Sports

Never too old to learn the ABCs of swimming and water safety – The Vacaville Reporter

Soaking wet and smiling as they stood poolside at the Walter Graham Aquatic Center in Vacaville, mother and daughter Maria Alvarez and Sue Ortiz shared more than just their participation in the Adult Learn to Swim program. They each had clear memories of fear they felt as children when they entered the water for the […]

Published

3 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

They each had clear memories of fear they felt as children when they entered the water for the first time — and not by choice.

Alvarez, 52, of Fairfield, recalled being 14, forced into the water, thinking she would drown. Saturday was the first time since that scary moment that she decided to do a swimsuit and goggles and lower herself into a pool.

Ortiz, 34, also of Fairfield, remembered as a 7-year-old being pushed by her cousins into Lake Berryessa. Likewise, she had avoided anything like a pool or lake since.

That is, until Charmaine Lee, a retired Vacaville Unified kindergarten teacher, assured them they would be comfortable and do well during the first of two free weekend 30-minute sessions, with the other scheduled for Sunday. The lessons are a collaboration between the city of Vacaville and the Vacaville Swim Club.

Speaking calmly to the women once in the water, Lee, a Masters swimmer, started with the fundamental lesson: breath control, essentially the “baby step” of overcoming fear of water.

Outfitted with goggles, Alvarez and Ortiz followed Lee’s instructions about breathing and bobbing, including the step-by-step immersion of the chin, nose, face, and head. Next came the blowing of bubbles on the water’s surface and also blowing more bubbles with their faces submerged.

Then came the bobbing, five times, with their hands on the pool’s side, then five times freestanding in about 3 feet of water, all done at the shallow end of the pool. The result? Success, smiles and encouragement all around.

Lee did a quick review and then moved the pair on to Step 2: frontal floating, “recovery” from a horizontal to a vertical stance. After reviewing Steps 1 and 2, Lee began Step 3, the back float, as the noontime air under clear skies reached the mid-70s.

“I’m a floater,” said Lee, as she demonstrated a back float, her face skyward, her arms outstretched from her sides.

By turns Alvarez and Ortiz turned onto their backs, with Lee supporting each woman with her own hands, their faces skyward and arms outstretched. “How’s that feel?” she asked.

And the first day’s lessons came to an end, to be followed Sunday with the “water arm cycle,” front glide, kick, arm cycle and recovery and rolling over in the water. And there would be more during the second 30-minute session: “air exchange,” a single arm stroke, freestyle with one breath and recovery, rollover, freestyle with additional breaths, and swimming into deeper water, and jumping into the water.

Once out of the pool, the two women clearly had overcome their fears of water and appeared ready for more lessons.

“I’m very confident,” said Alvarez. “Charmaine is a good instructor.”

“I liked it,” said Ortiz. “I’m more confident in the water.”

To any adult who wants to learn how to swim, she added, “I would say, ‘Face your fears.’ ”

And for Alvarez, learning how to swim will mean she can share the skill with her grandchildren, who already know how to swim, she said.

Mark Frazier, a retired Vacaville Unified administrator, started an Adult Learn to Swim program (ALTS) two years ago because, he said, some 30 to 35 percent of adults do not know how to swim.

During the lessons, one Masters swimmer, like Lee or Frazier and his wife, Lisa, is assigned to one or three adults. The free outreach program’s aim, said Frazier, is to encourage some of novice adult swimmers to sign up for additional lessons, for a fee, during the summer, starting June 16.

During the summer, Frazier organizes two types of classes that meet three times per week for two weeks. Level 1 is for adults “who are anxious around water and feel like they do not have any swimming skills,” he said “We start with the basics of breath control, floating, kicking, and basic beginning stroke development.”

Level 2 is for adults “who can get in the water but would like to learn more and become more proficient with swimming,” he said. Sign-ups are available at www.cityofvacaville.gov/rec.

Swim instructor Charmaine Lee helps Maria Alvarez and Sue Ortiz practice going underwater during free adult swim lessons at the Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center on Saturday. (Chris Riley/The Reporter)

Frazier, who swam competitively at Merced College and later at San Diego State University, said most of the adults seek the ALTS lessons “because they want to become water-safe and learn how to swim.”

“Most of the adults also share that their children know how to swim, but they do not,” he added. “Many of the adults did not have the opportunity to swim because there was not a lot of available pool space to learn or they did not have access to lessons when younger or when they were older. Most of the adults we have had in lessons have to start from the very beginning: becoming acclimated to the water, becoming comfortable with their face in the water and blowing bubbles.”

In the past two years, the novice adult swimmers in his classes have ranged in age from their 20s to “up into their 70s,” said Frazier, 66, a certified lifeguard and coach through the Masters and the U.S. Swimming programs.

During the summer, the lessons for adults last six sessions over a two-week period, enough time, he added, to witness “good improvement in all of our swimmers, and we start where they feel comfortable and move on from that point.”

While the ALTS lesson do not cover lifesaving techniques, the instructors teach adults how to be more water safe and how they can be safe in the water.

“We teach them how they can stay afloat and move in the water if they happen to find themselves in the water without a flotation device,” Frazier said. “But we do discuss being water safe and how to be proactive in thinking about water safety.”

His hope after the two-day weekend lessons is for the adults to “see personal improvement having overcome any anxiousness or fear about being in the water. From there, I hope they are motivated to take additional lessons in order to learn more.”

During the last two years of the summer lessons, Frazier said all the adults “have felt a sense of accomplishment in overcoming their fear of the water and improving in their water and swimming skills. We have had a few of our swimmers even move on the the Masters swim program. In two weeks you can see a lot of progress.”

Frazier said he grew up swimming and played water polo in college. And during his undergraduate and postgraduate days, he worked as a lifeguard, taught swim lessons, and coached swimmers.

When he started working in Vacaville Unified, he served as the swim and water polo coach at Will C. Wood High for many years while also working as the school psychologist. Just before retiring, he started coaching swimming again at Wood and continues to do so.

Mark Frazier explains details of a state school dashboard in this Reporter file image. (Richard Bammer/The Reporter)

When Frazier moved into district administration, he worked as a district administrator in the roles of assessment coordinator, director of special assignments, and as director of academic advancement.

When not teaching swimming, Frazier helps to care for two granddaughters a couple days a week. He also serves as a commissioner on the Vacaville Parks and Recreation Commission and has been working with some city staffers on other events, such as the Vaca Triathlon for kids (as a volunteer).

Of teaching adults to learn to swim, Frazier said that, more than anything, the emotional rewards are considerable when “working with adults and watching them overcome their fear, realize they can improve, and seeing how much they can learn over the course of their lessons.”

Link

Sports

Six Navy Football Players Named Preseason All-AAC in National Magazine

The Navy Midshipmen have six players on Lindy’s Sports’ all-American Athletic Conference preseason team, released recently. The publication hit newsstands earlier this month. The publication picked the Midshipmen to win the AAC this season. Navy went 10-3 last season, concluding the campaign with a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Armed Forces Bowl. The […]

Published

8 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Navy Midshipmen have six players on Lindy’s Sports’ all-American Athletic Conference preseason team, released recently.

The publication hit newsstands earlier this month. The publication picked the Midshipmen to win the AAC this season.

Navy went 10-3 last season, concluding the campaign with a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Armed Forces Bowl. The season was Navy’s sixth with at least 10 wins and fell one win short of their 11-wins seasons in 2015 and 2019.

More news: Navy Water Polo Star Earns Spot on Prestigious USA Junior National Roster

Quarterback Blake Horvath, wide receiver Eli Heidenreich, defensive lineman Landon Robinson and defensive back Andrew Duhart. Running back Alex Tecza and offensive lineman Ben Purvis were on the second team.

Horvath will be a huge key for the Midshipmen. Horvath emerged as the starter last year and put together a year that helped the Midshipmen win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

He rushed for 1,246 yards and 17 touchdowns and throw for 1,353 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He threw for the 10th most yards in program history. He also became the third quarterback in Navy history to rush and pass for more than 1,200 yards in the same season.

More news: Navy Football’s Stock in American Athletic Conference Title Race Rises

Heidenreich caught six touchdown passes, which tied him for the most in Navy history in a single season. He was also Navy’s first receiver with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in a decade. He finished the season with 39 receptions for 671 yards and six scores. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

Robinson was named an all-AAC first-team nose guard last year. He finished the season with 61 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, seven quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He was part of the Midshipmen’s defensive effort that ended Army quarterback Bryson Daily’s program record of 10 straight games with 100 or more rushing yards.

Duhart returns after he finished last season with 29 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also had four pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He has started nearly all of Navy’s games the past two seasons.

More news: Air Force Football Projected for Bounce-Back Season in Mountain West

Tecza was Navy’s second-leading rusher with 576 yards and 8 touchdowns on 125 carries and the third-leading receiver with 229 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 catches. Purvis was an all-AAC honorable mention last season.

Date, Time, Opponent (TV)

(all times local)

Aug. 30: vs. VMI, 12 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 6: vs. UAB*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 13: at Tulsa*, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Sept. 27: vs. Rice*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Oct. 4: vs. Air Force, 12 p.m., CBS

Oct. 11: at Temple*, TBA, TV TBA

Oct. 25: vs. FAU*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Nov. 1: at North Texas*, TBA, TV TBA

Nov. 8: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., NBC

Nov. 15: vs. USF*, 12 p.m., ESPN Family

Nov. 27: at Memphis*, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Dec. 13: vs. Army West Point, 3 p.m., CBS

(note: Army-Navy game at Baltimore, Md.)

(if Navy qualifies for AAC title game, it will be played Friday, Dec. 5, at site of higher seed)

For More Navy Coverage, Head to Armed Forces Sports On SI

Link

Sports

MLB Takes Minority Stake in Jomboy Media to Strengthen Digital Content Strategy

Major League Baseball (MLB) has acquired a minority stake in digital content company Jomboy Media, formalising a partnership aimed at expanding the league’s reach among younger and more digitally native audiences. The investment was made through MLB’s investment arm, Baseball Endowment L.P. (BELP), which is co-owned by all 30 MLB teams. The deal allows MLB […]

Published

12 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The investment was made through MLB’s investment arm, Baseball Endowment L.P. (BELP), which is co-owned by all 30 MLB teams. The deal allows MLB to integrate Jomboy Media’s content capabilities into its digital and event strategies, including activations around marquee fixtures like the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.

While the financial details of the investment remain confidential, Jomboy Media confirmed it crossed USD $10 million in revenue in 2024 and returned to profitability following a 44% year-on-year revenue increase. The company has also raised $5 million through a funding round led by Connect Ventures and appointed Courtney Hirsch as CEO in March, positioning the business for further growth.

As part of the partnership, Jomboy Media will gain selective access to MLB and team intellectual property, enabling the creation of licensed merchandise—including apparel and home goods—for sale through its direct-to-consumer channels.

Importantly, the partnership preserves editorial independence for Jomboy, a stipulation acknowledged by both parties.

“It was a very important part of the deal that we don’t have editorial control,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB’s Executive VP of Media & Business Development.

Jomboy Media has built a reputation for candid and at times controversial commentary, notably covering incidents such as the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and umpire disputes. Retaining creative freedom is seen as critical to the brand’s continued appeal and audience engagement.

CEO Courtney Hirsch noted that discussions with MLB had been ongoing since mid-2024.

“It just felt like the right time… they’re really going to let us continue to do our thing,” said Hirsch.

The deal also opens opportunities to expand Jomboy’s IP portfolio and commercial footprint, with co-branded merchandise and broader content distribution planned. Hirsch and founder Jimmy O’Brien formally presented the proposal to MLB’s Investment Committee last week, receiving strong interest from key owners, including committee chair Mark Attanasio and John Henry.

Jomboy Media reports more than 93 million annual social media engagements and has secured brand partnerships with several MLB sponsors, including T-Mobile and Corona.

The strategic investment highlights MLB’s ongoing shift toward non-traditional media and influencer-driven storytelling to reach fragmented audiences. It also reflects a broader trend across global sports leagues—where digital-first platforms are being integrated into rights holder ecosystems through investment, rather than acquisition.

Don’t miss out on the latest in sports business – Subscribe today to the free Ministry of Sport newsletter and stay ahead of the game. For even more exclusive insights, event tickets, professional development and networking events, become a MoS Member today!.

Link

Sports

University of Memphis

EUGENE, Ore. – Memphis throwers Gabriel Koletsi and Sascha Salesius Schmidt are set to make their NCAA Championships debuts on Wednesday, as both will compete on the first day of the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. The events will go from June 11 to 14 at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, Ore. – Memphis throwers Gabriel Koletsi and Sascha Salesius Schmidt are set to make their NCAA Championships debuts on Wednesday, as both will compete on the first day of the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.

The events will go from June 11 to 14 at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. A full schedule, live results link and streaming information can be found above.

Koletsi will be the first to represent the Tigers, with the men’s javelin set to begin at 7:15 p.m. CT. After reaching NCAA Regionals each of the last two seasons at UMBC, Koletsi qualified for his first Championships after placing 11th behind a 67.84-meter javelin throw at the East Regional in Jacksonville.

Schmidt also will compete in his first Championships after coming up just short in each of his first two seasons at Memphis. His season-best shot put launch of 18.77 meters placed 12th in the competition to earn him a berth. His competition will begin at 8:10 p.m. CT.

Koletsi is the first javelin thrower to represent Memphis at NCAAs since Mona Jaidi and Ashley Pryke in 2018, and Sascha marks the first shot put qualifier in a decade (Vivian Brandhoff, 2015).

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Cross Country and Track & Field, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Link

Sports

Midland Volleyball Schedule released – The Bull

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University has released its 2025 volleyball schedule, which features 28 regular-season matches ahead of the postseason. The Warriors, under the direction of new head coach Micah Rhodes, will open their campaign August 21 at the Missouri Baptist University Invitational in St. Louis, Missouri. Midland will face a challenging schedule right out […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Midland will face a challenging schedule right out of the gate, with seven of its first nine opponents having qualified for the 2024 NAIA National Tournament. In total, 11 of the Warriors’ matches will come against national tournament teams, providing early and consistent tests for a program that has made 11 NAIA Championship appearances in the past 12 seasons.

“We will be challenged, and I couldn’t be more excited to hit the ground running with this particular group of young women,” said Rhodes, who takes over the program following the retirement of longtime head coach Paul Giesselmann. “Opening the season down in St. Louis against four teams that advanced to the NAIA National Tournament final site is about as tough as you can get, but the team will be well-prepared. That level of competition is the standard these players have come to know and expect.”

The 2025 slate opens with four matches over two days in St. Louis, including matchups against perennial powers Viterbo and host Missouri Baptist. After their home opener against York University on August 26, the Warriors head to Omaha for the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic, where they will take on four more quality opponents including College of Idaho, Benedictine (Kan.), and The Master’s.

Rhodes has also emphasized growth and development through the junior varsity program, which includes a home JV/Varsity doubleheader against Grand View University and the addition of the program’s first-ever home JV tournament.

“I really want to embrace the concept of using the JV program as developmental for our younger athletes,” he said. “I’m also excited to have added a non-conference home JV/V doubleheader with Grand View to give our home fans another opportunity to see us play.”

Conference play begins September 6 on the road against College of Saint Mary. Midland will play 16 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matches, concluding regular-season action at home against Hastings College on November 4.

“As always, our tough preseason and conference schedules are designed to prepare us for when it matters most, which is the postseason and our goal of advancing to Sioux City,” Rhodes said. “We aren’t playing for August and September, but instead for November and December.”

Rhodes also shared his outlook for the program’s new chapter, stating, “I’m excited for the players to embrace the change that comes with new leadership, while remaining true to who we are as a team and program. The standards and expectations are the same. We are competing for a national championship. But my hope is that the players will take pride in beginning a new era of Midland Volleyball.”

Postseason play is set to begin with the GPAC Tournament on November 8, with the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on November 22. The NAIA Championship Final Site will once again take place in Sioux City, Iowa from December 3-9.

Key returners from last year’s squad include All-GPAC First Team honoree and Freshman of the Year Brooklynn Snyder, as well as All-GPAC Honorable Mention selection Cameran Jansky.

2025 Midland Volleyball Schedule Highlights

Season Opener: August 21 vs. Viterbo University (St. Louis, Mo.)
Home Opener: August 26 vs. York University (Fremont, Neb.)
Conference Opener: September 6 at College of Saint Mary
Homecoming Match: September 27 vs. Dakota Wesleyan University
Final Home Match: November 4 vs. Hastings College
NAIA Championship Dates: December 3-9 (Sioux City, Iowa)

Link

Sports

Women's Basketball Adds Four Transfer Recruits

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane women’s basketball team announced four transfer student-athletes will join the roster for the 2025-26 season. Jayda Brown, CC Mays, Tamiah Robinson, and Jordyn Weaver are set to join Head Coach Ashley Langford‘s squad for the upcoming season. Brown, a 6’0″ junior, comes to the Wave from St. John’s University, where she spent […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Women's Basketball Adds Four Transfer Recruits

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane women’s basketball team announced four transfer student-athletes will join the roster for the 2025-26 season. Jayda Brown, CC Mays, Tamiah Robinson, and Jordyn Weaver are set to join Head Coach Ashley Langford‘s squad for the upcoming season.

Brown, a 6’0″ junior, comes to the Wave from St. John’s University, where she spent two years as a guard for the Red Storm. She achieved a career-high three steals and 11 points versus Long Island University and totaled 27 rebounds.

“Jayda is an athletic, triple-threat player who’s competed at a high level in the Big East over the past two years. Her drive and love for the game are going to make a difference right away,” Coach Langford said. “She knows what it takes—both physically and mentally—to show up and compete every night at a high level, and that mindset will elevate our team.”

Mays, a 5’8″ graduate student, joins Tulane from Marshall University, where she was All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team during the 2024-25 season. Mays scored a career-high 406 points during the season, including a career-high 27 points in one game. She totaled 811 points and 493 rebounds in four seasons with the Thundering Herd.

“CC is a dynamic wing who can score at all three levels. She brings a ton of experience from her time at Marshall, where she played big minutes and helped win a championship,” Coach Langford said. “Her ability to score and her veteran presence fill a key need for us on the wing. Fans are going to love her energy, toughness, and passion for the game.”

Robinson, a 5’9″ graduate student, heads to New Orleans from Lafayette, where she spent the last two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns. As a senior, she totaled 139 rebounds, with 120 of them defensive, and averaged five per game. She put up 264 total rebounds as well as 82 steals at UL. Robinson averaged 9.6 points per game during the 2024-25 season and scored 268 total points for the year. She also scored a career-high 22 points against South Alabama and had 471 total points with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

“Tamiah is an experienced combo guard who takes pride in her defense and has a great feel for the game,” Coach Langford said. “Offensively, she’s a dangerous playmaker in the open floor and can score at all three levels. She brings that classic ‘Philly toughness’ that gives us a real edge on both ends of the floor.”

Weaver, 5″11″ graduate student,arrives rom Queens University of Charlotte, where she averaged 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season. She had 71 offensive rebounds during the season and with a season-best 15 rebounds against North Florida.

“Jordyn is an elite rebounder with a wealth of experience,” Coach Langford said. “She’s a versatile forward who can score inside and out, and she just has a knack for making plays. Defensively, she can guard multiple positions, which makes her a perfect fit for our defensive system.”

Print Friendly Version

Sports

SCSU Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field Places 12th for USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Program of the Year

Story Links NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field placed 12th for the USTFCCCA Damon Martin Program of the Year Award which is handed out to the top program in all of NCAA Division II. They finished the year with 95 points based on their finishes […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field placed 12th for the USTFCCCA Damon Martin Program of the Year Award which is handed out to the top program in all of NCAA Division II. They finished the year with 95 points based on their finishes at the NCAA DII Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

The Owls ranked 12th among all Division II school, qualifying for the award by reaching each of three National Championships for the 2024-2025 season. They placed 33rd at the 2024 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships, 30th at the 2025 Indoor National Championships, and 27th at the 2025 Outdoor National Championships. Cameron Belton was the standout, earning All-American honors for both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships after finishing third and second in the Shot Put, recording personal bests both times. SCSU was the only DII school in the entire northeast to place for the award, with the 11 teams preceding them coming from Colorado (3), California (1), North Carolina (1), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Illinois (1), and Texas (1).

To read more and view the full standings, click here.

Link