A group of 11- and 12-year-olds from Southwest Florida is heading to Houston for the 2025 AAU Junior Olympic Games — and making history while they’re at it.

The 11U 2 Legit flag football team, part of the City of Fort Myers S.T.A.R.S. Athletics Program, earned its spot at the national event after finishing as runner-up at a qualifier in Bradenton earlier this summer. The Junior Olympics, held July 25–27 at Rice University, will include flag football for the first time in the event’s history.

“It’s very exciting,” head coach James Christensen said. “We’re hopefully going to represent Southwest Florida well and bring back a medal.”

The 11U team is part of 2 Legit Youth Sports, a nonprofit that fields multiple teams across several age groups, with a mission to support athletes from all backgrounds, including those facing financial hardship.

The Houston tournament will begin with pool play before shifting to a single-elimination bracket. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of four games. Christensen said the 11U roster includes 10 athletes, many of whom have played together for years.

“They’re unbelievable,” Christensen said. “Some of the athletes we have… I feel like they’re the best this area has to offer.”

Flag football itself is growing fast, both locally and across the country. Christensen said more kids are picking it up as a way to stay sharp for the fall.

“The sport’s grown so much,” he said. “Now so many kids play it in the offseason to go with their tackle seasons.”

The group is excited not only for the chance to compete, but for the full experience. For many of the players, it will be their first time on a plane and their first time competing on a national stage.

“We’re just going to come out, we’re going to try to work,” said 2 Legit receiver Roderick. “So we can go out there and show people what we can actually do. Maybe come back with a ring.”

“Maybe? We are coming back with a ring!” teammate Brandon added.

The 2 Legit program isn’t alone in representing the region. Naples Lunatics Green and the Naples Lunachicks girls team also qualified for the Junior Olympics in Houston.

HONESDALE — Local coaching legend Mike Birmelin passed away two years ago, but his legacy just continues to grow on the Wayne County sports scene.

CONCORD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul 25, 2025–

LIGHT Helmets, the leading innovator in football helmet technology, is proud to announce a new partnership with De La Salle High School, a powerhouse in high school football. De La Salle, located in Concord, California, is renowned for its remarkable athletic program and legendary football team, including holding the record for the longest winning streak in sports history.

As part of this partnership, De La Salle will replace the majority of their existing football helmets with LIGHT Helmets. This move further solidifies De La Salle’s commitment to player safety by selecting the #1 rated helmet in safety and performance, as tested by Virginia Tech.

“We’re excited to partner with De La Salle to protect the past, present, and future of football. Their storied history and commitment to excellence in both athletics and player safety align perfectly with our mission,” said Nick Esayian, CEO at LIGHT Helmets. “De La Salle is replacing the majority of their helmets with LIGHT Helmets because they want to ensure their athletes are protected with the most advanced technology available.”

LIGHT Helmets uses cutting-edge technology that combines lightweight materials with superior protection to provide athletes with both safety and performance. The Apache helmet, designed with next-gen 3D printed “pods” optimized for impact absorption and lightweight flexibility, is the helmet of choice for many NFL and NCAA teams, and now, De La Salle will be among the top high school teams to experience the benefits of this groundbreaking technology.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the players in these helmets on the field this season,” said Justin Alumbaugh, Head Coach at De La Salle. “Our athletes deserve the best protection available, and partnering with LIGHT Helmets ensures that they have it. We’re confident this move will help us continue to set the standard for excellence in high school football.”

The De La Salle Spartans are no strangers to success, with multiple state championships and a legendary winning streak that set the bar for high school football excellence. The team has played in 14 straight state championship games, winning seven, and they continue to demonstrate their commitment to winning both on and off the field. With LIGHT Helmets’ state-of-the-art technology, the Spartans will continue to lead the charge in athlete safety while striving for greatness.

About LIGHT Helmets

LIGHT Helmets manufactures and distributes the lightest and safest protective headgear for professional, amateur and youth athletes. Its products are sold direct to professional, amateur and youth sports teams and leagues and are also available at retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Scheels. Rated #1 in safety by Virginia Tech and trusted by top NFL, NCAA, and high school teams, LIGHT Helmets is committed to revolutionizing the future of football equipment. In conjunction with its advisory board of noted physicians, LIGHT developed its revolutionary products utilizing advanced materials from the battlefield, military aviation, and auto racing. The company is headquartered in Carlsbad, CA. For more information, visit www.LIGHTHelmets.com.

About De La Salle High School

De La Salle High School, located in Concord, CA, is a Lasallian Catholic school known for its commitment to academic excellence, strong athletic programs, and community values. Home to one of the most successful football programs in the country, De La Salle has a rich tradition of producing college and NFL players. The school boasts an impressive record of 14 straight state championship appearances and numerous state titles. De La Salle’s dedication to developing young athletes both on and off the field, fostering academic achievement, leadership, and moral character, remains at the heart of its mission.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250725884150/en/

CONTACT: Media Contact:

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KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: NEUROLOGY SPORTS TEENS FOOTBALL HEALTH PRIMARY/SECONDARY CONSUMER EDUCATION

SOURCE: LIGHT Helmets

Copyright Business Wire 2025.

PUB: 07/25/2025 09:00 AM/DISC: 07/25/2025 09:01 AM

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Copyright Business Wire 2025.

Our Scotts brand is proud to announce a new partnership with U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team captain Tyler Adams and Every Kid Sports.

This partnership is dedicated to increasing youth access to natural turf sports fields, as we believe in the power of green spaces to foster healthier, happier and stronger communities.

For the official kick-off, Tyler hosted a field day at his childhood playing field in Wappingers Falls, New York, teaching soccer skills to local youth. He attributes his early success to his experiences as a youth athlete. And as a new father, he is adamant about spending time with his family outside.

Tyler will help give back to local communities by working with Scotts to launch a nationwide Keep It Real sweepstakes, offering five youth sports nonprofit organizations the chance to win a natural turf field refurbishment and soccer balls signed by Adams.

Learn more about the Keep It Real Movement and sweepstakes: https://scotts.com/en-us/about-us/keep-it-real.html

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About ScottsMiracle-Gro
With approximately $3.6 billion in sales, the Company is the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company’s brands are among the most recognized in the industry. The Company’s Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Company, is a leading provider of nutrients, lighting, and other materials used in the indoor and hydroponic growing segment. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com. 

Scotts Miracle-Gro

Scotts Miracle-Gro

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3.2 billion in sales, the Company is one of the world’s largest marketers of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company’s brands are among the most recognized in the industry. The Company’s Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Company, is a leading provider of nutrients, lighting and other materials used in the indoor and hydroponic growing segment. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.

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On a breezy fall morning, I strolled onto the soccer field to meet my daughter, whose team had just finished a close game. Immediately, I noticed her expression was downcast. “One of the other team’s goals was my fault,” she said.

Her gloomy demeanor stirred something prickly inside me, an angst I didn’t want to feel at that moment. I rushed to find some comforting words. “Oh, honey, I’m sure that’s not true! It couldn’t possibly have been all your fault.”

But on the car ride home, my daughter’s mood remained sour, and I felt sad, too.

In the world of youth sports, the highs and lows can feel particularly intense, for kids and parents alike. When our kids score a goal or snag that first-place medal, we get a “dopamine hit” — a rush of happy feelings — says Emily Edlynn, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in children and adolescents and the author of the book “Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children.”

On the flip side, watching our children struggle can hit us hard emotionally. If our kids lose the championship game or flub a key play, we feel their distress. “We then have a lot of trouble tolerating our child’s discomfort,” Edlynn says. “Then we rescue them to help ourselves feel better.”

Sometimes we feel so invested in our children’s athletic endeavors that our emotions get the better of us. I’ve seen adults yelling and stomping around on the sideline, seemingly more enraged about the outcome of a game than the kids who are actually playing in it. And after my daughter broke her arm during a game this past spring and couldn’t play for months, I felt intense grief.

As parenting culture focuses more on empathy, it’s no surprise that we’re affected by our children’s emotions. But this emphasis on understanding our kids’ feelings has a downside. “It can blur our own emotional boundaries, where we identify too strongly with how our kids are feeling and we take it on as our emotions to fix, too,” Edlynn says.

Empathy isn’t the only reason why today’s youth sports landscape can feel like a high-stakes, ultracompetitive environment. Parental involvement in kids’ extracurricular activities has increased a lot over the past few decades, says Elizabeth Budd, Ph.D., an evergreen associate professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services at the University of Oregon. At the same time, recreational community leagues have dwindled while the popularity of private, competitive travel teams has soared. Whether spending money on specialized gear, shuttling kids to and from practices, or devoting weekends to out-of-town tournaments, parents are pouring a lot of time and resources into children’s sports experiences.

And don’t underestimate the pressure of keeping up with others in your social circle. If most other families are signing up for the competitive gymnastics program, for instance, the implicit message is, “To be part of the community, we should also be doing it,” says Edlynn.

Amid these challenges, how can parents keep things in perspective while giving young athletes the support they need?

Align your support with the goal.

When we sign our kids up for tae kwon do lessons or the school basketball team, it’s usually not because we expect our children to become professional athletes. Rather, it’s because we know that active play benefits kids physically and emotionally. And kids who enjoy physical activity are much more likely to seek out and continue to practice it into adulthood, says Budd. So, whichever sports our kids may be involved in, we should remember that the ultimate goal is to nurture a lifelong commitment to physical activity.

As parents, we can provide both instrumental support — with things such as helping our kids get to practice and making sure their uniforms are ready — and emotional support, such as offering encouragement and showing up to their events. Though, according to Budd, it’s important that “none of that is about being hard on your children for their performance,” nor does it have anything to do with the outcome of a game.

Follow your child’s lead.

Parents have their own ideas about what sports their children should choose — often the same activities they themselves enjoyed while growing up. However, “pushing kids to play a particular sport or practice a particular physical activity they don’t enjoy does more harm than good,” says Budd.

I swam competitively during middle school and hoped my daughters would gravitate toward the water. So far, though, they seem more interested in land-based sports — and that’s OK.

“Research is clear about how intrinsic motivation — a desire that comes from within oneself — to be active is a much stronger predictor of sustained activity over time compared with extrinsic motivation [such as pressure from parents or coaches],” says Budd. Trust your kids to show you what they enjoy.

Be mindful of how you connect.

While we can’t control what happens on the soccer field or the tennis court, we can be aware of our own behavior. Edlynn suggests being mindful of how we interact with kids after the excitement of a sports event.

If, for example, “we give them a lot of attention when they do well at their soccer game, and we’re not quite as connected when they have a bad game,” our kids will pick up on that, Edlynn explains. To counter this, try focusing on the elements of sports that have nothing to do with performance, such as the social aspects or skills learned. Regardless of the final score, one parent I know asks his daughter the same question after every game: “Did you have fun?”

Stay cognizant of what they — and you — are giving up.

Even if your child lives and breathes hockey or would gladly practice gymnastics for 20 hours a week, it’s important to balance sports with the rest of their life. Consider whether your child’s sports schedule allows for downtime, opportunities for fun and adequate sleep, Edlynn suggests.

Recognize, too, that whatever sport your child chooses will involve tradeoffs. For my daughter, that might mean a tournament with her soccer team instead of a family dinner, or an early game instead of a lazy Saturday morning after a sleepover. We’ve talked periodically about what she’s giving up — and the sacrifices we’re making as a family — to ensure that she can participate in the sport she loves.

For now, my daughter is enjoying her experience. And though I still feel the highs and lows along with her, I’m working to make sure my own emotions don’t get in the way of everything she’s learning.

Gina Rich lives in Wisconsin, where she writes about parenting, health, and travel for outlets including the Washington Post, Notre Dame Magazine, and Next Avenue.  Connect with Gina on her website, lovehopeandcoffee.com.

When Eliot Wolf took over the Patriots front office, he brought with him a strong connection to the Packers, where his father, Ron Wolf, was the general manager for 10 seasons, including the team’s Super Bowl 31 win. In addition to the familial connection, Wolf worked for the Green Bay front office from 2004-17. One of the Packers’ core tenets is to draft players they believe strongly in and give them the space to develop. Based off this offseason and the first couple of training camp practices, Wolf and head coach Mike Vrabel are trying to emulate that in New England.

Drake Maye is the center of attention at training camp and rightfully so; the second-year quarterback showed promise last year, but also has some things in his game that need to grow. Early on, Maye appears to be in command of the Patriots offense and has clearly been making improvements from last year, such as taking more checkdown passes. Quarterback is the most important position in sports and the Patriots will have a young player starting. From there, the youth movement on the offense is only just beginning.

Will Campbell was selected fourth overall and will be the starting left tackle. At practice Thursday, Campbell’s technique looked good and he held his own against several different pass rushers, including Keion White. Of course, a full evaluation won’t be possible for a few more days when padded practices begin, but New England clearly views him as a major part of their offense in 2025.

Campbell won’t be the only rookie with a chance to start on the offensive line. Jared Wilson has been the backup center, but more notably has rotated in at center and guard with the first team offense. The third-round rookie was a second team All-SEC player last year in his first year starting at center and is supremely athletic for a player his size. He has a real chance to start at center or left guard at some point, and perhaps early on, this season.

The offensive skill positions also have opportunities for young players to earn significant reps in training camp. TreVeyon Henderson rotated in at running back with the second and first teams during practice Thursday, as did Kyle Williams. Third-year wide receiver DeMario Douglas has been the starting slot receiver and is likely to have a massive role in the offense. In 2023 while playing for Bill O’Brien in a similar offense, Douglas had 49 catches for 561 yards as a rookie before surpassing both totals last season. Rookie receiver Kyle Williams has a downfield speed element that the Patriots have not had in a long time, and they will look to give him chances to showcase that.

Defensively, the Patriots have several young players that could play major roles. Rookie Craig Woodson is battling for a starting safety role. While at Cal, Woodson played free safety, strong safety and slot corner; that versatility will give him ample opportunities to get on the field. Keion White was clearly frustrated with the coaching staff last year and in practice Thursday had reps with the first team defense. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound White could have a great year in his third season off the edge if his talent is able to be combined with improved coaching and an attacking style defense. At the very least, it appears Vrabel and his staff will give White significant chances to do so.

Third-year corner Christian Gonzalez has already established himself as an All-Pro. Thursday at practice, Carlton Davis was unavailable at corner and third-year corner Alex Austin stepped in to take starting reps opposite Gonzalez. Austin has developed into a solid depth piece that, at this stage, the coaching staff trusts enough to start in place of an injured Davis.

The Patriots will have their share of veterans, and any team that has any chance of being good needs veteran contributors. However, the youth movement is clearly a focus in Foxborough and it would not be a surprise to see as many as six players in their first or second season, plus several players in their third season, starting by the end of 2025. At the very least, the Patriots are going to give these players every opportunity to shine in training camp.