Rec Sports
Flag football for women rising at HBCUs
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have become key players in the rapid growth of women’s flag football. This offers new opportunities for female athletes in a sport that is gaining national and global recognition. With support from organizations like the NFL and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), HBCUs are now at the […]
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have become key players in the rapid growth of women’s flag football. This offers new opportunities for female athletes in a sport that is gaining national and global recognition.
With support from organizations like the NFL and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), HBCUs are now at the forefront of developing competitive women’s flag football programs.
Flag football for high school girls is rapidly emerging as a popular and transformative sport, offering new opportunities and pathways for young female athletes.
At just 17, Ki’Lolo Westerlund is rewriting the playbook for women’s flag football. She landed a starring role in the NFL Flag 50 commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIX—a spot that had her sharing screen time with NFL stars like Myles Garrett, Justin Jefferson, and Marshawn Lynch.
While millions watched her performance on screens worldwide right after halftime,Westerfund was actually at the game in New Orleans with her father, soaking in the live atmosphere and the personal triumph of her achievement.
“It was an honor,” Westerlund said recently in a phone interview withe the New York Times. “That’s kind of when it all hit me. I was emotional. And I was like, ‘Wow, this is happening. This is crazy. All the people around me were like — wait, that’s you.”
Last April, HBCU Alabama State, an FCS program, made history by becoming the first Division I school to launch a women’s flag football program. This groundbreaking move not only expanded opportunities for female athletes but also set the stage for a new era in collegiate sports.
This past offseason, Alabama State took another monumental step by awarding the first-ever DI scholarship in women’s flag football. The scholarship went to Westerlund, a decision that reflects both athletic excellence and a commitment to trailblazing leadership.
Alabama State head coach Jennifer Constable, who spearheaded the initiative, was determined to reward an athlete who could transform the game on the field and serve as a role model off it.
“It was honestly a no-brainer,” Constable said recently. “She was my No. 1 pick to do that. … She’s going to be that person that kids are going to look up to.”
Westerlund’s collegiate journey is just the beginning of a much larger vision. While she’s excited to compete at the collegiate level, her ultimate ambition is to represent her country in the 2028 Olympics.
For her, the Olympic stage isn’t merely about personal achievement—it’s an opportunity to showcase the growing strength and potential of women’s flag football on a global platform.
“Absolutely,” Westerlund said when asked if she believes people are becoming more accepting of girls and women playing football. “They are coming around and trying to understand it.
“And for those that still don’t, they will soon.”
Just as Alabama State broke ground with its program, another HBCU entity is forging a new path.
Winston-Salem State University hosted one of the two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Round-up events on March 5-6 at Civitan Park. This inaugural event brought together top-tier talent from across the conference and highlighted the competitive of the league’s eight programs.
Virginia Union University hosted a second round-up at the end of the month to set up position for the inaugural flag football championship. The round up will be held at Johnson C. Smith University on Friday and Saturday to declare a champion.
– Story by Tia Greene
Rec Sports
Zoning variance granted to keep pickleball balls on the courts and out of the roadway – BG Independent News
By JAN McLAUGHLIN BG Independent News For the sake of pickleball players and the people driving on Haskins Road, a variance was granted last week for a taller fence than normally allowed separating the new courts and the nearby road. The Bowling Green Board of Zoning Appeals voted to allow the city to install an […]
By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For the sake of pickleball players and the people driving on Haskins Road, a variance was granted last week for a taller fence than normally allowed separating the new courts and the nearby road.
The Bowling Green Board of Zoning Appeals voted to allow the city to install an 8-foot fence along Haskins Road, rather than the maximum 4-foot height permitted in a front yard. The new pickleball courts are currently under construction between the Bowling Green Community Center and the road.
The same variance was granted nearly 10 years ago for the athletic fields already located behind the community center.
Kristin Otley, director of the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department, explained that the project is the result of three years of coordination with the local pickleball advisory group. The project designer recommended the 8-foot fence as the standard height for courts. Outdoor pickleball facilities in Perrysburg and Oregon have 8-foot fences.
Not only will the higher fence keep pickleball players from chasing balls, it will also keep the balls from bouncing out onto Haskins Road.
The winning bid for the eight-court pickleball project was $640,000 was submitted by Geddis Paving and Excavation in Toledo.
The pickleball courts are expected to be finished by the end of June, with a tentative opening planned near July 4.
In addition to the eight courts, the project also includes lighting, a shelter house, seating and fencing around the entire area.
The outdoor courts will allow players to gather anytime during daylight hours in the warmer months.
The project has been championed by the BG Parks and Recreation Foundation and a dedicated group of local pickleball enthusiasts, who have raised more than $100,000 for the courts.
Currently Bowling Green residents travel to Perrysburg, Holland and Findlay if they want to play on outdoor pickleball courts. The only courts in Bowling Green currently are inside the community center, in space that has to be shared with many other purposes – youth sports, fitness classes and National Guard activities.
So in 2022, the local pickleball players served up a proposal for outdoor pickleball courts in Bowling Green. The city started the ball rolling with $150,000 in ARPA funding.
Four pickleball courts can fit on one tennis court. The games are shorter, averaging 10 to 15 minutes each. The players cover less space, don’t have to be in great shape to play, and don’t have to be super skilled to enjoy the game.
Thirty to 40 people show up every weekday from 8 to 11 a.m., to play on the indoor community center courts. It is believed that more people will use the outdoor courts.
Rec Sports
Applications Now Open for the Luzerne Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) 2025-2026
Are you a high school student entering 10th or 11th grade this fall? Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? The Luzerne Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 session of its Youth Advisory Committee. The Youth Advisory Committee, or YAC, is a program designed to offer high school students […]
Are you a high school student entering 10th or 11th grade this fall? Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? The Luzerne Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 session of its Youth Advisory Committee.
The Youth Advisory Committee, or YAC, is a program designed to offer high school students an opportunity to make a difference in their communities while learning the principles of philanthropy, nonprofit work, and community engagement. YAC offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in fundraising, grantmaking, and volunteering, all while supporting local nonprofit organizations.
This past year began with an exciting partnership with King’s College! In addition to serving as YAC’s 2024-2025 Program Sponsor, students who complete the YAC program are guaranteed acceptance to King’s College. Eric Grego, director of undergraduate recruitment, met with students throughout the year to discuss what makes our area great and the opportunities available on the King’s College campus.
Throughout the year, students are actively involved in every step of the grantmaking process. In the fall, they invite local nonprofits to apply for funding, with the first 20 applicants given the chance to present a three-minute pitch at the annual YAC Nonprofit Forum in December. After careful review, site visits, and discussion, members narrow the field and ultimately select 4 organizations to receive funding.
Thanks to their dedication and hard work, the 2025-2026 YAC awarded a total of $20,000 to the following nonprofits:
- A Moment of Magic: Moments of Magic for Hospitalized Children
- Catholic Social Services: St. Joseph’s Food Pantry
- The JumpStart Cart: Program Expansion/Training
- Helping Hands Society: Academic Helper Program
Now Accepting Applications:
With 6 spots available for the upcoming year, YAC is seeking motivated, community-minded students ready to learn, lead, and serve. If that sounds like you, apply online at www.luzfdn.org or speak to your high school guidance counselor. The application deadline is July 11, 2025.
Should you wish to support The Luzerne Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee, please feel free to donate by visiting www.luzfdn.org. If you are passionate about a cause near to your heart and want to make a difference here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, please call us at the Luzerne Foundation.
Do you want to make our community better? So do we. Let’s do it together.
Because of you and for you, we are … Here for good.
Rec Sports
Coppo Field, the new home of New Canaan varsity baseball, opens
NEW CANAAN — The son of Joe Coppo threw out the first pitch at the opening of the baseball field named after his late father, which was recently celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and inaugural game. The field is named in memory of the New Canaan resident, coach, and youth baseball advocate who died in the […]
NEW CANAAN — The son of Joe Coppo threw out the first pitch at the opening of the baseball field named after his late father, which was recently celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and inaugural game.
The field is named in memory of the New Canaan resident, coach, and youth baseball advocate who died in the 9/11 attacks. It will now serve as the official home of the New Canaan High School Rams varsity baseball team, replacing Mead Park.
During the opening, which was held on May 7, master of ceremonies Terry Dinan paid tribute to Coppo’s legacy.
“Joe Coppo was a longtime resident of New Canaan and supporter of New Canaan baseball who graciously volunteered his time coaching and was an active board member,” Dinan said, according to a press release from New Canaan Public Schools. “Joe’s spirit and legacy lives on in all who take the field to play. We know he would be excited and proud to see the unveiling of the renovated Coppo Field today.”
Coppo’s son John threw the ceremonial first pitch at the field, located at Waveny Park.
New Canaan Athletic Foundation founding chair Mike Benevento spoke at the event about the scope of the $5 million project to bring the state-of-the-art turf baseball facility to New Canaan, a public-private partnership between the Town of New Canaan, NCAF, and New Canaan Baseball.
“While it will primarily serve baseball, the outfield and additional space will be used in the fall for youth field hockey, flag football, and many other sports,” Benevento said in the release. “It’s an exciting step forward for our youth athletics programs.”
According to the press release, “Coppo Field features a brick backstop, expansive dugouts, double-barrel bullpens, and a top-tier turf surface.”
The inaugural game was played against Darien High School, as the two teams have a nearly 100-year-old rivalry, with their first game taking place at Mead Park.
“Mead Park was the proud home of New Canaan Baseball,” Dinan said. “Today, we turn the page to an exciting new chapter. This beautiful field will now serve as the home of the New Canaan Varsity Rams and support nearly 600 players across our town, from T-ball to high school.”
Rec Sports
Is it safe for youth athletes to take dietary supplements?
Mass equals gas. It’s a refrain you hear from today’s pitchers, even from early adolescent ages, bent on increasing their velocity with added size. It’s not just baseball. Walk around a high school athletic field, court or track and you’ll see kids who are larger and sleeker than they were just a decade or two […]
Mass equals gas.
It’s a refrain you hear from today’s pitchers, even from early adolescent ages, bent on increasing their velocity with added size. It’s not just baseball.
Walk around a high school athletic field, court or track and you’ll see kids who are larger and sleeker than they were just a decade or two ago.
Young athletes are lifting weights and taking over-the-counter dietary supplements in an attempt to gain size and power. The three most common of these performance enhancing substances (PES), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Creatine, caffeine and protein supplements.
“I think sometimes what happens is that a child who’s really interested in adding strength and muscle bulk, they’ll do a lot of things at the same time,” says Rebecca Carl, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, “and so then it’s not clear if they’re taking caffeine and creatine and they’re on protein supplements and they’re lifting what’s helping them.
“There’s a big issue with contamination,” she says.
How much do supplements help? How safe are they? USA TODAY Sports spoke with Carl, a sports medicine physician and associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, about children and adolescents’ use of popular supplements and healthy weight gain.
Creatine: Benefits ‘really doubtful’ for kids
According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), creatine is produced in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas, then stored as phosphocreatine in your muscles, and our bodies use phosphocreatine to help “jumpstart” during exercise.
The USADA says creatine is also found in red meat, salmon, milk, eggs and mollusks.
Taking in the compound as a supplement, however, is highly popular but also somewhat controversial among the adolescent population.
While you might know a coach who suggests taking creatine supplements, the AAP doesn’t recommend children or adolescents take them.
“There are not studies demonstrating safety in children/adolescents,” Carl says. “More recent reviews suggest that creatine can be used safely but these are generally studies of adults.
“Your body can make creatine so it’s not needed in the diet. There is creatine found naturally occurring in things like meat and fish. But taking it as a supplement, we don’t know if there’s harm in doing that for children.
“The other thing is it has a very narrow performance benefit.”
Carl says creatine could aid athletic bursts of one to three seconds but probably not with overall sports performance.
“If I was summarizing it for a family, I’d say for most athletic activities, the benefits of creatine are really doubtful,” she says. “There may be some benefit for really explosive, short activities. The classic would example be a weightlifter who does a single maximum lift, then there’s probably a performance benefit for that … (but) probably not even repetitive activities like that.
“There’s not a benefit for certainly any sport where there’s an endurance component of it.”
So for baseball, for example, Carr says, creatine might help you with a single swing or single pitch, but not a series of swings or pitches.
“PES use does not produce significant gains over those seen with the onset of puberty and adherence to an appropriate nutrition and training program,” the AAP says in its most recent policy statement on performance-enhancing substances, which Carl says is reviewed every four years.
Coach Steve: When can teenagers start lifting weights? What about a personal coach?
Protein bars, powders and shakes: ‘Totally unnecessary’
Two in five parents say their teenager consumed protein supplements over a one-year period, according to a 2024 University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
Teens think they are taking them to build muscle, but the AAP says there’s no performance benefit to protein supplement if a diet provides adequate protein.
“Protein supplementation is for most children totally unnecessary because they get enough protein in the diet,” Carl says. “Even kids who are lifting.”
If an athlete is a vegan or has other has dietary restrictions, Carl might have them see a registered dietician to determine how much protein and nutrients their body needs.
The AAP recommends that children 4 years and older and adolescents get 10-30% of their daily calories from protein.
Generally, Carl says, adolescents should take in 0.5 grams of protein per pound pound of body weight per day. Those needs may be higher for athletes engaged in intense activity or resistance training.
“Getting adequate protein through the diet is best, especially given the issue of possible contamination,” Carl says. “One other thing that is an important issue with all of these supplements is that supplements aren’t regulated the way that drugs are, so you don’t have to pull a supplement from the market until it causes harm. (With) medications, you have to prove that it’s safe first.”
Caffeine and energy drinks: ‘The risk of taking too much’
The amount of caffeine in food (soft drinks are allowed a maximum of 71 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces) is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Caffeine in energy drinks and other dietary supplements isn’t.
“Most children take caffeine, whether or not they’re doing it as a supplement, so it’s not that we think kids shouldn’t have any caffeine,” Carl says, “but some of the energy drinks that have really high doses, there’s been emergency room visits over taking too much of it.”
AAP research connects significant toxicity with the ingestion of multiple energy drink. The AAP doesn’t recommend kids and adolescents drink them at all.
The AAP has guidelines about safe caffeine use. According to its PES statement, 1 to 3 milligrams per kilogram has been shown to have performance-enhancing effects, particularly in endurance activity, strength of knee extensors and improvements in time to exhaustion studies.
So, for example, Carl says a child weighing 40 kilograms (or 88 pounds) would take 120 milligrams.
“Caffeine does have performance benefits, and it’s safer than things like, certainly anabolic steroids and some of the more notorious agents,” Carl says. “I think in specific circumstances, there may be a benefit to taking caffeine, but there’s also the risk of taking too much of it.”
Some potential adverse effects of caffeine overdose include cardiac arrhythmias (premature ventricular contractions), increased blood pressure, headaches, irritability, sleep disruption, tremor and gastric irritation and increased core body temperature with exertion in hot environments.
The FDA issued a warning in 2018 about supplements consisting of pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid form.
“It is very difficult to tell the difference between what is a safe amount and what may be a toxic or even lethal amount of this bulk product,” the FDA said in the statement. “Caffeine is a powerful stimulant and very small amounts of pure or highly concentrated caffeine may have serious effects and could even be deadly.”
If you have read Richard Ben Cramer’s biography about Joe DiMaggio (“The Hero’s Life”), you know the baseball legend used to drink many cups of coffee before games to get a boost.
According to FDA calculations, DiMaggio would have had to go on a 28-cup binge to equal the same amount of caffeine in one teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine.
Coach Steve: What are the keys for young baseball players to realize their potential?
Guidelines for adolescent weight gain
Just like with cutting weight as a wrestler, there isn’t a shortcut to gaining weight in a healthy fashion. The practice can become unhealthy for adolescents when it adds excess body fat.
According to its statement on weight control practices in young athletes, the AAP recommends athletes who want to gain weight and add lean muscle mass do so gradually, and without supplements:
- For Boys: Up to a half-pound or pound per week.
- For girls: up to one-quarter to three-quarters of pound per week.
- If you’re maintaining body weight while adhering to the protein guidelines above, consume an extra 300 to 500 calories above your baseline intake, an extra 14 grams of protein, strength train and get adequate sleep.
The AAP doesn’t necessarily use a maximum weight recommendation for height. Carl says Body Mass Index measurements, which have traditionally been used, are not as helpful for athletes with higher lean body mass.
“BMI classify individuals as obese even if they have low body fat (and) more muscle mass,” she says. “We tend to think in terms of recommendations of how to gain muscle mass.”
The problem with supplements and the next level
About 10 years ago, as The New York Times reported, the New York State attorney general accused four major retailers of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements.
Eric Schneiderman said his office purchased a variety of store brand herbal supplements in different parts of the state. They found, he said, that only 21 percent of the ones they tested had DNA evidence that they contained the product listed on the label.
“Sometimes that’s an issue for things like allergies – if you’re allergic to garlic and there’s garlic power or something like that – but some things they have steroid derivatives in them that could really be harmful,” Carl says of dietary supplements.
We routinely hear from professional athletes who say they didn’t knowingly take a substance banned by their league for which they tested positive. Our children are eventually going to be held accountable, too.
“At the college and professional level, they will recommend athletes not take any kind of supplements unless they have cleared it with the athletic trainers or coaching staff because sometimes there’s things that shouldn’t be in there,” Carl says.
Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.
Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com
Rec Sports
OKC Thunder to host youth basketball camp in Shawnee
Photo Credit: METRO Oklahoma City Thunder OKLAHOMA CITY– The Oklahoma City Thunder has opened registration for its summer Thunder Youth Basketball camp in Shawnee for kids ages 6-14.… Previous Post Photos: Dale’s run to the state championship Next Post Gardens of Cross Timbers: Saving Hummingbirds Link 0
Rec Sports
Twins pitch fun and fundamentals at youth baseball clinic
May 17—MITCHELL — The Minnesota Twins Community Fund brought its traveling youth baseball clinic to Mitchell on Saturday, offering local kids ages 6 to 12 a chance to learn the fundamentals of the game, and more importantly, have fun. The event held at Cadwell Sports Complex brought a total of 113 kids that participated in […]
May 17—MITCHELL — The Minnesota Twins Community Fund brought its traveling youth baseball clinic to Mitchell on Saturday, offering local kids ages 6 to 12 a chance to learn the fundamentals of the game, and more importantly, have fun.
The event held at Cadwell Sports Complex brought a total of 113 kids that participated in the clinic, which featured skill stations led by experienced Twins clinicians.
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“Our goal as the Twins organization is to get kids out and play,” said Scott Morris, one of the clinic’s instructors. “We’re not even concerned if it’s baseball or not, we just want kids to get up and play.”
Morris, who has been involved in baseball for decades as a player and coach, said the clinic serves as a reintroduction to the sport for many kids who may not play as informally as earlier generations did.
“When we were kids, we’d get two or three friends and make up a game,” Morris said. “Now kids spend more time indoors or wait for something organized rather than just getting together and play.”
Participants rotated through four core skill stations: infielding, outfield play, hitting and throwing. The clinic also emphasized receiving, learning how to catch the ball with confidence, using safety equipment to help young athletes build trust and enjoyment in the game.
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