Monrovia – In a country where football dominates youth sports, 11-year-old Zuri Shannon is using tennis to chart a new path for underprivileged children. On Saturday, May 31, she officially launched Zuri’s Tennis Foundation with the debut of Zuri’s Tennis Classic at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Tennis Court in Paynesville.
By Christopher C. Walker (0777898224 [email protected])
The youth tournament brought together 16 young players, with an equal number of boys and girls under the age of 14. They competed not just for trophies but for tuition support and the chance to pursue a better future through sport.
Zuri, a grade school student with a growing passion for tennis, created the foundation to make the sport accessible to children from low-income backgrounds.
Her motivation comes from recognizing how rare opportunities are in tennis, especially when most Liberian children are only exposed to football. Her mother, Cllr. Idella Cooper, explained that Zuri constantly talks about tennis with her friends and wants other kids to experience a sport they rarely see or play.
Zuri’s Tennis Foundation aims to connect sports with education and discipline, empowering young people through structured opportunities. The tournament, her foundation’s first major event, highlighted just how impactful such efforts can be.
Despite shared equipment, mismatched sneakers, and minimal resources, the players brought incredible passion and determination to the court. For many, it was their first time competing in an organized tennis event or even stepping onto a proper tennis court.
Coach Alfred Kandakai described the atmosphere as electric, emphasizing the pride and sense of purpose the children displayed during the matches.
At the close of the tournament, four young champions received not only trophies and medals but tuition support as part of the foundation’s commitment to education.
In the boys’ under-14 category, Benjamin Kandakai secured first place and was awarded a US$150 tuition grant along with a trophy. Zandra Panagar Kawah finished in second place and received a US$75 tuition grant and a medal. In the girls’ under-14 category, Favor Gbana took first place with the same prize as the boys’ champion, while the second-place winner, whose name was not disclosed, received a US$75 tuition grant and a medal.
Cllr. Cooper expressed pride in her daughter’s leadership, noting that although she had helped organize youth tournaments in the past, this event was fully driven by Zuri’s vision and initiative.
Looking ahead, the foundation plans to expand access to tennis in underserved communities by organizing more youth tournaments tied to educational rewards. It also aims to distribute tennis equipment, including rackets and sneakers, to children who might otherwise never get the chance to play.
Zuri’s Tennis Foundation is not just about competition. It is a platform built on empowerment, discipline, and opportunity. While still in its early stages, the foundation is already being recognized for its unique approach to blending sports with education and creating space for youth development outside of football.
“We’re just getting started,” said Cllr. Cooper. “This is more than tennis. It’s about giving kids the tools they need to succeed—on and off the court.”
The City of Arkadelphia’s Parks and Recreation Department has adjusted the start of its winter youth basketball season by one week.
The season will now begin on January 17 instead of January 10 and will conclude on March 7.
This adjustment is due to team jerseys not yet arriving because of shipping delays related to the holiday season.
Parks and Recreation expects the season to begin as scheduled on Saturday, January 17. Any changes will be communicated through the City’s social media channels at @arkadelphiaar.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Golden State Sports Academy, powered by Rakuten, has announced its 2026 Golden State Basketball Camp spring camp schedule, which includes camp sessions at 13 Bay Area locations for youth ages seven and up. Registration is now open for all spring camp sessions at gssportsacademy.com.
The spring schedule will run from March 7 through April 19, highlighted by clinics at Chase Center in San Francisco and the Sephora Performance Center in Oakland. The spring schedule will include various skills clinics focusing on specific elements of the game.
Early Registration and sibling discounts are available. All sessions are for youth, ages seven and up, unless noted otherwise. For complete details on Golden State Basketball Camp and to register online, visit gssportsacademy.com or call (510) 986-5310.
The 2026 Golden State Basketball Camp spring schedule includes:
About Golden State Sports Academy Golden State Sports Academy, formerly known as Warriors Basketball Academy, which encompasses the organization’s youth basketball efforts across the Bay Area, has hosted over 90,000 participants since its inception in 2000. A member of the Jr. NBA’s Flagship Network, Golden State Sports Academy has been deemed one of 18 best-in-class youth basketball organizations that share the Jr. NBA’s vision for how the game should be taught. For more information, follow Golden State Sports Academy on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X at @gssportsacademy.
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown field hockey is set to host a youth and middle school camp this summer from June 8th through the 10th at Andre Reed Stadium.
The camp is designed for grades K-8th. Each day the session will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The cost to attend is $150 pre-registration, which can be done prior to June 1.
Athletes should bring a stick, mouth guard, shin guards, turf shoes or sneakers and a water bottle. Goalies must bring their own equipment.
For additional information, contact camp director and KU head coach Marci Scheuing at scheuing@kutztown.edu, or by phone at 610-683-4378.
The Youth and Middle School Field Hockey Camp is designed to give athletes an opportunity to train with the National Champion Kutztown coaching staff and KU players. Our camp is open to any and all entrants, and will include learning both technical and tactical skills during multiple stations. We will separate groups by age and level of experience. You will also have the opportunity to compete in a series of games and fun competitions.
Don Charles “Charlie” Lechliter was an electrician by trade, but was best remembered for his involvement in the Arctic League and West Elmira youth sports.
Mr. Lechliter, who passed away Dec. 31, was remembered as a devoted family man with a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of area children.
Several years ago, the Town of Elmira honored Mr. Lechliter’s contributions by naming one of the ballfields at Pirozzolo Park in his honor.
Don Charles Lechliter was an electrician by trade, and built a successful Elmira business, but that’s not how most people saw him.
Mr. Lechliter was also a devoted family man, and that attribute extended beyond his immediate family to youth in general, according to his wife Lisa.
He was active in coaching youth sports in West Elmira for many years and was also a longtime volunteer and board member of the Arctic League.
Anyone who met Mr. Lechliter couldn’t help but like him, Lisa Lechliter said.
“He was a very charismatic guy, very easy to like,” she said. “He always left a lasting impression on people. He would do anything for anybody to help them out. Most people looked at him as a friend, not an electrician.”
Mr. Lechliter, who everyone knew as Charlie, died Dec. 31. He was 74.
A passion for sports, and youth
While Lechliter Electric was his business, Mr. Lechliter was probably busier in his personal life.
He loved sports, especially baseball, and was a diehard New York Mets fan, Lisa Lechliter said.
So it was natural that someone who loved sports and cared about kids would find a way to combine them.
“He started coaching Little League in his early 20s. He started out coaching his nephews and has been with the program ever since,” Lisa Lechliter said. “He also coached girls Cinderella Softball. That’s how I met him. It wasn’t all about winning. He just loved to spend time with those kids.”
Mr. Lechliter made an enormous contribution to recreational programming in the Town of Elmira for decades, said Town Supervisor Ann Gerould.
From the start, he brought a strong work ethic and a knack for efficiency and organization to his volunteer efforts, Gerould said.
“Charlie was part of the baseball/softball league’s board at that time as well. Charlie served as the treasurer of the board and dealt with ordering all the equipment, uniforms and field supplies,” she said. “He always did this with cost control in mind and continued to do so up until this year. I know that he had planned to continue in the upcoming season.
“During the early years, I am told there were about 500 kids involved every season, so his job was very time-consuming,” Gerould added.
Mr. Lechliter also later served as treasurer of the West Elmira Recreation Board, where he handled coordination and execution of events such as the baseball/softball league seasons, Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween events and Music in the Park throughout the summer.
He also lent his professional expertise to assist with electrical work needed for scoreboards and throughout Pirozzolo Park, Gerould said.
“We are virtually lost at the moment without him but are dedicated to continuing the programs where he committed countless hours, to continue for years to come,” she said. “Some years ago, Charlie’s efforts were honored by the dedication of Field No. 5 with his name. This was a source of great pride for him, and it was well deserved.”
Helping children as Arctic League’s ‘go-to guy’
Mr. Lechliter joined the Arctic League board of directors in 1993, and at the time of his death was the second-longest currently serving board member, according to league Treasurer and former board president Michael Wayne.
He was the consummate “behind the scenes” guy and had great insight on how to efficiently run the Arctic League’s warehouse operation, Wayne said.
More importantly, Mr. Lechliter made sure the board remained focused on the agency’s mission — that no child in Chemung County would go without presents on Christmas Day.
“During my year as President (2021) he was my ‘go-to guy,'” Wayne said.
“We were only one year out of the COVID pandemic, and Charlie was ever creative in making suggestions on how we could tweak our long-serving process to assure safety for all our volunteers,” he said. “While always avoiding the limelight, he was every Arctic League presidents’ biggest cheerleader and spent hours helping maintain our building and its mechanicals.”
Mr. Lechliter also championed a new way volunteers could help the Arctic League, and the “make a hat” campaign started, Wayne said.
He helped recruit knitters and crocheters to make hats for league recipients, which helped the organization save money — which could be funneled into other gifts — while creating a new opportunity for volunteers to support the Arctic League mission.
“Charlie was full of energy. He had endless ideas and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of children in our area,” Wayne said. “His hearty laugh will forever echo through our building, and his passion to help others will survive in perpetuity at the Arctic League.”
Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Andrea Odom doesn’t hesitate when asked what sparked the idea she now hopes becomes a movement.
The moment arrived just before the 2023 Major League Baseball draft, as agents began recruiting her son, Dylan Campbell of the University of Texas, and it came with a hard lesson her family didn’t expect to learn.
“We had to fire an agent who didn’t deliver on what he promised,” said Odom, a mother of three, who manages public relations for The Odom Consulting Group in Houston. “But the beautiful part is that my son grew on a business level. He learned how to hold people accountable.”
That moment reshaped how Odom viewed the role of parents in sports, particularly Black mothers, who often find themselves navigating high-stakes decisions without access to the same information, networks, or protection afforded to others.
“And that’s what we want for Black Sports Moms,” Odom said. “Empowering ourselves and our children.”
Founded in March 2025, Black Sports Moms was created to equip Black mothers with the knowledge, resources, and confidence to navigate an often opaque and unforgiving sports industry on behalf of their children.
From youth sports to the professional level, the organization addresses issues ranging from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and contract negotiations to mental health, branding, and long-term financial planning — areas where families are increasingly expected to be savvy but are rarely taught how.
Odom sat with the idea until a phone conversation changed everything.
Unbeknown to her, attorney Lachauna Edwards was doing parallel work in Atlanta, educating “momagers” (mothers who serve as the business managers for their children). Edwards had spent years advising families in NIL, contracts, and athlete branding, and during Black History Month, she launched a Momager Series on Instagram, spotlighting Black mothers managing their children’s athletic careers behind the scenes.
“Andrea’s name was brought up as someone to feature,” said Edwards, 40, also a mother of three. “We talked about her background, and she saw what I was doing. She reached out again about doing an event, and she came up with the name Black Sports Moms.”
From left to right: Black Sports Moms members Tammie Parker, Andrea Odom and Kim Stroud (mother of Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud) join CJ Stroud and Houston City Controller Chris Hollins at a volunteer event.
Andrea Odom
What started as a conversation quickly became a partnership. Edwards and Odom formed an LLC in March 2025 and moved fast, organizing their first conference in Houston in July 2025. They expected a local crowd. Instead, the event sold out with 175 attendees, many of whom traveled from across the country.
“In such a short amount of time, we were blown away by the response,” Odom said. “That’s when we realized this was bigger than we thought.”
The momentum continued in November 2025 with another sold-out conference in Atlanta, drawing 170 attendees. Mothers traveled from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and beyond — including a group of University of Florida Gator moms — underscoring a hunger for education and community that Edwards says has long gone unmet.
“Black women birth the greatest athletes in the world,” Edwards said. “For a long time, different entities in sports have been able to profit off our children’s talent while families are left trying to figure out how to support their kids and make informed decisions.”
Edwards, who has a civil rights background, sees Black Sports Moms as both education and protection. In many households, she notes, mothers are already doing the work by researching agents, negotiating schedules, managing finances, and supporting their children emotionally.
“That’s why athletes say, ‘My mom is the real MVP,’ ” Edwards said. “We nurture everything off the field and off the court. It made sense to empower the women who are already doing the work.”
The organization’s flagship offering, The Playbook, is a one-day educational summit designed specifically for mothers managing their child’s athletic journey. The conferences feature expert-led panels and interactive workshops covering NIL, contracts, branding, mental health, and financial literacy. Each attendee leaves with a personalized strategic plan and access to ongoing coaching and consultation.
“We’re intentional about making sure our moms are not only prepared, but confident enough to walk into any room on behalf of their child,” Edwards said.
That confidence will be on display again this month, when Black Sports Moms hosts a smaller, advanced “Mini Camp” in New Orleans. Limited to 50 attendees, the event is designed to go deeper, with mothers encouraged to bring real contracts they are negotiating.
“We’re breaking everything down clause by clause,” Edwards said. “Brand partnerships, tax strategies, investing, forming LLCs and nonprofits — this is advanced, hands-on work.”
The New Orleans gathering marks the next step in a rapidly expanding national footprint. In addition to regional panels tied to major sporting events, including Super Bowl week, the CIAA tournament, and the McDonald’s All-America Games, the organization plans its largest signature conference yet in Houston in July.
Despite its rapid growth, Edwards and Odom say the most powerful outcome hasn’t been business — it’s been community.
“Moms are forming group chats, supporting each other, showing up to games, baby showers,” Edwards said. “One mom helped another mom’s child land a marketing opportunity. That’s real.”
Odom agrees.
“We created this for empowerment and education, but the sisterhood has been the biggest surprise,” she said. “These women are forming lifelong bonds.”
Dylan Campbell’s MLB draft experience reshaped how his mother Andrea Odom viewed the role of parents in sports.
Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire
The stakes, they say, are real. Odom points to moments when parents are intentionally sidelined during recruiting and negotiations — and how education changes those dynamics.
“One mom told us her son had 32 football offers,” Odom said. “After attending our conference, an assistant coach tried to separate her from her son and made a disrespectful comment. The family declined the offer and told the head coach exactly why.”
Another mother, whose son is preparing for the 2026 NBA draft, was told by an agency that starting a nonprofit was “too expensive.” At the upcoming conference, Black Sports Moms will walk families through how to set one up themselves — a process that costs less than $150.
“We’re teaching families who need to be in their ecosystem and how to protect their kids,” Odom said.
For Edwards, the urgency is only increasing as athletes are getting paid younger and younger, often before families are prepared for the attention and financial complexity that comes with it.
“If Black mothers don’t step into these roles,” Edwards said, “everybody else is making money off the success of these athletes. Universities, agencies, financial advisors. We want families to have a unified front so they aren’t taken advantage of.”
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White said his mother, Bonita, played a central role in guiding him through the recruiting process before he chose to attend North Carolina. He added that navigating today’s NIL landscape without that same level of parental support, and education, would be almost unthinkable.
“What they’re doing is needed,” White told Andscape about the co-founders of Black Sports Moms. “It can help a lot of families and a lot of mothers guide their kids through this, especially with the amount of money and attention involved now. It sounds like a dope organization.”
Odom said success will be measured not just by conferences, but by long-term impact – from chapters in cities across the country to a voice in conversations around NIL legislation and athlete rights.
“This is called Black Sports Moms,” she said. “But it’s a movement that’s touching families and communities.”
Branson Wright is a filmmaker and freelance multimedia sports reporter.
Bettors in North Carolina wagered more than $7 billion through legal online sportsbooks in 2025, the first complete calendar year since sports betting launched in the state.
In December, the state had more than $651 million in paid wagers, the fourth consecutive month that wagering activity in the state exceeded $650 million, according to information released by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission.
The state collected more than $14.6 million in taxes from the licensed operators, who pay an 18% tax on their gross wagering revenue as calculated by the commission. In 2025, North Carolina collected more than $132 million in taxes from the operators.
Some of the tax revenue goes to the state health department for gambling addiction education and treatment programs, two statewide youth sports organizations which distribute grants, a major events funds and the athletics departments at UNC System schools, though not NC State or UNC-Chapel Hill. The rest goes to the state’s general fund.
Paid wagers in December were up more than 6% over December 2024, continuing a trend. The commission doesn’t release more detailed data on betting, such as which sport attracts the most wagers or which operator has the most customers or bets each month.
Lawmakers approved legal sports betting in North Carolina in 2023 and it went live in mid-March 2024. The state now has seven legal operators.