By Lisa S. Icenogle

CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper College Athletics Department was recently honored during the NERD YMCA of Natrona County’s 11th annual Wall of Honor Celebration.

Paxton Stoneking, who just finished his freshman year at the college as a member of the Casper College Men’s Soccer team, accepted the award on behalf of athletics. According to head soccer coach Ben McArthur Paxton has a unique relationship with the Y.

“Paxton started soccer as a child through the Casper YMCA, which made him a great person to accept this recognition on behalf of the CC athletics department,” McArthur said.

Stoneking, a midfielder for the men’s soccer team, noted that it was at the Y when he was a small child that he put on a pair of soccer cleats for the very first time.

“I was just a little kid, running around with a jersey that nearly reached my ankles,” he said. “Fast forward to today, and the YMCA is still a major part of my life.”

“Watching Paxton mature has been really fun over the last few years. Last year, as a soccer team member, he showed growth and leadership skills. Having the chance to represent Casper College Athletics is a full circle moment for him with the YMCA recognition,” McArthur added.

Four businesses or individuals are recognized each year. In addition to Casper College, the True Companies, Amber and Pete Fazio, and Trudi Holthouse were recognized.

“We are honored to be included in this year’s list of honorees,” president Brandon Kosine said. “This recognition represents the hard work of our student-athletes who engaged with community children and youth in sports activities at the Y. We genuinely value Casper College’s partnership with the Y and look forward to our continued collaboration.”

“The partnership between the YMCA and Casper College Athletics has greatly enhanced our youth sports programming. The athletes are great mentors and role models to our young sports players and help them see what the love for a lifelong sport can look like,” added Stephanie Disburg, CEO of the YMCA of Natrona County.

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QUILCENE — In a closely split decision, the Quilcene School District board has voted to prohibit transgender students from participating in school sports in accordance with their gender identity. The vote, held during a May 7 meeting, passed 3-2 and sparked heated debate among board members, parents, and students in the small Jefferson County community.

Located south of Port Townsend, Quilcene is one of the first school districts in Washington to adopt such a ban, putting it at odds with the state’s interscholastic sports policy.

During the meeting, strong opinions were voiced from both sides of the issue. Board members Ron Frantz and Viviann Kuehl engaged in a pointed exchange over how Title IX—the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education—should be interpreted.

“Title 9 is the law,” Frantz stated firmly, implying that gender-based sports divisions should align with biological sex.

“This is an interpretation, this is not the law,” countered Kuehl. “The law nowhere in it says only biological males can play biological male sports, by tradition. That is not in Title 9.”

Frantz replied, “I’m probably the only one who’s read the whole thing of Title 9.”

“I did myself,” Kuehl said. “It doesn’t say that.”

The decision comes despite a longstanding policy from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which has since 2007 allowed students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. The WIAA policy emphasizes inclusion and equal access for transgender athletes, and it remains in effect for member schools across the state.

It is unclear whether the Quilcene School District’s new rule will trigger any legal challenges or sanctions from the WIAA. State officials and advocacy groups have not yet issued public statements in response to the vote.

For now, the decision underscores the broader national debate playing out at local school boards over the participation of transgender youth in competitive athletics.

Source: FOX 13

It was a youth league play. Only the youth leaguer sitting next to me would never have done it.

“That’s illegal,” Easton English said. The 8-year-old from Parker then rose higher in his seat in Section 126 at Coors Field. “That is Illegal!”

Sure is. When you’re on the express train to 100-plus losses, you’re going to come up with creative ways to lose over 162 games. The Rockies managed to find a new one on Saturday against the big, bad Yankees.

The Local Nine gave up a 10-spot in the top of the fifth that featured three walks, seven hits, 14 batters and a viral moment from second baseman Adael Amador.

As Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt looped a single over the infield and into short right, the sublime gave way to ridiculous. At game speed, Amador appeared to lose his glove in midair as the ball went whizzing over his head. Only on replay, it didn’t look as much “lose his glove” as “fling his glove at the ball during mid-flight.”

“I haven’t talked to him about that,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said after Colorado was smushed, 13-1, dropping to 9-43 in a season that’s still got 110 games left. “I’m not quite sure what that was. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Actually, young Easton already did. MLB rule 5.06 (4) (C) awards the batter and runner three bases if the fielder is adjudged to have deliberately thrown his glove at a live batted ball and said glove touches that ball. There’s no penalty if the ball is not touched or the removal is perceived to have been accidental. Amador told The Post’s Corey Masisak, through an interpreter, that the glove accidentally slipped. The umpiring crew agreed.

Amador stayed in the game. Goldschmidt’s single made it 9-1 Yankees. The Bronx Bombers plated two more after that to put the game away, so the airborne glove became a moot point.

But back in Section 126, where Easton was watching the game with his family, it became another Rockies learning experience. Another perfect example of what not to do.

Easton, you see, is a center fielder with the Parker Knights 8-and-under baseball team. His father, Kevin English, is one of the Knights’ assistant coaches.

This week on Skin in the Game, John and Tim sit down with Greg Pokriki from Invest Buffalo Niagara to explore the powerful connection between sports, identity, and economic development in Western New York. From major league franchises to youth leagues and college teams, Pokriki explains how the region’s passion for sports is more than just fandom—it’s a strategic asset for attracting businesses and bringing talent back home.

At the core of the conversation is Invest Buffalo Niagara’s Be in Buffalo initiative, a post-pandemic push to grow the region’s workforce and convince former Western New Yorkers—and newcomers—that this is the place to live, work, and play. That means leaning into the city’s snow-covered brand with winter sports and recreation while spotlighting the other three seasons that make WNY a year-round destination.

Whether skating at Canalside, cheering at a Sabres game, or coaching Little League on a spring afternoon, Pokriki makes the case that sports shape how we see ourselves—and how others see us. It’s about identity, momentum, and why people put down roots in a place that shows up for its teams, people, and future. We call that “skin in the game.”

VICTORIA, Texas- As the countdown to fall football begins, one local youth football organization is already putting in the work to prepare its athletes for a big season ahead—one that comes with new challenges and new opportunities.

This week, the organization kicked off its summer conditioning camp, where young players of all age divisions are sharpening their skills, building endurance, and strengthening team chemistry. Coaches say it’s about more than just fitness—it’s the foundation for a successful season.

Coach Caleb Garcia spoke to 25 News Now, sharing how the camp is part of a broader push to get ready for a major transition.

“We’re moving into a brand-new conference this fall,” Garcia said. 

But the action isn’t just limited to the fall. Athletes in the organization’s high school division are preparing to compete in a statewide 7-on-7 football tournament, a fast-paced, non-contact version of the game that emphasizes speed, strategy, and communication.

Stay tuned to 25 News Now for continuing coverage of local youth sports and the athletes working hard behind the scenes to make their seasons a success.

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