Rec Sports
An NFL player was against ‘shrink dudes.’ Then he started working with one
Editor’s note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here. When Doug Baldwin first met the sports psychologist who would have a profound impact on his life, he was skeptical about working with him. “Skeptical is kind of a […]

Editor’s note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.
When Doug Baldwin first met the sports psychologist who would have a profound impact on his life, he was skeptical about working with him.
“Skeptical is kind of a nice way of putting it,” Baldwin said. “I was against it.”
It was 2011, and Baldwin had just joined the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie. The draft snub fed his intensity and insecurities. For years, he had used the feeling that he wasn’t good enough to prove that he was. That combination had helped him reach the pros, going from an unheralded two-star prospect out of high school to Stanford’s leading receiver as a senior. When he made a mistake, he dwelt on it and used it to knock his self-worth, prompting him to work even harder.
Only later, as he learned how to frame and consider his internal thoughts, did he truly understand the personal costs of that mindset.
So when Baldwin met Dr. Michael Gervais, a sports psychologist that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had brought in to work with players, he wasn’t sold. Baldwin believed the way he had always carried himself was what made him a successful football player. And when Gervais walked in with his fluffy hair, polished style and frequent smile, Baldwin thought he looked like a Tom Cruise clone.
A teammate in Seattle, running back Marshawn Lynch, had a name for people like Gervais: “shrink dudes.”
Yet when Gervais explained the intent of his work — to unlock the best versions of players through training their minds — and the goals it could help them achieve, Baldwin decided to give him a shot.
If this is what he says it is, Baldwin thought, then why not just try it?
For Gervais, that initial meeting came as he was returning to the sports world after his first attempt to work with athletes a decade earlier had frustrated him.
He had earned a Ph.D in sports psychology with the belief that all athletes could benefit from his work. But he became deflated when he felt like some of his athletes didn’t fully believe in the correlation between mental skills training and performance, and even more so when they didn’t match his investment.
So instead, he spent time at Microsoft, helping high-performers develop mental skills and playing a crucial role in the Red Bull Stratos project, where he counseled Felix Baumgartner before his record-setting skydive from 128,000 feet.
In 2011, Gervais had dinner with Carroll before his second season as the Seahawks’ head coach. Carroll explained that he was looking to instill a culture built around training players’ minds as much as their bodies, and he assured Gervais it would be different from his previous experiences. So Gervais decided to give pro sports another chance.
The first time Gervais worked with Baldwin was during a group session about basic breathing exercises. He started the session with box breathing. Baldwin and his teammates inhaled for five seconds, paused at the top for five seconds, exhaled for five seconds, then paused at the bottom for five seconds before breathing in again.
Next, they switched to down-regulation breathing: inhaling for eight seconds, pausing, exhaling for 16 seconds, then pausing again.
Before the session finished, Gervais asked the group to participate in a “gratitude meditation.”
“It’s completely attuning to one thing you’re grateful for,” Gervais said.
Afterward, as Gervais exchanged goodbyes with players, Baldwin slowly made his way to the front of the room. Gervais wasn’t sure what Baldwin was going to say. When they were face to face, Baldwin just stood there, grinning and nodding his head up and down.
“OK,” Baldwin finally said. “Yep. OK.”
Gervais didn’t have to say anything back.
“I knew and he knew what that stood for,” Gervais said. “OK, I just went somewhere. I just felt something.”

Baldwin was never the biggest or fastest receiver, but he was always one of the most prepared players on the Seahawks. (Abbie Parr / Getty Images)
Baldwin’s work with Gervais came at a time when athletes across sports started to more publicly consider their mental health and how it influenced their performance. Baldwin felt the stigma against showing signs of vulnerability. However, the revolution has continued and has changed how athletes discuss their struggles, with many more publicly acknowledging the ways they are seeking help.
“Being able to do that opened up a whole different realm for me,” Baldwin said.
The first breath-work session had been a “gate opener,” the first time that he felt like he could control his intense emotions.
“My body had never felt that type of stillness and that type of relaxation,” he said.
Still, Baldwin’s skepticism didn’t vanish overnight. Gervais chipped away at it by painting a picture. As thoughts came into his mind, Gervais suggested viewing them as clouds: Just like a cloud, the thought is here right now, but it’s simply passing through the sky. Just because a thought existed didn’t mean Baldwin needed to have judgment of it. It’s not a bad thought or a good thought. It’s just a thought. And it floats by just as a cloud does.
He also connected with Baldwin on a personal level. It wasn’t unusual for their check-ins to turn into hours-long conversations, or for shared meals in the lunchroom to extend into a long walk-and-talk session to practice.
“It was basically counseling sessions,” Baldwin said. “It was about finding a deeper understanding of myself and what I’m capable of.”
Gervais helped Baldwin understand his intense emotions and energy with an analogy: “It’s like you’re trying to dictate which way a herd of mustangs is going. You’re not going to be able to do that. What you can try to do is try to guide them in the general direction that you want to go.”
Baldwin gained a deeper understanding of himself and his thought processes. Conversations with Gervais helped Baldwin connect many aspects of his mindset to the difficulties of his childhood and his insecurities, which gave him the awareness to make adjustments. By getting to the source and working to improve his thoughts, he began to see his relationships and life off the field improve as well.
Baldwin began breath work twice a day, and the physical and mental benefits surprised him. He could stay calm under pressure moments on the football field, but he also felt more peaceful and relaxed in his regular life.
Gervais helped him establish a pre-performance routine, a pregame routine and a pre-snap routine. Most importantly, from Gervais’ perspective, each part of every routine put Baldwin in control. Baldwin could not control scoring touchdowns, for example, but he could control the way he caught the ball or moved his feet.
This, Gervais explained, allowed Baldwin to “put himself in the best position to be himself.”
The purpose was to master how to stay calm under stress, generate confidence, envision performance excellence, let go of mistakes and be a better teammate.
“Thoughts drive actions,” Gervais said. “Thoughts impact emotions. Thoughts and emotions together impact behavior. And thoughts, emotions and behavior stacked up is what creates performance.”
Baldwin incorporated visualization into his routine. He would imagine himself making specific plays to convince his mind that the moment had already happened — another way to give himself a sense of control.
Baldwin’s insecurity-fueled drive didn’t disappear. He was always one of the Seahawks’ most prepared players. He studied film for hours and prioritized going into games, confident that he had done everything to give himself the best chance to be successful.
Still …
“No matter how hard you prepare,” Baldwin said, “there’s always something that comes up that you weren’t prepared for or makes you question your preparation.”
That’s where the work with Gervais kicked in.
During a big playoff game, Baldwin’s heart pounded so rapidly that he began to feel anxious.
“Just get grounded,” he told himself. “Get grounded.”
As he pressed his thumbs to each of his fingertips, he continued to take deep breaths, reminding himself of where he was and the techniques he had learned from Gervais.
“I’m in control of my body, I’m connected to it,” he recited.
Then the game started and Baldwin began to feel like himself. His training with Gervais didn’t always yield immediate results.
In 2016, when the Seahawks played the Green Bay Packers, Baldwin struggled. Nothing he tried was successful. He couldn’t bring himself to be balanced and grounded. But he didn’t give up.
“It’s consistency and discipline with it, but then also persevering through those times where it may feel like it’s not working,” he said. That paid off in a major way that year, when he had the most catches and most receiving yards of his career and made his first Pro Bowl.
“It’s somewhat similar to a muscle,” Baldwin said. “You have to work it out in order to strengthen it, and there are going to be times where it fails because that’s the only way that it grows and gets stronger.”
After big games that season, he sat on the sideline and thought: Damn. He didn’t feel tired; everything felt effortless.
As his work with Gervais continued, Baldwin noticed changes off the field. He felt more confident and reliable as a friend, husband, brother and son.
Baldwin retired at 30 after the 2018 season. He wanted to ensure that the adverse side effects of his many years playing football did not interfere with his kids and family. He and his wife, Tara, have three daughters, and he feeds his competitive side with pickup basketball games.
Without football, he finds himself occasionally tempted to fall back into old habits because deep down they still feel safer to him, and more familiar. But he still relies on the blueprint Gervais gave him years ago to catch himself.
On his phone, he has one of Gervais’ guided meditation recordings. When he wakes up some mornings, he does breathing exercises and visualizes how his day is going to go — the same tools he used to catch passes and score touchdowns.
“And that’s been profound in my life,” Baldwin said.
Elise Devlin is a writer for Peak. She last wrote about the best ways to coach youth sports. Follow Peak here.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)
Rec Sports
Garrett Wallow hosts 2nd annual youth football camp
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO) – John Curtis alum, Garrett Wallow, hosts second annual youth football camp at Harrell Stadium. “It’s always good coming back home and especially giving back to the New Orleans community where I grew up at so it’s always exciting.” Advertisement Wallow, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, hosted his first camp […]

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO) – John Curtis alum, Garrett Wallow, hosts second annual youth football camp at Harrell Stadium.
“It’s always good coming back home and especially giving back to the New Orleans community where I grew up at so it’s always exciting.”
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Wallow, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, hosted his first camp at his former high school.
This year, hosting over 70 campers, his team decided to pivot the location to Harrell Stadium in order to impact another demographic in the area.
The camp hosted kids ages 6-16.
“I wanted to hold it in the middle part of the city to where I could get a lot more kids from different communities who don’t have as much from where I went to high school”, says Wallow. “It means a lot. You can tell the kids are excited. It’s so fun being around so many personalities. They have so much character to them.”
Wallow was a fifth-round draft pick in 2021.
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Will Rochester get its money’s worth with $65 million sports complex? – Post Bulletin
ROCHESTER — Will Rochester’s proposed sports complex be a $65 million project that becomes worth every penny and a civic source of pride? Or might it not come close to paying for itself? When it comes to the future benefits of the building and eventual utilization of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex, predicting its […]

ROCHESTER — Will Rochester’s proposed sports complex be a
$65 million project
that becomes worth every penny and a civic source of pride? Or might it not come close to paying for itself?
When it comes to the future benefits of the building and
eventual utilization of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex,
predicting its worth is tricky.
There are those brimming with optimism about a complex that, in its first of two projected phases — the outdoors components come first, with groundbreaking set for this fall — will include eight turf and lighted baseball/softball fields, 12 outdoor pickleball courts, two turf soccer fields, a basketball court, and a walking/running track. The optimists especially point to the city evolving into a sports destination with the complex allowing a multitude of large youth and amateur tournaments to be hosted here, especially in baseball and softball.
Sports tourism has grown into one of the world’s biggest money industries, and Rochester seems on the cusp of seriously entering that fray.
Rochester resident Andrew Davick, who had a son go through the Rochester Youth Baseball Association and is a former RYBA president, believes the sports complex is long overdue.
“There is a need for it in a city of (123,000) people,” Davick said. “We lack some of those facilities that other communities have. That the city (hasn’t had) a nice turf field is surprising. So I am excited about it. Our facilities have to match our population growth and match what Mayo Clinic is doing.”
There are also plenty who don’t share the same optimism about an initial sports complex building phase that will cost in the $65 million range. When initially approved by Rochester voters in 2023, the public largely believed that an indoor facility would come first, and it would be accompanied by a group of rectangular fields, mostly designated for soccer and lacrosse.
Original plans included as many as 12 soccer fields that would be constructed. That number has been cut to two in the initial phase. And the indoor facility — which is likely to house basketball and volleyball courts and offer other amenities — isn’t likely to be built for another five years or more.
Plenty of Rochester residents were seeking more from this project than mostly baseball, softball and outdoor pickleball facilities, and were welcoming what it would do for the Rochester sports community, even more than what it would do for the Rochester economy.
“A lot of people had anticipated the indoor facility,” said former Rochester Youth Baseball Association president Mike Vance, who was among a number of sports association leaders in the community who were asked for their input on the project before final decisions were made. “As a citizen, I guess I am excited about the project. But there are a lot of concerns within the community as to what the original vote and proposition (for the project) had been. There was some feedback in the community sessions we had about how much use this would get and whether this was the right step.”
There remain questions about who is actually going to have access to the sports complex, whether it will be a bidding war to play on these fields and courts, and whether weekend usage will largely be eaten up by out-of-towners playing tournaments here.
It does raise the question: Is this project worth the $65 million price tag, and potentially twice that much, or more, to complete both phases? Once everything is built, will those Rochester voters who voted yes in 2023 to the construction of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex have deemed it worth it?
Maya Giron / Post Bulletin
Rochester Sports Executive Director Matt Esau says yes, Rochester is going to get its money’s worth.
Esau, whose organization’s mission is to bring sports tournaments to Rochester, has heavily studied the explosive impact of sports tourism. He says the Rochester economy will be ready to hit a new gear once this new sports complex on the southeast edge of town is built.
Baseball and softball tournaments that Rochester Sports used to struggle to attract because of the city’s lack of facilities will be made easier to bring to town with eight new fields, all of them with dugouts and lights.
Esau says that the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex will have a big-league feel, which he is certain will be a major draw for tournament customers.
Building the complex, Esau believes, will help Rochester go from a one-trick pony — health care — to a second trick, sports tourism.
“I am thrilled with the project,” Esau said. “I wish it had come 10 years earlier. I think that a lot of people in Rochester and the surrounding area would have trouble grasping what this facility could do for our economy and sports tourism in our city. Sometimes it’s hard to understand the dollars that are brought in by visitors. It’s not just the hotels and restaurants that benefit, but so many others indirectly. When visitors spend money in our town, that money changes hands on average seven times. That is hard for people to grasp.”

Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin
What is also hard to grasp is who from the community will regularly use this new facility.
Weekends will likely be used primarily for tournaments at the baseball and softball complex. But what about the rest of the week? Who will occupy those new turf fields at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, if anybody? And how about Sunday through Thursday nights from late March until early November?
Maybe even more importantly, what will the price be to rent a field and how soon in advance will that renting need to happen? Those things have yet to be determined.
In a city that is strapped for field space and saw its youth baseball numbers increase by 30% this past year, more usable baseball and softball fields would figure to be warmly welcomed. Youth softball and soccer leagues in Rochester are also bursting at the seams, their numbers ever growing.
The sheer number of baseball/softball fields being built — eight — isn’t the only lure to playing there. Also strongly factored in is that these fields will be made of artificial turf, making them playable for an extra few months of the year. Moisture is a hindrance with grass fields, which get torn up when played on after it rains or snows. It’s imaginable that the eight turf baseball/softball fields and two turf soccer fields will be playable as early as the last week of March and as late as early November, or until the snow flies and stays.
For high school teams, that can be a big deal. Getting practices outdoors at the end of March often can’t happen at a school’s grass field. It also can’t happen at either of Rochester’s two main soccer complexes, Watson and Fuad Mansour. But for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, it will be possible on the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex’s turf. College teams from a 60-mile radius also figure to get in on the act of renting Rochester’s new fields for early season practices. So do all levels of soccer teams who want to take advantage of that turf.
“We are excited about it,” John Marshall Activities Director Brian Ihrke said. “We think we’ll be able to use it to some extent. When our fields (at JM) are wet in the early spring of the year, we hope to use the turf for baseball and softball. We have every intention to do it. I do think this will be good for Rochester.”
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country. This new sports complex answers the call for more pickleball courts in Rochester, with 12 outdoor state-of-the art courts to be built at the site. And they will be lit, one of the few pickleball sites in Rochester that comes with lights.
All of that has Rochester pickleball player and Rochester Area Pickleball Association president Denise Dupras excited. She says these lit courts will be the best ones in town.
“They are going to be spectacular courts,” Dupras said. “And with lights, there will be the advantage of being able to play late in the evenings.”
But her excitement is tempered some with the expectation that the courts will be pay-to-play.
With the complex being funded by local tax dollars, she says it doesn’t sit right with the pickleball community that there will be a fee to play.
“If there is a fee, people will always want to look somewhere else to play,” Dupras said. “We’ve been told by Park and Rec that there will be a cost for the courts. But these will be the best courts in town, state-of-the-art. They are going to be spectacular courts.”
The Rochester soccer community is another group that has some dissatisfaction with how things are taking shape with the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex. After initial plans advertised a pack of outdoor soccer fields to be built, those plans changed drastically, now with just two rectangular turf fields in the offing, down from 12.
That came after it was realized that Rochester likely couldn’t compete with Blaine and its massive soccer complex for tournaments.
Rochester soccer parent Alicia Zeone says the current Rochester sports complex plans are a major letdown to soccer enthusiasts, no matter the reason for having changed them.
“Folks were excited when the original plans were laid out; those were grand plans,” Zeone said. “But they are going in a whole different direction now.”
Traveling baseball and softball teams in Rochester have a long history of leaving town for weekend tournaments. They’ve gone mostly in a three-state radius, with such places as Des Moines, Iowa (with
baseball
and
soccer complexes);
Mauston, Wisconsin (
baseball
and
soccer complexes);
and a variety of Twin Cities sites for their tournaments, all of those places home to excellent facilities.
With Phase 1 of Rochester’s sports complex scheduled to be completed within two years, the plan is, not only will more and bigger tournaments help boost Rochester’s economy with all of the out-of-town weekend visitors, but Rochester baseball and softball players and their families will save money by traveling less.
Steven Todd is the father of 10-year-old Weston Todd, who plays on a 10-under Class AAA traveling baseball team from Rochester. Steven is the team’s coach. The Todds know all about leaving town on the weekends, bound for youth baseball tournaments. They’ve already played in five of them this year, and they’ll have done seven outside of Rochester before the season is done.
Steven said he is looking forward to the day when Weston can stay home to play. It’s going to save time and money. Weekend baseball trips aren’t cheap. Hotels, meals, gas — it all adds up. It starts on a Friday night and extends to the time they arrive home, Sunday evenings.
“For our family of five, I’m spending anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 per (weekend) tournament,” Steven Todd said. “So, instead of doing that in the Cities, we could be doing that here (many) weekends. I think for tourism, the (sports complex) will pay for itself. I say that just knowing what I spend myself on a trip. I’m excited because this can keep you home a little bit more than we’ve been. And I think it could do great things for the city.”
Maya Giron / Post Bulletin
With Rochester’s abundance of hotels, restaurants and what is believed will be a state-of-the-art sports complex, Steven Todd believes it can be a perfect host for regional tournaments.
Jake Vetter, whose son Ryan also plays for the same 10-under Class AAA travel baseball team, is also looking forward to spending more time in Rochester once the new fields are built.
“Yeah, we’ll save some money,” Jake Vetter said. “It also brings teams down to Rochester, so we get to stay in town and showcase the city that we have. It’ll make it easier for us parents to not be traveling every weekend. And I think we can get quality teams, teams that will come from Iowa and Wisconsin and even Illinois. You could bring in teams and have something here almost every weekend.”
This article is the first in the Post Bulletin’s three-part series “Game Changer,” looking at soon to be constructed Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex.
• Today: Will Rochester get its money’s worth with $65 million sports complex?
• July 12: Softball, soccer stakeholders have differing reactions to Phase I
• July 19: How can adult rec leagues, athletes make use of new sports complex?
Rec Sports
Unstoppable Germany punch their ticket to the final
LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Germany achieved the greatest accomplishment in their country’s youth basketball history by reaching the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 and reaching the podium for the first time. Let us know what you think and vote: Who will be crowned U19 World Cup 2025 champions? Germany used a big […]

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Germany achieved the greatest accomplishment in their country’s youth basketball history by reaching the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 and reaching the podium for the first time.
Let us know what you think and vote:
Who will be crowned U19 World Cup 2025 champions?
Germany used a big second quarter to register a 72-84 victory in the Semi-Finals. Christian Anderson was just too much as the German point guard scored 27 points while big man Hannes Steinbach collected 14 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks for an efficiency rating of 30.
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It was another win for the Germans against Slovenia, who actually held a 13-point lead in the opening game of the tournament. Germany came back to win 75-68 and stopped Slovenia from getting redemption after losing to Germany in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024.
The Germans last summer claimed the trophy at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket – the country’s proudest achievement at the youth level. That is until Saturday night in Lausanne.
Germany temporarily took an eight-point lead in the opening frame but led by just two points after 10 minutes. And Slovenia knotted the game early in the second quarter only to see Germany answer with 12 straight points and extend the lead to 14 points at halftime 45-31.
The advantage was as high as 18 points in the third stanza but Slovenia made a bit of a push and were down just 57-49 after 30 minutes. The cushion was down to just six points before Germany had the next eight points to extend the lead to 65-51.
Slovenia tried to get closer – trimming it to 10 points multiple times – but German captain Jack Kayil drained back to back three-pointers and the U18 European champs had regained control.
“We are all super happy but on the other hand we all know there is one more game. That is the reason we came here: to play against the best and go as far as we can,” said Kayil, who is the German captain. “We showed last summer that we can also win a Final.”
Germany’s opponent in the Final will be determined after the second Semi-Final game between USA and New Zealand.
Slovenia, who got 23 points from Mark Padjen, will look to bounce back and faces the loser of the USA-New Zealand matchup for third place.
Let us know what you think and vote:
Who will be named FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 TISSOT MVP?
FIBA
Rec Sports
Pick-Up And Play: Free Youth Pick-Up Soccer Comes To Southern Maryland
Photo Credit: Damien Wilkinson LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A new free pick-up soccer program for youth in Southern Maryland is gaining momentum after a successful inaugural event that brought dozens of kids from across the tri-county area together for an afternoon of fun, fitness and community. Southern Maryland Youth Pick-Up Soccer was created by Timothy Bettes. […]


LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A new free pick-up soccer program for youth in Southern Maryland is gaining momentum after a successful inaugural event that brought dozens of kids from across the tri-county area together for an afternoon of fun, fitness and community.
Southern Maryland Youth Pick-Up Soccer was created by Timothy Bettes. Shortly after launching the initiative himself, he learned the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA) had similar initiatives and reached out to partner with them. The professional women’s team the Washington Spirit sponsors the organization, covering registration costs and starter kits including goals, pinnies and more. The group hosted its first session last month. The event drew 38 young players from age groups U-8 through U-14 for a series of informal matches in Leonardtown.

“Our very first session was a huge success — we had 38 kids from across the tri-county region come out to play, and the feedback from families and players was overwhelmingly positive,” said Bettes. “Parents shared how much they appreciated a no-cost, community-focused way for their children to stay active, have fun and fall in love with the game.”
The grassroots initiative is designed to make soccer more accessible to families in the region. Supported by MSYSA’s statewide pick-up soccer program, the organization provides starter kits, goals, jerseys and covers registration costs — ensuring the program remains entirely free for participants.

Bettes, the founder, is a Texas native who has played soccer since the age of 3. He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran who spent several years stationed in Europe and was inspired by the soccer culture in the region. Bettes said he wanted to bring a similar soccer culture to Southern Maryland.
“What was missing here in Southern Maryland was a free space where players could improve their skills and just have fun and play,” Bettes said.

The next session is set for July 12 in Leonardtown. Organizers hope to expand and have more age groups and players come out in the following months.
“This is more than just soccer — it’s about building community, promoting youth wellness and bringing people together through sport,” Bettes added.
For more information or to register, visit https://spond.com/invite/SMLFV.
Updates and event highlights can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.

Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Related
Rec Sports
8th Annual Rydell NWR Youth Fishing Day, Warroad fishing tourney coming up on Outdoors Calendar – Grand Forks Herald
To get an event in the Outdoors calendar, contact Brad Dokken at (701) 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 1148 or by email at bdokken@gfherald.com . Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays. July 11-12: Halloween in July, 8 p.m. July 11 and 9 p.m. July 12, Turtle River State Park. Info: parkrec.nd.gov. July 25: Community Astronomy Night Series, […]

To get an event in the Outdoors calendar, contact Brad Dokken at (701) 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 1148 or by email at
bdokken@gfherald.com
. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays.
- July 11-12: Halloween in July, 8 p.m. July 11 and 9 p.m. July 12, Turtle River State Park. Info: parkrec.nd.gov.
- July 25: Community Astronomy Night Series, 10 p.m., Turtle River State Park, 3084 Park Ave., Arvilla, North Dakota. Northern Sky Astronomical Society will host the Friday night events throughout the summer. Telescopes will be set up at the Chalet for observations, and society members will be on hand to answer questions. Astronomy Night events also are set for 9:30 p.m. Aug. 15, 8 p.m. Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 (Fall Luminary Walk) and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17. Event is weather dependent so check the park’s Facebook page for cancellation notices. Info: parkrec.nd.gov or Turtle River State Park at (701) 795-3180.
- July 12: 8th Annual Youth Fishing Day, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, 17788 349th St. SE, Erskine, Minnesota. Hosted by Rydell NWR and the Friends of Rydell and Glacial Ridge Refuges Association. Free event targeted toward youth 15 and younger; anglers 16 and older must have a valid Minnesota fishing license. Youth anglers are welcome to bring rods and tackle, though a limited number of rods and reels will be available. Bait will be provided free of charge, and lunch will be provided for all participants. Fishing will take place from piers on the west end of Tamarac Lake, and special vehicle access will be allowed to reach what is normally a hike-in or bike-in fishing area. Bluegills and largemouth bass have been plentiful so far this summer, and anglers can either catch-and-release or take fish home. Participants will be checked in and given more info when they arrive at the main (east) Rydell entrance the morning of the event. Info: Ben Walker, refuge biologist, (218) 230-5563 or benjamin_walker@fws.gov.
- July 12: The Woods Outdoor/Sporting Goods 2025 Summer Fishing tournament, Lake of the Woods near Warroad, Minnesota. Entry fee $300 per team, limited to 125 teams. Alternate date Sunday, July 13, in case of incomdent weather. Info: (218) 386-2590 or
thewoodsgoods.com
and follow the links to the 2025 Summer Fishing Tournament.
- July 25-26: 38th Annual Cats Incredible Catfish Tournament, Red River, with tournament headquarters at LaFave Park in East Grand Forks. Fishing hours 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 25 and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 26. Entry fee $300 per team. Info:
catsincredibletournament.com.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources webinars has announced the summer schedule for its Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series. All webinars, which begin at noon Wednesdays, are live-captioned and free of cost (pre-registration is required). Recorded webinars are posted for those who can’t attend the live event. Episode descriptions, registration information and a robust webinar archive are available on the
Minnesota DNR website
at
mndnr.gov/discover
. Upcoming webinars:
- July 16: Fishing with bait in Minnesota. Live bait is critically important to the $5.94 billion contribution recreational angling makes each year to Minnesota’s economy. Join Sean Sisler to learn about where minnows come from in Minnesota and some of the regulations related to harvesting and using live bait in Minnesota.
- July 23: Buckthorn management. Sascha Lodge, terrestrial invasive species coordinator, will cover the two buckthorn species found in Minnesota, their impacts on forests and a variety of methods to manage these invasive plants.
- July 30: Walleye genetics and survival. Minnesota DNR’s hatcheries stock millions of walleye in lakes across the state each year. Recent research on walleye has revealed how local genetics play an important role in survival after stocking. Learn how fisheries biologists are changing tactics based off these findings to improve the self-sustainability of many walleye fisheries.
- Aug. 6: Spruce budworm and Minnesota’s spruce-fir forest.The eastern spruce budworm is a native caterpillar and currently one of the most destructive forest health issues in Minnesota. It has impacted an extensive amount of spruce-fir forests historically and in recent years, primarily in northeast Minnesota. This webinar will discuss the identification, biology, history, impacts and the work currently being undertaken to manage for spruce budworm.
- Aug. 13: Managing gar and paddlefish. This talk will discuss the biology, conservation and management of paddlefish and gar in Minnesota.
- Aug. 20: Early teal season. Early teal hunting in Minnesota has been very popular since the season began in 2021. Hunters within the state have harvested the third-highest number of teal during the early teal season during that time. This session will provide tips on scouting prime locations, effective hunting strategies and mastering teal identification to improve success in the field.
- Aug. 27: Why we manage for CWD. Dr. Michelle Carstensen, DNR wildlife health program supervisor, will discuss why the Minnesota DNR employs aggressive tactics to manage chronic wasting disease, the DNR’s CWD response plan, recent shifts in southeast Minnesota and ongoing research.
Rec Sports
Youth ‘Barrio Keepers’ cleaning Southside streets for the summer
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On the Southside, an organization continues its mission to restore respect to streets through landscaping and neighborhood clean-ups. Last year, David Garcia started his efforts with “Barrio Keepers,” sharing his mission with Tucson’s unhoused community. This summer, he’s also working with Tucson’s youth. “We’re really trying to teach them and educate […]

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On the Southside, an organization continues its mission to restore respect to streets through landscaping and neighborhood clean-ups.
Last year, David Garcia started his efforts with “Barrio Keepers,” sharing his mission with Tucson’s unhoused community. This summer, he’s also working with Tucson’s youth.
“We’re really trying to teach them and educate them about the importance of representing your hood, investing in your hood, and keeping it clean and safe for everybody,” said Garcia.
RELATED STORY | Southside Tucsonan teaches landscaping skills to unhoused people, sharing his mission for ‘Barrio Restoration’
Going beyond the weekly clean-ups, he’s teaching teamwork. “Whenever he brings all his workers, his friends, I start to communicate really well,” said one of the youth volunteers.
“To me, it’s more than just cleaning a curb,” said another volunteer. “There’s a lot that can be done around South Tucson.”
They’ve helped build a community garden in the Fairgrounds neighborhood, where local artists have pitched in to beautify the alley.
“We’ve been cleaning up the alley, cleaning up the surrounding neighborhoods, adding artwork, and preparing to have a good monsoon season to have good crops this year,” Garcia said.
The Barrio Keeper program is open for more volunteers. For more information, Garcia can be reached at barriorestoration@gmail.com.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
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