What started as a dream has successfully taken shape as a space for the youth to grow, learn, and compete through sports.

The North County Youth Recreation Association is a nonprofit organization run completely by volunteers.

They manage 50 acres of Manzanita Park, which houses soccer, baseball, softball fields, and a BMX track.

They’re in charge of maintaining the entire sports complex.

Daniel Thompson, president of the NCYRA, said, “The community is the ones who put it all together and funded it. There’s not a paid person in this park. Even us board members were all free. We all donated our service for the whole thing. And that’s what makes it all a unique park. Nobody’s paid.”

Their latest project included upgrading dugouts and bathrooms with a grant from Team Depot, a Home Depot volunteer program.

The company donated $19,000 for supplies and sent about 50 employees to help finish the job.

Marissa Betancourt, district manager for Home Depot, said, “One of our core values is giving back, and we enjoy giving back to the communities that we belong to. So this is just something that we do that’s built into our DNA.”

Glenn Samples has been with the organization since he was a kid. The vision to transform Manzanita into a sports complex started with his father, who founded the NCYRA.

“I think my dad be very happy looking down at the field, there’s so much growth and use of this facility, and how much it’s grown. I think it’s a lot bigger than it was, than he thought it was going to be, honestly,” Samples said.

The Long Beach PONY 14s All-Stars out of Whaley Park saw another deep Summer run come to an end a few games earlier than they would have liked, as the local boys fell in the championship of the Super Regional Tournament in Covina. Long Beach was one win away from advancing to the Zone Tournament, the ultimate qualifier for the PONY World Series. 

Whaley is the four-time World Series champions having won the nation’s best 14s tournament in 1959, 1965, 2008, and 2012 and have made five World Series trips since 2007; Long Beach was the runner-ups in the World Series in 2018. Rival park Heartwell made a World Series run in 2024 at the 14s level.

The Whaley 14s advanced to the Super Regional Tournament with a championship win in the Regional Tournament over South Bay, 16-0. Long Beach scored in every inning of a four-inning mercy rule victory, leading 10-0 after two innings. Mathew Pinedo threw 3.1 innings of one-hit shutout baseball, and Jacob Gonzalez closed out the last two outs of the fourth inning to finish the shutout.

Six players had multi-hit games for Whaley as Cooper Kaiser (2/3 3 RBIs), William Turner (3/4) Brayton Paculba (3/4 3 RBIs), Pinedo (3/4 4 RBIs), Kaenon Mulhearn (2/3 2 RBIs), and Leonard Graham IV (2/3) all had big offensive games.

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For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, visit the series official website at www.MXSports.com or call (304) 284-0101. Join the conversation on the event’s social media channels, along with receiving the most up-to-date news and exclusive content. 

About the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

The Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program will consist of over 50 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 13 Regional Championships (May through June), hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week in August) hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Christened “The World’s Greatest Motocross Vacation”, the National event serves as a launch pad for some of the biggest names in professional motocross and supercross, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey. The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company and is sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). For more information, visit www.mxsports.com. 

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.

A youth football team in Erlanger has a rising star on its hands.

A 6-year-old running back for the Erlanger Lions is now a front runner in NFL star Russell Wilson’s Youth Athlete of the Year Championship Experience.

If he wins, he’ll take home a life-changing prize.

Deonte Pinnell is small but mighty, and he’s ready to take the football world by storm.

His mother, Charissa Pinnell, says she submitted him for the championship experience after seeing a post online. Now, he’s in first place.

“When he was a baby, we dressed him up as a football; he’s always loved football, not really any other sport. This is just always the one he wanted to play,” Charissa said.

If he wins, he’ll take home a $25,000 prize and get to be the star of a Sports Illustrated Magazine shoot.

Charissa said this would change his life.

“There’s only been one of us to go off to college, so for him that’s really big for me,” Charissa said. “This would help us a lot.”

From a college career to following in the footsteps of his idols, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, this little guy has big dreams.

Deonte is competing against 45 other kids from all over the U.S. He needs to stay at the top for at least another week to move onto the top 20. To vote, click here.

One of Nome’s favorite summertime events returned mid June with Mizuktata, originally called Lemonade Day. Each year, colorfully decorated tables and excited kids line the streets of Nome to sell homemade treats.

From desserts like local favorite blueberry delight – a sweet treat made with whipped cream, graham crackers, and handpicked berries – there’s polish dogs, cold brew coffee, and of course, lemonade.

Krystal Hensley who organized the event said Mizuktata isn’t just about the tasty food and sweet drinks – it’s about creating opportunities for the kids.

“I know a lot of kids utilize this day to fundraise for their summer sports or sports throughout the season,” Hensley said. “Feel like they’re always fundraising, so this is a great opportunity for them to do that, and the community is a great support.” 

Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley has been named to President Trump’s council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, joining the President’s renewed push for youth fitness and the revival of the once-standard Presidential Fitness Test in schools.

On Thursday, President Trump reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a fixture of public schools for decades that gauged young people’s health and athleticism with 1-mile runs, sit-ups and stretching exercises.

“This is a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said of the fitness test that began in 1966 but was phased out during the Obama administration.

An executive order he signed Thursday also reinvigorates a national sports council that the president stocked with former and current athletes and other figures from the sports world.

Barkley, who did not attend the event Thursday, was among several prominent athletes who joined Trump and top administration officials, including allies such as friend and pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau and others who’ve attracted controversy, such as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Other renowned sports figures on the council who did not attend the event Thursday include retired golfers Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League.  

It’s the latest athletics-related push from Trump, an avid golfer who remains enthralled with the world of sports.

“I was always a person that loved playing sports. I was good at sports,” Trump said. “When you are really focused on sports, you’ve thought about nothing else. To an extent, this is one of the reasons I like golf. You get away for a couple of hours.”

The announcement also came as Trump readies the United States to host the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup games and the 2028 Summer Olympics. He also signed a different executive order earlier this month mandating that federal authorities clarify whether college athletes can be considered employees of the schools they play for.

Trump on Thursday said the council, known formally as the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, will also deal with various issues on college athletics, such as the transfer portal that has more easily allowed athletes to switch from school to school. The council, which will have up to 30 members, will also develop criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award. The fitness test will be administered by his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In the test, children had to run and perform situps, pullups or pushups, and a sit-and-reach test, but the program changed in 2012. It evolved into the Youth Fitness Program, which the government said “moved away from recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on students’ health.” Then-first lady, Michelle Obama, also promoted her “Let’s Move” initiative focused on reducing childhood obesity through diet and exercise.

The Youth Fitness Test, according to a Health and Human Services Department website last updated in 2023 but still online Thursday, “minimizes comparisons between children and instead supports students as they pursue personal fitness goals for lifelong health.”

Among those who joined Trump on Thursday, in addition to Barkley, DeChambeau and Taylor, were Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker; Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam; and WWE legend Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the son-in-law of Trump’s education secretary, Linda McMahon.

Taylor, who has appeared on stage with Trump at campaign rallies, pleaded guilty in New York in 2011 to misdemeanor criminal charges of sexual misconduct. He was sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. He was arrested in 2021 in Broward County, Florida, and charged with failing to report a change of residence as a sex offender. He later pleaded no contest to an amended charge, was ordered to pay $261 in court fees, and the case was closed, court records show.

“I’m just proud to be on this team,” Taylor said as he briefly took the microphone at the signing. “I don’t know why, I don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing, but I’m here to serve. And I’m here to serve you.”

The NFL distanced itself from comments Butker made last year during a commencement address at a Kansas college, when he said most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children than entering the workforce and that some Catholic leaders were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” Butker also assailed Pride Month and railed against Democratic President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.

Butker later formed a political action committee designed to encourage Christians to vote for what the PAC describes as “traditional values.”

Sorenstam faced backlash for accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after rioters spurred by Trump’s false claims about his election loss to Biden stormed the Capitol in Washington.

The return of the exam brought mixed reactions from some who study exercise.

Trump is putting a welcome focus on physical activity, but a test alone won’t make America’s children healthier, said Laura Richardson, a kinesiology professor at the University of Michigan. The exam is only a starting point that should be paired with lessons to help all students improve, she said.

“It’s not just, you get a score and you’re doomed,” said Richardson, whose teaching focuses on obesity. “But you get a score, and we can figure out a program that really helps the improvement.”