Sports
Quentin Turko on Surfing The Biggest Swell of The Year at Silverbacks
Photo: Quentin Turko // YouTube Silverbacks is a wave that lives up to its primal name. Equal parts aggressive, unpredictable and awe-inspiring, the Panamanian break is not for the faint-hearted. That hasn’t stopped Quentin Turko from making it his mission to hitch a ride on the beast, though. This past March, he finally did, and […]


Photo: Quentin Turko // YouTube

Silverbacks is a wave that lives up to its primal name. Equal parts aggressive, unpredictable and awe-inspiring, the Panamanian break is not for the faint-hearted. That hasn’t stopped Quentin Turko from making it his mission to hitch a ride on the beast, though. This past March, he finally did, and he’s got a brand new edit to prove it.
The moment was the culmination of three years of effort in which the Outer Banks native has returned to Panama for months at a time, working as a surf guide and waiting for the right swell to come. Now that it finally has, I spoke to him about what it takes to wrestle with the gorilla.
So you’ve been surf guiding at Red Frog Bungalows. What’s that been like?
It’s been really cool. Such a great surf resort. The waves there in Bocas del Toro are so great through the winter, from November until April. I think it’s one of the most consistent places in the world during that time period. Even the days when there’s not a lot of swell, you can still surf the beachbreaks most days. There’s always something to do. That’s what I love. It’s not like one of those places in the world where you go and if there’s not waves, you lose your mind.
You said it took you three years to surf Silverbacks. What was the process of getting to that moment?
Yeah, so this past year was my third year out there surf guiding, and there just weren’t really any big swells for those three years, which is crazy. We had a couple swells that kind of almost broke out there, but the winds weren’t the greatest and it wasn’t quite big enough. So I just had so much build up wanting to surf that wave, because it’s the most famous wave out there. Everyone’s always asking about the wave, all the guests at the resort. It was always hard for me to say, like, “Oh, actually, I haven’t got to surf it, yet.”
So then when you saw that first swell coming in, what was the lead up to that?
We’ve had a couple swells this winter on paper that looked like Silverbacks-sized swells, and they just under-delivered. When that first swell that hit towards the end of March popped up, we’d had a couple weeks of not much swell, and I was like, “I don’t believe that’s actually going to be that big.” Then that morning we woke up and, sure enough, it was the biggest swell of the year. It was really cool because it wasn’t super hyped up, so there was only a couple of us out that day. It also wasn’t that big of Silverbacks and it was a pretty short-lived window. Once the tide started sucking out, the swell faded, but it was so cool to get to surf it.
Then it was the second swell, when Nathan and Ivan [Florence] came out, that was forecasted way big. That one had a lot of hype and anticipation surrounding Silverbacks, which had just broken 10 days prior. It was really exciting, expecting it to break this time, and it delivered. It was a lot bigger than the first time, definitely way more of the real deal out there.
You said the conditions were pretty difficult, and it’s kind of just a tricky break in general. What is it like to surf?
So it breaks kind of on the edge of one island, but it’s several hundred yards off of that island, and it’s way out on the tip. Then there’s another island like a mile away and there’s a channel in between the two. So, when you have the offshore winds, it ends up just funneling down in between those islands and it gets really choppy and rough out there with the offshores. So, both of the swells, when I surfed it, it was stormy, and it went from kind of side onshore winds to hard offshore winds.
It was so challenging, because of the wind coming up the face of the waves and making these crazy ribs and chatter. It was glassy when the wave broke, but paddling into it was really tricky. And because that wave breaks so far out, you don’t really have a lineup. You’re like, using the mountains in the distance. It’s not that easy.
Then there’s kind of three different zones where the wave wedges, depending on how it comes in. You’re really looking for that chip shot – there’s a tiny little, like 10- to 15-foot zone, where if you get the right wave it’ll let you chip in, and if you’re a little bit too deep, you can’t even catch the wave. The left to right playing field is pretty far, and then the takeoff zone shifts. So it’s really like a 100-yard circle of takeoff zone, depending on how exactly the wave hits.
Speaking of how difficult is, at the top of the edit, you had one pretty crazy wipeout. Tell me about that?
That was so cool. That was the biggest wave I’ve seen come in there at Silverbacks, out of the two swells. There was a set that hit right before that looked really big, but then missed the outer chip-in spot of the reef. Then that next set came and I was like, “Alright, I’m just gonna commit to it, hold my ground on the inside, and not kind of paddle out to the bigger chip-in spot.” Sure enough, it just came in at the right angle and missed that outer chip-in, and I was in kind of the perfect spot (but not really).
I kind of hesitated for just a second. I feel like if I would have really started digging harder, I might have given myself a better chance of making it. I got a couple good paddles and I really thought I was going to make it, but there was just a little warble in the wave and I was right on the edge of that spot.
I just ended up disconnecting for a second. When I reconnected after that little split-second air drop, I just cartwheeled. I just ended up back-flopping and looking at the lip throwing over me, thinking, “Oh my God, I thought this was gonna be the wave of my life, and now I’m about to take this wave straight to the forehead.”
I got smoked, but I really wasn’t even thinking about the wipeout, because I was so mad at myself. As I was getting smoked, I was thinking, “Oh my God. I can’t believe I didn’t give it an extra paddle.”
Have a gander at Quentin Turko’s edit, below.
Sports
UW track senior wins gold for France at World University Games
Gone for Gold 🥇 The flying final lap for Julia David-Smith to win the World University Games 5,000-meters! pic.twitter.com/4jN5JHNTKM — Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) July 26, 2025 Julia David-Smith is having one heck of a summer. After making her first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, the Husky senior […]

Julia David-Smith is having one heck of a summer.
After making her first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, the Husky senior has been on the European racing circuit this summer. While she’s mostly run the 5,000m for Washington, the event she made NCAAs in, David-Smith started her summer vacation with a 1500m personal best of 4:10.03 in Ireland.
Later that month, David-Smith broke her personal best in the 5,000m with a time of 15:39.97 in France, where the Issaquah native holds dual citizenship. Then, a week ago, the senior took fourth place at the European U23 Championships in Norway while representing France.
That set her up well for the FISU World University Games in Bochum, Germany, which wrapped up over the weekend. David-Smith set another personal best in the 5,000m, setting the No. 6 time in school history with a 15:34.57 that was good for gold.
In other action at the Games, Chloe Foerster was seventh in the 800m in 2:01.58 while representing the USA. Amina Maatoug, representing the Netherlands, and Maggie Liebich, representing the USA, were sixth and ninth in the 1500m final. Maatoug ran 4:21.78, while Liebich came across in 4:22.89.
Sports
Volleyball Adds Home Exhibition Match vs. Southern Miss – Ole Miss Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. – Fans have an additional chance to see the Ole Miss volleyball program in Oxford, as the Rebels have added a preseason exhibition against Southern Miss to the 2025 schedule. The Rebels will face Southern Miss on Saturday, August 23 at 2 p.m. CT, at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. Admission to […]

The Rebels will face Southern Miss on Saturday, August 23 at 2 p.m. CT, at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. Admission to the event will be free.
The exhibition will mark the 10th opportunity for fans to see the Rebels at home this season, joining previously scheduled home matches that begin with a September 12th clash with Louisiana.
Several stars from last season’s historic team return to Gillom, including AVCA All-Region honoree Mokihana Tufono, SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year Cammy Niesen and Shayla Meyer. Joining them are several talented newcomers, including All-Big Sky honoree Gabi Placide and Jordyn Towns.
The regular season is set to open on August 29th, as the Rebels face off against Arkansas State as part of the Georgia Tech Classic, in Atlanta. Ga.
Fans can continue to show support for the Rebels by joining the Ace Club. Funds from the Ace Club are a major component in helping the Ole Miss volleyball program compete at the highest level. For more information and to donate, click here.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.
Sports
River Radamus has unfinished business at the Winter Olympics
Part of leading by example, Radamus’s elevated strength training comes with a purpose. Recently, Radamus’s status on the world stage has improved, the biggest moment coming in February 2024 on the FIS World Cup circuit. On home soil at Palisades Tahoe in California, Radamus had the best giant slalom run of his international career, clinching […]

Part of leading by example, Radamus’s elevated strength training comes with a purpose.
Recently, Radamus’s status on the world stage has improved, the biggest moment coming in February 2024 on the FIS World Cup circuit. On home soil at Palisades Tahoe in California, Radamus had the best giant slalom run of his international career, clinching a podium spot in the giant slalom and finishing the race to the roar of cheering Americans. At the bottom of the slope, Radamus had a major reaction, letting out a few yells, a couple of fist pumps and spiking his ski pole like a touchdown celebration.
In the following 2024-25 World Cup campaign, Radamus characterized his season as full of change, including physical alterations, new coaches and skiing philosophies. Though Radamus did not land on the podium, he earned similar World Cup points from season to season, with the most coming from giant slalom events, followed by the super-G.
During the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach, Radamus became ill and lost around 10 pounds before the events. Still managing to ski through the physical and mental toll of the illness, he got sick again after worlds, losing a total of 30 pounds toward the end of the season.
“If you judge performance on that and judge yourself as falling short because of something that’s outside of your control, that takes a toll monumentally and keeps you from reaching high athletic performance,” Radamus said. “I think I take pride in the effort I gave.”
Between skiing in all the events from downhill to slalom and the two illnesses, Radamus’s body suffered a physical toll. Now, he has time to regain the weight; his current goal is to gain 20 pounds of muscle mass, which will help increase his base strength, a key factor in the change Radamus aims to make in his skiing philosophy.
During the two spring camps the U.S. team had at Mammoth and Copper, Radamus emphasized a new method of approaching turns with a stronger base, letting his natural finesse do the rest of the work through the turns. He has been known as a skier with natural flow, usually letting the skis do the work by throwing them toward the fall line. Now, slowly is introducing this method to be stronger and more commanding during turns to increase speed and control from the start.
With this new methodology to his skiing applied, along with his rigorous physical transformation, Radamus is doing everything he can to be in a position to reach the Olympic podium in 2026. He hopes that the process of achieving personal and team goals will make the results fall into place. Like many U.S. skiers before him, Radamus believes in his abilities as a big-event skier to win, which he’s proven in his youth, the 2022 Winter Games and on the World Cup stage.
So while Radamus may not have a life at the moment, he uses his intense fear of failure as a motivator to keep him focused every day. Before training, Radamus had some time after the season to run youth ski camps organized by his ARCO foundation, which works to make the competitive sport more accessible to youth. Now, he’s back to the lab to accomplish his goals, and he is enjoying the process.
“I’ve really come into this summer thinking I cannot forgive myself if I don’t do everything I possibly can to put myself in the best position,” Radamus said. “It’s my absolute responsibility to myself to seek that out and see if I can accomplish it. I feel great about where I am.”
Sports
ESPN Tops Digital and Social Rankings in June
– Advertisement – ESPN once again flexed its dominance across digital and social platforms in June, reaching a staggering 193.6 million unique fans, according to the latest data from Comscore. The network’s total digital reach equated to 69.1% of all U.S. adults—nearly 7 out of every 10—cementing ESPN as the top-performing sports media brand across […]



ESPN once again flexed its dominance across digital and social platforms in June, reaching a staggering 193.6 million unique fans, according to the latest data from Comscore. The network’s total digital reach equated to 69.1% of all U.S. adults—nearly 7 out of every 10—cementing ESPN as the top-performing sports media brand across digital for the month.
The total audience figure includes fans reached through ESPN Digital, YouTube, and social platforms. The continued surge in digital traffic marks another milestone in the network’s push to expand beyond traditional television and into the ever-evolving world of mobile and social content consumption.
In the mobile space, the ESPN app attracted 25.7 million unique fans in June, outpacing its closest competitor more than sevenfold and eclipsing the combined total of the next nine non-ESPN sports apps. ESPN Fantasy also performed strongly with 2.6 million unique fans, earning the No. 1 spot among all fantasy sports apps, up 8% year-over-year.
Social engagement was another major highlight, with ESPN Social notching 555 million fan interactions across platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok. That figure averages out to 18.5 million engagements per day, extending ESPN’s streak to 48 consecutive months as the top sports brand in social media interactions.
The continued strength in digital and social performance is a testament to ESPN’s evolving content strategy, which emphasizes real-time engagement, mobile-first experiences, and multi-platform storytelling.
As the network prepares for the upcoming NFL and college football seasons, its robust digital footprint puts it in a strong position to dominate fan engagement across every screen. Whether through breaking news, fantasy tools, or viral content, ESPN’s numbers show it remains the go-to source for sports fans in the digital era.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.


Sports
Four Crimson Set for 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships
Story Links CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard track & field will once again feature heavily in a high profile competition, as four former and current Crimson will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. Action begins on Thursday, July 31st and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 3. Hayward […]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard track & field will once again feature heavily in a high profile competition, as four former and current Crimson will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. Action begins on Thursday, July 31st and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 3. Hayward Field will host all the action as Harvard fans can watch live on NBC and Peacock.
One of the most decorated female athletes in United States track & field history, Gabby Thomas ’19 will compete in a pair of events at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Thomas begins her weekend with the first round of the 100m on Thursday, July 31 at 7:07 p.m. eastern standard time. The women’s 100m semifinal begins at 7:20 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 1 while the final starts at 10:27 p.m. EST later that evening. The 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist in the women’s 200m, Thomas will also run the 200m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The women’s 200m semifinal will run on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 3:32 p.m. EST as the final starts later that day at 5:13 p.m. EST.
Thomas cemented her legacy last summer, winning three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A native of Northampton, Massachusetts, Thomas took home gold in the women’s 200m at the Stade de France with France, following it up with golds in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Thomas is only the second American in Olympic to win gold in the 200m, 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay at the same Olympic Games.
Two Crimson All-Americans will run the women’s 800m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, as junior Sophia Gorriaran and Victoria Bossong ’25 will represent Harvard in the event. The women’s 800m first round starts at 6:37 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 31, with the semifinal starting at 7:01 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 1. The women’s 800m final is scheduled for 4:18 p.m. EST on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Both Bossong and Gorriaran shined in the 800m at the collegiate level last season. The Ivy League record holder in the women’s 800m with a time of 1:59.48, Bossong finished in second in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-America First Team honors in the process. A native of Cumberland Foreside, Maine, Bossong finished in ninth in the women’s 800m to take All-America Second Team honors to conclude her collegiate career.
A four-time All-American in the 800m across both indoor and outdoor competition, Gorriaran made strides in her second campaign with the Crimson. Gorriaran ran a personal-best 2:00.46 in the 800m at the NCAA East First Round and took home an Ivy League title in the 800m at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.
Two-time NCAA men’s cross country champion Graham Blanks ’25 is poised to run in a pair of distance events. Blanks starts his time at Hayward Field with the men’s 10,000m at 11:08 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 31st, followed by the men’s 5000m on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 4:52 p.m. EST.
A household name in American distance running, Blanks orchestrated a one-of-a-kind collegiate career, becoming the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to win a NCAA national title in men’s cross country and the 13th student-athlete in NCAA history to win consecutive NCAA men’s cross country national titles. Before he turned pro with New Balance, Blanks become the second student-athlete in NCAA history to run sub-13 minutes in the men’s 5000m, meeting the World Championships standard with a time of 12:59.89.
CRIMSON SCHEDULE:
Thursday, July 31st
3:37 p.m. PST / 6:37 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m First Round (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)
4:07 p.m. PST / 7:07 p.m. EST – Women’s 100m First Round (Gabby Thomas)
8:08 p.m. PST / 11:08 p.m. EST – Men’s 10,000m Final (Graham Blanks)
Friday, August 1st
4:01 p.m. PST / 7:01 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m Semifinal (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)
4:20 p.m. PST / 7:20 p.m. EST – Women’s 100m Semifinal (Gabby Thomas)
7:27 p.m. PST / 10:27 p.m. PST – Women’s 100m Final (Gabby Thomas)
Sunday, August 3rd
12:32 p.m. PST / 3:32 p.m. EST – Women’s 200m Semifinal (Gabby Thomas)
1:18 p.m. PST / 4:18 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m Final (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)
1:52 p.m. PST / 4:52 p.m. EST – Men’s 5000m Final (Graham Blanks)
2:13 p.m. PST / 5:13 p.m. EST – Women’s 200m Final (Gabby Thomas)
For complete coverage of Harvard Track & Field, follow us on Twitter (@HarvardTFXC) and Instagram (@harvardtfxc).
Sports
Prison for ex-volleyball coach at Twin Cities high school who sexually assaulted player
A former volleyball coach at St. Paul Como Park Senior High School has received a seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting one of his players. Keng Cha, 31, of St. Paul was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the encounters […]

A former volleyball coach at St. Paul Como Park Senior High School has received a seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting one of his players.
Keng Cha, 31, of St. Paul was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the encounters while he coached at Como Park.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Cha, is expected to serve about 4¾ years in prison and the balance of his term on supervised release.
Police went to the high school and met with a 15-year-old girl who said she and Cha, her B-squad volleyball coach, had sex four times from October 2022 to September 2023 at various locations including in the school’s back parking lot.
She said the intercourse occurred in his vehicle either behind the school or one time in October 2022 when he picked her up at her house and drove to a spot near a lake.
As officers were speaking to the girl in the school office area, Cha was with the athletic director in the school being fired and at the same time texting her, “Why haven’t you been coming to games?” and “Did you say anything to anyone about us?” Officers found Cha and arrested him.
Cha told police his relationship with the girl progressed to him sexually assaulting her anywhere from two to four times including in December 2022 in Battle Creek Park in St. Paul and the last time in his car near her house.
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