DENVER — Youth sports can be expensive. A Denver martial arts program believes every child should have access to training, no matter their family’s financial abilities.

“If finances are preventing your children from training, we want to make sure we change that,” said Alisha Bielak, an ambassador for the Martial Arts Moves program at the Easton Training Center in Centennial. “We never want that to be the reason you’re not giving this power to your children.”

Bieliak experienced the impact of self-defense training first-hand when she enrolled her daughter in classes at 4 years old.

“I have a wonderful, strong-willed child,” said Bielak. “About a month in, we almost quit because she tackled a kid at school.”

Eleven years later, Bielak and her daughter have become symbols of the positive benefits martial arts training can have in the lives of Colorado kids.

“You carry yourself in a different way when you know you can defend yourself, when you know you can defend others, when you see something wrong happening and you know you can put a stop to it,” said Bielak.

For almost a decade, in association with Easton Training Centers all over the Front Range, Bielak and Martial Arts Moves has opened doors for kids interested in or in need of self-defense training.

“It’s not a charity program,” said Bielak. “We’re not treating them any differently. They’re here, we want them here, and we’re able to share that so we do.”

Martial Arts Moves provides scholarships so kids can attend training classes, but that money requires commitment.

“The kids promise to be the best examples in class and a future leader,” Bielak explained. “The goal at the end of the three-year scholarship is that they become a coach and then they share their gift with the next generation of students.”

At the moment, the program serves roughly 35 students, but Bielak said they’re always looking for opportunities to grow.

“Giving kids a way up that they own, that they control, that they’re in charge of, it’s so empowering and it’s something I wish we could give every child,” said Bielak.

If you’re interested in applying to the Martial Arts Moves program, click here. You can also donate to the program through this link.

UNION, Ky. — Cooper High School named former girls basketball head coach Justin Holthaus on Thursday afternoon as the Jaguars’ boys basketball head coach.

“I am confident that Coach Holthaus will bring the same level of excellence, energy, and vision to the varsity boys basketball program as he has consistently demonstrated throughout his career,” Cooper athletic director Randy Borchers said in a news release.

Borchers said the girls basketball head coaching position should be posted on Friday.

Holthaus, a former Cooper boys basketball assistant coach, succeeds former longtime Cooper boys basketball head coach Tim Sullivan, who accepted the St. Henry District High School boys basketball head coaching position May 14.

Sullivan, who had been Cooper’s head coach since the program started in 2008, said May 13 his Cooper coaching contract was not renewed for the 2025-26 season.

The development occurred less than two months after Sullivan led Cooper (24-6 record in 2024-25) to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state quarterfinals at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The Jaguars lost to eventual state champion Great Crossing in a quarterfinal March 28.

Holthaus, a fixture in Northern Kentucky high school basketball, is Cooper’s all-time winningest girls basketball coach with a 128-30 record. He transformed the girls team into a state powerhouse.

“With a proven record of success, a deep understanding of the game, and a heartfelt commitment to the school, Coach Holthaus is poised to elevate the program to new heights,” Cooper High School said in a news release.

Holthaus has led Cooper to four consecutive Ninth Region championships, becoming the girls basketball team in regional history to accomplish such a feat. He also led the Jaguars to four consecutive 33rd District titles, four Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet 16 appearances, two state Final Fours and an Elite Eight finish.

The Cooper girls basketball team (26-6 record in 2024-25) was a state quarterfinalist this past season. Holthaus has earned a great deal of coaching honors, including being a three-time Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame Kentucky Coach of the Year.

“Beyond the accolades, Holthaus has been a consistent force in preparing student-athletes for collegiate competition, with multiple recruits advancing to play at the NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA levels,” Cooper High School said in a news release. “His leadership is a testament to his emphasis on skill development and student-athlete success on and off the court.”

Holthaus previously helped to lead the boys basketball program to success as an assistant coach, including being a part of the 2017 state runner-up team. His earlier tenure also included six 33rd District championships and other tournament titles.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head coach of Cooper boys basketball,” Holthaus said in a news release. “This program has a proud tradition and I’m committed to building on that foundation. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Cooper’s elite student-athletes, supporting their growth on and off the court, and representing the Cooper community with pride.”

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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders made a big announcement that had nothing to do with its play on Sundays.

The Silver and Black are partnering with Clark County School District and its middle school athletic department to form the Silver and Black League for middle school flag football, the team announced Thursday at Sig Rogich Middle School in Summerlin.

Channel 13 sports reporter Nick Walters was there for the event to meet with the Raiders representative and catch up with the kids participating in the skills combine that the team hosted afterwards.

VIDEO: Nick Walters catches up with kids participating in flag football

Raiders partner with CCSD to launch middle school flag football Silver & Black League

“That is to elevate flag football that’s already going on in the district,” Raiders director of football development Myles Hayes said. “Flag football is continuing to grow across the country. We especially wanted to highlight the middle school athletes to continue their development and put them on a special platform that we can do as the Raiders.”

Since Nevada middle schools don’t have their own tackle football teams, flag football teams have been formed in recent years as the sport has grown nationally.

No stranger to hosting events to raise awareness of flag football in the valley, the Raiders are stepping in to make a difference.

“There’s going to be some equipment donations, obviously some branding, we’re going to have some player interaction at Raiders game days, we’ll be here celebrating them at their game days and be a part of their championship game,” Hayes added.

“Nevada was number 2 in girls’ high school football; we’ve been the leaders in this realm for a long time,” Hayes went on. “What’s special about it is this is a city that welcomes all sports. It’s the Mecca of sports. What better to highlight flag football and the growth of it than here in Las Vegas?”

The Silver & Black League can be a game-changer that adds more legitimacy to youth flag football in southern Nevada.

“It’s really exciting because I’ve been in this program for three years now, and it’s already getting better and better,” Sig Rogich 8th grade player, Savannah said. “Now with this new partnership, I know it’s going to go above and beyond.”

“That’s very nice of (the Raiders) and I’m sure it’s going to get a lot of kids better and help them grow and give them exposure,” Sig Rogich 8th grade player Koi said.

An Olympic sport starting in 2028, flag football is allowing boys and girls who play other sports to try something new.

“I started playing basketball, but it became a hobby and I just fell in love with the sport,” Sig Rogich middle schooler Elijah said.

VIDEO: Here’s how to play flag football

Here’s how to play flag football

“It’s a mix of things,” Sig Rogich middle schooler, Annalise, said about the value of flag. “I think overcoming adversity is a part of it. I really enjoy football because it helps me get out of my comfort zone, and what I like too.”

“There’s so many athletes out there that just want to try something new, and this is like the perfect thing to try because there’s a mix of so many skills you can use,” Savannah added. “I really think it piques everybody’s interest.”

Coronado graduate Maci Joncich, who became the youngest player ever selected to the U.S. Women’s National Flag Football team last year at age 17, is back on the team this year chasing her Olympic dreams. She says the Silver & Black League can help others follow in her footsteps.

“When I was in middle school, I was already playing flag, but they didn’t have anything like that,” Joncich told Channel 13’s Nick Walters. “We had one team in the whole Las Vegas Valley that would travel around the country. It gives a pipeline for the Olympics, for sure. These little girls now have this goal in mind: I want to be an Olympian one day. It’s really special for them to dip their toe in the water of flag football early on.”

The NFL announced this week that it would allow active players to participate in the first-ever flag football event in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

It’s the most recent news of a flag football hype train that’s gained steam since Joncich started playing in middle school.

“In 2021, everybody that was at tryouts was pretty much everybody who played flag,” Joncich said. “Everyone knew each other in the world of flag football. A tight little group. But now, I don’t know half the people that play the game. That’s so cool to be in such a rapidly growing sport.”

“Professional athletes on the men and the women’s side are interested in playing the game now,” Joncich added. “Who would’ve thought? This wasn’t even a college sport just a few years ago.”

The Silver & Black League will begin play this fall and will feature boys and girls teams from middle schools across the Las Vegas Valley.

TYLER, Texas — The Tyler Parks and Recreation on Thursday celebrated the naming of the ballfield at Fun Forest Park in honor of community leader Rev. Ralph Caraway Sr. with a ribbon cutting.

The field is being named in honor of Caraway’s years of service to youth sports and the community. In February, the Tyler City Council approved a request from the North Tyler Youth Baseball and Girls Softball Association to name the previously unnamed field in honor of Caraway.

Caraway is the senior pastor of St. Louis Baptist Church in Tyler, the Smith County Pct. 4 commissioner and team chaplain for the Tyler High football team.

He was the former president of the youth baseball league that once played at Fun Forest Park and has spent years coaching, working in the concession stand and serving on the youth baseball board.

“Well, I think the great thing about it is to have coached a generation and now see that generation come back and start coaching again. It’s a powerful investment. It’s a repeat investment, it’s a generational investment, and I think it’s something that we need to keep doing,” Caraway said. 

This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

Maybe he taught you to play basketball or maybe you listened to his KCSB radio show, Ital Soundz, on Sundays. Bernard Hicks was a dedicated mentor and coach, a smooth-talking deejay and radio host dialed into the worlds of reggae and African music, and a loving husband and father to his family. For half a century, Hicks brought good into the Santa Barbara community. He died on Friday, May 16, at the age of 73. 

“He was a man of service not only for his family but for the community as well,” his youngest son, Jelani Hicks, told the Independent.  

Born and raised in New York City, Hicks came west for school and sport. He attended Hartnell Junior College in Salinas, where he played basketball. There, Hicks met his wife, Lilly. In the ’70s, the couple moved to Santa Barbara and Hicks attended UCSB, where he started volunteering for the radio station, KCSB. 

The Hickses grew in Santa Barbara. His son Jelani said that through his life, he showed a deep love for his family. Hicks first got involved in coaching youth basketball when he brought his children to the Goleta Boys & Girls Club to teach them to play. Jelani says he coached all five of his children over the years. 

At the Goleta Boys & Girls Club, Hicks met Sal Roderiguez, the unit director at the time and later the CEO. Roderiguez says he saw Hicks’s skills instructing on the court and convinced him to coach basketball. From there, Hicks spent roughly the next 50 years coaching kids. 

“It was one of the best hires I’ve ever made in my life,” Roderiguez said. 

Hicks was a frequent volunteer at the Goleta Boys & Girls Club before he was hired as the athletics director at Santa Barbara’s Westside Boys & Girls Club. Later, Hicks would coach at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club (which rebranded as The Club in 2024). He was coaching the Santa Barbara Legends, a team of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders, the week he passed. 

Roderigeuz, who played basketball and coached alongside Hicks, said he was a fair coach who did his work because he cared.  

“He’d go out of his way to help kids,” Roderiguez said, adding that Hicks stepped into a mentor and parental role with athletes who needed support, especially kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Jelani Hicks said that his father and mother both provided a welcoming home and support system for kids without stable family lives. 

In addition to his roles at the Boys & Girls Clubs, Hicks coached at Dos Pueblos and San Marcos High School, as well as for the Dreamchasers — a girls’ basketball program started by Jelani Hicks. 

“He means so much to this community in so many different ways,” said Mark Alvarado, longtime friend and executive director of The Club.

Alvarado said he befriended Hicks at KCSB radio in 1989. He said when he got the job at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club, Hicks was the first person he called. 

Hicks, he said, had a peace and integrity about him. 

“When you come from a different community and you come into S.B., you bring in different knowledge of the world, and Bernard shared it humbly,” Alvarado said.

Along with his coaching legacy, Hicks made a name for himself in the world of radio. He started volunteering at KCSB in the 1970s. For decades, he hosted Ital Soundz, a mix of reggae and African styles, using the on-air name Bernard Hitz. 

Winston, also known by his on-air name Cool Ruler on radio station KJEE, said Hick’s years in the reggae world has given him a long legacy. 

“He [belongs on] the Rushmore of deejaying reggae music — a high mountain to climb,” he said. 

Winston met Hicks at KCSB in 1977, but had listened to his radio show as a young man. They became friends after attending a concert together in Long Beach and remained close friends until Hicks’s death. Winston said that along with his deejay skills, Hicks was a loving person who was always smiling. 

Hicks also helped with KCSB’s fund drives and did workshops on how to deejay and be live on air. KCSB advisor and host Ted Coe said he was an approachable, captivating storyteller and listener — and he excelled at speaking live. 

“He was so good at it. He had an amazing radio voice,” he said. 

Hicks even got a shout-out from the famous ska and reggae musician Jimmy Cliff after local artists who grew up listening to Hicks’s show had a chance to tour with Cliff. 

Coe said his dedication to the radio was incredible, with Hicks volunteering his time every week for more than four decades. 

Hicks gave himself to his community. Jelani Hicks said he was also a family man who took pride in his children and grandchildren. 

Along with his wife, Lilly, Hicks leaves behind five children, Maurice Hicks, Aisha Hicks Smiley, Khary Hicks, Noni Hicks, and Jelani Hicks; six grandchildren, Isaiah Hicks, Isaac Hicks Smiley, Julian Hicks, Malila Hicks Smiley, Amelia Hicks Smiley, and Ephraim Hicks Smiley; and one great-grandson, Josiah Hicks. 

Hicks’s family is currently planning a celebration of life open to the community to celebrate him.

The Irvine Pony 9-and-under team Mustang Division team coached by Andy Dennis, Ty Kincade and Vic Liu. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Stands were packed Thursday evening as hundreds of youth baseball players took part in opening ceremonies for the 33rd annual Irvine Pony Memorial Day Tournament at Harvard Park.

Games begin Friday and continue through Monday at fields in Irvine, Tustin and Costa Mesa.

The tournament field grew so much that organizers looked for fields in other cities. This year, there are a record 344 teams, including 20 from Mexico, according to Tournament Director Stacie Sloniger. There were 286 teams last year.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

Hundreds of teams lined up for opening ceremonies at Harvard Park.

One of the Tustin teams gets ready to head onto the field.

Young players get ready for the parade of teams.

Irvine Pony President and MC JD Hardin welcomes players during the parade of teams.

Players head to the field during the parade of teams.

One of the teams from Mexico poses for a picture.

Players get ready for the introductions.

Players and coaches from one of the Santa Ana teams.

Some of the players from the Irvine Pony 13-and-under team coached by Dave Castle.

There will be 728 games over the three days, including the Great Park.

” …. We got so big this year, so we had to go outside of Irvine to accommodate,” Sloniger said. “We’re looking at hopefully securing all of the fields at the Great Park next year so we can bring it on back into Irvine.

“We’re grateful and thankful that Costa Mesa and the City of Tustin allowed us use of the fields. We also have Irvine High School, Portola High School, Springbrook Elementary School that we also got from Irvine Unified School District.”

Fans attended the opening ceremony cheering for their teams.

“We’re really excited to have Arizona this year,” Sloniger said. “Last year we had a Utah team, but this is the first year that Arizona has been in the tournament.”

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran welcomed fans and players to the tournament and presented Hardin and Sloniger certificates for their years volunteering with the league.

All the teams from Mexico were also welcomed by league officials.

All the parking lots at Harvard Park were full and those attending parked their cars in a surrounding neighborhoods. Concession stand sales appeared to be brisk.

Schedule information is available by going to the Irvine Pony website.

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