Tell us about the work that #WeRideTogether does.

MC: Our mission is to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. We believe sport should be the safest and healthiest place for children and young adults to grow and flourish, and that every individual has the right to learn, play, and compete without fear of sexual abuse. #WeRideTogether is committed to creating the radical change needed to fulfill that vision by addressing education and awareness, creating a safe place for survivors to find resources and share their voices, and eliminating the stigma around these necessary conversations.

#WeRideTogether strives to continuously advocate for safe, healthy, and fun sport. We believe in empowering every member of athletic communities with abuse prevention resources and safeguarding education and best practices, as well as ensuring that survivors and their loved ones have access to athlete-, survivor-, and trauma- informed resources that can support them in their unique healing journey. 

To date, our team has worked to scale #WeRideTogether, founded in 2021, into an organization that supports all athletes at every level of sport, internationally, with simple, tangible abuse prevention resources and palatable safeguarding education. In 2024, #WeRideTogether directly supported over 300,000 athletes, coaches, and parents, 23 organizations, and 2 International Federations. This year, #WeRideTogether was proud to form a partnership with Sports Integrity Australia, branching key #WRT resources into Australia’s safeguarding education and training materials.

What has your organization done that has been the most interesting to you?

MC: At #WeRideTogether, we provide evidence-based, professional, educational, ethical, compassionate, creative, inclusive, celebratory, and advocatory services. Heart-centered and mind-driven, our team commits to improving sport communities in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. By focusing on current research, integrating insights from our trusted partners, and, most importantly, listening to athletes and survivors across all sports, #WeRideTogether delivers trustworthy and timely solutions. For example, our team created a resource called the C.A.R.D. Diagrams. These diagrams serve as a “gut check,” and can help individuals discern between healthy and unhealthy coach-athlete relationship dynamics.

Tell us about a project that #WeRideTogether is working on. 

MC: One project that we are very excited about is a collaboration we have with the Sports Equity Lab. The Sports Equity Lab at Stanford has partnered with #WeRideTogether to break the IOC Consensus statement: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sport down into bite-sized chunks. The result of this collaboration is The People’s Guide to the 2024 IOC Safeguarding Consensus, which unpacks and expands critical points from the Consensus. This dissemination project will provide 10 modules highlighting key takeaways from the 2024 IOC Consensus with visuals, activities, and social content that can be tangibly applied and integrated into sports communities. This 10-part series aligns with the values and missions of the Sports Equity Lab at Stanford and #WeRideTogether to promote awareness, eliminate inequities, and provide everyone with accessible information on positive values and best practices to keep sports healthy and athletes thriving.

How have you partnered with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health?

MC: The team at BSPH has consistently provided us with essential feedback on many of our key projects, like our Preventing Misconduct PSA series. Additionally, in 2024, our team was proud to sign on to a Dear Colleague Letter in partnership with colleagues at BSPH that was used to advocate for increased funding for the CDC Injury Center’s Division of Violence Prevention to research child sexual abuse prevention.

Tell us a fun fact about your organization.

MC: #WeRideTogether started as a viral video campaign in the equestrian community — and grew into a nonprofit that tackles sexual abuse prevention across all sports, at every level, around the world. 

What is unique about your structure?

MC: We pride ourselves in our ability to translate incredible research being done in the abuse prevention space into simple, tangible tools and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and organizations. 

What can other similar organizations learn from you?

MC: At #WeRideTogether, we like to say that we all have a role to play in creating and maintaining safe and healthy athletic environments. As organizations within and adjacent to our space continue to collaborate and intentionally de-silo, we are able to amplify each other’s voices and efforts, resulting in more impactful, sustainable results long term.

What would you like our readers to know about your work?

MC: Our safeguarding education and abuse prevention resources are completely free. Anyone is able to utilize our content and bring it to their unique athletic space. Additional pro bono services include:

• Policy Consultation/Creation
• Supplemental Support
• Content Support
• Education Creation (paired with athlete focus groups)
• In-person, Virtual, Recorded Training
• Event and Competition Support
• Custom Merchandise
• Video Creation/Consultation

What is your goal for 2025?

MC: One of our goals is to continue building out partnerships into new athletic spaces and listening to the needs of all types of athletes to ensure our content is as informed as possible. 

The Green has a solid foundation on which to rest ambitions for a second team. Vermont led the nation in youth sports participation in the most recent measure by the federally funded and directed National Survey of Children’s Health: 69% of kids ages 6-17 played on a sports team or took lessons in 2022, well above the national average of 54%. 

Vermont families have 46 competitive clubs and 51 recreational programs to choose from under the Vermont Soccer Association, the state’s arm of U.S. Youth Soccer. When Andrew Minnis joined the state org as executive director last December, he looked to collaborate with the Green’s founders right away. 

“A big push of mine since I came in has been really trying to bridge the gap of southern Vermont,” Minnis said. 

Clubs under the association are more abundant in and around Chittenden County, with less access to youth soccer south of Montpelier, he said. 

The association’s partnership with U.S. Youth Soccer’s Europe branch, announced last month, holds promise for an exchange of knowledge overseas that could help coaches add teams to Vermont’s inventory, Minnis said.  

At the moment, when teens surpass the challenge of local clubs, their paths upward become more sparse. Players can be selected for Vermont’s Olympic Development Program with the chance to represent their state, region or country but have few options outside those rosters. 

In high school, the Green’s Liv White commuted three hours from her hometown of Pittsford to play with New England Mutiny, a Massachusetts club, she said on “The Women’s Game.” When coaching local clubs, White’s teammate Lauren DeGroot sees that routes to elite teams lead kids out of Vermont. 

“These girls are super talented, and we’re able to see that from such a young age, and it’s unfortunate that you see those girls and you feel like you’re doing them a disservice cause there aren’t those opportunities,” she said. “You think, ‘Can we send them down to Massachusetts, Jersey, so they can get that? Cause they aren’t getting it here.’” 

Female footballers of the Green’s caliber are still looking elsewhere for off-season training.

“I have to drive an hour and 15 minutes to Quebec to play soccer over the summer,” said Sydney Remington, a UVM player, of her training without the Green. 

Green forward Erin Flurey closed shop that night, poking in a loose ball to slash Blainville’s 1–0 lead and chipping the keeper in a bold signoff for a 2–1 win. The women’s exhibition team concluded year two undefeated. 

Piedmont Family YMCA Chief Operating Officer Chris Carr recently issued an update to Cavalier Aquatics club parents following the news that head coach Gary Taylor was currently serving a two-year probation period was reported earlier this month.

As first reported by Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press, Taylor received the two-year probation from the U.S. Center for SafeSport after an investigation concluded with him admitting to emotional misconduct while coaching swimmers from 2015 until 2022 at NC State, Auburn and Cavalier Aquatics.

In the message to club membership, Carr told parents that after Taylor’s arrival at the club in 2021, three families issued complaints to SafeSport that same year, and the complaints were investigated by both the YMCA and SafeSport, and they found no wrongdoing.

Full Message:

Good Afternoon Cavalier Aquatics Parents,

Our leadership team is aware of the articles and comments regarding Gary Taylor and our Cavalier Aquatics Program. While we have spoken to several of you regarding these comments, we wanted to address our full team to provide additional information.

Gary Taylor arrived at the Piedmont Family YMCA in 2021 as our Head Coach for Cavalier Aquatics. In 2021, SafeSport received three (3) complaints from Cavalier Aquatics Families. These complaints were investigated by the YMCA, and then independent of the YMCA by SafeSport. In each of these cases, we found no wrongdoing, and SafeSport dismissed the complaints. Throughout any SafeSport investigation, SafeSport requires confidentiality from all parties (including the YMCA). To respect this process, the YMCA did not release the full details of the complaints to the team.

The YMCA remains committed to ensuring the safety of all participants in our organization. Incidents that arise out of Cavalier Aquatics, Camp, Afterschool, Youth Sports, or incidents within our facility at the Brooks Family YMCA will be investigated. Members and program participants can speak directly to myself as the Chief Operating Officer of the Piedmont Family YMCA with any concerns regarding our operations and programs.

The YMCA is proud of the accomplishments of our Cavalier Aquatics program. Notably, our club won the overall team championship at the 2022 and 2025 National Meet. We have also received Gold Medal Recognition from USA Swimming’s Club Excellence Program in 2023 and 2025, marking the program as one of the Top 20 clubs in the nation in each of these respective seasons. These successes have allowed our premier swim club to grow to over 235 youth throughout Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. We are incredibly thankful to you, the parents and athletes, who have supported us over the years. It is your dedication and support, along with our talented coaches, that have allowed for this success.

Thanks,
Chris Carr

Although the complaints mentioned all came in 2021, Taylor’s probation came after admitting to emotionally abusing athletes from 2015 until 2022.

Shortly after the news of Taylor’s probation was reported, he was removed from the Cavalier Aquatics website and is currently not listed as a coach with the club. However, he is still listed as an associate head coach at the University of Virginia, a role he took in addition to already being the Cavalier Aquatics head coach in May 2024.

According to The Augusta Free Press, the club’s first acknowledgement of Taylor’s probation came in a different message to club parents, where Carr told them Taylor “has been primarily at UVA for the last year, continuing at the Y to mentor coaches Conor Hassard and Jason Swaim through their transitions to Head Senior Coach and Head Age Group Coach.”

On June 17, The Augusta Free Press reported that Lauren Suggs, the wife of UVA head coach Todd DeSorbo, stepped down as a member of the Board of Directors at Piedmont Family YMCA.

Taylor’s wife, Jessica Taylor, is still listed as the CEO of Piedmont Family YMCA, however.

Read more on the allegations that led to Taylor’s probation here.

A lively ribbon-cutting ceremony filled the morning air Saturday at Callaghan Park in Watsonville. More than 160 people showed up for the upbeat ceremony where city officials, sports enthusiasts and community members celebrated the opening of six new pickleball courts—Watsonville’s first—and two revamped basketball courts at the popular neighborhood park at 225 Sudden St.

Nick Calubaquib, deputy city manager and Park and Community Services director, welcomed the crowd and underscored that the park is among the most popular parks in the city, with more than 62,000 visits this year.

“Access to close-to-home parks is crucial to a community’s quality of life and is essential to personal and community well being and mental health—for fresh air, exercise, meditation and a sense of peace and community,” he said. “You only need to compare Watsonville’s 143 acres of parkland to the city of Santa Cruz with 1,700 acres of parkland to realize that residents in Watsonville have an extremely disproportionate access to parks, playgrounds and open spaces. 

“And it’s really because of these disparities that it’s crucial—and my last mission—to ensure that the park space that we do have in Watsonville is quality and meets the needs of our community. Because access to quality parks and sports courts shouldn’t be a privilege to some but really a right for all.” 

Funding for the job stemmed from Measures R and Y.

When asked about how she felt about the new pickleball courts, Nancy Zeiszler, a former physical educator, said, “I love them. What it does is bring a sense of community to this area for all ages and all abilities. We usually meet two to three times a week and we see the same people and it’s engaging both mentally and physically and we’re going to live longer because of it. 

“I’ve been playing the sport since retirement, eight years ago.”

Callaghan Park played a huge role following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when it doubled as “tent city,” temporary living quarters for dozens of families whose homes were damaged by the 7.1 magnitude shaker.

Pickleball enthusiast Krissa Baylor said, “I’m so excited and so thankful to the mayor and the director of Park and Rec and our pickleball crew to see this to completion. I’ve been playing for eight years; these courts are beautiful. Everyone can use them and the lovely park for the children, the extra basketball courts, the restrooms and the cultural center: It’s the perfect location.”

Watsonville High’s Patrick Miller-Brown and Monte Vista Christian’s Brady Cortez were each recognized with the highest honors possible in their respective Pacific Coast Athletic League divisions following a stellar baseball season in the spring.   

Cortez was named the Mission Division’s co-Most Valuable Player alongside Stevenson’s Reggie Bell, while Miller-Brown was named the Cypress Division’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year along with North Salinas’ Jake Burkhardt.

Miller-Brown finished batting a .477 average (31-for-65) with seven doubles, three home runs, one triple, 15 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 17 walks and 20 stolen bases, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.  

“I was surprised how I was hitting this season because I’m not a really good hitter,” Miller-Brown said. “But I developed my skill from my coach, to focus on the ball and let it come to you, and drive it with your hips.”

Cortez finished batting a .458 average (38-for-83) with nine doubles, 27 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 11 walks and 16 stolen bases. On the mound, he went 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 16 strikeouts.

“I expect perfection every time I play, so it felt like I was underperforming,” Cortez said. “But at the end of the day, I was doing everything I could for the team and what they needed out of me.”

On top of receiving his MVP award, Cortez along with teammates Carter Wright and Chris Bautista each earned All-PCAL Mission Division First Team honors.

MVC’s Mikey Melenudo and Tyson Shaw earned all-league second team honors, while Dante Darnell was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship team. 

The Mustangs had a complete turnaround of a season after they finished with a 3-23 overall record in 2024. This year, they were runner-up in the Mission Division with an 11-3 record in league play behind this year’s champion Stevenson. 

“It definitely helped change our perspective of who we were as a team, especially after last year,” Cortez said. “We ended up playing all throughout the summer and fall together, and we all saw a difference in the chemistry and who we were becoming.”

Miller-Brown earned All-PCAL Cypress Division First Team honors along with teammates Rudy Valdez and Kaden Ortiz. Pajaro Valley’s Steven Martinez also earned all-league first team honors. 

“I was just going out there, having a good time,” Miller-Brown said. “I was smiling up at the plate and just hitting the ball…I really wanted to hit a home run because I never hit a home run before. I had a couple inside the parks, and then I finally pushed one out.”

Watsonville’s Mathew Silva and Ben Miller, and Pajaro Valley’s Alex Acosta and Brandon Perez-Moreno each earned all-league second team honors. 

Watsonville’s Gabriel Lara and Pajaro Valley’s JC DeLuna each were named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship team. 

Watsonville was runner-up in the Cypress Division with a 9-3 record in league play behind champion North Salinas. Miller-Brown recalled the turning point of their season was a 13-11 victory over Silver Creek in non-league play on April 5.  

“We were just going on a roll and that was something I’ll never forget,” he said. “It was just back and forth.”

St. Francis graduates Javier DaRosa-Fonseca and Nash Horton each received All-PCAL Gabilan Division First Team honors, while Donovan Dominguez and Nicky Fantl both earned all-league second team honors.

Teammate Noah Magana was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team, and St. Francis was the recipient of the Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award.

Pacific Coast Athletic League all-league baseball teams

Gabilan Division

Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player: Alan Gonzalez, Palma

Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Maxon, Carmel

Pitcher of the Year: Trent Roach, Hollister

First Team

Ty Arnold, Carmel

Sean Carr, Carmel

Matt Maxon, Carmel

Trent Roach, Hollister

Gavin Rodriguez, Hollister

Johnny Carnazzo, Palma

Manny Dorantes, Palma

Alan Gonzalez, Palma

Rocco Rezzeca, Palma

Jordan Isla, Salinas

Daniel Valenzuela, Soledad

Javier DaRosa-Fonseca, St. Francis

Nash Horton, St. Francis

Second Team

Josh Beretti, Carmel

Kenny Sanchez, Carmel

Jake Esparza, Hollister

Jordy, Quezada, HOllister

Conner Rose, Monterey

Evan Takehara, Monterey

Wyatt Baker, Palma

Gabriel Serrano, Palma

Aiden Veliz, Palma

Rafael “Vidal Perez, Soledad

Anikan Tavarez, Soledad

Donovan Dominguez, St. Francis

Nicky Fantl, St. Francis

Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team 

Alex Hirschfield, Carmel

Anthony Bolin, Hollister

Patrick Adams, Monterey

Damian Ybarra, Palma

JT Lopez, Salinas

Zaryk Alvarado, Soledad

Noah Magana, St. Francis

Elgie Belizio Sportsmanship Team Award

St. Francis

Mission Division

Individual Awards

Co-Most Valuable Players: Brady Cortez, Monte Vista Christian; Reggie Bell, Stevenson

Pitcher of the Year: Julian Valadez, Alisal

First Team

Sebastian Benitez, Alisal

Julian Valadez, Alisal

Fabian Gonzalez, Greenfield

Chris Bautista, Monte Vista Christian

Brady Cortez, MVC

Carter Wright, MVC

Jered Kallenberger, North Monterey County

Ben Garry, Pacific Grove

Brody Edmonds, Pacific Grove

Cecil Short, Racho San Juan

Reggie Bell, Stevenson

Jacob Hall, Stevenson

Phinn Thomas, Stevenson

Second Team

Angel Barajas, Alisal

Alexander Loredo, Alisal

Diego Corona, Alvarez

Ivan Chavez, Alvarez

Danny Nava, Greenfield

Mikey Melenudo, MVC

Tyson Shaw, MVC

Tyler Baldwin, NMC

Greg Jimenez, NMC

Brody Nelsen, NMC

River Lyon, Pacific Grove

Aiden Munoz, RSJ

Henry Blaxter, Stevenson

Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team

G.P. Serrato, Alisal

Roman Garcia, Alvarez

Nate Hernandez, Greenfield

Dante Darnell, MVC

Gavin Carruthers, NMC

Nathaniel Wade, Pacific Grove

Adrian Espinoza, RSJ

Flint Dickenson, Stevenson

Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award

Rancho San Juan

Cypress Division

Individual Awards

Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Patrick Miller Brown, Watsonville; Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas

Pitcher of the Year: Josh Degroodt, North Salinas

First Team

Mateo Blair, King City

Joe Pina, King City

Kaleb True, Marina

David Avina, North Salinas

Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas

Josh Degroodt, North Salinas

Preston Hobbs, North Salinas

Zach Sims, North Salinas

Steve Martinez, Pajaro Valley

Ethan Vasquez, Seaside

Kaden Ortiz, Watsonville

Patrick Miller-Brown, Watsonville

Rudy Valdez, Watsonville

Second Team

Jason Moreno, King City

JC Navarro, King City 

Leo Alvarado Mancillas, Marina

Douglas Ciloino, Marina

Johnny Benabidez, North Salinas

Drew Cervantez, North Salinas

Julian Gabriel, North Salinas

Isaac Sigala, North Salinas

Alex Acosta, Pajaro Valley

Brandon Perez-Moreno, Pajaro Valley

Christopher Antoz, Seaside

Ben Miller, Watsonville

Mathew Silva, Watsonville

Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team

Jacob Hernandez, Gonzales

Sebastion Lizardi, King City

Elias Ramirez, Marina

Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas

JC DeLuna, Pajaro Valley

Gabe Moulton, Seaside

Gabriel Lara, Watsonville

Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award

Seaside

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – The Pelham Panthers did their part to keep the game of basketball growing in the Birmingham area with a big week at the Pelham Basketball Camp.

Pelham High School basketball teams coached a group of around 160 campers on the fundamentals of basketball from June 23-25 at the Pelham High School gymnasium.

“It went great,” Pelham head boys basketball coach Greg Dickinson said. “We had a good turnout as usual. Got a lot of kids in and developed and had a great time.”

Throughout the week, campers worked through a variety of drills to improve their skills, including a heavy focus on ball-handling along with dribbling, shooting and defense.

The campers also got to put their skills to the test in games against one another, including 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 environments.

In addition, they were split off into teams throughout the week and competed against one another. The competition concluded on Wednesday with a winner-take-all tournament between the teams.

While Dickinson said the win-or-go-home nature of the tournament put a bit of a damper on the campers’ emotions, he enjoyed watching his players take control of the teams and coach up the campers throughout the week.

Each team had players from Pelham’s varsity and JV boys basketball program leading them as coaches, which allowed the players to teach the same basketball skills they learned from the Pelham coaching staff to the younger players and get a chance to step into their coaches’ shoes. Dickinson said the players brought a new element of competition to the teams and constantly found ways to outsmart and one-up each other in good fun.

In addition, the bonds with the campers went beyond basketball as Dickinson said the players and campers truly formed relationships over the three-day camp.

He said that the most rewarding part of the camp to him was watching those relationships flourish and seeing how the players carried themselves around the kids.

“I would say watching my players coach, coaching the younger ones and becoming big buddies to them,” Dickinson said. “Watching them interact with the younger guys was my favorite part.”

While the camp is just three days out of the 365-day year, Dickinson said weeks like this are crucial to the development of the Pelham High School basketball program. Not only does it give the players a chance to become leaders and serve their community, but it serves as a vital developmental tool in the future of the program.

The 160 campers who came throughout the week got to know the Pelham Panthers in a way that Dickinson said sticks with them and creates name recognition. He hopes that the camp gets them excited to play basketball themselves at Pelham High School.

However, it goes even deeper than that. Dickinson said those personal relationships created at camp often extend past the three days in the summer that they share a gym.

He said the players and campers recognize each other throughout the season and it gives the kids a chance to see the same players they learned from during the week out on the basketball court playing for the Panthers’ varsity and JV basketball programs.

“It’s very important,” Dickinson said. “It gives you a way to connect with the youth to get to them and for them to get to know you as well. Also, get them interested in coming to the games because now that they know the players, they have their connection with them. Now when they’re in the game, they can connect with them in the game, and we also let the younger guys come in for free when they come to the game, so it’s very important. They keep the program growing.”