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Northwood Breaks Ground on New Multi-Purpose Athletic Field

Community Celebrates New Project, Which Will Include New Soccer Pitch, Lacrosse Field, Press Box, Field Lighting, and More Distinguished community members joined students, faculty, staff, and alumni for a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new multi-purpose athletic field on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at Northwood University. This transformative project will redevelop the existing soccer pitch on […]

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Community Celebrates New Project, Which Will Include New Soccer Pitch, Lacrosse Field, Press Box, Field Lighting, and More

Distinguished community members joined students, faculty, staff, and alumni for a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new multi-purpose athletic field on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at Northwood University.

This transformative project will redevelop the existing soccer pitch on Naegele Drive — formerly known as Dean Field — into a state-of-the-art, multi-use facility that will accommodate Northwood University Men’s and Women’s Soccer and Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, in addition to intramural sports, summer camps, youth clinics, and community events. The project will include a new press box and field lighting, which will enhance the game-day and training experience.

Northwood University President Kent MacDonald stated the project transcends athletics, representing an investment in student success, campus life, and community connection.

During Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Midland Mayor Maureen Donker agreed.

“This project reinforces how much Northwood really cares about being a strong community partner – and that’s incredibly important to us,” she said. “…This is going to be a place to grow, connect, and thrive together.”

Northwood Athletics Director Jeff Curtis noted the project will support Northwood’s growing lacrosse programs and soccer teams while also creating opportunities for more intramural and recreational activities that benefit the entire student body.

The new multi-use field will be located within the Gerstacker Athletic Complex, which currently houses the baseball, softball, tennis, and soccer fields. The new project offers multiple naming opportunities. Interested donors may contact Athletics Development Officer Leonard Haynes at , 989-837-4399, or 989-488-8332 to learn more.



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Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth Announce 3v3 Community Tournaments

The Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth today announced that registration is now open for each team’s 3v3 tournament, which will take place on July 12 at The Shops at South Town in Sandy, Utah. It will be the first-ever 3×3 street hockey tournament offered by Utah’s NHL team. Offering an environment for healthy competition and […]

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The Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth today announced that registration is now open for each team’s 3v3 tournament, which will take place on July 12 at The Shops at South Town in Sandy, Utah. It will be the first-ever 3×3 street hockey tournament offered by Utah’s NHL team. Offering an environment for healthy competition and entertainment, both events are designed to connect the community through sports.

“These events are so special because they bring people together, energize the community, help create memories, and make sports available to everyone,” said Chris Barney, president of revenue and commercial strategy at Smith Entertainment Group. “The Jazz 3v3 tournament has become a beloved summer staple, and we’re thrilled to build on that momentum and start a new tradition with the Utah Mammoth 3v3 street hockey tournament, which will inspire even more athletes across the state.”

Utah Jazz 3v3 Tournament and Registration

The Jazz 3v3 tournament, sponsored by Just Ingredients, will feature more than 30 divisions for boys and girls (10U-18U), as well as adult men’s and women’s groups, including 30U, 31+, and a men’s six-foot-and-under division. Each team of three to five players will compete in a traditional half-court format with each game lasting 20 minutes. Registration is open until July 2 and costs $175 per team. Each participant is guaranteed four games and will receive both a Jazz-branded 3v3 shirt and a ticket to a game during the 2025 Salt Lake City Summer League, which will be hosted at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center on July 5, 7, and 8. Winning teams will receive a ticket to a 2025-26 Utah Jazz game, a Shoot 360 experience, and a meet and greet with a Utah Jazz player. Additional rules and information about the Utah Jazz’s 3v3 tournament can be found by visiting www.nba.com/jazz/3v3tournament.

Utah Mammoth 3v3 Tournament and Registration

The Utah Mammoth 3v3 tournament, sponsored by G2G Protein Bar, will offer street hockey competition across several age groups, including a 10U division for boys, 12U to 18U division for boys and girls, and adult divisions for ages 17 and up. In addition, the 3v3 tournament will feature beginner play, recreational, and competitive levels, allowing athletes of all abilities the opportunity to compete. Each team of five to seven players will play in a court that is 60 ft. long with each game lasting 20 minutes.

Registration is open through July 2 and costs $200 per team. Each participant is guaranteed four games and will receive both a Mammoth-branded 3v3 shirt and a ticket to a Utah Mammoth 2025-26 preseason game. Winning teams will receive a ticket to the 2025-26 Utah Mammoth home opener, a meet and greet with a Utah Mammoth player, and an exclusive 3v3 branded team hat. Additional rules and information about the Utah Mammoth 3v3 tournament can be found by visiting www.utahmammothyouth.com/street-hockey/3v3/.

Participants of both the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth 3v3 tournaments can save $25 by registering before June 3 and using the promo code 3v3SUMMER25.

Additional Summer Youth Programming

From late May through August, the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth will host a variety of additional camps and clinics and other skills-focused development programming designed for youth ages 6 to 18. Beginning May 29, the Utah Jazz will offer two-day skills clinics, advanced shooting clinics, and more across Utah and Idaho, which can be found at www.jazzyouth.com/schedule. Beginning today, the Utah Mammoth will offer street leagues, Hockey 101 sessions, and more. Additionally, in early June, statewide ice clinics will be available. Details on youth hockey programming can be found at www.nhl.com/utah/community/youth-hockey/.

More information on the annual Junior Jazz Summer Road Trip and additional youth basketball and hockey programming will be shared in the coming weeks.



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Real Madrid and Barcelona reportedly consider shutting youth academies

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net Real Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly considering the possibility of discontinuing their youth academies due to the increasing migration of young basketball talents to the NCAA. The clubs have reportedly held discussions to evaluate redirecting funds currently allocated to youth development toward their first teams, according to MARCA. Since 2022, NCAA players have […]

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By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Real Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly considering the possibility of discontinuing their youth academies due to the increasing migration of young basketball talents to the NCAA. The clubs have reportedly held discussions to evaluate redirecting funds currently allocated to youth development toward their first teams, according to MARCA.

Since 2022, NCAA players have been allowed to earn money through NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights, attracting many promising young athletes worldwide. This development has led to a significant talent drain from European basketball.

Several academy players from both clubs have recently moved to the NCAA after limited professional experience. Examples include Kasparas Jakucionis and Dame Sarr from Barcelona, and Ismaila Diagné, Jan Vide, and Egor Demin from Real Madrid. Sidi Gueye is the next to make the move, while Hugo González had offers to leave last year but stayed. Now, he’s entered the NBA draft.

Retaining young talents has become increasingly difficult due to the lucrative offers available in the NCAA. Demin, a Russian guard from Real Madrid’s academy who went to BYU, allegedly earned this season through NIL nearly as much as Facundo Campazzo does in Madrid.

This has led some clubs to consider whether investing in youth academies remains viable. Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Secretary General, commented on the situation.

Our clubs, our leagues and our federations invest in someone who started playing at 9, 10, 11 years old and now ends up with a seven-figure check at 18.

To address this issue, FIBA has introduced a requirement for an Authorization Letter for young players transferring to the NCAA, ensuring consent from both the player’s club and federation, along with guarantees regarding their playing conditions and national team availability.

There must be consent from the club and federation the player is leaving, and guarantees regarding where the player will play, conditions, availability for national team call-ups… All guarantees that exist in the FIBA ecosystem,” Zagklis explained.

In Spain, cooperation between the High Sports Council and universities is focusing on creating a league for ACB club reserve teams to provide young players with more playing time and development opportunities.

Despite these measures, the challenges posed by the financial incentives in the NCAA continue to raise questions about the future of youth basketball development at major European clubs.





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Nathan Suter: Civic Pillar, Coach, Friend

The Montpelier community lost a leading light when Nathan Suter, 52, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, May 13. Suter wore many hats and touched many lives as a coach, equity and justice advocate, mentor, arts advocate, business founder, co-worker, and a friend.  Born  Feb. 14, 1973 in the Panama Canal Zone where his […]

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The Montpelier community lost a leading light when Nathan Suter, 52, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, May 13. Suter wore many hats and touched many lives as a coach, equity and justice advocate, mentor, arts advocate, business founder, co-worker, and a friend. 

Born  Feb. 14, 1973 in the Panama Canal Zone where his father was stationed in the United States Air Force, Suter grew up in Indiana and Poughkeepsie, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Haverford College and a master’s of fine arts in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. 

Suter’s CV is long and impressive. From 2006 to 2016, he was the executive director of the Helen Day Art Center, now The Current, in Stowe, where he initiated youth and adult education programs and created an internship and professional development program for emerging artists and cultural professionals. In 2016, he founded BUILD, a business consultancy focused on “Strategy, Leadership, Culture, and Change.”

Suter was also involved with justice-based and community-focused organizations, as a board member for Migrant Justice, treasurer for the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington, and as a commissioner for the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience. He also co-founded Roots Division, a visual arts nonprofit in San Francisco, for which he continued to serve as a board member. 

“Nathan was just a force,” said Ben Doyle, of the Montpelier Commission. “He was an integral part of the formation and success of the commission.” He was the “Jiminy Cricket” of the group, its conscience, Doyle said, keeping a focus on equity and justice and always considering “who is not at the table.” 

But perhaps Suter’s biggest community impact was as coach for the Montpelier Middle and High School Track and Field teams. Matt Link, athletic director of Montpelier High School, described Suter as one of the most dedicated coaches ever involved with Montpelier youth sports. 

A celebration at the end of the track season in 2023 with eighth graders from the Main Street Middle School team that year. Kneeling/sitting, from left: Coaches Mike Wetherell, Dylan Broderick, Nathan Suter, Steve Mangan, Tim Newara, Hannah Zajac. Middle row, from left: Dylan Montalvan Moncada, Alyce Jerome, Thea Boyles, Adele Pritchard, Lily Meyer, Maude Walker, Noah Amore. Back row, from left: Kianan Griffin, Molly McGibney, Mars Sciarrotta, Sonya Mancauskas, Asa Lloyd, Anna Newara, Grace Donahue, Anna Wetherell, Joseph McLain. Photo by Emily Wetherell.

“He coached everything,” Link said, adding that Suter even earned a certification to coach pole-vaulting so he could work with students who wanted to compete in that event. The track-and-field program, which, Link said, now boasts over 90 students, had nearly disappeared until Suter and other community members revitalized it. 

Asked about some of the biggest athletic achievements in which Suter played a role, Link said “the biggest accomplishment in terms of coaching for Nathan is not kids who had notable successes but the kids who would have never come out for a sport until he was here as a coach … We have pole vaulters, high jumpers, long jump, triple jump, relay teams full of kids who would have never been on a sports team let alone competing in a meet. He paved the paths of opportunity for these kids to run on.” 

“His lasting legacy on our programs will be felt for years, decades to come,” Link said. “He was an amazing guy who will be missed sorely.” 



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Anthony Picente State of Oneida County speech: Griffiss sports complex

Picture this: The largest hangar at Griffiss Business and Technology Park, known as Building 101, transformed into the second largest multi-purpose indoor sports and recreation facility for youth sports tournaments in the country, just part of a multi-purpose space with lodging, restaurants and maybe even a distillery or brewery. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. […]

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Picture this: The largest hangar at Griffiss Business and Technology Park, known as Building 101, transformed into the second largest multi-purpose indoor sports and recreation facility for youth sports tournaments in the country, just part of a multi-purpose space with lodging, restaurants and maybe even a distillery or brewery.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. dropped that vision toward the end of his State of the County speech given following a luncheon at The Shenandoah Clubhouse at Turing Stone Resort and Casino on May 20.

In the past, the search for a new use for the 400,000 square-foot hangar (the size of 250 pickleball courts) has focused on aviation, Picente said.

“With the announcement of Chobani (building a $1.2 billion facility in Rome) and the ever-changing face of the entire Griffiss Business & Technology Park,” he continued, “there has never been a better time to think differently and think big.”

The Runway, as Picente proposed calling the facility, would draw visitors from across the country and around the world to play in lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, flag football, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, tennis, wrestling and gymnastics tournaments, he said.

“The Runway will build on the success of Chobani, Air City Lofts and the Griffiss Business & Technology Park as a whole,” Picente promised, “cementing the park as a multi-use work, live and play neighborhood that will drive growth in Rome and the county for years to come.”

Talking county success

In his speech, Picente talked about all the county’s successes since he took office — and about how the county is building on those successes and continuing tackle challenges and grow economically.

“Think back to 2007 or even before that,” Picente said. “Would anyone have imagined (the) Nexus (Center) and the (Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial) Aud(itorium) hosting world championship tournaments,” Picente wondered.

“Would anyone have thought we would have a state-of-the-art hospital? Did people really believe a semiconductor industry would exist here? A permanent agreement with the Oneida Indian Nation that is the best county/tribal partnership in the United States?

“I don’t know how many believed it then, but they can see it now.”

Here are some key points about where Oneida County is going, as laid out in Picente’s speech.

Workers to fill jobs

The county will work hard to make sure that there are enough workers to fill all the jobs development is bringing to the county, Picente said.

Here are elements of that strategy, laid out in his speech:

  • A multimedia campaign and, working with Mohawk Valley Community College, the Workforce Investment Board and others, the creation of training programs “to make sure everyone who wants one of these jobs knows about them, can be properly trained for them and will be hired to fill them.”
  • A housing plan with five goals, 14 strategies and 34 action items to make sure the county has the types of housing, including affordable housing, that workers will need. The plan includes a new housing tax exemption policy through the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency to develop new housing. And a countywide infrastructure development program, Build Ready Oneida County, will get housing sites shovel ready.
  • Removing barriers to childcare that prevent workers from taking jobs. The county has already funded a child navigator to help families find daycare and the Family Daycare Startup Grant Program created almost 100 new daycare slots in six months. And MVCC just began a micro-credential program for childcare workers. A coming public relations campaign — Every Family, Every Child, Every Day — will advertise the childcare subsidy, which can help families of four making up to $96,000 and other child care information.

Everyone to share in growth

“As we build this bright new future together,” Picente said, “we must ensure everyone can take part in it. “That is why we keep working on society’s toughest issues; substance use disorder, mental health, homelessness and youth violence.”

Here’s some of what Picente said the county is doing or will do to address issues:

  • Overdose deaths from opioid have fallen: 18 in the first three months of 2024 compared to three in those months this year. But the total number of overdoses, including non-fatal, only dropped from 63 to 60. So the Oneida County Opioid Task Force is continuing its works and has formed new workgroups focused on innovative ideas in education, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, data collection and public policy. Upstate Caring Partners will soon open a stabilization center. The Oneida County C.A.R.E.S. smartphone app connects people with mental health information and resources.
  • A new Teen Accountability Court diverts teens facing gun charges out of the court system. And a grant program with the Community Foundation will give resources to organizations that specialize in working with youth.
  • The county needs to strengthen its system of finding housing for the homeless and preventing homelessness, increasing the amount of emergency, transitional and permanent affordable housing available in the county as well  the services available at these locations. If that sounds expensive, the work the county is already doing to place people who are homeless in emergency housing cost $7.1 million in 2024, he said.

Neighborhood revitalization

The City of Utica, Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and the county are already working together on the Cornhill Revitalization Project to bring two impact centers to the neighborhood to provide many of the resources residents said the neighborhood needs, Picente pointed out.

The Cornhill Neighborhood Improvement Plan will do more to bring investment and grant opportunities, helping public spaces, facades, streetscapes, lighting and other things that will help the neighborhood take pride in itself, he said.

“Pride in your community means less crime, less vandalism, less recklessness and more investment,” Picente said.

He announced a new Oneida County Community Price and Place initiative. Municipalities will be able to apply for funding to address blight in places that municipalities own or for which they are responsible.

And he pledged that the county and the city would deliver what’s left of emergency funding to deal with the tornado that hit Rome last summer to help the hardest hit areas that haven’t yet recovered.

Artificial intelligence

The county uses innovative approaches to government and the delivery of services, Picente said. And, as technology rapidly changes, the county needs to leverage it, he said.

“Artificial intelligence must be understood, utilized and integrated into what we do and how we do it,” he said. “We have to embrace this future not only as a government, but as a community.”

He proposed an Oneida County AI Task Force to look at its” integration and impact on government operations, private industry and residents, fostering education, ethical implementation and proactive policy making to position our county as a leader in the AI-driven future.”

“This technology’s capabilities may well be limitless,” he continued, “and I refuse to have us left behind.”

‘Unless we try’

Picente ended his speech on an optimistic note. None of this is impossible, he promised, “unless we don’t try.”

Success at conquering challenges relies on partnerships, he said.

“It is never one person, one entity or organization; it is an all-inclusive partnership,” Picente said. “One that continues to grow and look at ways to be innovative, better serve our people and never stop moving forward.”

It’s time to capitalize, he said, on the opportunities all around — together.



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Orange Recreation Center hosts Youth Summer Sports Camp, 3 on 3 basketball tourney

ORANGE — The Orange Recreation Center is hosting the annual Youth Summer Sports Camp next week. The camp starts May 27th and runs for five weeks from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Tuesdays through Fridays until June 27th. This staff-supervised camp is co-ed for ages 7-12 offers a new sport each week, including basketball, volleyball, […]

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The Orange Recreation Center is hosting the annual Youth Summer Sports Camp next week.

The camp starts May 27th and runs for five weeks from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Tuesdays through Fridays until June 27th.

This staff-supervised camp is co-ed for ages 7-12 offers a new sport each week, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, and flag football!

Rec. center coordinator Bree Lister and Bliss Box owner Marwan Barbar talk about the camp and the 3 vs. 2 tournament happening June 14th.

Weekly Schedule:

Week 1 (May 27 – 30): Basketball

Week 2 (June 3 – 6): Flag Football

Week 3 (June 10 – 13): Soccer/Dodgeball

Week 4: (June 17 – 20): Volleyball/Track & Field

Week 5: (June 24 – 27): All Sports

Last Day (June 27): The Splash Finale

Participants can register for each week individually at $40 per week or for all five weeks at the discounted price of $180 total. Other discounts are available for families with multiple children in the same household attending the camp.

Pricing:

$40 per week, or $180 for all 5 weeks

Pricing per additional child for all 5 weeks:

o 2nd child: $126

o 3rd child: $108

o 4th child: $90

The recreation center is locate at 1405 W. Orange Avenue, Orange, TX 77630. Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily.

Fees for late pick-up will be applied. Spots are limited so contact the Orange Recreation Center at 409-883-1072 to sign up now.

The Orange Recreation Center also presents Bliss Box 3v3 Boys Basketball Blitz Saturday, June 14th at 10:00 am.

Ages: 6th – 8th Grade Boys

Registration Fee: $20 per team

Awards sponsored by Bliss Box

1st Place team members head to the Houston Rockets Youth Skills Camp*

Tournament MVP wins a signed NBA jersey

Top 3 teams take home medals

All players get a $20 Bliss Box gift card

*All members of the 1st Place team will attend the Houston Rockets Youth Skills Camp at The Den

Sports Facility from July 28th – August 1st and will receive a $350 voucher for lodging, provided by the

tournament sponsor, Bliss Box.

Registration is open now, so sign up today at the Rec Center, and bring your A-game!

For more information, call the Rec at 409-883-1072 or visit our website at https://orangetexas.gov/499/Upcoming-Event.



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Scheels IcePlex begins major expansion

When the Scheels IcePlex opened more than a decade ago at the Sanford Sports Complex, everything in the building was a must-have because of budget constraints. Largely funded privately, the ice center “had no nice-to-haves or creature comforts,” said Joe Zueger, who led the effort to build the rink that opened in late 2014 and […]

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When the Scheels IcePlex opened more than a decade ago at the Sanford Sports Complex, everything in the building was a must-have because of budget constraints.

Largely funded privately, the ice center “had no nice-to-haves or creature comforts,” said Joe Zueger, who led the effort to build the rink that opened in late 2014 and now serves as a director.

“Demand has been steadily increasing, and now we’re at that point where year to year the utilization is pretty consistent and reliable.”

Regular users of the facility’s three sheets of ice include the Sioux Falls Youth Hockey Association, Sioux Falls Figure Skating Club and Sioux Falls Power Hockey, along with Sioux Falls Curling Club, SD Selects Hockey and various adult leagues.

The positive activity and growth in ice sports participation has allowed for some of the amenities that didn’t make the cut a decade ago to move forward now.

An estimated $3.5 million two-story expansion is starting construction, bringing varsity locker rooms for boys’ and girls’ Sioux Falls Youth Hockey players, along with office space, storage and conference rooms, plus a dedicated space to sell spirit wear.

An upper-level open space will be used for everything from an open gym for stretching and yoga to an area for larger meetings.

A synthetic ice area will serve as a space for practicing puck skills, stick handling, passing and shooting.

The upper level of the new addition will lead to a viewing area overlooking the north rink.

Participation in youth hockey has grown from about 400 participants when the IcePlex opened to more than 800 today.

“Friends got friends involved, and it seems like more hockey people are moving to town from Minnesota or other areas,” said Derek Berg, who just finished his second term on the Sioux Falls Youth Hockey Association board of directors, where he served as director of development. He has a 14-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter who play hockey.

Parents who played hockey now see “their second generation are still playing hockey, and a lot of coaches are former Flyers players,” he said. “We average 4 to 5 percent increase every year.”

The city’s hockey scene has grown steadily, he said, pointing to milestones such as the Sioux Falls Stampede coming to town in 1999, the Scheels IcePlex opening and Augustana University bringing Division I men’s hockey to the Midco Arena.

But while the hockey association has grown, “we don’t have a space to call our own,” Berg said. “This will give us a home.”

The locker rooms, two for boys and one for girls, will give varsity players an amenity to aspire to — a space where they can leave their gear in a dedicated locker — along with access to showers to clean up after they skate.

“Leaving your gear at the rink would be the ultimate,” Berg said, adding that the new workout area and shooting lanes help keep more of the program in-house at the rink.

“A lot of our development has happened off campus, and we can actually become more of what we call rink rats even in the summer,” he said. “Right now, my kid spends three or four hours at the rink and has two hours of downtime between sessions, so this is a place to go and train and hang out and really build the team aspect.”

Conference rooms also can double as spaces for birthday parties.

“We got rewarded for keeping our debt load low 10 years, and we’re in a position to be able to do some expansion and add these non-ice amenities,” Zueger said.

The expansion is funded as a partnership between the Ice Sports Association and Sioux Falls Youth Hockey Association. The youth association is closing in on its $1.5 million share, with about $350,000 left to go.

“For the first time in the 50-year history of youth hockey, they went out and raised over $1 million on their own,” Zueger said. “They organized themselves, they put a committee together and really appealed to members and the business community. To their credit, they put the project on their back.”

There is still a sponsorship available for naming rights on the front of the building as well as sponsorships for part of the gym and each locker stall.

The new addition “will totally change the curb appeal” of the building “while adding very useful amenities,” he added.

Participants in the youth hockey program are excited for it, Berg said.

“We’re just trying to take it to the next level, where we have potentially DI athletes coming out of it and moving on to other AAA programs,” he said. “It’s happening already, but this will push it to the next step, and for the kids that want that, we will have facilities for them to use.”

Gil Haugan Construction is beginning work on the 12,000-square-foot project. It’s expected to take seven to eight months to complete.



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