PORT CHARLOTTE — The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has had a very busy summer training local kids to be better athletes and Christians.

This past week, the FCA was at Aileron Golf Course in Port Charlotte for a golf clinic to help boys work on their short game, long game, and in life.

Tom Parker, area director at FCA, said kids from Florida and throughout the country came out for five days to compete and learn more about their faith. Their last day was Thursday.

“The kids have learned how to strike the ball, change weight and things to take their game to the next level,” Parker said. “We had one who was newer at the game who couldn’t hit the ball more than 30 feet, but who is now hitting the ball 150 yards.”

For five days, the kids would spend the morning at Aileron for training, with help from staff and club professionals. They then departed for other courses such as Riverwood and Lemon Bay to compete in match play, stroke play, foursomes and contests like longest drive and closest to the hole.

Parker said the players have shown they will be forces to contend with once the golf season begins in the fall. Two players shot 74 on Wednesday, with several others shooting under 80.

Campers came from all over. Karl Meredith, 15, from Frederick Md., said he had a coach who worked with him on his downswing to improve on his approaches. He scored a 78 on Wednesday.

Meredith also learned a lot about his faith and wants to take what he learned to teach others about the work of God.

“Every night we would get together with our huddle leaders and get questions about faith that they can have discussions about. A lot of guys showed me a side that I hadn’t seen,” Meredith said. “Tom showed us how he tried to get the best of both God and Satan. He said to look at God and not to look back at temptation. It helped me grow my relationship with God.”

Zack Parker, Tom’s son, is from Port Charlotte and will golf at Pine View School this fall. He said he liked the course and the format, which encouraged smaller groups who formed deeper bonds.

“I learned a lot about weight shifts with the driver and it helped me get the second-best score of my life (a 74, winning the playoff),” Parker said. “After breakfast, having 10 to 15 minutes to talk about God before going on the range is a great way to start the day.”

Huddle-group leaders played a big role in the camp. Luke Shamblin, a recent college grad from Charleston, S.C., said being in FCA has brought him out of some dark places in his life.

“We played golf every day, but more importantly, we’ve been able to build a strong relationship with the kids,” Shamblin said. “The huddle times at night and the morning devotions have been the most important part of the camp. We wanted them to strengthen the perspective they have in their faith.”

The FCA held a coach’s camp, wrestling camp (in which 75 kids locally took part), cheer camp and this camp so far this summer.

FCA has a lot going on in the coming weeks. Next week, Charlotte football will go to Stetson University for a clinic. The following week, Port Charlotte football will attend a camp in Naples.

A Night of Champions is coming up in August at Murdock Baptist Church, with a guest speaker to be determined. A golf tournament will happen in October, tentatively at Lemon Bay Golf Course.

The FCA gala will happen at the end of October at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center, with several speakers expected for that.

Parker said FCA is looking for staff, both men and women, as well as funding, as they have increased their budget.

For more information or to express interest, call Parker at (941) 456-5433 or email him at tparker@fca.org.

In recent years, some scientists and advocates have warned that playing contact sports like football and hockey may increase the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to a buildup of a specific protein in the brain.

But a new Northwestern Medicine study of 174 donated brains, including some from former high school and college football players, pumps the brakes on that theory. 

The long and short of it is no, this protein in this specific brain region is not increased in people who played football at the amateur level. It throws a little bit of cold water on the current CTE narrative.”

Dr. Rudolph Castellani, corresponding author, professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neuropathologist

The study was recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It raises important questions about how scientists interpret subtle brain changes associated with aging, Alzheimer’s disease and repetitive head impacts.

How the study worked

The study analyzed brain tissue from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, which collects brain donations from people who had psychiatric conditions (e.g. schizophrenia, major depression, general anxiety, substance use disorder, etc.) throughout their life. Of the 174 samples collected from older adult men (with a median age of 65 at death), 48 men participated in football in high school or college while 126 had no history of playing a contact or collision sport. 

The study did not include brains from professional athletes. 

The scientists focused on a small memory-related brain region called CA2, part of the hippocampus. This region has been shown to accumulate phosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein – which is often present in neurodegenerative disease – in a variety of contexts, including normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease and in individuals with a history of repetitive head impacts.

But the findings suggest p-tau buildup in CA2 isn’t specific to contact sports. The scientists found no over-representation of CA2 p-tau in individuals with a history of youth football participation. Instead, the presence of p-tau in this region was statistically associated with age.

“What’s novel here is a return to the null hypothesis – that there may be no link between repeated head injuries and p-tau buildup in this location,” said Castellani, who also is the neuropathology core director of the Northwestern University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “Rather than assuming p-tau in CA2 is inherently pathological, we’re asking whether it might be part of normal aging or a non-specific response to environmental factors.”

The study also highlights broader challenges in the field of neurodegeneration research. In particular, the authors point to the difficulty of assigning clinical meaning to subtle pathological findings. The paper’s section, “Knowledge gaps and implications for future research,” underscores how even expert consensus groups struggle to define CTE in clinically meaningful terms.

“Modern studies on CTE may be expanding the boundaries of what’s considered normal variability in the human brain,” Castellani said. “This work reminds us to be cautious in interpreting pathology without clear clinical correlation.”

The authors call for larger studies to better understand how p-tau relates to aging and head injuries, while urging the scientific community to critically evaluate assumptions about what constitutes neurodegenerative disease.

The study is titled “Postmortem tau in the CA2 region of the hippocampus in older adult men who participated in youth amateur American-style football.” 

The Northbrook Park District’s fall programs include youth sports like baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and more.
Courtesy of the Northbrook Park District

This fall will mark the start of the $12.1 million renovation of the Northbrook Park District’s Leisure Center.

This carefully planned project will extend the life span of the facility — originally built in the 1960s as a school — with improvements geared to users of all ages.

While the Leisure Center construction takes place, classes and programs will be moved to other park district facilities. For details, check the Autumn Guide (mailed to all park district residents and available at nbparks.org).

Fall is a great time for children and adults to try out a new sport, or perfect their skills for competition.

Youth sports include baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer and volleyball, along with martial arts and introductory classes for cyclo-cross and skateboarding.

Families can save 10% if they register their children by July 25 for soccer and flag football leagues in the fall.

Adult sports include pickup basketball, pickup soccer and softball leagues, along with classes and clinics for paddle- and pickleball. Tennis lessons are offered for youth and adults.

The Northbrook Sports Center’s year-round indoor ice rinks welcome young skaters of all levels, from toddlers up to 17-year-olds, with a Skating School that follows the official Learn to Skate USA class curriculum. Also, on Aug. 23 and Dec. 6, the park district will offer a free skating class for children who are interested in learning to skate, to help determine class readiness. (Three-year-olds must be potty trained.)

The park district’s senior center offers trips to a variety of destinations, with round-trip transportation provided.

This fall, seniors can check out the Chicago Premium Outlets Mall on Sept. 4; lunch and shopping in picturesque Long Grove on Sept. 17; lunch and shopping in Chicago’s Greektown on Oct. 1; a performance of “Catch Me If You Can” at Marriot Lincolnshire on Oct. 9; and Gurnee Mills Mall on Oct. 30.

As always, the park district will be presenting a lineup of events for families and people of all ages as summer winds down and fall swoops in.

September marks the return of Northbrook Brewfest, an adults-only event held in conjunction with the village of Northbrook on Sept. 6 at Village Green Park, and Touch-A-Truck on Sept. 20 at Underwriters Laboratories, always a gracious partner for this fun and educational event for children.

The Northbrook Park District’s Autumnfest on Oct. 5 at Meadowhill Park will offer family entertainment like a petting zoo, horse trolley, pumpkin picking, arts and crafts, music and more.
Courtesy of the Northbrook Park District

Autumnfest will return on Oct. 5 at Meadowhill Park with all its customary family entertainment, including a petting zoo, horse trolley, pumpkin picking, arts and crafts, music and more.

In November, grab the spookiest Halloween costumes for the pooches and runners in your family for the Halloween Pet Parade on Oct. 23 and the Halloween 3K/Fun Run on Oct. 24, both at Techny Prairie Park and Fields.

The park district also offers the Turkey Shoot free-throw contest on Nov. 12, when winners of each age division can take home a turkey, and the Thanksgiving Lego Party on Nov. 26, when the little ones can build to their heart’s content with more than 100 pounds of Lego elements.

A new offering this year in December is Santa Paws on Dec. 20, a special event where dogs can take photos with Santa at Village Green Center.

Also in December, families can enjoy the traditional Holiday Craft Fair on Dec. 6, a Hanukkah Celebration on Dec. 7 and Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 13.

Registration for the Northbrook Park District’s fall programs opens July 30 for residents and Aug. 7 for nonresidents.
Courtesy of the Northbrook Park District

Registration for fall programs and classes begins at 9 a.m. July 30 for residents and 9 a.m. Aug. 7 for nonresidents. For more information and to register, visit nbparks.org or call (847) 291-2993.

Established in 1927, the mission of the Northbrook Park District is to enhance the community by providing outstanding services, parks and facilities through environmental, social and financial stewardship.

Despite our triple-digit temperatures, fall is around the corner, and so is registration for Mesa Parks and Recreations fall programs.

(City of Mesa Photo)

Registration is now open for Mesa residents for the 2025 fall season (August, September, October). Mesa offers programs and activities to people of all ages and abilities:

– Adult Sports: Kickball, cornhole, softball, volleyball, pickleball and Recess for Adults, which offers a new sport or game each week

– Youth Sports and Clinics: Co-ed flag football and all-girls flag football, NFL flag kinder clinic, cheer clinic, lacrosse clinic, soccer clinic and Playball multi-sport

– Teen Recreation: Flag football, junior tennis camps, Super Smash Bros E-Sports Tournament and Teen H.Y.P.E. (Helping Youth Produce Excellence) teen leadership initiative

– Adaptive Recreation: Swimming, bocce, rock climbing, yoga, fashion show

– Hobbies and Special Interests: Youth beginners ice skating (ages 7-12), all-star gymnastics (ages 1-4), Dungeons & Dragons (ages 8-14), judo (ages 10+), belly dance basics (ages 16+) and tai chi for wellness/beginners (ages 16+)

Additional offerings include lap swim at Skyline and Kino Aquatic Centers, Drop-In Pickleball for ages 18+, tennis clinics and leagues, after-school programs and fall break camps.

Mesa Parks and Recreation will also host special events such as the Dive-In Movie Aug. 16, Skate Party @ The Plaza Sept. 27, Celebrate Mesa, Oct. 11, Fall Carnival Oct. 24 and Pumpkin Splash Oct. 25. A full list of programs and activities is available in the fall PLAYBOOK Magazine.

All of these popular activities are the perfect way to keep families active while having fun. Non-residents can begin registering on Monday, July 14 at 8 a.m.

How to Register:

– Online using the Active Net Registration System

– Email: Send a completed registration form to ParksRecInfo@MesaAZ.gov

– Phone: Call 480-644-PLAY (7529)

– In-person: Visit the Mesa Parks and Recreation Office at 708 W. Baseline Road. Office hours are Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Registration forms are available in English and Spanish. For questions, call 480-644-PLAY (7529). Some Mesa residents may qualify for the Mesa Recreation Scholarship MRS Discount, which provides 50% off youth and adaptive programs.

Read more stories from the Phoenix Area on Signals A Z.com.

Akaido “Jig” Mohammed isn’t your typical 12-year-old.

The budding track and field standout, who recently qualified to compete in the Amateur Athletic Union’s Junior Olympics, begins every morning with a 2-mile run. Then he gets right to his schoolwork without being prompted.

The Carrollton resident is already a rising sophomore in high school. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother, Candace Mohammed, enrolled him in the Acellus Academy of Science and Technology, an online self-paced private K-12 school that prepares students for STEM-related careers.

“He was able to fly through a lot of his elementary and middle school courses pretty quickly,” Candace said.

He’s only in his first full year of participating in track and field competitions.

Last year, Jig joined Smithfield Packers Youth Sports’ track team, but an injury he sustained during his second meet took him out for the remainder of the season. He now trains with Chidi Okezie, a U.S.-born sprinter and Hampton University graduate who competed for Nigeria in the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was Okezie who recommended that Jig join the Technique Track Club in Hampton.

As a member of Technique, Jig earned two silver medals and one gold at the AAU district level. He then completed the 200 meter dash in 25.62 seconds and the 400 meter dash in just over a minute at the AAU Track & Field Region 5 qualifier June 28 in Newport News, qualifying in both events for the Junior Olympics, which will be held July 22 through Aug. 2 in Houston, Texas. Athletes with the five fastest scores qualify.

“The 200 meters, we weren’t expecting that one at all. He snuck in there on that,” Candace said.

According to the Houston Sports Authority, the AAU Junior Olympic Games are the largest youth multi-sport event in the nation. There, 15,000 youth athletes from across the country will compete in more than a dozen sports. This summer marks the 59th anniversary of the event and the fourth time Houston has hosted the games.

“He’s always been athletic,” Candace said of Jig, who has participated in soccer and basketball through Isle of Wight County Parks and Recreation. He also boxes in the off-season and has started training with Jerry Forrest, a professional heavyweight boxer in Newport News, but recently decided to focus on track.

“One thing about Jig, he’s a very shy, quiet, mild kid, so it’s hard because he’s not really going to express what he likes,” Candace said. But then “he smiles, and that’s when you know.”

During the pandemic, “it was hard for him to get excited about anything,” but “track is starting to give me my kid back,” she said. “He’s growing into something that you can see that he’s proud of himself.”

Candace said Jig hopes to one day compete for Isle of Wight County Schools, but his accelerated homeschooling has put him in an unusual situation. 

In Virginia, public schools aren’t required to include homeschooled students in athletics or other extracurricular activities, but Isle of Wight County Schools has a policy allowing participation if homeschooled students enroll in at least two classes for the semester their sport or activity is in session, IWCS spokeswoman Lynn Briggs said.

But “I won’t make him repeat courses he’s already taken and I don’t want my 12-year-old among high-schoolers yet,” Candace said.

Candace said Jig’s dedication to his schoolwork and sport has inspired her to return to school. She started her first week at Norfolk State University this month, pursuing a psychology degree in hopes of becoming a licensed counselor.