Rec Sports

Flag on the Play

Published

8 months ago

April 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By Luke Burns

At the April 8th City Council meeting, the council voted to make a big change to our youth recreation football league. Instead of tackle football, our 5th and 6th graders will be playing flag football starting next year.

The council’s vote on the matter was unanimous. The suggestion to change to flag football was made by the Recreation Department based on feedback they received at the end of the season. The feedback came from multiple sources. Parents, staff, and coaches all weighed in on the pros and cons of a potential change.

Prior to being voted on by council, the move to flag football was approved unanimously by both the Event Board and the Recreation Advisory Board.

The move will allow kids to focus on the basics of the game before being taught proper tackling technique by a professional coaching staff later on. While big hits can make the highlight reels in the NFL, having youngsters do their best Kam Chancellor impressions before learning proper technique opens everyone up to serious injury risks.

Consideration for player safety was one of the biggest motivating factors in the move to flag football. We understand that injuries are always a part of playing sports, and no change is ever going to completely take away that risk. However, while cuts and bruises can build character for kids, concussions do not.

By reducing serious injuries at an early age, it means less risk for those injuries to be reaggravated and made worse as the kids continue to play at higher levels.

The change to flag football also helps our Recreation Department eliminate a big source of contention that has come up recently. Kids grow at different rates, and with that we’ve seen issues over the large size discrepancies between players. Changing to flag football will eliminate the need for weigh-ins and controversies over who can be a ball-carrier. The change also helps level the playing field for kids who may be late bloomers by not making them try to tackle someone who’s twice their size.

The council considered the mission of the Recreation Department in making the decision. The Recreation Department seeks to provide opportunities for as many kids as possible to be active and involved in sports. By making this change, we are making the game less of an injury risk, and more accessible. The hope is that in doing so, it will draw in more kids who want to try out football and see if they like it.

It’s important to note that this is not a blanket ban on youth tackle football in Artesia. This is just a change in direction that our Recreation Department is making with this specific program.

We are proud that Artesia is a football powerhouse, and we want that tradition to continue. Ultimately, our hope is that the change to flag football can help expand the game. By providing a safer way to play, we want to set kids up for success as they grow and write the next chapter of Artesia’s story as the City of Champions.

Luke Burns is the Communications Coordinator in the Finance and Administration Department for the City of Artesia.

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‘Horrible location:’ Proposed Eagle Costco sparks heated backlash and traffic concerns in a neighborhood meeting

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Tensions flared as nearly 200 Eagle residents packed a gymnasium to oppose Costco’s plans, voicing concerns about traffic safety and community character.

EAGLE, Idaho — Nearly 200 Eagle residents filled the gymnasium at Eagle Academy High School on Thursday night to voice concerns about a proposed 160,000-square-foot Costco warehouse and fuel station at the intersection of Highway 55 and Hill Road.

The membership-only retailer wants to build on 27 acres that once housed the Masterpiece Quarry, which closed in 2003. The site has sat largely vacant since, though previous plans for a Village at Meridian-like concept never materialized. A for sale sign is currently on the property.

Highway 55 is one of Idaho’s most heavily traveled roads, and residents told KTVB traffic is already a major concern.

“There’s been a lot of development and a lot more traffic than it used to be,” said Greg Drabek, who lives near the intersection. “Eagle is not the little town it used to be.”

Erika Lunbeck, who lives just 500 feet from the proposed site, said she learned about the project only recently.

“48 hours prior to this meeting, I received a notice on my door that there was going to be a question-and-answer session here tonight,” Lunbeck said.

When the meeting turned out to be an informational open house rather than a group question-and-answer format, tensions rose among attendees.

“It’s a waste of our time to be here,” said Ray Gillenwater, who also lives near the project. “We get a three-minute spiel from a real estate developer, and then he says, now it’s an open house. Go and walk around. It’s like, well, no, we’re here to give you our feedback. We’re here to have a conversation.”

John Shaw, a director of real estate development for Costco, facilitated the meeting. He told KTVB this is the typical style of neighborhood meetings they’ve held in the past, and once a formal application is submitted with the city a public hearing opportunity would be held. He added that a neighborhood meeting is a requirement to hold before a formal application for the project to the city.

Residents could ask questions individually to engineers stationed around the room at different poster boards. The majority of people KTVB spoke to were against the project, mainly due to traffic concerns, while a few saw the project as a good economic opportunity for the area.

Engineers at Kittleson and Associates, who completed a traffic study for the project and submitted it to Ada County Highway District (ACHD), said they estimate thousands of vehicle trips to and from the Costco each day. They’ve drafted plans to widen roads and add roundabouts in the area to help with any concerns. The engineers said the traffic study could be modified before Costco submits a final application, with a traffic study to the city for consideration.

Costco is planning for approximately 900 parking spots at the location. Even with proposals for traffic improvements, residents still worry traffic will spill over into the nearby neighborhoods and roads.

“You put a business with that much volume right next to all these houses, and it just destroys the whole community,” Gillenwater said.

“It’s a horrible location,” Lunbeck said.

Lunbeck said the location is particularly dangerous because it sits across from the Optimist Youth Sports Complex.

“There are so many children crossing the streets. The amount of cars going through is astronomical, astronomical, and it’s only a matter of time before something seriously tragic will happen,” Lunbeck said. “It is a horrible location.”

She also raised concerns about local wildlife but said project members didn’t have many answers.

“We have prong horn on our street,” Lunbeck said. “We have golden eagles flying above it. These are supposed to be protected habitats, and I see no protections happening.”

Shaw did not indicate when Costco plans to submit land use applications to the city of Eagle.

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