ballston Spa where he founded the sports program and was the first football, baseball, and basketball coach in school history. He coached in parts of seven decades from the 1930s to 1990s.
His presenter, Ron Ravena, said, “As a coach Mr. Scott was a no-nonsense guy who brought the military into sports and his classroom. He was definitely old-school. Colleagues dubbed him a coaching legend. I think his greatest accomplishment was the giving of himself to his community, school and students.”