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A track meet that pushes girls to greatness

Published

3 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The crowd is electric. The starting gun goes off to begin a race, and you can hear and feel the passion of the crowd as they cheer. The announcer feeds the excitement, commentating every stride over the sound system, urging athletes to “pump those arms” and “keep moving.” It’s difficult not to get swept.

These are the Colgate Women’s Games, the largest amateur track and field series in the United States, which kick off its 50th iteration this year with preliminary meets 28 December.

Watching the youngest athletes compete is witnessing sports in its purest form. There’s no pretense, calculated strategies or alternative agendas. It’s just grit, unbridled joy and the thrill of pushing their bodies to the limit.

Some triumph and some falter, but they all cross the finish line giving it their all, and that authenticity is what makes the Games special.

The venue is packed wall-to-wall. Not an empty seat in sight. The athletes fill in every inch of space — so many that you can hardly see the floor beneath them. The girls wrap around what’s known at Colgate as “The Wall,” lining every side of the facility.

More than just a track meet

The line of competitors is so long, it will snake around the entire facility in a sea of athletes waiting for their moment to shine.

The fierce competitive spirit of the competitors and the crowd’s near proximity to the action combine to generate an almost tangible atmosphere. The energy doesn’t just fuel the competition, it elevates it, pushing performances to another level.

The Colgate Women’s Games are more than just track meets. They are a gateway to opportunity that transforms lives, with more than 5,000 scholarships awarded, lifelong friendships cultivated and the start of Olympic and professional dreams, athletic and non-athletic.

“It was some of the best memories I had at that time,” said Dalilah Muhammad, Olympic gold medalist and former 400-meter hurdles world record holder. “Just being a kid, nervous and excited at the same time, while being able to do it with your friends. For me, that was the most important aspect of it. It made me feel like I had a place that I belonged to with friends, that all wanted to be there and do the same thing.”

The goal is to foster a robust sense of personal accomplishment and self-worth while supporting the coaches who serve as role models and mentors for the girls.

Ideas sketched out on a napkin

Alumni include 29 Olympians, countless national champions and current and former world and national record holders at the senior, junior and youth levels. Former competitors now work as teachers, judges, lawyers, executives and ESPN anchors. One of the most recognizable is ESPN SportsCenter anchor Amina Smith.

The Colgate Women’s Games were the brainchild of Fred Thompson, a New York attorney and founder of a Brooklyn girls’ track club who was frustrated with the state of women’s athletics in the mid-1970s.

Thompson was an ABC network sportscaster, and was invited to an event hosted by the Colgate-Palmolive Company — a corporate giant known for soap and toothpaste — for the unveiling of a video presentation titled “Colgate’s Women in Sports,” to air on ABC’s telecast of the newly-launched Dinah Shore golf tournament.

The video included a segment on Thompson’s Atoms Track Club, where girl athletes trained. In the video they talked about training as well as school, why they enjoyed running and their aspirations on and off the track. It caught the eye of Colgate President David Foster. He saw that Thomson had found a way to instill in women a drive for excellence that would carry over to college and careers.

Foster wanted his company to replicate in communities around the country what Thomson had done in his community.

“[They were talking] for a long time, scribbling some stuff on a napkin and I’m sitting there wondering what is going on?” said Cheryl Toussaint, an alum of the Atoms Track Club. Toussaint had won a silver medal in the women’s 4 × 400 meters relay at the 1972 Olympics. She is now the Meet Director of the Colgate Women’s Games, having taken over the position from Thomson.

Getting girls to plan for their future

But back then, the Games were just rough ideas. Thompson and the Colgate execs wanted to bolster the sport for women, give them more opportunities and provide scholarships that could be applied to any level of education.

A pilot program at a local college gym drew a massive turnout. Colgate-Palmolive saw that with awards and scholarship opportunities, it could be something that would resonate.

Now, the Games consist of eight events — six track distances plus shot put and high jump — in six divisions for the women to compete in.

Competitors collect points for results in preliminary rounds, and those with the highest numbers move on to the semi-finals and the grand finale on 7 February 2026, which will be available livestream on ArmoryTrack.org.

The top six finishers in each event will receive a trophy and the top three finishers will be rewarded an additional educational scholarship in denominations of $2,000, $1,000 and $500. Special awards are also given for most outstanding and improved performances as well as most promising performance from a newcomer.

From local to national

All girls and women from elementary school grades 1 and up are eligible to participate in the Colgate Women’s Games. No prior experience in track and field is necessary, but all girls of school-age must be enrolled and attending school in order to participate.

As the years continued, the Games began to grow from a local meet, to a regional meet and even a national meet where girls from states such as Georgia, Arizona and Texas would travel to New York to compete.

But it’s the finals that set the Games apart. The finals aren’t just the last series of races; it’s a celebration, a ceremony marking the culmination of the preliminary and semifinal rounds.

Muhammad and many other Olympians such as Nia Ali, Ajee Wilson, Natasha Hastings, Kim Thomas Barnes (Carter), Diane Dixon and Athing Mu got their start here. The Olympians produced by the Games would represent multiple nations, demonstrating their international reach.

The Games’ impact extends beyond the track; the skills and confidence built from competing has led to careers in education, medicine, business, law, media and beyond. Some Games alumni, like basketball star Lorin Dixon, went on to excel in other sports.

Scholarships get girls thinking about college.

Colgate Women’s Games gives the competitors the chance to earn scholarships to college as early as Grade 1, around the age of 6 or 7, which gets parents and guardians planning that early for a college path for their daughters. If they continue competing, the scholarships accumulate.

If the scholarship earners opt out of college, they can apply that scholarship to career training.

For the women who would go on to run track at the high school and collegiate level, the Games introduced them to the scoring system. The girls learn at an early age how their performance affects their score and overall placement in the meet, along with race strategies to earn the maximum number of points possible.

This knowledge helps when competing at the next level where point scoring is a crucial aspect to high school and collegiate track.

Empowering women through sports

Numerous alumni have embraced the Colgate Women’s Games’ mission of empowering young girls and women.

Consider Olicia Williams, Games’ alum and three-time All-American at Baylor University, who after years of mentoring youth and serving the community through The Armory Foundation, along with coaching her high school and college alma mater, created Lili’s Lionesses Track Club, a program focused on enabling young women to thrive in academics, sports and personal development.

Impact alone doesn’t ensure survival. The Games continue to thrive after 50 years because their model is built on values that extend beyond any single season or generation.

Foremost, it’s a developmental series. Because it’s not a one-off competition, girls with no experience can come to each competition and learn as they compete. They learn they don’t need expensive equipment to participate in the sport.

Toussaint pointed out that the series not only develops competitors from a physical standpoint; it develops them mentally.

“When younger girls fall down, come in last or get bumped out of competition and feel dejected, we help them understand that it’s just one day,” Toussaint said. “We tell them and their parents, this is a place to learn what you’re made of, develop your skills and improve on what you did before.”

Eliminating barriers

The Games are free for the competitors. This makes it different from the many track meets and running events that are surprisingly expensive.

Muhammad said that everyone is there for the right reasons. “No one’s there doing it for any type of money and that’s what makes Colgate so great,” she said. “You have great people doing it for a cause that’s bigger than themselves and it’s inspiring.”

Thompson died in 2019 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. But his legacy lives on through all the lives he’s helped, and he would be thrilled to see the Games’ 50th anniversary, says Toussaint. “He would cry tears of joy,” she said.

Women’s sports have finally surged into the mainstream. There’s WNBA stars A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu launching signature shoes that are high performing in sales, and women headlining Ultimate Fighting Championship events and selling out arenas. There’s Serena Williams transcending sport to become a global icon. But it’s important to remember that this success didn’t emerge spontaneously. It was built by pioneers who invested in women athletes long before it was profitable or popular.

The Colgate Women’s Games belong in that conversation as a cornerstone of women’s sports.

Questions to consider:

1. What is one thing about the Colgate Women’s Games that makes it different from other track and field competitions for women?

2. How can sports help girls off the field?

3. In what ways can competition be both good and bad?

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Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier to be arraigned in New York court over sports betting scheme

Published

2 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Heat player Terry Rozier is set to appear in a New York court on charges he helped gamblers placing bets on his performance in NBA games.

The 31-year-old point guard will be formally arraigned in Brooklyn federal court late Monday on federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. He’ll also join five other co-defendants and their lawyers for a pre-trial hearing later in the day on the case.

Rozier previously appeared before a federal judge in Orlando on Oct. 23, when prosecutors first announced the indictment.

At the time, he was released with conditions. One of his lawyers, Jim Trusty, denied the charges, saying the Ohio native was “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

Prosecutors say Rozier conspired with friends to help them win bets on his performance in a March 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

They say he informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars.

Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with the sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports, including several Mafia figures.

Rozier was one of three current or former NBA players ensnared in the investigation.

Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was among a number charged with participating in a scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed illegal poker games.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has also been charged in that poker scheme, as well as the separate scheme to help gamblers win bets on NBA games that also implicated Rozier.

Billups and Jones pleaded not guilty during their separate arraignments last month. Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave from their team as their court cases play out.

Rozier has earned about $160 million over a 10-year NBA career.

He had been a first round pick for the Boston Celtics in 2015 after starring at the University of Louisville. Charlotte traded him to the Heat last year.

___

Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

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Freshmen getting it done for Central Bucks South | Sports

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10 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

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Honor surprises coach, Santa, veteran, mentor

Published

18 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Bill Tyler thought he’d been invited to a dinner honoring Jimmy Bogue for Bogue’s contributions to youth sports.

However, Tyler was surprised to learn the honor was really for one of Bogue’s mentors: Tyler himself.

The December surprise was extra appropriate for the Cambridge City resident who portrayed Santa Claus for 40 years at community and private events and at stores that included Richmond’s mall.

The recognition took place during the annual Citizen of the Year dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Golay Community Center in Cambridge City.

New Day Kiwanis President Nathan Ulerick, a 2019 winner, and 2024 winner Brad Bowman presented a plaque and gift basket to Tyler. The last seven Citizen of the Year recipients currently living in the community select the honoree.

Cambridge City Evening Kiwanis started the award in 1961 to recognize a western Wayne County resident who makes a long-range impact on the community.

Trina Fultz congratulates Bill Tyler after he received Cambridge City’s Citizen of the Year award during a Dec. 9 dinner at Golay Community Center. Photo by Millicent Martin Emery

Tyler’s influence can be felt locally, statewide and nationally. His military service was followed by 31 years as a disabled veterans specialist with Indiana Department of Workforce Development. He served hundreds, possibly thousands, of veterans across the state at offices in communities including Richmond, Connersville, Winchester, Muncie and Portland.

Tyler then worked a few years as a substitute teacher for Western Wayne Schools before fully retiring, but he has influenced countless youth as a coach.

Several of Tyler’s former athletes attended the dinner, sharing the impact that he made on their lives during his decades of developing young players.

“I appreciate the community and all the support over the years,” Tyler said.

Tyler, a Michigan native, lived in Cambridge City in the 1950s as well as Wayne and Dearborn, Michigan, during his youth. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army before returning to civilian life in Dearborn, but enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and became a Seabee.

When he and his family moved to Milton in October 1974 after his honorable discharge from the Navy, Tyler brought a great deal of athletics experience. He was a standout four-sport high school athlete and traveled the world as a softball pitcher during his eight years in the Navy.

Tyler’s Navy career included three tours in Vietnam during the war as well as time in Morocco, Maryland, Guam and Rhode Island.

In 1975, Tyler responded to a knock on the door from a Milton group asking him to coach. That led to coaching football, basketball, wrestling and softball for junior high and high school students at Lincoln, Hagerstown, Tri, Richmond and Northeastern.

Tyler helped develop what became Western Wayne Girls Softball League. He served as league president and coached hundreds of young ladies in league play as well as travel ball, teaching life lessons in winning, sportsmanship and grit. Tyler and friends also helped bring fast-pitch softball to Lincoln.

He also served as a pitching coach at Earlham College for several seasons. He’s currently a coaching volunteer at Tri, where he helped the Titans win regional and semi-state championships and a trip to the state finals.

Angie Siggers said she’s known Tyler since childhood, remembering him as Santa as well as a great person who’s always willing to help.

“He’s always been a part of our family,” Siggers said. “He’s a very special part of our lives … You couldn’t find a better man than him.”

Former softball player Trina Fultz said Tyler has remained a supportive friend, and he was one of the first people to visit her and her new baby when they came home from the hospital.

“He always wants to know what’s going on in your life,” Fultz said.

In retirement, Tyler enjoys spending time with his wife, Diane, their children Cheryl and Kevin, granddaughter, Kinsey, and great-grandson, Grayson.

Tyler’s contributions also were recognized in 2023 when he was named grand marshal of Cambridge City’s Canal Days parade. He was Milton’s 2017 Citizen of the Year.

A version of this article
will appear in the December 10 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.

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Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, WME-IMG/Endeavor

Published

33 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Influence 125 highlights the most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century. See the list.

The 2014 acquisition of IMG Worldwide for $2.4 billion enabled Hollywood super agents Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell to form WME-IMG and, ultimately, turn it into the wide-reaching and influential Endeavor empire. Their acquisition of UFC for $4 billion is one of the industry’s greatest success stories, and at its height, Endeavor had tendrils in everything from athlete representation and event management to youth sports and professional bull riding. Today, Emanuel is executive chair of a leaner WME Group, and at TKO he sits atop the $39 billion parent of UFC and WWE. A newly independent Whitesell acquired WME Football to form player representation agency WIN Sports Group, and he’s separately backed the red-hot Omaha Productions through a new Silver Lake-funded venture.

More from the SBJ archives

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New Balance Commits $9.2M to Boost Youth Sports, Nutrition, and Education in Massachusetts

Published

41 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

New Balance’s philanthropic arm has pledged $9.2 million in grants for the 2025-2026 cycle to support youth development through sports, nutrition and food security, and education.

Grants from the global athletic shoe manufacturer, which maintains facilities in Lawrence and Methuen, will benefit local nonprofits.

“In line with our mission, we’re dedicated to supporting the communities our associates call home,” said Anne Davis, managing trustee of the New Balance Foundation (NBF), in a statement shared with The Eagle-Tribune. “The children and families in these communities are in our backyard, and we’re proud to invest in organizations and initiatives that play a critical role in shaping the lives of young people across the state. This is a true testament to the values on which NBF was founded.”

Some of the nonprofits receiving support include the following:

Beyond Soccer
Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence
Change the Game Coalition
Community Rowing
Cradles to Crayons
Essex Art Center
Lazarus House Ministries
Play Ball Foundation
Special Olympics Massachusetts
SquashBusters (Boston and Lawrence)

According to The Eagle-Tribune, since 1981, NBF has invested more than $90 million in nonprofits serving Metro Boston, Lawrence, and Methuen.

NBF has also contributed to community projects through its Enduring Gifts Pillar. Contributions have supported the renovation of Lawrence’s O’Connell South Common Park and the development of Esperanza Academy’s new K–8 school for girls in Lawrence.

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Boys Basketball Preview: Burroughs, Burbank, Providence Aiming High

Published

49 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

RenderedImage — Burroughs hopes to be improved from a season ago. (Photo courtesy Jason Weatherall)

By Rick Assad

In what is expected to be a strong showing from the three local boys’ basketball teams this season based on talent and experience, Burroughs High, Burbank and Providence are ready to make its mark.

Pasadena, which is coming off a 19-8 overall mark and 8-1 for second place in the Pacific League, advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II and is led by senior Joshua Irving, a 6-10 center who will play for Texas A&M.

The Bears have a new head coach, Jason Weatherall, and he has the team primed after a disappointing season a year ago in which the team went 5-22 and 0-8 in Pacific league play.

Burroughs has nine seniors, and they are wing Elliot Lawrence, wing Ethan Cooper, wing Ethan Lanier, wing Kane Le-Cabico, point guard Teagan Bradford, guard Cedric Valdez, guard Justin Herrera, guard Nico Meza, forward Weston Davis and point guard Nathan Rodriguez.

There are four juniors, and they include guard Chace Greene, wing Will Rowan, forward Lucas Lungu and forward Will Anderson.

There is one sophomore, shooting guard Rehaan Parikh and one freshman guard Colin Campion.

“Our expectations are to build on the experiences of last year and work to make our program something that the players, coaches, families, campus and community are proud of,” Weatherall said. “In the league, we know we are going to be battling three or four teams for third through eighth place given the fact we lost every game last season.”

Weatherall is confident this season will be much better.

Burbank is setting its goals high based on talent and experience. (Photo courtesy Steve Eshleman)

“We expect to battle for any of those spots,” he said. “With the senior cast that we have returning, we should be poised for a better league finish than last year.”

Weatherall feels the leadership is there and that this is something to build upon.

“We will be led by our combo Elliot Lawrence, our sharpshooting wing Ethan Cooper, combo wing Evan Lanier, and our impact transfer point guard Justin Herrera,” he said. “Each player brings a unique skill set to the table that is essential for winning games.”

Burbank had a solid campaign a year ago after carving out a 21-8 record and 4-4 in league action for fifth place.

The Bulldogs qualified for the playoffs and fell in the opening round to host Hemet 90-69.

The team consists of seven seniors and they are shooting guard/small Anthony Jawiche, small forward Blake Finnigan, forward Giordan Lewis, shooting guard Nick Niazi, point guard Cris Ong, point guard Jon Isip and point guard Arthur Khachatryan.

There are six juniors and they are power forward Imani Young-Smith, point guard Jon Ong, point guard Jason Campos, shooting guard/small forward Alec Knight, shooting guard Kaleb Walker and point guard Avo Papikyan.

There is one sophomore, and he is shooting guard Lucas Gordzholadze and one freshman, point guard Niko Kimenyen.

Steve Eshleman is Burbank’s head coach and knows the season is going to be exciting and also believes it’s also going to be productive.

“The league itself is really strong and balanced this season,” he said. “We’ve got an extremely aggressive nonleague schedule so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Eshleman will count on several leaders to show the way.

“Anthony Jawiche, Jon and Cris Ong are our returning starters but we are looking for a wide variety of players who have improved their skills during the offseason to step up and contribute,” he noted. “It should be an interesting season for sure.”

Providence, which went 14-13 and 6-1 in the Prep League for second place has left that league and will now compete in the Independence League.

The Pioneers went to the Division III quarterfinals are beating host Whitney 64-41 and host La Salle 53-51 before losing to visiting San Dimas 65-64.

The Pioneers boast seven seniors, and they are Riley Murphy, Griffin Berschneider, J.P. Birotte, Josh Coen, Leonardo Eliasian, Eze Kiel and Zeven Haskins.

Three juniors and they are Madden Velasco, Stephan Abrahamyan and Isaiah Kim and one sophomore, Bishop Thompkins.

Anthony Cosby is Providence’s head coach and looks forward to his team taking the floor.

“I’m excited and welcome the new challenge of this basketball season. I really like my team,” he said. “We’re battle tested, have great winning attitudes and expect success.”

Cosby knows his team is going to give great effort and hopes the results are good.

“I think our consistent hard work and preparation has put us in a good position to compete for a league title,” he stated. “We’re a mature team full of experienced talent that’s battle tested and has playoff experience. I pray we stay healthy, united and focused.”

Cosby added: “The new league is full of great talent and fantastic competitive coaches that I greatly admire and respect,” he said. “I wish everyone great success and health.”

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