Selma is home to a rising star in gymnastics.

Shekinah Andrews, 14, an eighth grader at R.B. Hudson STEAM Academy, is rising the ranks in state and regional gymnastics competitions, placing in the top 10 regionally in May.

Andrews started gymnastic training at Dixie Flips when she was three years old. When her trainer became ill and the facility closed, Andrews took about a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, mother Ceria Blake said. That’s when the passion began burning and she decided to get back into gymnastics and start competing.  

 “I want to be a gymnast when I get older, I want to start pursuing my dreams,” Andrews said.

Eleven years later, she wants to pursue gymnastics in college and see where it may take her in the future. 

After returning from the break, Andrews started training with Callen Free in Selma, but to compete she needed to go to Prattville YMCA where there is a team. Andrews said she has an intense training schedule three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays in Prattville.

She competes in balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault. She has a regular routine but wants to move up in her skill level, so she is planning to add different moves.  

There are different levels of accomplishments, similar to the belts in martial arts: silver, gold, platinum, diamond. Andrews is at the gold level and is working for platinum. 

To get to the regional competition, Andrews had to be among the highest scorers in her age group at state competition. “I got all nines. I was the only person to get all nines (out of 10) in each event.” With those scores, she was off to her first regional competition held May 3 at Lakepoint Sports in Cartersville, Georgia. 

There, Andrews scored seventh in vault, eighth in uneven bars, seventh in balance beam and eighth place all around against gymnasts from Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and other parts of Alabama.

Both Andrews and Blake said they would love to see a gymnastics team formed in Selma that could go to competitions. Blake said good, dedicated trainers are needed. Then dedicated participants. And then register with USA Gymnastics to be official. Until then, they go to the Prattville YMCA.

Feature Photo courtesy of Noah Dobson

Noah Dobson is set to return to his hometown of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, for the third edition of Noah Dobson’s HockeyFest – a three-day street hockey festival running June 20-22 at Credit Union Place.

The event, which aims to raise money and awareness for Community Connections Inc., a local nonprofit organization supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, will once again bring the world’s largest street hockey festival to Dobson’s hometown of Summerside.

“HockeyFest partnered with Summerside – making it the only Atlantic Canadian stop in its annual tour over the last four years,” said Dobson, who skated in his sixth NHL season – all with the New York Islanders – in 2024-25.

“The City of Summerside asked me to come on board as its brand partner and renamed the event with my name attached in 2023. I’d been looking for something special to get involved with, and with this being my hometown, it was the perfect fit and a chance to give back to my community.”

A community that holds great memories for Dobson.

“I remember growing up playing minor hockey in Summerside and everything was first class – we had great tournaments, great teams and tremendous support from the community. You will see kids wearing hats of all NHL teams. You can tell how big hockey is here. You can see the love the city has for the sport.” 

The event has been a huge hit, to say the least.

Games are played on half-scale NHL-style rinks, complete with real boards, netting and referees.

“2022 was the first year the city hosted this type of event with about 25 teams”, said Dobson. “When I came on board in 2023 we reached 51 teams, doubling the interest, which we thought was great. Last year, we hit 102 teams, making it the largest HockeyFest in North America for 2024 – and we’re already well past that number for this year.”

With a new record of 140 teams registered for the 2025 edition, Dobson is equally as excited for the event to raise funds for a worthy cause in Community Connections Inc.

“Partnering with Community Connections Inc has been incredible – 100 percent of the proceeds from this event go towards helping adults with diverse abilities,” noted Dobson.

“It’s great to give back and the funds that we have raised thus far have already made a significant impact. Whether it’s providing wheelchairs, accessible vehicles, upgraded facilities or new sports programs, it’s been wonderful to see great people benefit from the funds raised through HockeyFest.” 

There will be plenty of familiar sights and sounds over the three-day event for the 25-year-old defenceman.

“It’s cool to have this played on the streets of Summerside – the same streets where I grew up playing ball hockey with friends. We played almost every night.” 

There will also be plenty of familiar faces to greet Dobson.

“I am fortunate to have a great support team helping me run all this. The City of Summerside does a great job with every event they put on – especially when it comes to their sport tourism events. Tanner Doiron, who works for the city, played minor hockey with me growing up, and he’s been incredible in making sure everything runs smoothly.” 

Dobson’s parents, Andrew and Jenny, will be on hand. His fiancée, Alexa Serowik, her sister Pia and their father – former NHL player Jeff Serowik – are all contributing in various ways.

“My family is very involved,” said Dobson. “A lot of local businesses in Summerside will take part in a corporate division – my dad plays with Holland College, where he works. This year, my fiancée’s parents have donated a team, and she is going to play with her sister and friends. It’s a great weekend and we try to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone. There are many people behind the scenes who work so hard to make this event great – it’s a big team effort.”

NHLPA Goals & Dreams – the players’ charitable initiative, established in 1999 – is once again providing support to this year’s event as a platinum sponsor after contributing to the tournament the last three years, including to its silent auction.

Last year, NHLPA Goals & Dreams and Dobson donated 20 sets of equipment to support young hockey players in Summerside, and together they are looking ahead to areas where another G&D equipment donation may help next season.

“I am very grateful for having the NHLPA involved and helping us out,” said Dobson. “For a small community to be put on a much larger stage through the platform the NHLPA has is truly amazing.”

“I know that Noah is incredibly grateful to so many who have supported him since youth hockey and continue to support him by donating their time to HockeyFest,” added Alexa. 

Alexa, born and raised in the Boston area, feels right at home in Summerside. 

The couple, who will tie the knot on July 1, are building their first home in Prince Edward Island.

“It’s important for Noah and me to give back to the community. Summerside is home for us. I have come a few times even throughout this past winter and gotten to know so many wonderful people in this tight-knit community over the past few years.” 

A news reporter and sports personality who has covered NASCAR, hockey, and the entertainment world, she will likely expand the number of people she knows in Summerside further after this year’s HockeyFest.  

Alexa, along with her sister, will be playing on one of the corporate teams.

“I’m playing this year and I’m most looking forward to that,” said Alexa. “Pia is an NCAA D1 field hockey player at Boston College and although I was a theatre major at BC, I was the JV captain of ice hockey at the Noble and Greenough School. Pia and I are on a corporate team from my family, Pro Ambitions Mr. Assist. My dad would normally be here and love to play too, but he just had a full knee replacement and right now his focus is walking me down the aisle without a limp and getting back on the ice with his company, Pro Ambitions.”

She added with a laugh, “I am thinking ball hockey is a crossover of field and ice hockey, so it will be interesting to see who scores more goals … me or Pia.”

Those friendly sibling rivalries aside, Dobson, who will present medals to the winning teams and take photos with the players, is grateful for the heartfelt efforts of many.

“It’s so nice to have people who are a big part of my life helping me out at this event. It really does mean a lot.”

HockeyFest means the world to the people of Summerside, a small city with a big love for all things hockey.

“At the festival, on the weekend, seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces and everyone here joining together for a great event – we are so grateful,” said Dobson. “I’m available all weekend and I’m happy to sign stuff and meet people.”

Alexa is equally grateful for the support.

“It means so much to Noah, me, his family and my family to give back to Noah’s hometown of Summerside,” said Alexa. “We all love hockey, developing youth players and supporting Noah’s chosen cause to help folks here in Prince Edward Island. 

“He loves seeing all the kids play in this cool tournament for charity. It’s such a fun family weekend.”

A weekend that Dobson looks forward to every June. 

“We aim to grow the event each year. … For a small place like Summerside, it’s been a great event.” 

ROSEMONT, Ill. — In conjunction with the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan women’s gymnastics team announced Wednesday (June 11) the home and away designations for the upcoming 2026 conference season.

The Wolverines will take on all but two members of the Big Ten Conference with three B1G home meets, three conference away meets and the Big Four Meet, which will be held at Penn State.

Michigan will host Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers, while it will travel to Minnesota, Ohio State and UCLA. U-M will travel to Penn State for its Big Four Meet and compete against the Nittany Lions along with Nebraska and Washington.

The Wolverines will celebrate their 50th season as a program in 2026 and will return 15 letterwinners from 2025.

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2026 season for $35 each. Purchase your season tickets and do not miss a moment of the action of Team 50. For information on single meet or group tickets, please fill out our ticket interest form.

By Alexis Demopoulos

Boston Jr. Rangers forward Bryan Tang is excited to announce his NCAA Division III commitment to Skidmore College for the 2025-26 season. Tang, who hails all the way from Hong Kong, started the 2024-25 season with the Jersey Hitmen before getting traded to the Jr. Rangers in November.

In 25 games played with the Jr. Rangers, Tang had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) and always made his presence known on the ice.

“When I arrived to the Jr. Rangers in November, I was excited at the opportunity to play in situations in which I didn’t previously get to play,” said Tang. “Head Coach Rich DiCaprio pushed us on and off the ice with workouts twice a week and skill skates before and after practices. Also, Coach would occasionally hold individual film sessions and talk to us about colleges to continue to help us develop our games and advance us to the next level.”

In addition to playing with the Hitmen and Jr. Rangers this year, he also suited up for the Hong Kong Men’s National Team at the World Championship Division 3 Group B tournament, where he placed third in scoring and helped Hong Kong earn a Bronze Medal.

Tang started speaking with Skidmore head coach Rob Hutchinson towards the end of December and the school instantly peaked his interest.

“Skidmore immediately jumped out to me as it provides a prestigious hockey program and an academically rigorous school,” said Tang. “Coach Hutchinson liked the speed I brought to the game and the skill I had to make plays.”

Tang felt Skidmore would be the best fit for him academically and the hockey program would challenge him in new ways. He also felt very welcomed when he visited campus.

“Skidmore provides a lot of alumni that can help me find a job at the end of my college career,” said Tang. “The hockey program is always competitive and I wanted to be a part of a winning culture. The tight-knit community drew me into Skidmore. When I got to campus, everyone was friendly and welcoming. The students at Skidmore are willing to help with anything you need and that is something I enjoyed.”

Tang knows the level of competition will be much more difficult next season so he will be working hard this off-season to get stronger.

“I will have to continue to get stronger over the summer and be ready to compete with bigger and stronger opponents,” said Tang. “Over the summer I will look to improve this aspect of my game to help Skidmore hockey to the best of my abilities.”

The NCDC congratulates Bryan Tang, his family, the Boston Jr. Rangers and Skidmore College for his commitment.

In today’s episode of Longshore and McKnight, John Longshore and Barry McKnight previewed the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont, highlighting course conditions, Scotty Scheffler’s dominance, and Bryson DeChambeau’s rising fan appeal. They questioned the relevance of the LIV Tour and shared trivia about the Stimpmeter and Oakmont’s unique design. Music nostalgia also crept in, with conversations about Glenn Frey’s solo career and the Bond soundtrack legacy, while guest Brian Reynolds of the RTJ Trail and CJ Duncan of Yellowhammer News offered insights into both golf and NCAA policy developments.

Catch live episodes of Longshore and McKnight daily on YouTube, Spotify, and on Yellowhammer News 

College football remained central, with Lindy’s preseason SEC rankings placing Auburn ninth and sparking debate. The hosts discussed the evolving NIL landscape, referencing comments from Alabama AD Greg Byrne and NCAA President Charlie Baker. The episode also addressed declining fan engagement, the shift from traditional “Radio Row” to podcast-driven coverage, and how modern college athletics sell “experiences” over games.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday afternoon the 2026 conference opponents for all member schools.

The Terps will compete at home against Washington, Nebraska, and Rutgers. On the road, Maryland will travel to face Illinois, Michigan State, and Penn State. Maryland will also compete in the Big Four Meet, hosted by UCLA, where they will face UCLA, Ohio State, and Iowa.

The full 2026 Big Ten Conference schedule, including dates and meet times, will be released later this fall.

For updates and more information, visit umterps.com or follow @TerpsGymnastics on social media.