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Ideology and propaganda – DW – 05/01/2025

What significance did sport have for the Nazis? Sport played an important role for the National Socialists, although they did not speak of sport, but of physical education. Their primary goal was to promote health and performance for a productive national economy and ultimately to be fit for war. Individual sport was relegated to the background […]

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1 month ago

May 2, 2025

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What significance did sport have for the Nazis?

Sport played an important role for the National Socialists, although they did not speak of sport, but of physical education. Their primary goal was to promote health and performance for a productive national economy and ultimately to be fit for war.

Individual sport was relegated to the background in favor of the collective, the masses, the so-called national body, to which every German should contribute as an individual in the best possible way. True to Nazi ideology, it was always about strength and fortitude.

“The weak must be hammered away,” begins a quote attributed to Adolf Hitler. “In my Ordensburg [educational facilities for the Nazi elite], a youth will grow up that will terrify the world. I want a violent, imperious, fearless, cruel youth. (…) I will have them trained in all physical exercises.”

These physical exercises were therefore compulsory in many of Nazi organizations, such as the Deutsches Jungvolk (DJ), the Hitler Youth (HJ), the League of German Girls (BDM) or Strength Through Joy (KdF). It was also recommended that young people join sports clubs.

In the Hitler Youth, but also in school sports, physical exercise was used to teach boys about being a soldier and military behavior, and to filter out young people who could later be considered for a leadership positions in the armed forces.

The Nazis were critical of international competitive sport, especially early on during the Weimar Republic. “Internationality, the Olympic movement, togetherness, international understanding, that was ideologically rejected,” historian Ansgar Molzberger from the German Sport University Cologne told DW.

The Hitler Youth in 1939 — In addition to military drills and weapons training, the Hitler Youth’s program also included sporting challengesImage: Judaica-Sammlung Richter/picture alliance

Why did the Nazis still organize the Olympic Games in 1936?

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Olympic Games to Berlin during the days of the Weimar Republic. The Nazis, who came to power in the interim, however, were overt opponents of the Olympic movement.

The cosmopolitan idea of the Olympic Games was incompatible with their world view. Sporting competitions with members of the “enemy nations” from the World War I went against their sense of honor, and they rejected the IOC regulations on racial grounds.

However, those in power quickly realized — especially Hitler — what an opportunity the Games offered to present themselves to the world as a peace-loving, open, young state.

“There was a breathtaking turnaround,” says historian Molzberger. “Just as the Olympic movement, with its ideals of international understanding, had been strictly rejected until the end of the Weimar era, they [the Nazis] now presented themselves as great supporters of the Olympic movement.”

They also wanted to use the Games to demonstrate their own strengths of good organization and sporting success.

Adolf Hitler at the opening of the Olympic Games — Adolf Hitler at the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games in BerlinImage: TopFoto/IMAGO

Were there any sports the Nazis promoted?

“One sport that can be emphasized in the context of school was boxing, which the National Socialists made compulsory for older boys,” says Molzberger. “Everyone had to learn to box in school sports.”

Team sports such as football and handball still existed, but the idea of fighting was always emphasized. “It was about fighting back, daring to do something together,” says Molzberger. “This was a repeated point of emphasis in team sports.”

Adolf Hitler was a big boxing fan — Adolf Hitler (right), here with boxing world champion Max Schmeling and his wife Anny OndraImage: dpa/picture-alliance

What did physical exercise look like for women and girls?

Sporting activities for women were also strongly influenced by ideology. Women were primarily limited to their role as mothers and housewives. In order to fulfill these roles well, they were also expected to train their bodies, improve their health and fitness and strengthen their discipline.

The League of German Girls (BDM), in which girls between the ages of 10 and 18 were organized, also offered physical exercises intended to train them not only physically but also ideologically and prepare them for their future role in society.

Were Jews allowed to continue playing sports?

Shortly after the seizure of power, a law was passed on April 7, 1933, according to which civil servants and public employees who were Jews, non-Aryans or political opponents were no longer allowed to work in the civil service.

This so-called “Aryan paragraph” was gradually extended to oust Jews from professional and social life, including doctors, students and radio stations, the press, theaters, other cultural institutions and associations.

In principle, the paragraph also applied to sports clubs, but in view of the upcoming Olympic Games, Nazi leadership initially did not consistently demand its implementation. They did not want to make negative headlines before the 1936 Games and provide reasons for a possible withdrawal from or boycott of the Olympics. Nevertheless, there was criticism and calls for a boycott did follow. These intensified once again after the Nuremberg Race Laws were passed in 1935, which later formed the legal basis for the persecution and extermination of the Jews.

USA Los Angeles 1999 | Exhibition of the Nuremberg Race Laws — From 1935, the Nuremberg Race Laws formed the legal basis for the Nazis’ antisemitic ideologyImage: epa/AFP/Skirball Cultural Center/dpa/picture alliance

Nevertheless, many sports clubs and associations whose leaders were particularly convinced by the ideas of National Socialism implemented the Aryan Paragraph early on of their own accord and in anticipatory obedience. For example, the German Gymnastics Association, the largest German sports association at the time with 1.5 million members, excluded Jews just one day after the law was passed.

Other associations, such as the swimming, rowing and skiing associations, followed suit. The German Football Association (DFB) reacted less radically and continued to allow Jews to play. However, they were no longer allowed to hold leadership positions in soccer clubs. One prominent example is Kurt Landauer, who was club president of Bayern Munich for many years during the Weimar period and had to give up his position in 1933.

As a result of the exclusions, purely Jewish sports clubs experienced a real boom between 1933 and 1936, with a large increase in membership. Once the 1936 Olympic Games were over, however, the situation for Jews in Germany worsened.

“After the games, the mask could be dropped,” says Molzberger. “When the actual persecution of Jews began in 1938, Jewish sport was also systematically destroyed.”

This article was adapted from German.

Edited by: Matt Pearson

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Palestine’s World Cup dream still on as Israel ruins Gaza’s sports sector | Football News

Khan Younis, Gaza – In the ruins of his home in Khan Younis, 75-year-old Shaker Safi gently thumbs through fading photographs of his son Mohammed’s sporting career. Medals, trophies, team huddles, and group photos of young athletes coached by Mohammed now serve as a haunting memorial to a dream destroyed by war. On November 15, […]

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5 minutes ago

June 10, 2025

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Khan Younis, Gaza – In the ruins of his home in Khan Younis, 75-year-old Shaker Safi gently thumbs through fading photographs of his son Mohammed’s sporting career.

Medals, trophies, team huddles, and group photos of young athletes coached by Mohammed now serve as a haunting memorial to a dream destroyed by war.

On November 15, 2023, Mohammed Safi – a football coach and physical education teacher – was killed in an Israeli air strike.

He had spent years building a legacy of hope through sport, training at schools and community clubs, and transforming underdog teams into local champions.

A graduate in physical education from Al-Aqsa University, Mohammed was the head coach of Al-Amal Football Club in southern Gaza and was widely admired for his work nurturing young talent aged between six and 16.

“My son dreamt of representing Palestine internationally,” Shaker says, surrounded by remnants of his son’s accolades. “He believed sport could lift youth from despair. But war reached him before he could reach the world.”

Safi's father showing images of his deceased son. — Mohammed Safi’s father, Shaker Safi, shows an image of his deceased son holding a football trophy. Mohammed, who was a junior football coach and umpire, was killed in an Israeli air strike in November 2023 [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

Now displaced, Mohammed’s wife Nermeen and their four children – 16-year-old Shaker Jr, Amir, 14, Alma, 11, and Taif, 7 – live with the painful void created by his death.

The children cling to their father’s last football and coaching notes as keepsakes.

Nermeen, an art teacher, gently wipes away Taif’s tears when she asks, “Why did they take Daddy from us?”

“He was a man of dreams, not politics,” Nermeen says. “He wanted to become an international referee. He wanted his master’s degree. Instead, he was killed for being a symbol of life and youth.”

Mohammed Safi is one of hundreds of athletes and sports professionals who have been killed or displaced since the war began.

According to the Palestinian Olympic Committee, 582 athletes have been killed since October 7, 2023, many of them national team players, coaches, and administrators.

Mohamed Safi's wife and children. — Mohammed Safi’s wife and children are not only dealing with his death, but also displacement created by the war on Gaza [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

Sports replaced by survival

For those who remain alive in Gaza, survival has replaced sporting ambition.

Yousef Abu Shawarib is a 20-year-old goalkeeper for Rafah’s premier league football club.

In May 2024, he and his family fled their home and took shelter at Khan Younis Stadium – the same field where he once played official matches.

Today, the stadium is a shelter for displaced families, its synthetic turf now lined with tents instead of players.

“This is where my coach used to brief me before games,” Yousef says, standing near what used to be the bench area, now a water distribution point. “Now I wait here for water, not for kickoff.”

His routine today involves light, irregular training inside his tent, hoping to preserve a fraction of his fitness. But his dreams of studying sports sciences in Germany and playing professionally are gone.

“Now, I only hope we have something to eat tomorrow,” he tells Al Jazeera. “The war didn’t just destroy fields – it destroyed our futures.”

When he looks at the charred stadium, he doesn’t see a temporary displacement.

“This was not collateral damage. It was systematic. It’s like they want to erase everything about us – even our games.”

Yousef Abu Shawarib fitness training inside his tent. — Playing organised football out in the open is not a practical option in Gaza anymore. Instead, Yousef Abu Shawarib does fitness training in a tent at Khan Younis Stadium [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

Hope beneath the rubble

Still, like the patches of grass that survived the blasts, some hope remains.

Shadi Abu Armanah, head coach of Palestine’s amputee football team, had devised a six-month plan to resume training.

His 25 players and five coaching staff had been building momentum before the war on Gaza. The team had competed internationally, including in a 2019 tournament in France. Before hostilities began, they were preparing for another event in November 2023 and an event in West Asia set for October 2025.

“Now, we can’t even gather,” Shadi says. “Every facility we used has been destroyed. The players have lost their homes. Most have lost loved ones. There’s nowhere safe to train – no gear, no field, nothing.”

Supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the team had once symbolised resilience. Training sessions were more than drills – they were lifelines. “For amputees, sport was a second chance,” Shadi says. “Now they are just trying to survive.”

Shadi himself is displaced. His home, too, was bombed. “The clubs I worked for are gone. The players are either dead or scattered. If the war ends today, we’ll still need years to bring back even a fraction of what was lost.”

He adds, “I coached across many clubs and divisions. Almost all their facilities have been reduced to rubble. It’s not just a pause – it’s erasure.”

Bombed out football stadium in Gaza. — This multi-purpose sporting venue in Khan Younis used to host basketball and volleyball games until the Israeli military demolished it by aerial bombing. In more recent times, it was repurposed as a refugee shelter, but has since been evacuated [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

A systematic erasure

The scope of devastation extends beyond personal loss.

According to Asaad al-Majdalawi, vice president of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Gaza’s entire sporting infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. At least 270 sports facilities have been damaged or destroyed: 189 completely flattened and 81 partially damaged, with initial estimates of material losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Every major component of Gaza’s sports system has been hit,” al-Majdalawi told Al Jazeera. “The Olympic Committee offices, sports federations, clubs, school and university sports programmes – even private sports facilities have been targeted. It’s a comprehensive assault.”

Among the fallen are high-profile athletes like Nagham Abu Samra, Palestine’s international karate champion; Majed Abu Maraheel, the first Palestinian to carry the Olympic flag at the 1996 Atlanta Games; Olympic football coach Hani al-Masdar; and national athletics coach Bilal Abu Sam’an. Hundreds of others remain injured or missing, complicating accurate assessments.

“This is not just loss – it’s extermination,” al-Majdalawi says. “Each athlete was a community pillar. They weren’t numbers. They were symbols of hope, unity, and perseverance. Losing them has deeply wounded the Palestinian society.”

He warns that beyond the immediate human toll, the interruption of sports activities for a year and a half will result in physical, psychological, and professional regression for remaining athletes. “You lose more than muscle and skill – you lose purpose.”

Partially-destroyed Khan Younis football stadium with shelters beside the grandstand. — A lone grandstand remains partially intact in an otherwise completely destroyed Khan Younis football stadium. The venue, once a popular cultural and social hub of the Khan Younis sports community, has now become a shelter for thousands of internally displaced Gazans [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

A global silence

Al-Majdalawi believes the international response has been alarmingly inadequate. When Gaza’s sports community reaches out to global federations, Olympic bodies, and ministers of youth and sport, they’re met with silence.

“In private, many international officials sympathise,” he says. “But at the decision-making level, Israel seems to operate above the law. There’s no accountability. It’s like sport doesn’t matter when it’s Palestinian. The global and international sports institutions appear complicit through their silence, ignoring all international laws, human rights, and the governing rules of the international sports system,” he says.

He believes that if the war ended today, it would still take five to 10 years to rebuild what has been lost. Even that gloomy timeline is based on the assumption that the blockade ends and international funding becomes available.

“We have been building this sports sector since 1994,” al-Majdalawi says. “It took us decades to accumulate knowledge, experience, and professionalism. Now, it’s all been levelled in months.”

As the war continues, the fate of Gaza’s sports sector hangs by a thread. Yet amid the ruins, fathers like Shaker Safi, athletes like Yousef, and coaches like Shadi hold on to one unyielding belief: that sport will once again be a source of hope, identity, and life for Palestinians.

Man juggles football in Gaza. — Yousef Abu Shawarib, who has lived as a refugee at Khan Younis football stadium since May 2024, hopes to survive the war and once again play football on these grounds [Mohamed-Solaimane/Al Jazeera]

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.

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Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer returning to South Dakota in July

Kalen DeBoer talks Alabama football roster retention for 2025 Here’s what Kalen DeBoer said about the Alabama football roster heading into 2025. South Dakota native and University of Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer will return to his home state for Sanford Sports Night with Kalen DeBoer on Thursday, July 10, at the Sanford Pentagon in […]

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26 minutes ago

June 10, 2025

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South Dakota native and University of Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer will return to his home state for Sanford Sports Night with Kalen DeBoer on Thursday, July 10, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The event will take place from 6:30-8:00 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

DeBoer’s former teammate at the University of Sioux Falls, Kurtiss Riggs, will moderate a discussion on the insights, challenges and future of youth sports. The evening will conclude with a special message from DeBoer as well as a tribute to the Legends for Kids program, which is retiring after 25 years.

“It’s always great when I get the chance to come back to South Dakota, especially for such a special event like this one,” DeBoer said in a press release. “Sanford Health is a staple of this community and it’s an honor to partner with an organization that has impacted this region so much. Returning home always reminds me of all the great people and places that made me who I am and helped me to get where I am today. My roots are in Sioux Falls, and coming back here as the head coach at the University of Alabama is truly a full-circle moment for me.”

DeBoer was named head coach at the University of Alabama in January 2024 after the retirement of Nick Saban. DeBoer led the Crimson Tide to three top 25 victories and a 9-4 record in his first season at the helm, tying the record for most wins by a first-year coach in Alabama history. DeBoer has a 113-16 overall record as a head coach, which includes stops at Fresno State and Washington, where he led the Huskies to the 2023 College Football Playoff national championship game.

Born and raised in Milbank, South Dakota, DeBoer’s football journey began at the University of Sioux Falls, where he set school records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He returned to his alma mater as offensive coordinator in 2000 before his promotion to head coach in 2005. In his five years at the helm of USF, DeBoer had a record of 67-3 and led the Cougars to three NAIA national championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

“We are honored to have Kalen DeBoer return to Sioux Falls for this special night,” President of Sanford Sports Steve Young said in the release. “Coach DeBoer’s passion and philosophy have proven themselves time and time again over the course of his illustrious career. Fans, parents and student-athletes will learn a lot from his vision of the current landscape of youth sports and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back in his home state!”

General admission tickets are now on sale for $5, while groups of eight can reserve a table on the floor at Heritage Court. Suites are also available.

To purchase general admission tickets, visit the link here or call the ticket office at (605) 312-7917. To purchase a table or suite, you can call the ticket office or email Sanford Sports Complex director Brock Reynoldson at brock.reynoldson@sanfordhealth.org.

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District competition | Washington County Enterprise

By Grant Egger – sports@enterprisepub.com Available softball fields in both Arlington and Blair were occupied Friday through Sunday for USA Softball of Nebraska district tournaments.Nearly 80 teams participated.Arlington’s RVR Bank Sports Complex and Bell Creek Park fields hosted two brackets of competition as did the Blair Youth Softball Association (BYSA) Fields at the Blair Youth […]

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47 minutes ago

June 10, 2025

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By Grant Egger – sports@enterprisepub.com

Available softball fields in both Arlington and Blair were occupied Friday through Sunday for USA Softball of Nebraska district tournaments.
Nearly 80 teams participated.
Arlington’s RVR Bank Sports Complex and Bell Creek Park fields hosted two brackets of competition as did the Blair Youth Softball Association (BYSA) Fields at the Blair Youth Sports Complex.
In Arlington, 29 teams competed altogether. Seven vied for the age 16 and 18 District 8 and 10 tournament title.
Twenty-two more, however, competed across a 22-team, double-elimination bracket for the age 10 District 8 and 10 title. Three of those squads hailed from Washington County.
The Blair Chaos (McManigal) team started 2-1 and was still in contention going into play Sunday. It first beat the Arlington Black 14-0 before an 11-5 victory against the Nebraska Storm (Eppenbach).
The Chaos lost, however, to Bennington (Larson) on Saturday night and was forced to battle back in the loser’s bracket. The Ashland Blue, however, ended their run Sunday morning, 12-2.
The aforementioned Arlington Black, meanwhile, were 2-2 at home. The 10U team beat the Nebraska Venom (Wacker) first, 8-7, before the loss to the Chaos.
Arlington then beat Logan View in loser’s bracket play, 14-9, before their own tourney-ending loss to the Ashland Blue.
A second 10U Blair team, the Chaos (Mlnarik), went 1-2 too. It beat Logan View 13-1 before back-to-back losses to top-seeded Kelly’s Fastpitch (Peters), 13-0, and the Venom, 7-1.
Blair fields, meanwhile, hosted 48 teams altogether Friday through Sunday in USA Softball play. Three of those ballclubs were Washington County-based.
In the 11-team District 8 and 10 age 14 tournament, Arlington went 0-2. The Eagles dropped their first game on a BYSA field to Pender, 10-4, before a 16-14 loss to Kelly’s Fastpitch (Fite).
The robust age 12 District 8 and 10 tourney had 37 teams in it. Arlington’s representation started with a 9-4 win against a hometown team, the Blair Chaos (Town). The Eagles, however, lost their next game to Underwood (Iowa), 12-4, before a 15-0 loss to Kelly’s Fastpitch (Werner).
The Chaos, meanwhile, lost its second game of the tournament to the Elkhorn Elite (Garth) on Saturday afternoon, 6-3.
BYSA next hosts an age 8 and younger tournament Sunday before its in-house Modified League Tourney is played June 23-26.

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Fastbreak AI Launches New AI Schedule Engine For Youth Sports

Fastbreak brings pro-level schedule creation engine to youth sports tournament operations CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Fastbreak AI, the leading AI-powered sports operations software company, today announced the launch of the AI Schedule Engine for amateur sports tournament operators in the Fastbreak Compete product. Designed for the demands of complex, high-volume sports events, […]

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1 hour ago

June 10, 2025

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Fastbreak brings pro-level schedule creation engine to youth sports tournament operations

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Fastbreak AI, the leading AI-powered sports operations software company, today announced the launch of the AI Schedule Engine for amateur sports tournament operators in the Fastbreak Compete product. Designed for the demands of complex, high-volume sports events, this new engine enables tournament directors to generate complete, competition-ready schedules in minutes, even for events with hundreds of teams across dozens of venues.

Currently used to handle the most complex scheduling problems in professional sports, Fastbreak’s engine powers schedules for more than 50 of the top professional sports leagues around the world, including the NBA, NHL, NWSL and MLS. Fastbreak’s engineering team is comprised of multiple experts in optimization and AI. These PhDs designed the technology to solve one of the biggest challenges in sports: generating a fair, travel-efficient schedule that accounts for hundreds of complex constraints – all in minutes.

“This is a watershed moment for us, and marks a significant milestone in Fastbreak’s mission to bring professional-grade tools to every level of sport,” Fastbreak AI CEO John Stewart said. “With thousands of amateur tournaments taking place every weekend across the country, the need for a scalable, intelligent solution has never been greater. This engine has been validated at the highest levels of sport, and it will now be the backbone of youth and amateur athletics. This launch brings us one step closer to making operations simpler, more efficient and more fair, for everyone in sports.”

Fastbreak’s engine handles every major scheduling format – including bracket play, multi-venue and multi-day tournaments – automatically accounting for team preferences, time requests, coaching requests, blackout windows, rest periods, venue constraints and more. Once the schedule is generated, organizers can make manual edits using a drag-and-drop interface, with the platform providing real-time feedback showing the impact of changes to help prevent conflicts.

“We’re using Fastbreak right now for all of our scheduling,” CEO and Founder of Attitude of Gratitude Events Ryan Silver said. “They just came out with a new version of the scheduling app, an AI-powered way to schedule tournaments. I think this AI technology is incredible, and it’s the future. Once again, Fastbreak is ahead of the curve in what they’re doing.”

“Until now, scheduling has been a bottleneck for tournament organizers across every sport,” said Ray Glassmann, General Manager of Fastbreak Compete. “Organizers had two options: spend days manually moving teams around spreadsheets while trying to appease individual preferences, or outsource the task to someone else. The AI Schedule Engine removes that pain, and gives you access to the same technology used by the biggest leagues in the world to build the most complex schedules.”

This launch marks a new milestone in Fastbreak’s mission to bring professional-grade operations management to every level of sport. With thousands of tournaments happening every weekend across the country, the need for scalable, intelligent solutions has never been greater. The Fastbreak Compete team is offering onboarding support for first-time users, helping tournament directors configure rules, apply preferences and get up and running in hours.

Visit www.fastbreak.ai/compete/ to learn more.

About Fastbreak AI
Fastbreak AI is the ultimate AI-powered sports operations engine. From professional leagues to amateur and youth tournaments, Fastbreak products streamline logistics, increase revenue, and improve the experience for everyone involved in sport. Learn more at www.fastbreak.ai.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastbreak-ai-launches-new-ai-schedule-engine-for-youth-sports-302477439.html

SOURCE Fastbreak.ai

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Former Florida state, carolina panthers tampa bay buccaneers Javien Elliott hosts free youth football camp

One-day youth football camp brings big fun and bigger plays Javien Elliot, a former Rutherford and FSU star, and FSU PC promote football training at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City on June 7. Former Rutherford and NFL player Javien Elliott hosted a free youth football camp at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Florida. […]

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2 hours ago

June 10, 2025

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Former Rutherford and NFL player Javien Elliott hosted a free youth football camp at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Florida.
The camp, attended by nearly 170 young athletes, focused on skills development and combine-style drills.
The event was a collaboration between Elliott, Speed Plus Sports, Florida State University–Panama City, and Bay District Schools.
Organizers emphasized the importance of community involvement and inspiring local youth to pursue their athletic goals.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — One of Bay County’s own returned home over the weekend to give back to the next generation of athletes.

Former Rutherford standout and NFL defensive back Javien Elliott hosted a free youth football camp at Tommy Oliver Stadium, in partnership with Florida State University–Panama City. The one-day event drew nearly 170 participants, offering them a chance to showcase their skills and receive instruction from experienced coaches.

The camp featured a combine-style format led by Elliott and “Speed Plus Sports,” a training program run by Boris Jackson. Young athletes ran 40-yard dashes, weaved through five-cone drills, and broke into position-specific groups for hands-on work.

“Being able to give back after growing up here, playing my high school football right on this field—I want to inspire these kids to know it’s possible to go far coming out of this area,” Elliott said.

Despite the sweltering heat, the energy never dipped. Jackson, a veteran of youth camps across the Orlando area, brought a high level of enthusiasm and focus throughout the day.

“We wanted to make sure these kids are comfortable being assessed,” Jackson said. “If they want to pursue football as a career, this is where it starts. They’re getting a taste of Central Florida training through Speed Plus, which I run every weekend.”

The event was made possible through a collaboration between Elliott, Speed Plus Sports, Florida State–Panama City, and Bay District Schools. Irvin Clark, associate dean of strategic initiatives at FSU-PC, emphasized the importance of the community effort.

“It was a perfect day, the right people at the right time,” Clark said. “Coach Jackson, a big name like Javien Elliott, FSU-PC, and our school district all came together to create something special for our youth.”

Lynn Haven Mayor Jessie Nelson, whose son took part in the camp, praised the initiative as a win for both athletics and education.

“This is a great way for FSU-PC to be involved in the community,” Nelson said. “Even for those who may not continue with sports after high school, they will be able to find a great university to attend right here at home.”

Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1

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Ironman Roller Hockey Tournament draws historic turnout | Youth Sports

As day two of the two-day Ironman Roller Hockey Tournament at the Central Coast Sports Arena began Sunday, CCSA co-owner Tobin Flamm greeted spectators enthusiastically. “How are you?,’” Flamm said to a parent. Flamm then turned to a youngster and said, “Good to see you!” Early on during the adult session of the two-day tournament, […]

Published

8 hours ago

June 10, 2025

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As day two of the two-day Ironman Roller Hockey Tournament at the Central Coast Sports Arena began Sunday, CCSA co-owner Tobin Flamm greeted spectators enthusiastically.