Rec Sports

Mayor’s Office Advertising Openings on Parks and Recreation Commission

Published

5 months ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

FRAMINGHAM – The City of Framingham is looking for volunteers for the 5-member Parks & Recreation Commission.

Current members are encouraged to re-apply but are not guaranteed re-appointment. There are two seats with terms ending in June 2025.

All applicants must be Framingham residents.

Each seat has a three-year term length and all members are appointed by the Mayor on a volunteer basis.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

To apply visit – Form Center • Boards, Committees, Commission, Officers Appli

The Mayor will review the applications submitted by the deadline, and then make nominations to the City Council.

No resume or cover letter is required to apply for this position.

Parks and Recreation Commissioners generally represent the community and typically have expertise in the areas of parks (landscaping or athletic fields, recreation (activities, leagues, or cultural events), youth sports (organized and pick-up), natural resources, public health, and construction. They have a sound understanding of how the department collaborates with the community to accomplish what would surely be impossible if done alone.

The City Council, as the legislative division of City Government, has 30 days to approve or reject the Mayor’s nominations.

Questions about the nomination process can be directed to Framingham Citizen Participation Officer Nicole Horton-Stimpson at NHS@framinghamma.gov or by calling 508-532-4510.

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Rec Sports

Beloved Cleveland youth basketball coach honored at Rhodes High School game

Published

29 seconds ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Keith Schofield, who died on November 22, was honored at James Ford Rhodes High School before Tuesday night’s varsity basketball game.

Schofield led the team to a city championship in 2004 and is remembered for the impact he had on his players.

His family was given a framed jersey with his last name on the back.

“After a win or a loss just to hear the conversations he would have on the phone about the boys,” Schofield’s daughter Randi said. “They were like his sons.”

Schoefield survived a hit-and-run accident in January 2022 when his car was catapulted off I-90 onto West 98^th street below.

His family previously told 19 News that health issues he already had were made worse by the impact of the crash.

His legacy lives through the lives he touched.

“He’s my best friend. Just the most understanding individual I’ve ever come across,” Randi Schofield said. ”Always there. Always a phone call away.”

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Rec Sports

Youth hockey theft exposed by a Colorado mom. Then came the threats.

Published

9 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 17, 2025, 6:22 a.m. ET

For months, Brooke Wilfley raised concerns that the president of her local youth hockey governing board was using his position for profit.

The Denver-area hockey mom discovered that the president, Randy Kanai, was secretly routing the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s money through his private company.

She reported his conflicts of interest and mismanagement to everyone she could: board members, club directors, coaches and four USA Hockey leaders who oversee the nonprofit. Little was done.

Then in January 2023, Wilfley received a letter from the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s attorney. The board, it said, was launching an investigation.

Into her.

Seeking evidence of “libelous and slanderous statements,” the letter demanded Wilfley hand over two years of her emails, texts, calendars, phone logs and any other records of her conversations about the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s finances. It gave her 21 days to turn in her cellphones, computers and iPads for a forensic review.

“This is an important legal duty,” the letter said, “and failure to follow these instructions may subject you to discipline.”

Whistleblower retaliation occurs in every industry. But in few sectors is the threat more personal than in youth sports, where parents who speak up about corruption and financial exploitation risk repercussions not just for themselves, but for their children.

Those fears are acute in youth hockey, where across the country, powerful rink operators, club directors and local governing body officials control the pathways by which kids advance to the sport’s highest stages. Many parents who suspect wrongdoing stay quiet out of fear of jeopardizing their kids’ opportunities. What some view as lax oversight from USA Hockey enables bad actors to flourish.

For Wilfley, the ramifications of the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s threats extended beyond her family. As the head of a Denver hockey academy and Tier I club – the top level of youth competition – dozens of parents entrusted her with their kids’ futures. Formal discipline against her club or a libel and slander lawsuit could affect those kids’ ability to play.

In the face of the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s threats, Wilfley didn’t back down. But it cost her: reputational damage, more than $100,000 in legal bills and three years she can’t get back.

“This is what happens when you speak up,” Wilfley told USA TODAY. “You get bullied. You get threatened. They’ll hurt your kids.

“I would never wish this on anybody.”

Conflicts of interest

Wilfley had never been a hockey fan. She became immersed in the sport when her five kids fell in love with it.

A law school grad who specialized in child advocacy, she saw how high costs and limited opportunities caused kids to quit the sport or leave the state for better options. She looked for ways to keep kids playing close to home.

She started a program that partnered with high schools to offer low-cost hockey lessons.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person learning in many schools, she opened Aces Sports Academy, an accredited school where third to eighth graders spend the mornings on ice and the rest of their days in class.

In early 2022, she partnered with Okanagan Hockey Group, a Canadian youth hockey program, to start a recreational team in Colorado.

The Colorado Amateur Hockey Association, the regional USA Hockey governing body that regulates the sport in her state, sanctioned her programs. Kanai, its president since 2012, supported them – until they became Tier I.

Around the same time that Wilfley started her rec team, the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association announced its intent to strip the Colorado Springs Tigers, another local youth hockey club, of its Tier I status unless it fielded two more teams. So in April 2022, Brian Copeland, the Tigers’ president, approached Wilfley about merging their clubs.

Wilfley jumped at the opportunity. Before ever playing a game, her club ascended to the most coveted echelon of youth hockey. That didn’t sit well with Kanai and some other board members.

“They never went through the process to formally apply. They just made it happen,” Kanai said. “We didn’t like that she had found the back door.”

Kanai responded with a series of requirements that Wilfley felt unfairly targeted her club. He announced audits of a “sampling” of clubs, including hers. He made her restructure parts of her businesses. He said the association would honor her club’s Tier I designation only if her players wear Tigers jerseys and play games in Colorado Springs – an hour drive from Denver.

Wilfley spent thousands of dollars on new uniforms and legal expenses, only for Kanai to announce the board’s intent to eliminate one of the state’s four Tier I licenses. Wilfley felt her club was on the chopping block.

Suspecting a personal or financial motive for his actions, Wilfley scoured the nonprofit’s tax returns, bylaws and individual board members’ business filings, searching for conflicts of interest.

She didn’t find the motive she was looking for. What she found was even more troubling.

She discovered a dozen for-profit companies and trade names registered to Kanai that matched the names of Colorado Amateur Hockey Association programs. One called “Team Colorado” shared the same name as the association’s girls’ hockey teams. Others, like “CO Hockey” and “Rocky Mountain Sport Testing,” she recognized from the association’s website and payments she had made for her son’s hockey camps.

Wilfley also found that the association had not filed tax returns or held annual board elections in three years.

Concerned that Kanai was profiting off his volunteer position, Wilfley in September 2022 reported her findings to USA Hockey general counsel Casey Jorgensen and other top officials, emails show. But months passed, and little action was taken.

That December, with a board vote to potentially eliminate her Tier I status looming, Wilfley hired an attorney to formally request the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s meeting minutes and internal accounting records – as is her right under state law – including all its transactions with Kanai’s companies. She also demanded proper board elections be held.

That’s when Wilfley received the letter from the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s general counsel, Peter Schaffer. Its title: “Notice of Spoliation and Investigation.”

Hockey mom fights retaliation

Wilfley knew the demand for her private data was likely unlawful. But waiting for the legal system to play out was a luxury she didn’t have.

With the state championships weeks away, even interim disciplinary action against her club could result in her players’ disqualification. Defending herself from a libel or slander lawsuit – even a frivolous one – could cripple her businesses’ and family’s finances.

Days before the 21-day deadline to turn over her electronic devices for a “forensic accounting,” Wilfley had not yet responded. Schaffer ratcheted up the pressure. By refusing to comply, he wrote in a Feb. 9, 2023, email, her programs were now “in violation” of their USA Hockey member agreements.

“We will have no alternative,” his email said, “but to commence disciplinary procedures.”

Wilfley called a meeting to brief parents on the situation.

“I had to stand in front of those families and say, ‘I’m so sorry. Your kids have been amazing this season, but I don’t know if they’re going to be allowed to compete in the state championships,’” Wilfley said.

Meanwhile, she fought back.

She hired an outside accounting firm to scrutinize the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s finances, based on the limited records Schaffer provided in response to her requests. The firm’s report – which she sent to USA Hockey – found six-figure discrepancies and previously undisclosed transactions with Kanai’s companies.

The day of the deadline, her attorney sent a lengthy response to Schaffer, the association’s board members and Jorgensen, USA Hockey’s legal counsel. It accused Kanai and Schaffer of whistleblower retaliation and violating the association’s bylaws. Wilfley reiterated her concerns about Kanai’s conflicts of interests and failures to hold annual elections or file tax returns since 2019.

Finally, five months after she first reported her concerns to USA Hockey, the national governing body intervened.

“USA Hockey is very concerned with the ongoing governance and operational issues within the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association,” Jorgensen wrote in a Feb. 14, 2023, letter to Kanai.

USA Hockey would launch its own investigation into the association’s finances and compliance with whistleblower and conflict-of-interest policies, Jorgensen’s letter said. It ordered Kanai and Schaffer to “immediately cease” any disciplinary action against Wilfley’s program, adding that they had no legal authority to demand her records.

Two months later, USA Hockey hired its own outside accounting firm to forensically audit the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s finances, based in part on Wilfley’s outside firm’s report. USA Hockey President Mike Trimboli appointed three USA Hockey representatives to oversee its annual board election, which Kanai had postponed with less than a day’s notice.

The association’s members voted Kanai out of office at the rescheduled meeting in May 2023 after more than a decade as president. His successor, Brian Smith – whose son plays for Wilfley’s club – and the board moved to fire Schaffer days later.

USA Hockey in July 2023 suspended Kanai from all hockey activities for refusing to comply with its audit. The Colorado Amateur Hockey Association sued him that October, accusing him of stealing at least $180,000 of the nonprofit’s money by routing it through one of his private companies – the one Wilfley discovered.

‘Crazy hockey mom’

Kanai and Schaffer were gone from Colorado youth hockey. But their attacks on Wilfley continued.

They both subpoenaed Wilfley as part of defamation lawsuits they filed against the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association and two of its new board members: Smith and Bill Brierly, its executive vice president. Schaffer filed a motion to hold Wilfley in contempt of court for refusing to comply.

Judges ultimately quashed the subpoenas. But Wilfley spent tens of thousands of dollars fighting them, she said – money she hasn’t gotten back, even after Schaffer dropped his case, and Kanai lost his.

The Colorado Amateur Hockey Association’s lawsuit against Kanai went to a civil trial in April 2025 in Jefferson County District Court. In his testimony, Kanai didn’t deny profiting off his position as president. He argued he was allowed to do so.

He portrayed himself as the victim of a “smear campaign” by Wilfley. In his testimony and subsequent interviews with USA TODAY, he painted her as a parent so hellbent on getting a Tier I team for her kids that she orchestrated a plot to take him down.

“They weren’t happy with our decision on Tier I, so ‘Hey, let’s figure out what we can do to get these guys voted out,’” Kanai said. “It was all to influence the board vote, and they got what they wanted.”

He acknowledged in court having “no direct evidence” of that. Of the 10 people called to testify, she wasn’t one of them. His other witnesses, however, spent much of their time on the stand supporting his version of events.

“She wanted Tier I now, and that’s when the attacks came,” said Jason Schofield, Kanai’s business partner and a fellow board member who also admitted profiting $180,000 from Kanai’s company, in an interview with USA TODAY after the trial.

Testified Schaffer: “Never before the Brooke Wilfley situation were there any issues about the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association and finances.”

Judge Chantel Contiguglia didn’t buy it. Her October 2025 ruling found Kanai liable for civil theft, unjust enrichment, conversion and breach of fiduciary duty. She ordered him to repay the nonprofit $579,000 – triple the amount he stole, plus interest – and cover its court costs and attorney’s fees.

The ruling – which Kanai appealed in November – vindicated Wilfley. Yet many in the Colorado hockey community still accept Kanai’s version of events. The recent success of her teams – now among the top-ranked in the country – and the election of Smith, one of her player’s fathers, as Kanai’s successor as president only fueled those rumors.

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Rec Sports

Detroit Pistons insiders gave thousands to Mary Sheffield’s campaign

Published

17 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

by Leah Samuel, Outlier Media
December 17, 2025

At a Nov. 13 public hearing of Detroit City Council’s planning committee, the mood in the chamber tilted toward optimism.

Speaker after speaker endorsed plans for a new WNBA headquarters and youth sports complex — backed by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores — urging approval of a nearly $40.7 million tax subsidy to clean up the former Uniroyal site on the Detroit River. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, Henry Ford Health, Eastside Community Network, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan voiced support for the project.

A few did not.

“The Pistons are a rich organization,” said Carolyn Hughes. “I’m not sure this is an organization that needs me to abate its taxes. … Why are we offering this abatement? And what are we — specifically, Detroiters — receiving? What benefits are we receiving from this, other than having activity on the site?”

Notably absent from the hearing was current City Council President and Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield. The following week, she voted to redirect tax dollars for the project. Sheffield then missed the final session of the term, when her colleagues unanimously approved an additional $4.4 million-plus tax break for the development.

One detail that got little attention — if any — as the subsidies sailed through city hall is how the Pistons and Pistons-adjacent interests bankrolled Sheffield’s mayoral campaign.

According to county election records, Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem and his family gave more than $43,000 in direct and indirect contributions to Sheffield’s mayoral campaign. That includes $16,600 from Tellem and his wife Nancy in direct contributions, plus another $10,000 donation to Detroit Next, a political action committee that backed Sheffield. Another $16,650 came from the Tellems’ son, Pistons personnel vice president Eric Tellem and his wife Emily. Arn Tellem did not respond to messages for comment.

Last month, Sheffield named Arn Tellem a co-chair of her transition team.

“The Pistons agreement was proposed by the current mayoral administration and approved unanimously by the entire city council,” Samantha Myers, spokesperson for Sheffield’s transition team, said by email. “As she has done throughout her career on Detroit City Council, the Mayor-elect supported this project based solely on its merits and its benefit to the community and constituents she serves.”

Sheffield’s campaign drew tens of thousands of dollars from developers, construction companies and building trade groups. She also received donations from high-profile NBA fans, including Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s wife Earleatha “Cookie” Johnson, actor Samuel L. Jackson and cultural critic Michael Eric Dyson.

Have thoughts or questions about these campaign contributions or potential conflicts of interest? Reach out to civic life reporter Briana Rice at briana@outliermedia.org. Mayor-elect Sheffield is also soliciting input for her incoming administration.

Earlier this month, Sheffield married Rickey Jackson Jr. Jackson’s sister plays for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Days before Election Day, Sheffield faced criticism for having voted years earlier to approve millions of dollars in city contracts for a demolition firm whose owner she was dating at the time. Experts faulted Detroit’s oversight system for vague standards and a narrow interpretation by the city’s ethics board. As mayor-elect, Sheffield appointed an Ethics Compliance Committee as part of her transition team.

”There are currently no state laws that prevent Detroit’s mayor or other Michigan politicians from accepting campaign contributions from affiliated organizations or their leaders,” said Neil Thanedar, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. ”Detroit residents can respond by filing a formal complaint with the Detroit Board of Ethics and advocating for statewide ethics reform.”

‘A true hood champion’

Sheffield, the granddaughter of storied labor leader Horace Sheffield Jr., has long cast herself as an advocate for grassroots causes. On the campaign trail, she leaned heavily on her progressive record.

“Mary Sheffield’s a true hood champion,” said Morningside resident and community activist Vaughn Arrington. “I think she would continue to focus very narrowly on communities that are not feeling Detroit’s growth.”

Sheffield’s record on Pistons-related developments reflects the balance she’s tried to strike throughout her time in public office: keeping powerful corporate interests close while preserving her reputation as a champion of the community.

In 2017, she voted to approve $34.5 million in public funding for the Pistons’ move to the city, despite public outcry. That same year, she sponsored the “jock tax,” which taxes NBA players and staff every day they work in the city.

Sheffield supported tax subsidies for the team’s Performance Center headquarters and later the $3 billion Future of Health development, in which the Pistons are a partner. The pair of projects — both located in the City Council district she represents — each required the developers to negotiate community benefits. The Future of Health benefits deal includes Section 8 housing vouchers, a $2 million donation to the city’s affordable housing fund, $1 million for a community land trust, and more.

Balancing act

The WNBA facility, by contrast, is not mandated to have a community benefits agreement. The ordinance applies to projects valued at $75 million or more that receive at least $1 million in tax abatements or city land. Developers plan to build the riverfront sports complex in two phases: a $50 million WNBA headquarters that would open in 2029 and a subsequent “youth development academy” that would be operated by an unnamed nonprofit with a yet-to-be-named price tag.

As a councilmember in 2021, Sheffield unsuccessfully pushed to lower the community benefits ordinance’s threshold to apply to projects valued as low as $50 million. During her campaign for mayor, she told Outlier Media she’s interested in reworking community benefits agreements to “expand home repair commitments.” And earlier this year, she and the council commissioned a study on the viability of a city “amusement tax.”

Sheffield, who did not make herself available for an interview for this story, is soliciting input for her incoming administration on her website and plans to survey residents in January.

“The mayor-elect has spent her entire career uplifting the voices and the needs of Detroiters,” said Samantha Myers, a spokesperson for Sheffield’s transition team. “She will bring that same focus to the mayor’s office and evaluate everything through that lens.”

Sheffield takes office Jan. 1.

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://outliermedia.org/detroit-pistons-mary-sheffield-campaign-donation-tax-breaks/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://outliermedia.org”>Outlier Media</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/outliermedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cropped-outlier-media-icon.png?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>

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As the Detroit Pistons sought millions in tax breaks, team insiders gave thousands to Sheffield’s mayoral bid Leah Samuel, Outlier Media December 17, 2025 At a Nov. 13 public hearing of Detroit City Council’s planning committee, the mood in the chamber tilted toward optimism. Speaker after speaker endorsed plans for a new WNBA headquarters and youth sports complex — backed by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores — urging approval of a nearly $40.7 million tax subsidy to clean up the former Uniroyal site on the Detroit River. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, Henry Ford Health, Eastside Community Network, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan voiced support for the project. A few did not. “The Pistons are a rich organization,” said Carolyn Hughes. “I’m not sure this is an organization that needs me to abate its taxes. … Why are we offering this abatement? And what are we — specifically, Detroiters — receiving? What benefits are we receiving from this, other than having activity on the site?” Notably absent from the hearing was current City Council President and Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield. The following week, she voted to redirect tax dollars for the project. Sheffield then missed the final session of the term, when her colleagues unanimously approved an additional $4.4 million-plus tax break for the development. One detail that got little attention — if any — as the subsidies sailed through city hall is how the Pistons and Pistons-adjacent interests bankrolled Sheffield’s mayoral campaign. According to county election records, Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem and his family gave more than $43,000 in direct and indirect contributions to Sheffield’s mayoral campaign. That includes $16,600 from Tellem and his wife Nancy in direct contributions, plus another $10,000 donation to Detroit Next, a political action committee that backed Sheffield. Another $16,650 came from the Tellems’ son, Pistons personnel vice president Eric Tellem and his wife Emily. Arn Tellem did not respond to messages for comment. Last month, Sheffield named Arn Tellem a co-chair of her transition team. “The Pistons agreement was proposed by the current mayoral administration and approved unanimously by the entire city council,” Samantha Myers, spokesperson for Sheffield’s transition team, said by email. “As she has done throughout her career on Detroit City Council, the Mayor-elect supported this project based solely on its merits and its benefit to the community and constituents she serves.” Sheffield’s campaign drew tens of thousands of dollars from developers, construction companies and building trade groups. She also received donations from high-profile NBA fans, including Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s wife Earleatha “Cookie” Johnson, actor Samuel L. Jackson and cultural critic Michael Eric Dyson. Have thoughts or questions about these campaign contributions or potential conflicts of interest? Reach out to civic life reporter Briana Rice at briana@outliermedia.org. Mayor-elect Sheffield is also soliciting input for her incoming administration. Earlier this month, Sheffield married Rickey Jackson Jr. Jackson’s sister plays for the Los Angeles Sparks. Days before Election Day, Sheffield faced criticism for having voted years earlier to approve millions of dollars in city contracts for a demolition firm whose owner she was dating at the time. Experts faulted Detroit’s oversight system for vague standards and a narrow interpretation by the city’s ethics board. As mayor-elect, Sheffield appointed an Ethics Compliance Committee as part of her transition team. ”There are currently no state laws that prevent Detroit’s mayor or other Michigan politicians from accepting campaign contributions from affiliated organizations or their leaders,” said Neil Thanedar, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. ”Detroit residents can respond by filing a formal complaint with the Detroit Board of Ethics and advocating for statewide ethics reform.” ‘A true hood champion’ Sheffield, the granddaughter of storied labor leader Horace Sheffield Jr., has long cast herself as an advocate for grassroots causes. On the campaign trail, she leaned heavily on her progressive record. “Mary Sheffield’s a true hood champion,” said Morningside resident and community activist Vaughn Arrington. “I think she would continue to focus very narrowly on communities that are not feeling Detroit’s growth.” Sheffield’s record on Pistons-related developments reflects the balance she’s tried to strike throughout her time in public office: keeping powerful corporate interests close while preserving her reputation as a champion of the community. In 2017, she voted to approve $34.5 million in public funding for the Pistons’ move to the city, despite public outcry. That same year, she sponsored the “jock tax,” which taxes NBA players and staff every day they work in the city. Sheffield supported tax subsidies for the team’s Performance Center headquarters and later the $3 billion Future of Health development, in which the Pistons are a partner. The pair of projects — both located in the City Council district she represents — each required the developers to negotiate community benefits. The Future of Health benefits deal includes Section 8 housing vouchers, a $2 million donation to the city’s affordable housing fund, $1 million for a community land trust, and more. Balancing act The WNBA facility, by contrast, is not mandated to have a community benefits agreement. The ordinance applies to projects valued at $75 million or more that receive at least $1 million in tax abatements or city land. Developers plan to build the riverfront sports complex in two phases: a $50 million WNBA headquarters that would open in 2029 and a subsequent “youth development academy” that would be operated by an unnamed nonprofit with a yet-to-be-named price tag. Related stories As a councilmember in 2021, Sheffield unsuccessfully pushed to lower the community benefits ordinance’s threshold to apply to projects valued as low as $50 million. During her campaign for mayor, she told Outlier Media she’s interested in reworking community benefits agreements to “expand home repair commitments.” And earlier this year, she and the council commissioned a study on the viability of a city “amusement tax.” Sheffield, who did not make herself available for an interview for this story, is soliciting input for her incoming administration on her website and plans to survey residents in January. “The mayor-elect has spent her entire career uplifting the voices and the needs of Detroiters,” said Samantha Myers, a spokesperson for Sheffield’s transition team. “She will bring that same focus to the mayor’s office and evaluate everything through that lens.” Sheffield takes office Jan. 1. This article first appeared on Outlier Media and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Rec Sports

Parks and Recreation Programs for Teens

Published

25 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Parks and Recreation Programs for Teens | Greensboro, NC

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Rec Sports

Virginia Tech Helmet Lab Releases First Independent Safety Ratings for Youth Hockey Helmets

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Key Takeaways

Virginia Tech Helmet Lab tested 33 youth hockey helmets, awarding 10 helmets a five-star rating and six a four-star rating
The ratings address a market of approximately 800,000 youth players in the United States and Canada combined
Parents of youth hockey players drove demand after showing strong interest in the lab’s 2015 adult hockey helmet ratings
The Hockey Equipment Certification Council remains the only widely used benchmark, certifying helmets meet ASTM standards without performance-based ratings
Youth hockey helmets represent the 13th sport or industry-specific headgear rated by the lab since its launch 15 years ago

Independent Performance Data Enters Youth Hockey Market

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab released its first ratings for youth hockey helmets on December 16, providing parents and program operators with performance-based safety data for 33 helmets currently on the market. The lab applied its STAR (Summation of Tests for Analysis of Risk) framework to award ratings from zero to five stars based on impact protection.

“It includes every helmet we could get our hands on, including some that are no longer being manufactured but that players might still be wearing,” said Steve Rowson, the lab’s director and a professor of biomedical engineering. “The goal is simply to provide moms and dads and other stakeholders in the youth hockey community an independent resource so they can make an informed decision and purchase a helmet in the context of impact protection.”

The complete list of rated helmets, including advertised retail prices, is available at the Helmet Lab’s webpage.

Market Demand and Player Population Drive Research

The lab’s decision to test youth hockey helmets came directly from market response to its 2015 adult hockey helmet ratings. Rowson noted that parents of youth players showed the strongest interest in those varsity ratings, signaling clear demand for youth-specific data.

The youth hockey market substantially exceeds the adult player population. According to USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, approximately 800,000 youth players participate in the United States and Canada. The International Ice Hockey Federation reports an additional 275,000 players throughout Europe.

Testing Methodology Adapted for Youth Players

Virginia Tech researchers leveraged existing literature on impact exposures in youth hockey and utilized equipment from previous youth football helmet testing, including a youth-sized test dummy. The testing protocol accounts for lower impact energies associated with youth play compared to adult hockey.

Currently, the Hockey Equipment Certification Council provides the only widely used benchmark for hockey helmets. The council certifies that helmets meet American Society for Testing and Materials safety standards but does not produce performance-based ratings that compare helmet protection levels.

Broader Context for Safety Equipment Standards

The youth hockey helmet ratings continue the lab’s 15-year track record of developing independent consumer guides that double as development roadmaps for manufacturers. This summer, the lab updated ratings for bicycle, varsity football, and youth football helmets in response to measurable safety performance improvements in those categories.

Rowson emphasized that while the research aims to help individuals select better headgear, the ratings also encourage helmet manufacturers and sports organizations to prioritize safer product development.

via: News VT

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Play Up Partners is a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.

Why Sponsor Youth Sports?

Youth sports represents one of the most engaged and passionate audiences in sports marketing. With over 70 million young athletes and their families participating annually, the youth sports industry offers brands unparalleled access to motivated communities with strong purchasing power and loyalty.

What Does Play Up Partners Do?

We’ve done the heavy lifting to untangle the complex youth sports landscape so our brand partners can engage with clarity, confidence, and impact. Our vetted network of accredited youth sports organizations (from local leagues to national tournaments and operators) allows us to create flexible, scalable programs that evolve with the market.

Our Approach

Every partnership we build is rooted in authenticity and value creation. We don’t just broker deals. We craft youth sports marketing strategies that:

Deliver measurable ROI for brand partners
Create meaningful experiences for athletes and families
Elevate the youth sports ecosystem

Our Vision

We’re positioning youth sports as the most desirable and effective platform in sports marketing. Our mission is simple: MAKE YOUTH SPORTS BETTER for athletes, families, organizations, and brand partners.

Common Questions About Youth Sports Marketing

Where can I sponsor youth sports? How do I activate in youth sports? What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? How much does youth sports sponsorship cost?

We have answers. Reach out to info@playuppartners.com to learn how Play Up Partners can help your brand navigate the youth sports landscape.

Youth sports organizations: Interested in partnership opportunities? Reach out to learn about our accreditation process.

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Rec Sports

Las Vegas police seek possible victims of man accused of sexual assault

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas police are asking the public if there are any additional victims of a man accused of sexual assault.

Officials with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have arrested Sergio Reyes Rojas, 44, for sexual assault. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on five charges: three counts of sexual assault against a child less than 16 years old, one count of child abuse or neglect and one count of kidnapping a minor.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials provided a photo of Sergio Reyes Rojas(Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Detectives say there may be additional victims as Rojas has ties to valley youth sports programs. The Nevada Youth Soccer Association told FOX5 Tuesday that they are aware of Reyes’s charges and he has been suspended indefinitely from all youth soccer activities.

The association says he’s also been reported to US Soccer and to the SafeSport program for further attention.

“We have also been informed by the club that he had headed that he has been replaced in his administrative and coaching capacities,” the association says.

Anyone who may have been a victim of Rojas or has information about this crime is urged by police to contact the Sexual Assault Detail at 702-828-3421. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555, or on the internet at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.

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