Rec Sports
Raise The Bar For Coaches
Courtesy: Doug Cornish, the founder of Swimpler. Follow Swimpler on Substack here. The future of swimming in the United States feels increasingly uncertain. Seismic legislative changes, a leadership vacuum, societal values shifting toward balance and well-being, and an outdated sport culture stand opposed to positive momentum. Swimming is trying to digest all of it. We could use […]

Courtesy: Doug Cornish, the founder of Swimpler. Follow Swimpler on Substack here.
The future of swimming in the United States feels increasingly uncertain.
Seismic legislative changes, a leadership vacuum, societal values shifting toward balance and well-being, and an outdated sport culture stand opposed to positive momentum.
Swimming is trying to digest all of it.
We could use some good news, and some Pepto.
If there exists a bright future for swimming in the United States, it will be born of the passion, burdens, and relentless dedication of swim coaches.
That much is certain.
And that’s exactly where our real crisis lies.
The Problem and the Solution Lie with the Coaches?
Yes.
100%.
Coach Perspective
I spent 18 years as a competitive swimmer. The next 24 years of my life were spent as a full-time coach, spanning North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. I walked away from coaching last year. Not because I stopped loving swimming, but because there is no justification for a lifestyle that demands endless sacrifice without proportionate compensation, support, or respect.
I wanted to prioritize my family. I threw in the towel upon the realization that the profession rarely permits those priorities, and that the chance had escaped me.
I became a registered representative with New York Life and quickly discovered a new way to serve the sport I love. Now I consult with coaches and teams on strategies to attract, retain, and value their coaches through enhanced compensation packages.
My manager, Rob Berkowitz, spent 26 years coaching soccer before leaving the profession for many of the same reasons I did. The coach’s struggle isn’t abstract to us. It’s personal and profoundly understood.
Anecdotes aren’t enough to be successful in this new line of work. So I collected data. Over 800 coaches participated in the Swim Coach Compensation Survey. The survey shows clearly that coaches are being undervalued in both compensation amounts and structures.
Coaches are not just undervalued. They are overburdened, misunderstood, taken for granted, and too often blamed for everything that goes wrong.
Many coaches feel trapped. They want out, but don’t see a way.
How do I know?
They tell me.
Consumer Perspective
Swimming is not just losing coaches. The sport is losing athletes and appeal.
The overwhelming majority of potential swimmers will never even consider this sport.
Parents in our modern society are choosing balance and safety. They’re skipping swimming entirely because our sport looks like an early-specialization machine oriented toward imbalance, burnout, and injuries.
Even among the greatest athletes, we’re seeing growing cause for concern. Mental health struggles have always been part of the process, especially at the elite level. But now, with instant media exposure and a more open and accepting cultural dialogue, we are more aware of the toll being taken on the athletes. Rational parents are including those visible testimonies when considering the health and sustainability of activities for their children.
The narrative we celebrate acts as a repellent.
Train insane or remain the same.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
No pain, no gain!
…didn’t miss a day of training in 6 years.
Then we see our heroes break down in real time, with real emotion, with real impact on both them and our sport.
When other sports offer variety, freedom, fun, and games, swimming’s reputation for grind and exhaustion no longer resonates.
Swimming, the only sport that saves lives, has become too risky in the eyes of many rational parents.
That truth is as paradoxical as it is devastating.
And what about the kids who do give it a try?
We lose most of them, too.
- To burnout.
- To injury.
- To the act of doing nothing.
United States swimming chews up athletes and coaches and spits them out.
It’s 2025.
We must recognize that neither the supply of athletes or coaches is endless – that each holds tremendous value and need to be nurtured.
So What’s the Solution?
I’ve long argued that our sport needs a paradigm shift.
Wayne Goldsmith provided a thesis for the shift in his recent work, Coaching is Dead,
“This isn’t about lowering standards or accepting mediocrity. It’s about understanding that higher standards become achievable when people feel valued, understood, and supported.”
Wayne’s message is simple, clear, and transformative. Coaches don’t unlock greatness in their athletes by demanding more. They do it by connecting more. Put simply, an athlete’s performance rises in direct proportion to the degree to which they feel valued, seen, and supported by their coach.
The same holds true for the coach.
The performance of the coach rises in direct proportion to the degree to which they feel valued, seen, and supported by the team. If you want excellence from your staff, create an environment where they feel valued, understood, and supported.
That’s not lowering the bar. That’s how we raise it.
We can navigate a course to a paradigm shift in three steps:
- We raise the bar for coaches.
- Coaches raise the bar for the experiences they oversee.
- The new narrative raises the bar for the sport.
Raising the Bar for Coaches
A full overhaul is needed, starting with two things:
1. Enhanced Compensation
- Click HERE to view the full 2025 Swim Coach Compensation Survey data
- Click HERE for 10 Compensation Enhancement Strategies
Before we talk about performance, passion, or professionalism, we must first meet the basic needs of the coach.
The data is clear. Coaches are undervalued in both their compensation amounts and structures. They need help from leading organizations, the teams that employ them, and the families who are led by them.
Words are cheap. If you have told a coach how important they are, that they are essential to the team, the development of your children, and to the sport, but you don’t fight for fair wages, benefits, and job security, you’re not valuing them. You’re exploiting them. That goes for leading swim organizations, teams, and parents.
This isn’t retail. This is youth development.
Based on USA Swimming statistics recently shared with me, the number of new coaches in USA Swimming sky-rocketed this past year, up over 25%.
At first glance, that sounds like progress. But this may be the most alarming statistic I’ve seen yet.
Why the enormous jump?
Are we replacing experienced, full-time coaches with part-time coaches who are not able to make holistic, long-term student-athlete development their professional priority? The vast majority of part-time coaches have families and careers that come before their commitment to your team.
If so, that’s horrible news for our sport.
We can’t expect long-term athlete development models and execution from a workforce that lacks time, resources, or professional security.
You want better, happier swimmers and a better experience for them?
Start by valuing their coaches.
2. Enhanced Education
Coaches hold the greatest influence over whether a swimmer’s experience is meaningful or miserable. It’s easy to blame them when things go wrong.
Here’s my concession:
I’ve been on enough pool decks to know that sometimes the coach is the problem.
But that blame obscures the fact that the system we rely on to educate and support coaches is broken.
If you were a new coach today, where would you turn for a foundation that equips you to develop athletes safely and effectively while also building a sustainable career and family life?
Let me illustrate the problem with two simple, critical concepts:
- Lordosis
- Antagonist muscle groups
Lordosis, the excessive curvature of the lower spine, is one of the greatest sources of drag experienced by swimmers. It is mitigated with posterior hip tilt and exacerbated by poor head position. Muscular imbalances in the shoulder, caused by repetitive overuse and neglect of antagonist muscle groups, remain the leading cause of injury in the sport.
Ask coaches across the country about either, and I’d wager 75% couldn’t give you a confident answer.
That’s not a criticism of coaches. It’s a reflection of the system that failed to prepare them for the position they hold.
Every coach should have a working knowledge of biomechanics, injury prevention, skill development, a grasp on the causes of attrition, and the science of overload and recovery. We also need to equip them with business skills, communication tools, and leadership training so they can build programs that work and lives they can sustain.
Swimming needs more knowledgeable coaches who can develop athletes through positive experiences while deepening their impact through meaningful connection.
Currently coaches are being asked to give far more than they’ve ever been given, receiving little education, limited support, and inadequate compensation.
Here’s my assertion:
Complaining about coaches without properly supporting them is like peeing in your own tent before bed, then being upset about the smell in the morning.
A New Paradigm: Value the Coach, Elevate the Sport
We need to better compensate and educate coaches, not just for their benefit, but for the survival and evolution of the sport.
If we collaborate with and value coaches, instead of exhausting them, we can finally deliver:
- A better experience for athletes
- A better product for families
- A better future for swimming
Swimming needs to be fun again.
Kids should walk into school bragging about how awesome practice was instead of dozing off in class as a result of being engrossed by a threshold-based microcycle.
Parents should be telling other parents how their experiences in swimming has added value to their family and positively shaped the character and future of their children instead of how they dread yet another 3-day, out-of-town swim meet.
Coaches should be telling future coaches how much they love the job. How they couldn’t envision ever doing something else. That it challenges them, supports them, and rewards them for their dedication instead of telling other coaches that they want out.
Swimming doesn’t need more gimmicks. It needs an overhaul inspired by more humanity.
Let’s start with the coach.
If you’re a coach or team administrator looking to improve your team’s coach compensation packages, I’d love to connect. Forty-three of my forty-seven years on this earth have led me to this moment, uniquely positioned, prepared, and committed to helping you build something better.
Rec Sports
Lee’s Summit dads turn idea on napkin into plans for youth sports complex
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — The vision for a 17-acre sports and entertainment complex along View High Drive in Lee’s Summit started on a napkin. “It actually did,” 3D Builders KC Managing Partner Scott Wheatley said. “It started on a napkin, with me and another dad, we were sitting there watching our kids play in a […]

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — The vision for a 17-acre sports and entertainment complex along View High Drive in Lee’s Summit started on a napkin.
“It actually did,” 3D Builders KC Managing Partner Scott Wheatley said. “It started on a napkin, with me and another dad, we were sitting there watching our kids play in a tiny, little facility, and were like, ‘We’ve got to do better for our kids.’”
Lee’s Summit dads turn idea on napkin into plans for youth sports complex
Kansas has added several pristine facilities — especially for soccer, basketball and volleyball — in recent years.
“The vision for this property really is for Missouri residents to have a state of the art facility in Missouri, so they don’t have to drive to Kansas every weekend for games at Compass Minerals or Garmin or HomeField KC or Bluhawk,” fellow 3D Builders KC Managing Partner Justin Beebe said. “… We’d like the residents in Missouri to be able to have something of their own and be able to stay local and do something for the community and for the kids that are here.”
Wheatley has two daughters, ages 8 and 11, while Beebe has 9-year-old triplet girls who love soccer, basketball, swimming and even jiu jitsu.
“We started this thing two years ago,” Beebe said. “We’re like, ‘Let’s just see what we can do. Let’s see how far we can take this, if we can get it done.’ … I live right around the corner, and he (Wheatley) lives right down the road right there, so it’s great for our neighbors and for the community to have something like this right here.”
View High Sports and Entertainment grew from its humble beginnings, scrawled onto a napkin, into a 180,000-square-foot concept one mile north of Longview Community College. It’s anchored by a full FIFA-regulation indoor soccer field, gym space for eight basketball courts or 12 volleyball courts, an athletic training facility, hitting and pitching tunnels, a restaurant and a family entertainment center, which will include an arcade, golf simulators and an indoor playground.
The building will also have space for a medical office and retail space, while an additional 90,000-square-foot outdoor space will include a multi-use field and five pickleball courts.
“They underestimate themselves a little bit when they portray themselves as a couple dads on a napkin — only because there’s been a lot of dads doing this with a lot of napkins, moms and dads over the last 30 years, but they’re getting it done,” Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird said.
The project received a boost last month when the Lee’s Summit City Council unanimously approved a Community Improvement District to help pay for View High Sports and Entertainment.
3D Builders KC hopes to break ground on the project this fall after a final round of investment, with plans to have their daughters playing there by the fall of 2026.
“I’m extremely excited,” Wheatley said. “I’ve dreamed about it for the last two and a half years as we’ve gone through this whole process. The process starting out is way more than we ever dreamed it would be, but it’s starting to come to fruition.”
—
KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
Rec Sports
Bret Harte Male Athlete of the Year: Boston Williams found a purpose in sports, and strength in faith
Bret Harte High School senior Boston Williams is the Calaveras Enterprise Bret Harte Male 2024-25 Athlete of the Year. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise The athletic arena has always been a safe space for Boston Williams. From his younger days playing youth sports to his final year as a three-sport Bret Harte High School student-athlete, Williams’ safe […]


Bret Harte High School senior Boston Williams is the Calaveras Enterprise Bret Harte Male 2024-25 Athlete of the Year. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
The athletic arena has always been a safe space for Boston Williams. From his younger days playing youth sports to his final year as a three-sport Bret Harte High School student-athlete, Williams’ safe space always included athletic competition.
Williams’ sports journey involved multiple moves across multiple states, ending at Bret Harte, where he will be remembered as one of the top players to ever put on a Bullfrog basketball uniform.
A deep love for sports was developed at a young age when Williams discovered he could escape any issues in his life and immerse himself in athletic competition.
“When I was younger, I didn’t have much to do and there was just stuff going on at home and with the stuff at home, sports became a distraction,” Williams said. “Going to the YMCA every night, from 9 to midnight playing with the older kids, it just drew me in with the competitiveness and just being able to create bonds and friendships and just distracting me from stuff.”
When Williams was a freshman, everything he did included sports. He played football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring. However, in the middle of baseball season, Williams transferred out of Bret Harte to Sonora – a move he was unhappy to make.

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
“This was my first high school, so it was my first love,” Williams said about leaving Bret Harte. “I hated transferring to Sonora because they were in our league and I was always going against them, but now I was on their team. It just didn’t feel right.”
Williams’ tenure as a Wildcat was not a long one. After his freshman year, he packed his bags and moved to Texas – another relocation he was not thrilled to make. After a year in the Lone Star State, Williams was given an option: stay in Texas or return to Bret Harte. For Williams, the answer was an easy one.
“When my mom gave me the option to stay in Texas or come back to Bret Harte, it was a no-brainer; I wanted to come back to Bret Harte,” Williams said. “I missed being in purple and gold. I missed the school spirit. I missed the Calaveras games, and just the support system and people I had around me. I just missed it so much.”
Williams returned to Angels Camp in time for his junior year. In his final two years as a Bullfrog, he turned heads on the gridiron, the hardwood and the track. Williams was home, and he was determined to make it count.
Drawn to the Lights

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
When Williams rejoined Bret Harte at the start of his junior year, he decided to forgo football to focus on basketball, his favorite sport. And in the winter of 2023-24, it seemed like a good decision. Williams helped lead the Bullfrogs to a second-place finish in the Mother Lode League standings and was named a first-team all-league member.
But when summer arrived before his senior year, Williams got the urge to return to football, despite knowing that an injury could drastically hinder his performance on the court. Williams weighed his options and decided that playing under the Friday night lights was where he wanted to spend his fall.
“I played my freshman year, and there’s nothing like the adrenaline; there’s nothing like it. I just missed the thrill of catching balls, the crowd cheering, and I felt like I wanted to play football again,” Williams said. “A lot of people wanted me to play and I was like, ‘You know, it’s my last year, why not? I’m never going to have the chance to ever play again, so I might as well just play,’ and I’m glad I did. I don’t regret that decision.”
And when it came to the fear of injury, Williams leaned on his faith – a common practice in his life.
“It was a thought in my mind, and I talked a lot about that with the people around me,” Williams said. “But it was a lot of prayer and realizing that it’s in God’s plan. Whatever was going to happen is going to happen, so I just gave it up to God.”
In just his second year of football, and first as a varsity player, Williams was named a first-team all-Mother Lode League member. He finished the season with 19 catches for 296 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 116 yards and two scores. On defense, Williams recorded two interceptions, and he returned a kickoff for a touchdown – the most memorable play of his season.

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
“I was cramping, but they needed someone on kickoff return because they didn’t have a replacement,” Williams recalled. “So, I went back out with the cramp still, and I got it and I just took off with nothing but adrenaline as I got past the first people. The crowd got louder and louder and then I was in the end zone, and I saw everyone cheering and it was amazing.”
Unfortunately for Williams, he didn’t get to experience the thrill of victory in his return to football. Despite finishing the season 0-9, Williams focuses on the positive experiences rather than the final scores.
“I did enjoy myself, even though, unfortunately, we didn’t win any games, I met a lot of new people that I didn’t think I was going to be friends with, and I created those bonds,” Williams said. “That’s what made it worth it for me; building those new friendships at school and meeting these new people.”
In the second-to-last game of the season, Williams’ biggest fear became a reality. Midway through the game, he suffered a shoulder injury that not only kept him from playing in the final game of the year, but also put a question mark around the upcoming basketball season.
“It was hurting, and I could barely move it,” Williams said.
A Record-Breaking Year

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
Williams knew right away he was hurt. While playing against Riverbank in the final home game of the season, he injured his shoulder and hoped it wouldn’t sideline him for a significant part of his senior basketball season.
“It probably took three weeks until I finally was able to get a range of motion,” Williams said. “It was right before basketball season and there was practice, and I just was watching them practice and I wanted to be out there. So, I put on a sling, and I would go out and practice in the sling, with just my left hand and work on my left hand on the sideline, while everyone else was practicing. I missed being out there and being with the guys and playing. So, I just sat there on the sideline in the sling, practicing and practicing and just wishing I could come back really fast.”
Williams was cleared to play before the start of the season. After winning the first game, Bret Harte dropped its next three and didn’t look like a team that could compete for a league title, let alone make a deep playoff run.
“We barely had any practice with our full team, and so the chemistry wasn’t there, and our connection wasn’t there,” Williams said about the early struggles. “Once we finally practiced together and we started getting closer and closer, we finally were a full team and 100%, and we started winning some games and the vibes were really up there and we knew that we had potential to be a great team. We knew if we worked hard all season at practice and went 100% that we would be able to be a really good team and go really far. Once we realized that, we’re like, ‘OK, we can do this,’ and we ended up doing that and it was just an amazing season.”

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
Bret Harte found its groove, ending the preseason with wins in 11 of its final 13 games. In a 76-58 win over Amador in the Bret Harte Tournament championship game, Williams scored a career-high 44 points — just four shy of Dan Radford’s school record of 47 set in 2012. He also made eight 3-pointers, tying Will Finn’s record from 2008.
Bret Harte head coach Brian Barnett noticed a difference in Williams during the preseason that wasn’t there the previous year.
“I think it would have to be his leadership,” Barnett said. “His biggest jump in all of it is that he was sought as a leader. Whereas when he was a junior, he was coming back from Texas and it was kind of like, ‘OK, we know he’s a good athlete, but we’re not going to follow him.’ And I think this year his team’s followed him more than they did as a junior, and he was willing to step into that role.”
The Bullfrogs started league play with six straight wins, including a 60-57 road victory over Calaveras. But they stumbled in the second half, setting up a winner-take-all game against Calaveras in Angels Camp. With the league title on the line, Bret Harte fell short – a loss that continues to haunt Williams.

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
“I still think about it to this day,” Williams said. “We beat them twice already in the season, and that game was for the league championship. The energy was high, it was the most people I’ve ever seen in the gym, and we just came out flat and we didn’t play our normal game. Knowing that we didn’t play the best that we could have played, it just really sucked. That one’s definitely going to stick with me.”
Bret Harte rallied in the playoffs, beating John Adams in the opening round and knocking off Futures in the second round. In the 63-51 home win over Futures, Williams surpassed 1,000 career points, becoming just the ninth Bullfrog to ever reach the 1,000-point club.
The run for a section title ended in the semifinals, and Williams’ Bret Harte career came to a close in the opening round of the CIF State NorCal Division V playoffs in a heartbreaking 41-40 road loss to Gridley.
“That hurt so bad,” Williams said. “We got it back into the locker room, and there was just complete silence. Everyone was looking down at the ground. You can feel the tension in the air. You can feel the sadness from everyone. I cried, and some other teammates cried, and it hurt a lot. It stung knowing that was the last game that I’ll ever play in a Bret Harte uniform with my Bret Harte teammates.”

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
Williams was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Mother Lode League. He wrapped up his senior season with 655 total points, shooting 102-for-124 from the free-throw line, averaging 21.1 points per game, and adding 164 rebounds, 57 assists and 66 steals. Williams finished his career with 1,041 total points, ranking ninth all-time in school history. His career scoring average of 17.6 points per game is seventh all-time. He also ranks third in both career free-throw percentage (78.7%) and career 3-pointers made (132). For single-season records, Williams’ 655 points rank fourth all-time. He also finished his senior season with 77 made 3-pointers, the third-highest single-season total in school history.
Although his Bret Harte career is complete, Williams is not done with basketball. In the fall, he will attend Columbia College and will be a member of the Claim Jumper basketball team.
“Knowing all the hours and hard work that I put in on the basketball court, whether I was in the weight room or shooting extra, or just dribbling at home, it’s such a blessing that God gave me the opportunity to continue my basketball career,” Williams said. “I’m super thankful to have the opportunity. I know that if I have my eyes set on Jesus and on the right things that I will be able to succeed and go far with Columbia. I’m just thankful for that opportunity.”
Jumping for Joy

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
Following his outstanding basketball season, Williams made his way to the sand at Bret Harte’s Dorroh Field, where he competed in both the long and triple jump. Being able to compete against himself and try to be better than he was the day before is what drew Williams to Bret Harte’s track and field team.
“I like the internal competition,” Williams said. “You always want to better yourself, so you always go into the next meet thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to jump better. I’m going to beat the previous Boston,’ and it’s just very fun. But sometimes you can get in your own head when you jump and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s worse than last week.’ You could get in your own head, but once you get over that hump and know the goal, you’re just going against yourself, and you always want to beat yourself.”
As a junior, Williams participated in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, along with the 4×400-meter relay and both jumps. Yet when his senior season came around, Williams decided to forgo any of the running and focused solely on jumping.
“I enjoy it because I just like to jump,” Williams said. “It’s the thrill of running and just jumping into the sand pit and trying to beat your previous mark that you hit and trying to get a PR and you only get a certain number of tries is fun. There’s a thrill to it, this weird thrill that I didn’t know there was when I started track. I really enjoy jumping into the sand pit and trying to beat my previous marks.”

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
Williams set a new personal record in the long jump by measuring 19 feet, 8 inches at the second Mother Lode League meet of the season. And at the Mother Lode League finals, he set a season-best mark of 39 feet, 9.5 inches in the triple jump, which landed him in second place.
“Boston is a blessing to work with,” Bret Harte head track and field coach Jon Byrnes said. “He brings a relaxed attitude and a jovial atmosphere to where we are without losing any seriousness that needs to happen. We know that track is not his first sport, but it’s something that he wanted to do to put a feather in his cap and to say before he left high school that he did this, and he did this, and he did this, and he was just a pleasure to be with, and I’m really going to miss him.”
And although Williams was unable to win a league title in basketball, he finally got the chance to be a Mother Lode League champion, courtesy of the track and field team.
“I always wanted to be a Mother Lode League champion in basketball, and football, but that, of course, didn’t happen,” Williams said. “But at least I get to leave high school knowing that I am a league champion at one sport that I dedicated time to. It’s a good feeling that during the season, winning a league title was our main goal, and we ended up getting a league championship. So that’s a good feeling to know that I’m leaving high school as a league champion.”
Following his Faith

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
The one thing that Williams takes more seriously than athletics is his faith. A devout Christian, Williams is often more known in certain groups as a person of faith rather than an outstanding athlete.
Williams was a member of Bret Harte’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and he believed that the time he spent there was just as important as any time he spent on the court or field.
“It’s really important to be involved in FCA because there’s a lot of student-athletes who are Christian and it’s good to create that connection and that bond with other Christian athletes, knowing that you’re all representing one goal and that is to represent Christ when we step on the field, the court, the pitch, any of it,” Williams said. “It’s good to know that you have a group of people that are behind you, and believe in the same thing that you believe in.”
While Williams tries to be a positive representative of his faith, oftentimes it’s difficult in the heat of battle, when emotions are running high during a game.

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
“It’s pretty hard sometimes,” Williams said. “You go out on the court and sometimes you let your emotions get the best of you and you say things you don’t want to. But there’s always the thought in my head that I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing this for the Lord. I’m doing it for God because we’re just a vessel. We’re representations of Christ. So, trying to go out on the court and being a good representation of Christ, whether that’s keeping your language to a minimum, whether that’s keeping calm and controlling your emotions, is so important. That’s my main goal and focus when I’m on the court, win or lose, is just to be thankful that God gave me the opportunity.”
Williams’ faith was on full display in May during “Fields of Faith,” a gathering of Christian student-athletes from schools not only in the Mother Lode League but also from Ripon and Manteca. Williams spoke in front of nearly 500 people – the majority of them strangers – to talk about how faith saved his life at a time when he was on the verge of ending it.
“I just felt very called by God to share my testimony because maybe one person needed to hear it that night to maybe reconsider their thoughts and their actions,” Williams said. “I was nervous, but I gave it to God, and I prayed. I was like, ‘Lord, just speak through me, and let your words come out of my mouth.’ So, I just gave it to God, and I went up there and after a lot of prayer, I just spoke, and God really spoke through me. And, you know, it did help someone there that night.”

Boston Williams played football, basketball, and was on the track team during his senior year at Bret Harte. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise
One person Williams went to for guidance was FCA leader and assistant track coach Isaak McCamey, as he knew opening himself up and telling his story would not be easy.
“The advice we gave him was just to be himself, and Boston’s very good at being himself,” McCamey said. “I think that just giving him permission to tell his story, to not try to tell somebody else’s, but just tell him how God changed his life and how he can change theirs and provide hope for others.”
Williams will be remembered for many things, but perhaps what he’ll be remembered most for will have nothing to do with athletic competition. McCamey believes Williams will be remembered for the hope he gives others – something far more valuable than any record, championship or title.
“I think the best way I can describe Boston is that he gives people hope,” McCamey said. “He gives them hope that there’s a better way, that they can stand out, that they don’t have to hide, but that they can have a faith that’s bold, that they can live out their faith and do great things.”
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Hall of Fame
Bret Harte High School winners of the Calaveras Enterprise Male Student-Athlete of the Year award
2005 Erik Aardal
2006 Levi Emerson
2007 Kyle Inks
2008 Brett Downey
2009 Chris Pile
2010 Jackson Gates
2011 Carson Ellington
2012 Josh Bailey
2013 Conor Zumbach
2014 Tristan Boblet
2015 Connor Landis
2016 Michael Ziehlke
2017 Ryan Kraft
2018 Kodiak Stephens
2019 Ryan Kraft and Michael Costa
2020 Kodiak Stephens
2021 Kieran Rymple
2022 Erik Trent
2023 Ezra Radabaugh
2024 Brayden Bowersox
2025 Boston Williams
Rec Sports
Speed and agility clinic for youth starts Saturday in Tempe
Activities for first-ninth grades are tailored to assist all skill levels with developing and enhancing their athleticism at a speed and agility clinic in Tempe. Drills will focus on stretching techniques, hand-eye coordination, speed and agility. Whether your young athlete is a beginner or you’re looking to improve their mobility on the court or field, […]

Activities for first-ninth grades are tailored to assist all skill levels with developing and enhancing their athleticism at a speed and agility clinic in Tempe.
Drills will focus on stretching techniques, hand-eye coordination, speed and agility.
Whether your young athlete is a beginner or you’re looking to improve their mobility on the court or field, boys and girls of all skill levels and all sports background are welcome. Athletes will receive a camp T-shirt.
Classes are 10 a.m.-noon for first-fourth grades; and 12:30-2:30 p.m. for fifth-ninth grades, on Saturdays, July 12-26 at North Tempe Multi-Generational Center, 1555 N. Bridalwreath St.
To register, go to https://www.tempe.gov/government/community-services/classes-leagues/sports-youth/sports-camps
Rec Sports
Former Lady Mustang Claire Johnson hosts youth basketball camp | Sports
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Rec Sports
Youth explore conservation through culture at day camp | News, Sports, Jobs
Submitted Photo Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduces students to native tree species during the Rolette County Day Camp June 25. BELCOURT – Students from across the region came together June 25 at the Anishinabe Learning, Cultural and Wellness Center for a hands-on introduction to conservation. Hosted by Rolette County Soil Conservation District and […]


Submitted Photo
Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduces students to native tree species during the Rolette County Day Camp June 25.
BELCOURT – Students from across the region came together June 25 at the Anishinabe Learning, Cultural and Wellness Center for a hands-on introduction to conservation. Hosted by Rolette County Soil Conservation District and the Anishinabe Center, with support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the event offered interactive learning grounded in cultural and environmental stewardship and featured interactive learning stations led by NRCS staff and natural resource professionals.
Students rotated through six learning stations, each lasting 25 minutes, highlighting soils, wetlands, engineering, rangeland, wildlife and tree identification.
Presenters included:
– Adam Flaagan, NRCS tribal liaison for Spirit Lake Nation, and Stephanie Baker, soil conservationist with the Bottineau Field Office, demonstrated soil science.
– Rebecca Watkins, Natural Resources specialist, Rugby Field Office, led wetland exploration.
– Jeff Desjarlais, NRCS tribal liaison for Turtle Mountain, shared wildlife insights.
– Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduced students to native tree species.
– Yolanda Schmidt, Rangeland Management specialist, Rugby Field Office, presented on range management.
– Dan Julson, NRCS civil engineer, and Tory Nygaard, engineering technician with the Devils Lake Field Office, covered engineering concepts.
The day camp was designed to foster environmental awareness and stewardship among youth by integrating science, cultural knowledge and interactive learning in a natural setting.
Rec Sports
Roanoke Sports Complex to attract over 2M annual visitors, officials say
The city of Roanoke is predicted to see an influx of 2.2 million visitors annually as a result of the Roanoke Sports Complex, a new sports facility that will host local and national youth baseball tournaments, according to a news release. Roanoke officials announced the construction of the 8-field complex in conjunction with Play It […]

Roanoke officials announced the construction of the 8-field complex in conjunction with Play It Forward, a non-profit focused on youth sports, last July.
The gist
The sports complex should open in the first half of 2026, said Dave Dickson, co-founder of Play It Forward and developer of the Roanoke Sports Complex.
“This partnership is a major step forward for Roanoke, offering a premier venue for youth sports that will drive economic growth and bring new opportunities to our community,” Roanoke City Manager Cody Petree said in the release.
Prep Baseball, an independent scouting service for amateur baseball players, will host 44 weeks of youth baseball events at the sports complex and eight weeks of national tournaments annually, according to the release from Play It Forward.
“We are thrilled to partner with Prep Baseball,” Dickson said in the release. “Our mission has always been to create meaningful sports experiences that bring communities together, and this partnership helps elevate that vision.”
The Roanoke Sports Complex’s opening was delayed from its original fall 2025 opening date because an agreement with the city of Fort Worth fell through, Dickson said. Fort Worth officials planned to offer water to the site, but weren’t able to. The project developers made new plans to bring water to the site, which include running a 4,000-foot water line down SH 114 to the development, Dickson said.
The background
Play it Forward leased 122 acres of land from the city on SH 114 and Cleveland Gibbs Road to construct the $70 million mixed-use development, Community Impact previously reported.
The Roanoke Sports Complex will have athletic training facilities, retail businesses, restaurants, parks, trails, a hotel and eight baseball fields once it’s fully finished.
The fields can also be used for lacrosse, softball, 7-versus-7 football and rugby.
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