Texas Border Business

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Cameron County has announced that Isla Blanca Park has once again been recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Beaches in Texas by the prestigious 2025 USA TODAY Readers’ Choice Awards. For the second year in a row, Isla Blanca Park has claimed the #1 spot, reaffirming its status as the premier beach destination in the Lone Star State.

This national recognition follows a competitive selection process conducted by a panel of travel experts and USA TODAY’s “10Best” editors, who nominated an elite list of Texas beach destinations. Following several weeks of public voting, Isla Blanca Park rose to the top, earning the admiration and votes of thousands of beach lovers from across Texas and the nation.

Affectionately known as the “Crown Jewel of the Texas Gulf Coast,” Isla Blanca Park is situated at the southernmost tip of South Padre Island. The park offers over a mile of pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters, along with a variety of recreational options including swimming, snorkeling, beach volleyball, jetty and surf fishing and more. Guests can enjoy modern amenities such as beachfront pavilions, dining facilities, beach front boardwalks, water sport rentals, cabana and umbrella rentals, a boat ramp, a full-service marina, Amphitheater & Event Center and over 600 RV campsites. Visitors can also witness SpaceX launch activities with a front- row view.

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“We are incredibly proud to see Isla Blanca Park once again named the best beach in Texas,” said Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. “This recognition reflects the commitment of Cameron County to preserving and enhancing our coastal treasures for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. Isla Blanca is more than a destination; it’s a source of pride for our entire community.”

“Isla Blanca Park is an essential part of our local identity and economy,” added Cameron County Commissioner Sofia C. Benavides, Pct. 1. “We’ve made significant investments in this park to improve infrastructure, enhance amenities and protect the natural beauty that makes it so special. This award validates those efforts and highlights the value of continued stewardship.”

“This recognition is a distinguished honor and a direct result of the leadership and support of the Cameron County Commissioners’ Court, and the unwavering commitment of the Cameron County Parks & Recreation staff,” said Joe E. Vega, Cameron County Parks Director. “Our Parks team strive every day to provide a safe, clean and memorable experience for everyone who visits Isla Blanca Park and County Coastal Parks. We thank the voters, and we welcome everyone to come see for themselves why Isla Blanca Park is the best in Texas.”

Information Source:’ Cameron County Judge’s Office

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Three Programs Set For Cross-Country Trip To Compete In 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

6/2/2025 1:00:00 PM

Ben Kane

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (June, 2, 2025) – Seven individuals alongside two relay teams earned a spot in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships following strong performances at the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries last week.
 

Three individuals qualified for the women, while four men made it as well as two relay teams. North Carolina A&T will have the most athletes in Oregon with two women and three men on top of two men’s relay teams. Monmouth and Northeastern will each send a student-athlete across the country to represent their programs in Oregon. 
 

For the women, A&T’s Spirit Morgan and Olivia Dowd will represent the Aggies while Monmouth’s Yasmeen Tinsley is the sole Hawk heading to Eugene.
 
Morgan earned her spot in the high jump with a 1.82m (5’ 11.5”) mark to qualify with the sixth-best performance in the region.
 
Dowd will compete in the triple jump thanks to a personal-best 13.22m (43’ 4.5”) leap to take the fifth-best qualifying mark in the East Region.
 
Tinsley advanced in the 400m hurdles, finishing fourth in her heat but qualified as one of the next three fastest times in the 24-competitor quarterfinal with a 56.97 time.
 

On the men’s side, A&T is well represented with Xavier Partee, Isaiah Taylor, Xzaviah Taylor, and two relay teams making it alongside Northeastern’s Ethan Exilhomme.
 
Partee built on his strong season, posting a 15.97m (52’ 4.75”) leap in the triple jump to take eighth in the qualifying round and punch his ticket to the national championship.
 
Isaiah Taylor posted a personal-record time of 13.458 in the 110m hurdles for the fifth fastest time and second in his heat to qualify. He also clocked a career-best 50.25 time in the 400m hurdles to earn a spot in the national championship.
 
Xzaviah Taylor produced the fastest time in the qualifying rounds by running a program-record 49.18 time in the 400m hurdles. 
 
Consisting of both Taylor brothers alongside Jaeden Gumbs and Brandon Nya, the Aggies qualified in the 4x100m relay with a 39.09 time to take eighth in the qualifying round.
 
Isaiah Taylor also helped the Aggies qualify for the 4x400m relay alongside Dyimond Walker, Caleb Gurnell, and Elijah Thomas with a 3:03.56 pace.
 
Exilhomme heads back to the national championship for the first time since 2023, after running a personal best and school record 13.45 time in the 110m hurdles.
 
For the 16th time, the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Held simultaneously, the men’s and women’s events will run from Wednesday, June 11 through Saturday, June 14.
 
Women’s 400m Hurdles: Yasmeen Tinsley, Monmouth – 11th (56.97)

Women’ High Jump: Spirit Morgan, N.C. A&T – 6th (1.82m / 5’ 11.5”)

Women’s Triple Jump: Olivia Dowd, N.C. A&T – 5th  (13.22m / 43’ 4.5”)

Men’s Triple Jump: Xavier Partee, N.C. A&T – 8th (15.97m / 52’ 4.75”)
Men’s 110m Hurdles:  Ethan Exilhomme, Northeastern – 4th (13.45)

           Isaiah Taylor, N.C. A&T – 6th (13.46) 

Men’s 400m Hurdles: Xzaviah Taylor, N.C. A&T – 1st (49.18)

Men’s 400m Hurdles: Isaiah Taylor, N.C. A&T – 12th (50.25)

Men’s 4x100m: N.C. A&T – 7th (39.09)

Men’s 4x400m: N.C. A&T – 7th (3:03.56)
 

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State senior pole vaulter Will Staggs and sophomore hurdler Rachel Mehringer officially qualified for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
 
Official qualifiers for the national championships were announced Monday afternoon, with the Sycamore duo earning their spots in the field by virtue of their top-12 finishes at the NCAA East First Round.
 
Staggs, who owns Indiana State’s indoor and outdoor school and facility pole vault records, earned his second NCAA Outdoor National Championships berth with a clearance of 5.43m (17-9.75), one of five athletes to break North Florida’s facility record in the preliminary round. A 2024 Indoor Second Team All-American and 2023 Outdoor Honorable Mention All-American, the five-time MVC pole vault champion will be making his third appearance at an NCAA National Championship (2023 outdoor, 2024 indoor, 2025 outdoor).
 
Mehringer, the Indiana State and MVC 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles record holder, secured her spot at the national championships with a 100m hurdles quarterfinal time of 13.08. She also ran a time of 13.05 in the first round of the NCAA East First Round, and has run five sub-13.10 100m hurdles times in her last three meets. A four-time MVC champion between the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles, Mehringer will be making her first appearance at an NCAA National Championship.
 
Staggs will compete in the pole vault Wednesday, June 11 at 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 p.m. PT), with Mehringer’s 100m hurdles semifinal taking place Thursday, June 12 at 8:08 p.m. ET (5:08 p.m. PT). Should Mehringer qualify for the 100m hurdles finals, that race would take place Saturday, June 14 at 9:42 p.m. ET (6:42 p.m. PT).
 
Follow the Sycamores

For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 

– #MarchOn –

Gold medal game

Novi Beograd 11-13 FTC-Telekom

Balazs Nyeki, coach, FTC-Telekom

“We’ve hit an extremely high level early in the year, which I did not expect. What I did expect was our level to drop mid-spring, which actually happened when we lost that one game in Barcelona in the shootout. I also wanted to see the team rise gradually and again, we just did that.

“Our play was improving every game in the league finals and that continued here, on the two most important days of the season. We lost one match in the entire season, not a single one in regular time and you may say that this great team made it look easy. But you have to realise it was anything but easy.
“The two matches here were real fights, toe-to-toe battles, but this is the Final Four where you can win only this way. And believe me, it’s far from evident that we managed to retain our title with ease.

“There are countless examples when great teams failed to deliver here, when everything comes down to one plus one game. Do you remember how long Recco chased their next title after 2015? I do. They had to wait six long years, though they had the same fantastic team which finally won three in a row.

“Look at Novi – they are yet to lift the trophy. Look at Barceloneta, all the world class players of the fantastic Spanish national team in one place, and for years they have been considered the favourites, but couldn’t reach the final.

“What we excelled at was that whenever our levels dropped, we started working on correcting our mistakes and taking care of re-focusing. Whether it was a longer period or just inside one match – we could always react well.

“I’d say we could have even won that match in Barceloneta to have a perfect season, but honestly, I don’t care about winning 100% of our matches. Rather to win 100% of the trophies. We’ve achieved that, we went seven for seven across the last two years and I think this is a tremendous feat.

“Yes, it’s all about really hard work, but I won’t say we work harder than the others. In water polo, at this level, everyone puts in the hard work, you can’t work harder or more – what I’m working on with my staff is to work more systematically perhaps.

“We have a plan, we have ideas, and we all work hard to implement them in the pool, which gives us the chance to win matches and titles.”

Krisztian Manhercz, MVP of the F4, FTC-Telekom

“I joined Ferencvaros for this season, after a year when they had already been dominant and won everything. We approached this season targeting the title-defence in all competitions, plus to lift the Super Cup – and we’ve achieved it all, but it wasn’t that simple at all.

“We played two great matches here, where all the hard work done in the season paid off. And this may sound as a common-place, but it’s really about all those grey mornings and afternoons in October, November, when we trained like hell, all those league matches played on Wednesday evenings, and even if we won one like 29-3, there was always something which helped to build this team even more.

“Today’s triumph just mirrors this hard work, our dedication, commitment and humbleness, which never changed a bit during the whole season.

“That’s why we deserved this once more, though we have to give all credits to Novi Beograd. No one thought last November that they would be in the final – but they had a fantastic season, their team effort was amazing, also here in the semis against Barceloneta and they did another great job in the final.

“They managed to show something extra, which surprised us, but we also did well, especially in the second half when we further raised our level. We had blocks, Soma (Vogel) had great saves, we played with our hearts, stayed calm and this is what you need to clinch the trophy.”

Szilard Jansik, player, FTC-Telekom

“Perhaps many think that it’s easy for this great team to win matches, to lift trophies – but we pay the price with the hardest trainings imaginable. Me and my team-mates often do extra workouts as we’re all aware that we still have weaknesses we should work on to improve. This brings us forward and this enables us to play for the titles in all competitions.

“We won everything again, but not even our domestic victories came with ease and this one here was definitely another big challenge. Hats off to Novi, even if they lost several players last summer, it was stunning how they came together and got outstanding wins in a row.

“They absolutely deserved to be in the final and I can tell you they surprised us with a couple of things too. We had to keep our focus at the highest level in all four quarters to get the upper hand in the end.

“Our rotation is wider, our bench is stronger, which was decisive in the second half. Experience was also on our side – many of their youngsters were playing their first Final Four, while in our team, most of us were part of a lot more, for me, for instance, this was the sixth occasion. OK, for Mano (Krisztian Manhercz) it was the first and he hit six goals right away, but that’s why we have him here (laughing).”

Zivko Gocic, coach, NBG

“Congratulations to Ferencvaros, as they proved why they are the best team in the world – they delivered their best game when it mattered the most. At the same time, I cannot be prouder of my players who really showed their character, they played like a real team and kept up with Ferencvaros for most of the match.

“My team gave everything they had, they played with heart, with discipline, they showed some extras and I really couldn’t ask for any more than that. Our young players learnt a lot, they became better players during this weekend and we will do our best to return next year.”

Bronze medal game

Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 19-9 CN Marseille (FRA)

Elvis Fatovic, coach, Zodiac CNAB

“This game was about who recovered better physically, but mainly emotionally from the semi-final loss. Perhaps, for us, it was more painful to lose on Friday, but my players reacted well. We had a lot of respect for Marseille, as they had a great season, especially in the second half – so we gave our best, and didn’t withhold anything. From the beginning, we played faster, with more energy, and we punished almost all of their mistakes, and scored a lot of goals.

“As for the season, you know, we lost a single match in regular time in all competitions, but we still can’t be absolutely satisfied, as we came here for a better result, for the gold. Still, I think how the team performed, we had a great season, and I can be proud of my players.”

Milos Scepanovic, coach, Marseille

“As I said before the match, this game depended on who would find the rhythm, the necessary energy earlier. No doubt, it was Barceloneta, as they were faster, and we had trouble dealing with their pressing and stopping their counters. We quickly fell behind and couldn’t do much to come back.

“Still, what we’ve achieved this season makes us proud. We are here, we played a couple of great matches, and I think we reached a higher level than ever before, so we won’t feel sorry as we are going home.”

Felipe Perrone, captain, Barceloneta

“We came here for another kind of medal, but on Friday we didn’t play well enough to win. Still, I’ve been here for long enough to tell you that we must respect this bronze medal, as there were other great teams who couldn’t even qualify for the Final Four.

“I think we played well in the season, we also did really well today – and we’ll have to see what the next season may bring for the club, perhaps for me too. We may return and have another shot at the title.”

–

Watch water polo action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

TikTok users are “flexing” on a whole new level as part of the latest social media trend.

The “Holy (Freaking) Airball” TikTok trend features celebrities, professional athletes and just everyday people showing off what they are known for − or rather, things they believe others should already know about them.

Even Gordon Ramsey has hopped on the trend. In a TikTok video with more than 5.6 million views as of June 2, Ramsey shared photos with the on-screen caption, “Told them, ‘I like to cook.’ They said, ‘What? Like sheet pan meals?'” The video then shows photos of Ramsey in front of his Las Vegas restaurant with the caption, “Holy airball.”

“If you are not a sports person, you probably have no idea like what this even means. Basically, an airball is when someone shoots the hoop, like in basketball, and they completely miss,” TikTok user Jade Dexter explained in a video. “It’s no net, no net at all. You don’t hit the rim. You miss your shot, basically.”

Need a bit more background? Here’s what to know about the “Holy (Freaking) Airball” trend.

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What is the ‘Holy (Freaking) Airball’ trend?

Gaining traction on TikTok in late May, the “Holy (Freaking) Airball” trend features videos of users “flexing,” or bragging on what they are most known for, whether it be a career, hobby or achievement. The videos are set to Jeezy’s 2005 hit “Survivor.”

Videos are formatted like a conversation with a new date or friend, in which the user has to “break it” to the other person that they are in fact worth being known about.

Actress, singer and dancer Julianne Hough, known for winning “Dancing the the Stars” twice, participated in the trend. In her TikTok video, which had 620,000 views as of June 2, Hough’s video starts with a selfie with the on-screen caption, “Told him I liked to dance.” The video then transitions to an old photo of Hough dancing as a kid with the on-screen caption, “He said, ‘Oh, cute. As a kid?'” A series of videos of Houghs competing on “Dancing with the Stars” then plays with the on-screen caption, “#HolyAirball.”

The “airball” refers to a missed basketball dunk, an analogy that the person inquiring about the poster’s career, hobby or achievement missed an opportunity to know an important piece of information.

Who else is chiming in?

All types of TikTok users have jumped on the trend.

Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Stephanie Roberts’ “Holy (Freaking) Airball” video had 69,000 views as of June 2.

“Told them I was a professional dancer,” Roberts’ video starts, featuring an older photo of her, outside of cheer attire. “‘Oh, like a ballet dancer?'” the video continues. Robert’s video then carousels through a collection of photos of her time as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

New York public defender Eliza Orlins, better known for her appearances on “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race,” tapped into the trend, too.

Orlins’ TikTok video starts with her showing off a dress in a mirror with the on-screen caption, “I told him I loved ‘Survivor.'” It continues, “He said, ‘Oh, do you watch that show?'” To which Orlins’ video concludes with several screenshots of her from her time competing on the show in 2004 and 2008. As of June 2, the video had 461,000 views.

TikTok user Mattie Cassaday took a more humorous approach to the trend.

“Told them I had a lot of school spirit,” Cassady’s TikTok video starts. “They said, ‘What, like you’re a cheerleader?’ The video then segues to videos of Cassady inside the University of Oklahoma’s horse mascot costume. As of June 2, Cassady’s video had 20,700 views.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Holy Airball’: Latest internet trend explained