The Falcons Will Utilize Youth To Succeed In 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Coming into the 2025 offseason, the Falcons let go of multiple veterans, in order to focus on building a contender for the future. That included not bringing back former multiple-time pro bowlers Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon.

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The Falcons started to sign young talent and went to the draft with the idea of building up a defense that struggled heavily in 2024. They would select four defensive players in the draft, including two first rounders in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

The draft has been kind to the Falcons over the last few seasons, as Drake London and Bijan Robinson have already shown star potential. Robinson has already made a pro bowl, while London has racked up 3,042 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons.

Michael Penix Jr. is another young star that has shown some flashes but has also not played enough games to really decipher what he can fully do. He will be the starting quarterback on this young Falcons roster and looks to have a breakout season in his first full year as a starter.

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On both sides of the ball, the Falcons have made some great draft decisions and some key young signings, as they hope to utilize the youth for years to come. The rookies will have to step up and make an impact very early on, and the development of these young players must be a high priority for the Falcons.

The Falcons have a very bright future if all goes well with the young talent they have brought in these last few years.

Related: If Kyle Pitts Gets Traded, Who Steps Up For The Falcons?

Related: The Falcons Could Trade Kirk Cousins To The Steelers

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

Jacksonville, AL — The Jacksonville Public Library will host a creative and engaging event for local youth on Saturday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m. with a Stretch Cord Bracelet Making Class. The program will take place at the library, located at 200 Pelham Road South in Jacksonville.

Open to participants ages 10 to 18, this free event is designed to encourage artistic expression and hands-on creativity. Attendees will learn how to craft their own stretch cord bracelets using a variety of colorful beads and supplies—all of which will be provided by the library.

No registration is required, and participants can simply drop in to join the fun. The activity offers a great opportunity for youth to explore a new hobby, connect with others, and create wearable art to take home.

This event is part of the library’s ongoing efforts to provide enriching programs that inspire learning and creativity among young community members.

MONTGOMERY – Six individuals – and for the first time in the program’s history, one couple, – have been selected as the 2025 Making a Difference Award recipients by the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association.

That deserving couple are none other than Bill and Judy Ayers of Rainsville, honored for the work they do to support and sustain Plainview High School athletics. 

 All the honorees were nominated and selected for their impact as exemplary role models in their schools and communities where they serve.

 This year’s class was announced by AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon. Each honoree will be recognized at the 2025 AHSAA Summer Conference Championship Coaches’ Awards Banquet, which will be held Thursday night, July 24, at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center at 6 p.m. 

  The Making a Difference Award was established in 2011 by then AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese in conjunction with the AHSADCA to recognize individuals who go beyond their normal duties as a coach, teacher, or administrator to make a positive impact in their schools and communities. This year’s recipients include one school system superintendent, one track and field coach, one tennis coach, one girls’ basketball coach, two assistant coaches, and for the first time, a husband and wife who have served in various capacities from cheerleader sponsor to team statisticians for half a century.

  “The recipients in this 2025 Making a Difference class are excellent examples of men and women who have dedicated themselves to serving students with positive reinforcement, kindness and compassion,” said Harmon. “Qualities considered for this prestigious award include the recipient’s character, integrity, determination, sacrifice and service, all of which have enabled them to have a life-changing impact on the students, school and communities which they serve.”

  Plainview High School’s Bill and Judy Ayers, this year’s Class 4A co-recipients, have embraced that mission for more than 50 years. Described by Plainview High School girls’ basketball coach Luke Griggs as “the most well-known and most beloved couple in Rainsville whose value to the school, its athletic programs and community cannot be understated.” 

 Judy Ayers has served the DeKalb County School System for 53 years as a Plainview High School faculty member. Her roles have included various capacities ranging from classroom English teacher, cheerleader sponsor and librarian – which she has served for the past 40 years. Bill Ayers served as a teacher and administrator, retiring from Plainview High School in 2008 with 32 years of service. He and his wife have continued to be the school’s basketball team statisticians – working from the bleachers – for more than 40 years. During that time, they helped document Plainview’s basketball program’s 3-point shooting records that are noted throughout the AHSAA Record Book and the NFHS National Record Book,

  “The things that I do for Plainview are the things that I believe in and things that I enjoy doing,” said Bill Ayers. “These things can be sports related, but they do not have to be sports related.  I am a part of many events at Plainview High School. As I grew up, my parents taught me to help others.  I helped neighbors with various tasks from working in a chicken house, weeding, and harvesting gardens, mowing yards, or pumping gasoline at a nearby service station. Helping others was something I did as an everyday experience.  

 “When Terry Mitchell asked me to help him by keeping basketball stats and records in the 1970’s, I said yes. He and I devised a system which I still use today for basketball stats after 48 years.  Later on, I was asked to keep football stats by Coach (Dale) Pruitt, and I stayed on the sidelines for many years.

 “The greatest gift for doing the stats is watching the players’ faces when I read the stats to the coaches and players at half-time.   Also, seeing the athletes years later and they come up and give us a hug or ask how we are doing, is a big reward for both me and Judy. This is what I call “BEAR PRIDE”!  I have been a Plainview Bear since I began school at Plainview in the second grade and plan to remain a part of Plainview in coming years.”

 Judy Ayers echoes her husband’s sentiments. “My life-long association with Plainview High School and its students began humbly in 1972 when I was hired to teach science and history, neither of which was my secondary education major.  Four years later, the principal asked me to work with the varsity cheerleaders long enough for him to find someone who wanted that responsibility.  Twenty-five years passed without that person coming forth,” she said with a smile. 

 “In the meantime, I learned about cheerleading, Bill became a teacher at Plainview, and we both became invested in the lives of the students at Plainview.  We saw that students needed direction, support, respect, and appreciation for their interests, their talents, and their hard work. We had the time, energy, and love for giving all of that…AND IT WAS FUN!“

 She adds, “Over my 53 years at Plainview, I have worked with many students in various capacities including coaching cheerleading, keeping basketball stats, coordinating graduation ceremonies, advising student publications, sponsoring proms and plays, encouraging a love for reading, and teaching oral and written ELA skills.  These activities have given and continue to give me the chance to see students reach personal goals, achieve what seemed impossible to them, expand their worlds, be their best, and receive recognition for their work.”

 This year’s class brings the total recognized in the AHSAA “Making a Difference” program to 101 since the first class of recipients in 2011.

One recipient from each of the AHSAA’s seven classifications was selected from approximately 75 nominations submitted by AHSAA member schools and other support organizations or individuals. This year’s recipients are:

•CLASS 1A:  JOHNNY ‘CAL’ YOUNG: A former Brantley High School student who has provided  his alma mater exemplary service as an assistant coach over the last 30 years for virtually every athletic program at Brantley High School – including boys’ and girls’ basketball, softball, baseball, and football.

•CLASS 2A: DALE CARRELL: A veteran track and field coach at Westminster of Oak Mountain School who has set an example of faith and courage through his long-time service and impact as a teacher, administrator and coach for the Christian school located in Shelby County. 

•CLASS 3A: HALEIGH WOODARD WILLIAMS: Lauderdale County High School’s tennis coach – who has built the girls’ program into the top Class 1A-3A program in the state while making a major impact on the lives of the student-athletes in her amazing tennis program and classroom.

•CLASS 4A: WILLIAM ‘BILL’ AND JUDY AYERS: The first couple to be selected as a Making a Difference recipient in the AHSAA program’s 15-year program, the Ayers have served Plainview High School’s students and  coaches for more than 50 years. Mrs. Ayers, the school librarian, just completed her 53rd year, and her husband, has continued to serve as the athletic department’s team statistician for more than 50 years.

•CLASS 5A: CEDRIC BLAIR: The offensive line coach for Ramsay High School’s football team, Blair has served at various other Birmingham City Schools as well – earning the reputation of being not only an outstanding line coach but a molder of young men through his own example of service and dedication.

•CLASS 6A: Dr. ANN JACKSON: The Superintendent of Jasper City Schools since 2014 has molded the Jasper City School System into one of the finest in the nation – and has implemented an education-based athletic program that has become a model of excellence.

•CLASS 7A: ERICA DUBOIS: The former Prattville High School basketball star returned to her alma mater where she has become one of the most respected teachers and basketball coaches in the AHSAA.

When Domingo Hindoyan, the Venezuelan chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, made his debut with L.A. Opera last November with “Roméo et Juliette,” Times classical music critic Mark Swed called it “a coup for the company.” Swed also wondered if it was a “signal that he is a candidate to succeed Music Director James Conlon, who steps down in 2026?”

It turns out Swed was right.

On Friday, L.A. Opera announced that Hindoyan has been named the company’s Richard Seaver Music Director. He will succeed Conlon, the longtime music director who joined the company in 2006 and announced last year that he will step down at the end of the 2026 season. Conlon will take on the newly created role of conductor laureate.

In a statement, Hindoyan said he was deeply honored to become only the third music director in the company’s nearly 40-year history. “From the first rehearsal, I felt a strong connection to the extraordinary musicians, staff, and spirit of this company,” he said. “It is a privilege to follow Maestro James Conlon, whose legacy has shaped L.A. Opera into what it is today — a dynamic and ambitious institution.”

After considering “dozens” of candidates from around the world, L.A. Opera President and CEO Christopher Koelsch said he was “struck by the fluidity of his technique and the clarity and command of his musical ideas” after seeing Hindoyan at the Berlin State Opera in 2016. “His deeply collaborative nature and generous spirit in rehearsal make him a favorite among singers, who are inspired by the space he creates for musical risk-taking and expressive freedom.” Koelsch also praised Hindoyan’s “deep rapport with musicians and audiences alike.”

Hindoyan, 45, is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and began his career as a violinist. Like departing Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, he attended Venezuela’s renowned public music education program known as El Sistema.

In addition to his role as chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a role he has held since 2021, Hindoyan has served as principal guest conductor for the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; he has conducted opera productions at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Madrid’s Teatro Real and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu.

In a statement, Conlon said he was happy to pass the baton to someone who shares his passion for opera.

“Domingo is an artist of exceptional depth and imagination, and I know the company will welcome him warmly,” Conlon said.

Hindoyan’s five-year contract will begin July 1, 2026, and continue through the 2031 season. According to a Facebook post from Hindoyan, the new role in L.A. will run concurrently with his position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hindoyan, son of Venezuelan violinist Domingo Garcia, a former president of the Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela, is married to the soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who’s singing at the Metropolitan Opera in Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades.” (Performances are scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday.) The couple has two children and lives in Switzerland.

In late April, the album “Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence & Symphony No. 6 ‘Pathetique,’” from Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was released.

PATTAYA, Thailand – As concerns about health, safety, and idle time for youth grow across tourist cities, Pattaya is making a concerted effort to provide its younger generation with more productive outlets—starting on the basketball court.

On May 31, Mayor Poramet Ngampichet officially opened the new Pattaya Youth Basketball Court at Pattaya City School 11 (Mathayom Satit Pattaya). The initiative is part of a broader campaign to promote physical activity, discipline, and personal development among local youth.

The court project, supported by the Pattaya City Health Security Fund with a 58,455 baht budget allocation for equipment and facility upgrades, is designed to give young people aged 8–18 a safe and engaging place to train. Free coaching sessions will be available Monday through Friday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and weekends from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The goal is to instill healthy lifestyle habits, build teamwork, and potentially open the door to scholarships or future athletic opportunities.

“The basketball court is more than just a place to play—it’s a space to grow, build friendships, and develop life skills,” said Wichawut Phinyo, advisor to the Pattaya Basketball Club, who presented the project report during the ceremony.

Following the formalities, youth from various local schools participated in friendly exhibition matches, which culminated in a surprise moment when Mayor Poramet took a few shots at the hoop himself—delighting the crowd and sending a clear message that the city stands behind its young athletes.

This initiative comes at a time when local governments are looking for ways to give children meaningful alternatives to screen time or street life, especially in bustling tourist cities like Pattaya. By offering structured, supportive sports environments, officials hope to strengthen not only the bodies of Pattaya’s youth—but also their futures.