On the last Monday in October, more than 50 New Orleans-area high schoolers sat in rapt attention during an evening class at Tulane Law School. Eric Blevins, the university’s sports law program manager, played a clip of Steve Gleason’s infamous 2006 blocked punt against the Falcons during the Saints’ first game at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city just a year earlier.
When the clip ended, Blevins addressed his newest cohort.
“People coming together in the face of the greatest adversity — that’s what sports is about,” he said. “It can be a real force for society and community.”
Creating a strong community is one of the primary goals of the Starting Block, a multifaith nonprofit founded in 2021 by several prominent local families that prepares New Orleans high schoolers from diverse backgrounds for careers in the sports industry.
First Starting Block Initiative class of 2025 at Tulane Law School.
PROVIDED PHOTO
The program, which operates alongside organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, imbues professional training with culturally-relevant lessons that acknowledge the city’s rich history, particularly that of its Hispanic, Jewish and African American communities.
The third and largest cohort
The Starting Block’s purpose is twofold, according to co-founder Arnie Fielkow: give local high school students interested in a career in sports management a leg up, and bring youth from different cultures together to learn from one another and connect over their shared love of athletics.
“We help them with the substance of these topics, and we try to help them navigate the educational process,” Fielkow said. “It really is gratifying to watch these kids bond with each other.”
Founder of The Starting Block, Arnie D. Fielkow, addresses the first class of The Starting Block, 2025.
PROVIDED PHOTO
This is the third and largest cohort to embark on the 18-month course, which Fielkow believes is the only one of its kind in the nation.
During the first class Monday, students, many accompanied by parents, spent the first hour of the lesson breaking into groups to learn about one another — where do you go to school? What sports do you play? Why are you here?
TJ Green, center, laughs as he and his teammates and coaches walk to the football field at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie on Monday, November 3, 2025 in Metairie. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
TJ Green, a student athlete and sophomore at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, said that, like most of the program’s participants, he was drawn to the course simply because of his love of sports. While he already recognized some faces in the room, Green said he was quickly becoming acquainted with his new classmates from other schools.
“It’s definitely a new experience,” he said. “It’s good to get out of the school environment and get to know people from different areas of the city.”
A new idea
Fielkow was inspired to create the Starting Block when searching for ways to honor his good friend, celebrated author, activist and Creole chef Leah Chase, after her death in 2019.
Fondly recalling the countless hours he spent chatting with Chase in the kitchen of Dooky Chase’s, the restaurant she co-owned alongside her husband that also served as a cornerstone of New Orleans’ Civil Rights Movement, Fielkow said that he hoped to do something that would carry on Chase’s legacy by passing on her love of her home city and its diverse communities to younger generations.
And as an attorney and former executive with the New Orleans Saints and the National Basketball Retired Players Association, Fielkow also wanted to find a way to pass on his own expertise.
“I wanted to create a program that would incorporate Leah’s interests with mine,” he said, “and the one common element of that was bringing people together from different walks of life.”
Fielkow approached Chase’s children, Edgar and Stella, as well as philanthropists Morris and Melinda Mintz, to broach the idea of starting a program that would do just that. Soon, everyone was on board.
With the help of the Tulane Center for Sport, the Starting Block held its first-ever class in the fall of 2021. Since then, Fielkow said, the program has graduated two cohorts and has quickly grown in popularity.
A leg-up in the industry
To apply, students are asked to submit a one-page essay explaining why they want to take the course. Once accepted, they attend a 90-minute class every other month for a year and a half, where different instructors cover various topics pertaining to sports law and career development woven into lessons on local history and culture.
Students will eventually take a field trip to Birmingham, Alabama, to visit sites important to the American Civil Rights Movement, including the oldest baseball field in the United States, Rickwood Field. During segregation, Black teams could only play on the field during the day, while White teams played at night, Fielkow explained.
While most colleges have sports management programs, he noted that the Starting Block is unique because it’s geared toward high schoolers, adding that another important aspect of the course is that it gives participants an opportunity to network with industry professionals whom they otherwise may not have a chance to connect with.
“I was blessed with a 25-year career in professional and college sports, so this is my way of giving back to young people,” Fielkow said.
This program “will give New Orleans-area youth a leg up in the industry, because they’ll already have learned a lot of the basics.”
An investment in the future
Back in the classroom, Stella Chase, daughter of Leah Chase, observed the evening’s activities. Despite the late hour, she was pleased to see students enthusiastically getting to know one another.
To watch the program grow into what it is today has been a rewarding experience, she said.
“Not only do we learn about sports, which uniquely bring everybody together to cheer for our home team,” Chase said, “but it also gives us a way to learn a little bit more about each other.”
Judith Lee (Goodwin) O’Leary passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family on Dec. 24, 2025. Judy leaves behind her daughter, Tara O’Leary MacCarthy and her husband, Kenny; her grandchildren, Dr. Keira (O’Donovan) Martinez and her wife, Dr. Jennifer Martinez, Connor O’Leary and his wife Katherine. Judy is also survived by her two beloved great-granddaughters, Eve Martinez and Saoirse O’Leary, and her loving extended family and dear, life-long friends. Judy was predeceased by many loved ones, including her husband, Capt. Douglas M. O’Leary, son, Captain Brendan M. O’Leary, grandson, Seamus M. O’Leary, parents, Webster and Betty Goodwin, and her brother, Capt. Steven W. Goodwin.
Devoted to the town she loved, Judy worked in the town offices for over 25 years in both the Light Department and the Tax Collector office and took great pride in being a multi-generational Marbleheader. A clever and skilled artist with impeccable taste, Judy poured her love and creative talents into decorating her home, designing and crafting handmade quilts to welcome new babies, and knitting beautiful items that will be cherished by those she has left behind for many years to come. Judy’s quick wit and kindness were among her many qualities that drew others to her and her loving nature, curious spirit and resilience will be remembered always.
Services for Judy will be held on Friday, Jan. 9, at Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal St., Salem, including visiting hours 9-11 a.m., a memorial service at 11 a.m., followed immediately by a memorial luncheon. For more information and online guestbook, please call the Murphy Funeral Home at 978-744-0497 or visit murphyfuneralhome.com.
It’s been more than six and a half years since Madrid signed a player over 25 years old as an established star for a significant transfer fee. Players like AntonioRüdiger (2022), DavidAlaba (2021), KylianMbappé (2024), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (2025) arrived either on free transfers or, in Trent’s case, for a fee paid to Liverpool to secure his early participation in the Club World Cup. Joselu also joined in 2023 for €2 million in a low-cost deal, but it wasn’t considered a major market move.
Season after season since 2019, Real Madrid has focused on youth. The idea is simple: invest in young talent and give the club a decade to mold the squad, while amortizing transfer costs over time. Signing fully developed stars has become rare. In the 2019-2020 season, Hazard, Mendy, and Jovic arrived. Jovic, though young, failed to live up to the early promise.
The player profile Real Madrid are chasing
Players like Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Bellingham, Güler, Endrick, Huijsen, and Carreras all fit the club’s ideal profile, and Dutch midfielder Kees Smit is no exception. He turns 20 on January 20, with his entire career ahead of him. Madrid’s potential move for the AZ Alkmaar starlet would fall far short of the triple-digit fees seen for players like Vitinha or Alexis McAllister, yet he offers the creativity the club believes is crucial for the future.
The strategy at Valdebebas hasn’t changed: stability on and off the field comes from signing young players who can wear the Real Madrid jersey for a decade. Three La Liga titles since 2019, two Champions League trophies, a Copa del Rey, multiple Spanish and European Super Cups, and Club World Cups all reinforce the wisdom of this approach.
LaLiga giants favor youth over experience
Still, Real Madrid faces a challenge heading into next season: reclaiming the midfield spark that has been fading over time. The plan remains to bring in young talent, though there is ongoing debate about whether experience and proven quality should play a role. For now, youth wins, and Kees Smit is at the top of the list.
Former Real Madrid academy player Chema Andrés has excelled with Stuttgart in Germany and has been tipped to return.DeFodi Images
Madrid look to the academy
The same philosophy applies to the center-back position. Recent signings have either come from the academy or arrived on free transfers. Homegrown players like Jacobo Ramón at Como, Joan Martínez in Castilla training with the first team, and others such as Victor Valdepeñas – who has already debuted as a left-back – Diego Aguado, and Mario Rivas are being closely monitored.
Chema Andrésis another example, excelling in an accelerated development program in Stuttgart. Gonzalo García’s progress also suggests a path for non-defender academy players to join the first team exists. The door is open for the next generation.
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Cypress players and coaches after winning the tournament championship Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Cypress basketball).
Cypress High School’s boys basketball team won the Governor’s Division at the Torrey Pines Tournament defeating Poway 83-73 Tuesday night.
The Centurions’ Ryan Gov earned MVP honors scoring 32 points and hitting three 3-pointers in the final. Gavin Kroll had 17 points and three 3-pointers. Ethan Mai played tough defense and finished with 10 points, according to Coach Derek Mitchell.
“I’m proud of the way our team competed on the defensive end all tournament,” Mitchell said. “We had a lot of guys step up and make positive contributions throughout.”
The Centurions begin league play on Friday at Crean Lutheran.
An underdog team that won 10 games for the first time. A quarterback who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Unforgettable victories over a top-10 team and a bitter rival. A lifetime of memories from a season for the ages.
To celebrate Vanderbilt football’s epic season, The Tennessean will craft a hardcover collector’s book about the 2025 Commodores. It’s titled “ANCHOR DOWN: How Heisman Finalist Diego Pavia Led Vanderbilt to its Historic 2025 Season.”
Buy our commemorative Vanderbilt book now!
“ANCHOR DOWN” will chronicle how Vanderbilt, led by Clark Lea on the sidelines and Diego Pavia in the huddle, helped transform a program that hadn’t reached double digits in victories in its history. But the book isn’t just their story. It’s the story of a team that bought in, a staff that never stopped believing and a fan base that finally got to see what Vanderbilt football could become.
From the offensive line that gave Pavia time to work his magic to the defense that held Tennessee to its worst performance of the season, the Commodores proved that when everyone rows in the same direction, historic things happen.
It’s all there: The Heisman pose after stunning 10th-ranked LSU. The 484-yard passing explosion against Kentucky that shattered a record from 1981. The 45-24 demolition of Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, where Vanderbilt rushed for 314 yards and left orange-clad fans heading for the exits by the fourth quarter.
“ANCHOR DOWN” will be packed with exclusive photography, behind-the-scenes access and game-by-game coverage from the award-winning journalists at The Tennessean.
“ANCHOR DOWN” retails for $39.95 but order now for a 10% discount. (That’s $35.95, plus tax and shipping.)
Whether you’ve been a Vanderbilt fan for decades or just arrived for the greatest season in program history, this book belongs on your coffee table, your memories preserved in hardcover. Or give “ANCHOR DOWN” as the perfect gift — for a birthday, graduation, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and a belated holiday gift. Order at Vanderbilt.PictorialBook.com.
Buy our Vanderbilt book as a gift!
Exclusive page print: Hang 10 Vandy-style
After Vanderbilt routed Tennessee in the final game of the regular season, The Tennessean turned the front page of its Sports section into a commemorative page print. It features VANDY AT 10 as its big headline and a stunning photo of the celebration after the 45-24 victory.
Copies of this page are available for $27 (plus tax and shipping) and come in a variety of sizes and formats through the USA TODAY Store. Go to usatodaystore.com and search “Vanderbilt.”
Don’t miss your chance to own this piece of Vandy history!
Buy our Vanderbilt commemorative page print!
Contact Gene Myers at gmyers@usatodayco.com. Check out books and page prints from theUSA TODAY Network— including books on 100 years of the Grand Ole Opry, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, a kid’s guide to the Winter Olympics, Dale Earnhardt’s legacy and Coach Steve’s guide to surviving youth sports.
In response to the article “Youth tennis players ask for first call for courts” (CVN, Vol. 32 No. 14).
I strongly support court time for our youth. The importance of “sports” (and the arts) for our youth in our community is very important for a healthy community.
Ron Mousouris is an asset to our community. We are fortunate he has been instructing tennis to our kids in our community for years. Several kids I know have gotten college scholarships through high school tennis. It keeps our kids engaged in a healthy sport… the more positive opportunities our youth has the better!
We obviously need more pickleball courts. I would be happy to be on a committee working with the city of Carpinteria to locate an open space to locate more courts and possibly more tennis courts?
A new year, the same routine for our Youth teams, who will be back in action in around ten days’ time, once the festive period is fully behind them, to resume their competitive activity. January brings a number of interesting and demanding fixtures, providing further opportunities to continue their consistent development.
The Women’s Primavera, who closed out 2025 with a run of excellent results, will begin the new year with the second derby of the season, following the Coppa Italia meeting, on Sunday 11 January at the PUMA House of Football. It will be the only home fixture of the month for Zago’s team, who will then face away trips to Parma, on the same weekend as the First Team, and Roma.
The new year also begins on the road for the Under-18s, who will be in action away to Sassuolo around the Epiphany. Their first home fixture will be against Frosinone, in a month that also includes two all-Lombardy fixtures: an away match against Monza and a home game with Cremonese, which will also mark the opening round of the second half of the season.
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Cremonese, away, will also be the first opponents of 2026 for our Under-17s, whose first home fixture will come on the weekend of 17–18 January against Atalanta. One date to circle towards the end of the month is the derby away to Inter, on the same weekend that, with venues reversed, will see AC Milan v Inter for the Primavera. Shared paths, with the same fixture calendar, await the men’s Under-16s and Under-15s: they begin at home against Padova, in a month that will also feature a double away trip to face Cremonese.
Match Kits, clothing, accessories, gift ideas and much more: visit the AC Milan online Store!
