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Celina Girls Bowling Team Wins The Viking Classic

The entire team battled hard all day, adapting to the challenges of a tough lane condition. Early on, we recognized the lanes weren’t going to offer much, so we doubled down on our focus and prioritized making spares—and it paid off. The ladies stayed composed, making smart adjustments and consistently hitting their second shots, building […]

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Celina Girls Bowling Team Wins The Viking Classic

The entire team battled hard all day, adapting to the challenges of a tough lane condition. Early on, we recognized the lanes weren’t going to offer much, so we doubled down on our focus and prioritized making spares—and it paid off. The ladies stayed composed, making smart adjustments and consistently hitting their second shots, building an impressive 280-pin lead heading into the Baker games. From there, we averaged 186.5 while rotating the entire team through the Baker games to finish strong.

(1-11-25) The Celina Girls Bowling team won the Viking Classic at the Poelking Lanes South in Centerville by 516 pins.

All Tournament Team

Full results: Viking Classic

The Bulldogs’ Kaleah Dailey finished 2nd overall…just 1 pin out of the tournament lead…Corinne Westgerdes was 6th and Brynly Huber and Ryann Eckhardt tied for 7th…they all earned spots on the All-Tournament team.

Great effort all around and a really great day.

Celina Coach Josh Goff—-

Rec Sports

Even for youth, sliding mitts are baseball’s ‘must-have’ | Shareable Stories

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point. Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates […]

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PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point.

Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates might be wearing during a given spring.







CORRECTION Sliding Swag Baseball

Youth ballplayer Grayson Coles, left, waits for his game to get underway with his Savannah Banana sliding mitt in his back pocket, April 27, in Monroeville, Pa.




McCutchen plans to accommodate Steel up to a point. The oldest of McCutchen’s four children is already rocking an arm sleeve, just the way dad does.

Yet if Steel is hoping his father will spring for a sliding mitt — a padded glove a player can slip over one of their hands to protect it should the hand get stepped on while diving headfirst for a base — he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up.

McCutchen, who has stolen 220 bases at the major league level, has never worn one. And he’s quick to point out the next time the cleat of a fielder mashes his hand will also be the first.

Still, the 38-year-old understands. Once upon a time, he was a 20-something who epitomized baseball cool, from his dreadlocks (long since shorn) to his goatee to his rope chain to the occasional skull cap he wore underneath his batting helmet, all of it designed to accentuate McCutchen’s innate blend of talent and charisma.

“It’s all about the drip,” McCutchen said with a smile.

Even if the “drip” (Gen Z slang for stylish clothes and their accessories) emphasizes fashion over function, particularly when it comes to the gloves — which look a bit like oven mitts — that are becoming just as ubiquitous in the Little Leagues as they are in the major leagues.







Sliding Swag Baseball

Chicago White Sox’s Scott Podsednik steals second base during a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, June 29, 2009, in Cleveland.




Safety and self-expression

Former major leaguer Scott Podsednik (career stolen base total: 309) is credited with “inventing” the sliding mitt during the late stages of his 11-year career.

Tired of having his hand stepped on, Podsednik worked with a hand therapist for a solution. The initial mitts were relatively simple. A 2009 picture of Podsednik sliding into second base shows his left hand covered in what looks like a padded modified batting glove, all wrapped in black to match the trim on his Chicago White Sox uniform.

Things have gotten considerably more intricate over the years. Google “sliding mitt designs” and you’ll find themes ranging from the American flag to an ice cream cone to aliens to a poop emoji (yes, really).

Scott McMillen, a lawyer in the Chicago area, had no plans to get into the baseball accessory business. He first took notice of sliding mitts when his son Braydon, then 10, pointed out one of his teammates had one and said basically, “Oh hey dad, wouldn’t it be nice if I had one, too.”

They headed to a local sporting goods store, where McMillen was surprised at the variety available.

That was around 2021. By early 2024, McMillen had launched “Goat’d,” a specialty baseball accessory company with everything from sliding mitts to batting gloves to arm sleeves to headbands and more, many of them religiously inspired.

Sales during their first full year? Over 1 million units.

“We were surprised at how large the marketplace is,” McMillen said.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been.

Youth sports have bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Aspen Institute’s 2024 State of Play report noted that the participation levels in sports among children ages 6-17 were the highest they’ve been since 2015. Baseball’s numbers have steadied following a decline. Little League International told The Associated Press last fall that more than 2 million kids played baseball or softball under its umbrella across the world, an uptick over 2019.

Many of those kids are also fans of the game, some of whom may have noticed their favorite major leaguer sporting a mitt when they’re on the bases. Yes, that was San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. sliding across home plate (feetfirst, by the way) with a bright yellow mitt on his left hand in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh last weekend.







Padres Pirates Baseball

San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., left, scores before Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart can apply the tag on a wild pitch by pitcher David Bednar during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, May 3.




It’s one of the many ways in which the game has evolved over the years. When McMillen grew up, there wasn’t much swag to go around.

“We had our baseball uniform and our glove (and) everyone looked the same, everyone was the same,” he said. “Now, everyone wants to express themselves individually. The best way to do that without acting like a clown is to wear something that shows people who you are.”

Self-expression, however, doesn’t exactly come cheap, particularly in an era when top-of-the-line bats are $400 or more. What amounts to an entry-level sliding mitt can go for $40, but Goat’d and others have versions that can fetch double that.

That hasn’t stopped sales from being brisk, and McMillen points out it’s not merely a luxury item.

“We don’t play football with 1940s safety equipment,” he said. “You feel better in the (batter’s) box when you have something that protects you, right? With a sliding mitt, it’s also like, ‘Hey this is fun. It’s cool. I want to be like my fave high school player, like my favorite college player.'”

It’s becoming increasingly common for McMillen and other members of the company’s staff to spot Goat’d gear at the field. In recent months, they’ve popped up in youth tournaments from Georgia to Las Vegas, sometimes in the back pockets of players as young as 6 or 7. McMillen can’t help but shake his head to see his product become part of the time-honored tradition of kids imitating their heroes.

Which is good for business and, oh by the way, probably unnecessary.

The pressure to keep up

Here’s the thing: In most — if not all — youth baseball leagues, headfirst slides that would require a player to stretch out their hand to secure the bag are illegal.

In Little League, for example, stealing bases for players 12 and under is rare because the player can take off only after the ball has reached the batter. And even if they do bolt for the next base, they have to slide feetfirst. The only times in Little League that a baserunner can dive headfirst toward a base is when they are returning to it while in a rundown or during a pickoff attempt, both of which are also rare.

That doesn’t stop the players from wanting a sliding mitt. It also doesn’t stop their parents from buying them, all part of the pressure to “keep up with the Jones” that has practically been a part of youth sports culture since the first time somebody came to practice with a batting glove or wristbands.

It’s a phenomenon Chelsea Cahill and her family has known for years. The longtime educator who lives just east of Columbus, Ohio, has spent much of the last decade shuttling her three boys from practice to games to tournaments.

What she and her husband have learned over the years is that some trends come and go, but the pressure to have the right stuff remains.

“There’s always that feeling of ‘This is the next new thing’ or ‘This is what you’ve got to get,'” Cahill said.

They appeased their sons up to a point, but only up to a point.

Last summer their youngest son Braxton, then 11, and the rest of the kids on his travel team kept pestering their parents to buy sliding mitts. Entering the final tournament, the team moms decided to give in.

Sort of.

Rather than plop down that kind of money for something they didn’t actually need, the moms headed to a local dollar store and bought them actual oven mitts — the kind used to pull tonight’s dinner from out of the oven. Average retail price? Less than a cup of coffee at the gas station.

Oh, and the kids loved them, and wore them during the game. Cahill posted video of them playing with the mitts stuck in their back pocket to her TikTok account. The video is now at 12 million views and counting.

“They thought it was hilarious, but we didn’t really think they would wear them for the rest of the tournament,” Cahill said. “We were wrong. They really embraced it!”

Among viewers of that TikTok, by the way, were the people at Goat’d, who sent Braxton a couple of mitts as a result.

The good news is, Cahill now won’t have to buy one for Braxton this spring. Yet there’s also something else she has learned through the years: This time in her boys’ lives is fleeting.

For proof, just look at her calendar. Her two older sons — the ones who played travel baseball just like Braxton, and asked for all the cool stuff their teammates had, just like Braxton has — gave up baseball by the time they got to high school.

Her advice to parents who might be feeling the financial pinch of what it takes to play these days: Relax.

“We’ve learned as parents is to stop taking it so seriously,” she said. “They’re kids. Let them have fun.”







Sliding Swag Baseball

Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during youth baseball game in Monroeville, Pa., with his sliding matt in his back pocket on April 27.




The reality

A day after hundreds of members of the Monroeville Baseball and Softball Association marched through the Pittsburgh suburb’s well-appointed community park, the regular season is in full swing.

All four fields are alive with the chatter of coaches, parents and boys and girls aged anywhere from 5-12.

Over on Field 1, the Rays are in the middle of their season opener. Playing first base, Josiah Jones has his glove at the ready, with a black sliding mitt noticeably sticking out of his left back pocket.







Sliding Swag Baseball

Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during youth baseball game in Monroeville, Pa., with his sliding matt in his back pocket on April 27.




Per the league rules, the Rays and the other players at the “Bronco” level (ages 11-12), play actual full-on baseball. They can take leads and steal bases whenever they like, though headfirst slides are only allowed when returning to a base, just like in Little League.

Longtime MBSA executive commissioner Josh Plassmeyer is milling about, trying to keep tabs on everything. Plassmeyer outlawed sliding mitts on his son Grant’s 10-and-under tournament team, calling them a “distraction” because players would spend so much time fiddling with them once they got to first base, they would miss signs from the third-base coach.

About 50 feet away, Jones settles into the box and rips a ball to left-center field. His long legs carry him past first base, and he cruises into second with an easy double.

As his teammates erupted in the dugout, Jones beamed for a brief moment. Then, as the opposing pitcher stepped onto the rubber, he took an aggressive lead off second and eyed third.

His back pocket, the one where his sliding mitt had been 30 minutes before, was empty.



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Spirit Lake Youth Sports breaks ground on fieldhouse, looks to future as development arm of tribe – Grand Forks Herald

FORT TOTTEN, N.D. — A young nonprofit organization focused on youth sports in a tribal community is doing more than just supporting athletics. A consultant for the organization said it’s acting much like a parks and recreation department, which larger communities may take for granted. Dean Duphinais Jr., who also is a founder of Spirit […]

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FORT TOTTEN, N.D. — A young nonprofit organization focused on youth sports in a tribal community is doing more than just supporting athletics.

A consultant for the organization said it’s acting much like a parks and recreation department, which larger communities may take for granted.

Dean Duphinais Jr., who also is a founder of Spirit Lake Youth Sports, said the group is not a tribal entity, but is partnering with the tribe on a number of future projects.

“Typical municipalities and cities, you’ve got your parks and rec department, they do everything,” he said. “They do the baseball diamonds, they do whatever recreational facilities a community might have. We’re stepping in to act as that development arm of the tribe, developing the community with some of these amenities.”

Spirit Lake Youth Sports (SLYS) is seeing the fruition of a project that will create a base of operations. Work has broken ground on a fieldhouse at the Four Winds High School baseball fields in Fort Totten. The tribe has leased 7.1 acres of land for SLYS to use.

The fieldhouse’s first floor will have a concession stand, bathrooms and storage space, while the second floor is an open concept where the board will have meetings, conduct training and be a spot for staff and a full-time executive director to work. SLYS has also launched a “Build the Spirit” fundraising campaign to outfit the fieldhouse with needed materials, such as computers and furnishings. Duphinais said the goal is about $40,000 to $50,000.

The organization started when Duphinais returned to Fort Totten from California. He had two children around tee-ball age and asked a friend, Justin Yankton, if there was a youth baseball program. It was around the time COVID quarantine restrictions were being lifted, and Yankton said there wasn’t anything being prepared or planned for. The two teamed up to put on a summer baseball program, attracting more than 100 kids.

It was an eye opener, Duphinais said, and with his background in nonprofits, he thought it would be a good idea to create one, build a board of directors and make the group sustainable. Following SLYS filing as a nonprofit, it added the Sunka Wakan Program, which teaches kids how to approach, groom and be comfortable around horses before teaching them how to ride. Sunka Wakan means “Sacred Dog,” which is what the Dakota people called horses when the Spanish brought them over, Duphinais said. The Sunka Wakan Program is run by Duphinais’ father, who also is on the board of directors.

“We’re making some really great strides,” Duphinais said. “We have big plans for the future.”

SLYS has been working with the tribe on other ideas, such as an indoor pool, skate park, splash pad, indoor bubble-style facility, RV park for the tribe’s powwow facility and an indoor riding arena for the horse program. Getting the fieldhouse done on time and on target is the main goal at the moment, Duphinais said.

“The name of the game in the nonprofit world is make good on the things that on our plate. Then, you’re in the good graces and you’re eligible to apply for other things,” he said. “That’s what we’re looking to do.”

Duphinais said he hopes people see SLYS as a development arm of the tribe, more than a sports program. It can do construction and development and get land leases. It is in the process of getting another parcel of 27 acres adjacent to the current 7.1 acres, which is close to the powwow grounds. It could be a recreation corridor, he said, and the 27 acres are planned to be used for a park with walking trails and a possible amphitheater.

Duphinais expressed his thanks to the tribe, community and board members, the majority of the latter being veterans, for supporting SLYS.

“We’ve got solid people, and that’s how we’re able to make things like this happen — by having really good people that care about this community as much as each other does, and are willing to roll up their sleeves and make things happen for the community,” he said.





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LIFT gym hosts strongman competition that pitted age vs. youth | Sports

GENEVA — A tale as old as time — age vs. youth — played itself out once again in Geneva last Saturday. Although, it wasn’t on the typical playing surfaces of a basketball court, baseball or softball diamond or even a soccer pitch; it was in a gym at the top of Routes 5&20. Live […]

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GENEVA — A tale as old as time — age vs. youth — played itself out once again in Geneva last Saturday.

Although, it wasn’t on the typical playing surfaces of a basketball court, baseball or softball diamond or even a soccer pitch; it was in a gym at the top of Routes 5&20.

Live It Fitness and Training — better known to its members as LIFT — hosted its own version of a strongman competition last weekend. Spearheaded by retired law enforcement officer Mike Scala, the competition pitted middle-aged members of Scala’s church — The Penn Yan Assembly of God — against athletes and cross-fit enthusiasts from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Though the participants enjoyed getting the competitive juices flowing, they all found themselves at LIFT last Saturday morning because they enjoy this type of sport and exercise, and Scala noted before anything that the camaraderie stood above all.

“It was an insanely fun day,” Scala said. “I want to give a huge shoutout to all the Hobart and William Smith crowd, they were all very excellent sportsmen, all good-natured, friendly; they cheered for us, we cheered for them. It was a great display of sportsmanship. There was not one ounce of bad blood, it was friendly competition.”

Across multiple divisions and six events, it was the seasoned veterans of life that emerged victorious. The Assembly of God team defeated HWS by a 27-point margin. Scala’s son, Mike Scala IV, won the teen division and William Smith’s Jackie Sullivan won the women’s division. But overall, the open championship went to the eldest competitor in Mike Scala.

Scala, a recently retired New York state trooper as of six months ago, is an exercise physiologist and physical therapist out of Solomon Family Chiropractic. At age 50, Scala retains top physical condition and exercises multiple times a week, mixing in cross-fit, weightlifting and even the occasional squash match.

The competition started with two events beginning simultaneously: the deadlift and the drag pull. The day continued with the tire flip, rowing, grip test and concluded with box jump.

In the box jump, two athletes successfully completed a 50-inch box jump. In third place was Scala, who at 50 years of age, completed a 44-inch box jump. He went on to win the drag sled, the rowing event and the grip test.

“I think it would behoove enough people to hear that the whole thing about things getting worse as you age is a bunch of baloney,” Scala said. “If you practice it, the world is your oyster.”

In the tire flip, competitors were given 60 seconds to flip a tire as many times as possible. The tire for the male competitors weighed 250 pounds while the tire for the female competitors weigh 200 pounds. In the final results, the gap between second and 10th place was just three flips.

Perhaps the most grueling event was the sled pull. Competitors strapped themselves to a sled, grabbed a pull rope and were timed as they dragged 700 pounds across 50 feet to the finish line. The best time of the day was by Scala, who bested his team member and pastor Russ LaBarr by :0.9 seconds and completed the event in 22.1 seconds.

“(The HWS team) was stunned at the fact that the church team was, on average, close to 20 years their senior,” Scala said. “We didn’t just win, we won by a 27-point margin. (Our church team) had a first-place finisher, a buddy of mine finished third, our pastor — Russ — finished fifth overall and Ethan finished seventh.”

All in all, nothing but smiles broke through in between the pained expressions of exertion. Though the competitive juices were certainly flowing, the camaraderie from all who competed was most evident. HWS students cheered on their elder rivals and vice versa.

“It was overwhelmingly positive,” Scala said of the competition. “I told the kids right from the get-go, ‘We’re going to cheer for you guys, we want you to cheer for us and I want to blow the roof off this place.’”

Though there were judges keeping track of time and scores, the competition held a lighthearted aura. The gym stayed open to members wishing to exercise, there were laughs, strategy discussions and cheers between teams.

Scala doesn’t want it to be a one-off. He plans to continue building the event and attract more people to compete. In fact, he throws out a challenge to all other gyms in the area.

“LIFT is throwing down a challenge to any gym in this area,” Scala said. “Canandaigua Cross Fit to Geneva Fit Club to the YMCA; all these gyms, where are your competitors? Show yourselves. If you think you’re all that in the mirror, come show yourself.”

Whatever the event evolves into, Scala can hang his hat on winning the first competition while being its oldest competitor.

Perhaps one day, youth will triumph over age, but not last Saturday.



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Thunder youth coaches use basketball stats to teach math to Oklahoma Students.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder are engaged in the playoffs, some local students took on the challenge of combining basketball with math. Saturday, May 10th 2025, 9:17 am By: Graham Dowers OKLAHOMA CITY – While the Oklahoma City Thunder are engaged in the playoffs, some local students took on the challenge of combining basketball with […]

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While the Oklahoma City Thunder are engaged in the playoffs, some local students took on the challenge of combining basketball with math.

Saturday, May 10th 2025, 9:17 am

By:

Graham Dowers



While the Oklahoma City Thunder are engaged in the playoffs, some local students took on the challenge of combining basketball with math.

Elementary and middle schoolers participated in a unique board game that uses real NBA and WNBA player statistics to help teach math skills. Thunder youth basketball coaches guided the interactive lesson, bringing life to classrooms across Oklahoma City.

The program aims to show kids that success isn’t just limited to the court, but instead seeks to promote the idea of being a “athlete” as much as an athlete.

Every student left the event with a goodie bag full of Thunder gear, a timely bonus with the team currently in the midst of their playoff run.

More OKC Thunder Playoffs Coverage

Graham Dowers

Graham Dowers

Graham joined the News 9 team in February of 2025. He is dedicated to sharing the diverse stories that have shaped his country and his community.





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Giants Community Fund adds mental health & wellness education, support

The Giants Community Fund is taking action to make mental health and wellness resources more accessible for their Junior Giants players and families, following the tragic loss of a 13-year-old Junior Giants participant from Lamont, Calif., who sadly passed by suicide during the offseason. The initiative addresses the silent struggles faced by America’s youth and […]

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The Giants Community Fund is taking action to make mental health and wellness resources more accessible for their Junior Giants players and families, following the tragic loss of a 13-year-old Junior Giants participant from Lamont, Calif., who sadly passed by suicide during the offseason.

The initiative addresses the silent struggles faced by America’s youth and provides support to help them navigate challenges like anxiety and depression, bullying, school-related stress, family and relationship challenges, and other issues. To support this effort, the Giants Community Fund is set to introduce new mental health and wellness resources, age-specific conversation starters, and training as part of the Junior Giants curriculum provided to each of their 28,000-plus annual participants across 85 leagues in California, Oregon and Nevada.

Recognizing the urgent need for connection, the Giants Community Fund has stepped up to the plate as part of Major League Baseball’s partnership with Crisis Text Line to offer a lifeline for youth in need. This mental health service offers free, confidential, round-the-clock crisis support via text message in English and Spanish, ensuring that young people have access to help during their most vulnerable moments.

More than physical fitness

Youth participation in sports can play an important role in promoting mental health and overall well-being. Engaging in sports offers many benefits that extend far beyond physical fitness. Earlier this year, Dr. Shairi Turner, Crisis Text Line’s Chief Health Officer, addressed this season’s Junior Giants league organizers at the annual Junior Giants Commissioners Camp to explore how the baseball or softball diamond can become a place for emotional growth and resilience.

“There’s nothing like the look in a child’s eyes when they know they have accomplished ‘that thing,’” Turner said. “That catch. That pitch. That kick. That tackle. That strike. It’s the thing they have practiced and trained for that they didn’t actually think they could ever achieve. And in that moment, you can see this incredible mix of amazement, pride, awe and new self-confidence. And, if you look really closely, you can see a window into well-being.”

This insight reveals what Junior Giants commissioners, coaches and parents have seen firsthand: Athletics offer more than physical benefits. Sports can provide a safe space where young people develop the emotional muscles they need to face life’s challenges.

According to Turner, youth sports are proven to:

Research from Crisis Text Line adds another layer to this understanding by highlighting what young people themselves identify as critical resources for mental wellness. After analyzing thousands of anonymized crisis conversations, research pointed to six key community resources that support youth mental health: opportunities for social connection, engagement in music, visual and written arts, mental health services, exercise and sports programs, books and audiobooks, and access to outdoor spaces and nature.

But the very resources proven to support mental wellness are vanishing from American communities. Local governments cut funding for parks by more than $2.5 billion from 2010 to 2021. Opportunities for social connection and playing sports also shrank considerably during this time — even though the youth population increased. The number of children participating in clubs fell by 1.8 million, and the number playing high school sports dropped by 1.4 million. Libraries face shrinking budgets, while art classes that once channeled emotional expression continue to disappear from school schedules.

“We understand these are the things that contribute to good mental health and well-being,” Turner said. “And they’re also the things that communities are lessening at the same time.” This paradox — diminishing support systems precisely when they’re needed most — underscores why programs like Junior Giants are needed now more than ever. Through organized sports, young people access three of the six critical resources they need: social connection, exercise and outdoor spaces.

Always ask: The power of one conversation

This season, Crisis Text Line is equipping Junior Giants coaches, commissioners and ambassadors with skills to have potentially life-saving conversations through its “Always Ask” approach. The core of this training includes:

“Fundamentally, anyone can have conversations that are clear and kind, and ask someone, whether it’s a fellow coworker, a young person, a coach or a parent, if they’re struggling,” Turner said. “The data show us you’re not going to cause someone to hurt themselves or take their own life if you ask.”

Instead, asking a simple question like, “I’ve noticed you’re not yourself lately. I’m concerned. Have you had any harmful thoughts?” can be the moment when someone feels seen and not alone.

For Junior Giants coaches and commissioners, this means getting to know their players and checking in regularly, modeling vulnerability by acknowledging when they themselves are not OK, using the program’s weekly mental health moments to normalize these conversations, and following the principle “if you see something, say something.”

Major League Baseball and Crisis Text Line’s partnership is making a difference already. Since launching, more than 1,400 individuals have sought help by texting “MLB” to 741741. As sports programs like Junior Giants continue to provide that “window into well-being” for young people across our communities, this partnership reminds us that behind every uniform is a young person navigating the complexities of growing up in today’s world. By building both athletic skills and emotional resilience on the field, we’re equipping them with tools that will serve them long after the final inning.

The Giants Community Fund is also partnering with mental health advocate Drew Robinson, mental skills coach Dr. Shana Alexander, mental health coordinator Emily Payette and the San Francisco Giants Mental Health Team to provide training and visibility on the topic of mental wellness. Together, these partnerships will provide valuable resources and support to Junior Giants participants, helping them build resilience both on and off the field.

If you or someone you know is struggling, text MLB to 741741 to connect with a live, trained Crisis Text Line volunteer Crisis Counselor for free, 24/7, confidential support in English or Spanish.



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4-H Dairy Bowl Youth Compete In District Event | News, Sports, Jobs

Members of the Western District Dairy Bowl Senior Team of The Western District Senior Team are pictured. Area 4-H members recently competed in the Western New York District 4-H Dairy Bowl. Participants in the Dairy Bowl compete in “quiz bowl” format, where teams of four answer questions posed by a moderator, earning points accordingly. The […]

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Members of the Western District Dairy Bowl Senior Team of The Western District Senior Team are pictured.

Area 4-H members recently competed in the Western New York District 4-H Dairy Bowl.

Participants in the Dairy Bowl compete in “quiz bowl” format, where teams of four answer questions posed by a moderator, earning points accordingly. The 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl offers individual youth the chance to compete by answering questions that cover topics like dairy nutrition, milk quality, herd health, breeding and genetics, and industry-related current events. The competitions are open to teams, divided into age divisions: the junior division for participants under 14 and the senior division for those 14 and older, with specific eligibility criteria in place. 4-H also offers quiz bowls in addition to other educational opportunities for young people to learn about horses, goats, and other types of livestock and food production without needing to be on the farm.

Results include:

– Western District Beginner Team of Evan Mierzwa, Chautauqua (first place individual), Westyn Bruyer, Chautauqua (second place individual), Eli Vranich, Wyoming (seventh place individual) and Matthew Niefergold, Erie, capture first place overall.

The Western District Junior Team placed second overall. Team members were Tyler Crowell, Chautauqua (second place individual), Esther Heineman, Wyoming (fifth place individual), Stephen Vranich, Wyoming (eighth place individual) and Jolene Mesch, Erie.

Western District Dairy Bowl Junior Team of Tyler Crowell, Esther Heineman, Stephen Vranich and Jolene Mesch is pictured.

The Western District Senior Team placed first overall. Members were Hayden Ayers, Wyoming (first place individual), Larsen Swan, Chautauqua (second place individual), Michellynn Schroeder, Niagara (fourth place individual) and Ashley Youngers, Wyoming.

The Western District 4-H Dairy Bowl Beginner Team of Evan Mierzwa, Westyn Bruyer, Eli Vranich and Matthew Niefergold is pictured.



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