THE PANAM AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGINS!!!

The Medellin 2025 Pan American Aquatic Sports Championship begins this Tuesday. The best representatives of the continent will compete in Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water and Artistic Swimming. And you will be able to watch all the details live on the Panam Sports Channel.

Today is the Opening Ceremony at 6pm.

Everything is ready and set in the Colombian city of Medellin for what will be an aquatic event never seen before in our region. It is the Panam Aquatics 2025 Championship that will count with the participation of more than 1200 athletes.

A total of 45 nations will be represented in this competition: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela will be the countries seeking glory in this competition.

This is the first time in history that an event of these characteristics has been held, so expectations are very high considering that it is also a qualifying competition for the Junior Pan American Games 2025 and for the World Aquatic Sports Championship in Singapore.

There will be 5 disciplines in this event:

Swimming: May 13 to 17
Diving: May 13 to 17
Artistic Swimming: May 17 to 20
Water Polo: May 19 to 25.
Open Water Swimming: May 21 to 23.

On Tuesday, May 13, the swimming and diving competitions are expected to begin with the preliminaries.

The Opening Ceremony of this event is scheduled for today at 6 p.m., with a program that includes speeches by the main authorities, an artistic show and the parade of the participating delegations.

All the alternatives of this championship can be seen on our Panam Sports Channel, the Official Channel of the Panam Aquatics Medellin 2025.

If you haven’t downloaded the APP, it’s absolutely free.

PANAM SPORTS CHANNEL

Montreal — It’s been ten years since the UFC touched down at the Bell Centre in Montreal, where Georges St-Pierre once dominated the welterweight division.

Following UFC 315 on Saturday, the promotion’s return to those hallowed grounds where over 19,000 fans turned up to see Jack Della Maddalena dethrone Belal Muhammad for GSP’s old belt, you can rest assured there won’t be another ten-year gap between visits.

Filling in for Dana White at the UFC 315 post-fight press conference, UFC Senior Vice President of International and Content David Shaw noted that the promotion views Montreal as a Pay-Per-View calibre city.

“Yeah absolutely. I think in our mind, Montreal is a Pay-Per-View city, and so there are a number of Pay-Per-View cities in Canada,” stated Shaw, asked whether the promotion might visit the city more frequently. “We’re trying to get back to maybe three events a year. So it certainly won’t be as long as it’s been.”

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic setting in and shutting things down in early 2020, Canada had seen a steady three UFC events per year. That changed with COVID, as the promotion did not return to the country until a stop in Vancouver in 2023. Two shows, one in Toronto and one in Edmonton, took place last year. Montreal marked the first Canadian show of 2025; there will be at least one more, Shaw confirmed to Cageside Press.

Asked about a rumored second date, “the update is that we will have a date, the lack of update is that we don’t have a date to disclose,” stated Shaw. “Nor do we have a city to disclose. But we’re actively working on it. Not going to happen in the summer, so we’re looking at the fall. October, November.”

Watch the full UFC 315 post-fight press conference appearance by David Shaw above.

By NOAH TRISTER

Patrick Ewing was poised to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft 40 years ago when Commissioner David Stern began the first draft lottery by pulling a logo of the Golden State Warriors out of an envelope — indicating they would select seventh.

Pat O’Brien, announcing for CBS, proclaimed: “And the first team to hate the lottery.”

Now the question is who will be the next team to hate the lottery. Utah, Washington or Charlotte, perhaps? Each has a league-best 14% chance of picking first this year.

“That day we don’t have a lot of control over. The balls will tell us our fate,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins told Monumental Sports Network recently — a reference to the table tennis balls in a lottery machine that determine the top few picks.

Back in 1985, Stern simply picked envelopes out of a drum, a process seized upon by conspiracy theorists suspicious of the ultimate result that sent Ewing to the New York Knicks. The Warriors had finished tied for the league’s worst record in the 1984-85 season, but they received the No. 7 pick.

Duke star Cooper Flagg is expected to be the first player taken in next month’s draft but nothing is guaranteed.

The lottery is now an annual NBA event in which largely downtrodden teams find out if fortune is smiling on them. Every franchise has had significant experience with the lottery — with some certainly enjoying it more than others.

The Associated Press reviewed each franchise’s draft lottery history. Here are a few highlights and lowlights:

— Most lottery wins. The record for lottery wins is four, by Cleveland and Orlando. The Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and San Antonio have received the top pick three times.

— No lottery wins. Eight franchises have never won the lottery: The Grizzlies, Heat, Jazz, Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers and Thunder. Dallas, Denver and Memphis have been particularly unlucky, and Minnesota had a brutal lottery record before finally landing the No. 1 pick in 2015 and 2020.

— Longest long shots. Orlando snagged the top pick in 1993 despite a probability of 1.5%. Chicago in 2008 and Cleveland in 2014 each had a 1.7% chance when they won.

— Best odds on Monday. Each team in the lottery had an equal chance of picking No. 1 during the early years. Then a weighted system was introduced. After Orlando’s 1993 win, the teams at the top of the lottery were given slightly better chances, but lately that’s reverted back a bit. Following Utah, Washington and Charlotte this year are New Orleans (12.5%), Philadelphia (10.5%), Brooklyn (9%), Toronto (7.5%), San Antonio (6.7%), Houston (3.8%), Portland (3.7%), Dallas (1.8%), Chicago (1.7%) and Sacramento (0.8%).

— Record-setting Warriors. For much of the lottery’s history, there’s been a limit to how far teams can fall, so nobody has ever dropped again the way Golden State did in 1985.

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(AP reviewed data on realgm.com to compile this report.)

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

LaunchBreak presents an innovative professional development platform that is specifically designed to harness the competitive advantages of female athletes in corporate leadership. The service capitalizes on compelling research showing 94% of C-suite women have sports backgrounds, as well as the stark gender disparity in executive roles, where women currently hold just 3.4% of CEO positions globally.

LaunchBreak was founded by former Division 1 tennis players Philippa Portnoy and Teresa Saputo-Crerend. The professional development platform recognizes the transferable skills developed through athletics — from teamwork and resilience to strategic thinking — and provides targeted career support, including mentorship connections, resume optimization, and interview preparation.

By creating a dedicated networking community for women with athletic backgrounds, LaunchBreak offers a unique value proposition that differentiates it from generic professional development services.

Image Credit: LaunchBreak

BELTON, TX (May 9, 2025) — Central Texas College celebrated a significant milestone during its Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 9, recognizing a 33 percent increase in graduates compared to last year. A total of 1,472 students earned degrees or certificates this spring—up from 991 in Spring 2024. 

“This remarkable growth is more than just a number—it’s a reflection of perseverance, support, and the shared commitment to student success,” said Dr. Michele J. Carter, Chancellor of Central Texas College. “We are proud of every graduate and grateful to the faculty, staff, and partners who helped them complete this journey.” 

Graduates Represent Central Texas and Beyond 

CTC’s Class of 2025 reflects the college’s broad regional reach and diverse student body. Graduates hailed from across Central Texas and beyond, including Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Fort Cavazos, Belton, Temple, Austin, Burnet, Columbus, Cypress, Edinburg, Granger, Harlingen, Houston, Kempner, Kerrville, Lampasas, Leander, Manor, Moody, Nolanville, Princeton, Salado, and San Antonio. 

Military-Affiliated Graduates 

CTC’s legacy of serving military-connected students remains strong. Among the Spring 2025 graduates: 

• • 376 were active-duty Army 
• • 492 were military family members 
• • 556 were non-military civilians 
• • Additional graduates included service members from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, National Guard, and Coast Guard 

High School Dual Credit Graduates 

This spring, 260 high school students earned college credentials before graduation through CTC’s early college and dual credit programs: 

• • 152 from Killeen ISD Early College High School 
• • 39 from the STEM Academy 
• • 35 from Killeen ISD dual credit programs 
• • 34 from Copperas Cove ISD dual credit programs 

“These students are leaving high school with college credentials already in hand. It’s an outstanding achievement that highlights the strength of our partnerships with area school districts,” Carter said. “Central Texas College remains committed to expanding access to higher education—especially for first-generation college students, military-connected students, and economically challenged students.” 

For more information on CTC programs and enrollment, visit www.ctcd.edu. 

Advance online tickets are on sale for the upcoming Interscholastic Girls High School Football League semifinal matches kicking off at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

Tickets are $5 each for all spectators and available for purchase online through GuamTime at https://events.guamtime.net/event/girls-hs-semi-finals

The semifinals will feature Harvest Christian Academy Eagles taking on defending champions John F. Kennedy High School Islanders at 4:30 p.m. at GFA 1 (upper pitch) and St. John’s School Knights playing against No. 1 Academy of Our Lady of Guam Cougars at 4:30 p.m. at GFA 2 (lower pitch).

During the regular season, the Islanders defeated the Eagles 2-1 on April 29, while the Cougars defeated the Knights 2-1 the following day.

Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. Monday for the semifinal matches at GFA. Spectators are not allowed to bring in any outside food and drinks, alcohol, pets, or coolers to the venue for the Girls High School league matches. Additionally, smoking – including vaping and e-cigarettes – is strictly prohibited at GFA.

Advance online tickets sales for the championship match and the third-place match will open after the semifinals through GuamTime at https://events.guamtime.net/event/girls-hs-football-league-consolation-and-championship.