DULUTH —Duluth Marshall freshman Chloe Johnson was one of 52 players nationwide to be selected to participate in the 2025 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado, beginning Wednesday.

The final 12-player roster will be announced on May 26, with the team competing in the FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup held June 16-22 in Irapuato, Mexico.

Johnson garnered 2025 DNT All-Area Player of the Year honors and picked up her second-career first-team All-State nomination this past season after averaging 28.9 points per game and 6.5 assists while shooting 57% from the field. Defensively, she averaged four steals and one block per outing.

In three seasons at the varsity level, the 6-foot guard has already eclipsed the 2,000-point mark.

Johnson was one of 26 players from the class of 2028 to be invited to the tryouts and one of only three from Minnesota, as she’s joined by 6-foot-1 Minnetonka forward Arianna Peterson and 6-foot-4 center Logan Miller of Andover.

Johnson is currently competing for the All Iowa Attack 17U team of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) against the nation’s top players. She’s averaging 8.6 points and 3.6 assists through five games.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

The Department of Youth Services and Sports Ganderbal successfully conducted a series of inter-school zonal level sports events throughout the district today.The competitions were organized in alignment with the guidelines from higher authorities of YSS Jammu and Kashmir.
The day began in Zone Ganderbal with the Inter-School Zonal Level Carrom and Chess competitions for Boys U17, held at Sultania English Medium Public School.A total of 56 student players participated in the Chess competition, while 51 students competed in Carrom.The events showcased impressive cognitive skills as the participants played with great strategy and professionalism. Several players advanced to the finals of both competitions.
In Carrom Competition Winner (Singles): New Dreamland Runner-up (Singles): BHS Shallabugh.In Chess Competition Winner: New Tiny Hearts School,Runner-up,New Dreamland Educational Institute.All winning and runner-up teams were honored with trophies presented by senior officials.
Additionally, Zone Tullamulla hosted the Inter-School Zonal Level Kabaddi Selection Trials for Girls U14 at BHSS Kurhama.A total of 52 aspiring girl students showcased their skills and talent, with the best team selected for the upcoming Inter-Zone District Level Championship.These events highlight the growing sports talent in the district and demonstrate the commitment of YSS Ganderbal to fostering youth development through sports

The Eureka JPO Youth Basketball Summer Camp is scheduled for June 2 and 3 at the Vandal Athletic Center. Hours for the camp are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Children in grades three through eight are invited to attend.

Please contact Irma Davila at (775-237) 5450 or IDavila@eurekacountynv.gov for questions or further information. Registration may also be completed at https://form.jotform.com/251267176826161 

We often think of football when we think of concussions, but girls who play high school soccer are at nearly the same risk for traumatic brain injuries as high school football players.

Boys playing high school football suffered the most concussions of any youth sport studied at 10.2 for every 10,000 practices and games. Girls soccer was second at 8.4 per 10,000 times playing.

But a recent study shows that rule changes in youth soccer that started in 2016 to reduce concussions are helping. Almost 10 years ago, the U.S. Soccer Federation banned headers for players younger than 10, and players ages 11 to 13 can practice headers for no more than 30 minutes a week.

The new report found that since the rule change, there’s been a nearly 26% reduction in soccer-related concussions, going from 8.2% of all soccer injuries to 6.1%.

Nine-year-old Presley Markich, who plays for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer Club at AHN Montour Sports Complex, knows what a concussion feels like. She was just 8 when she got a concussion playing soccer after colliding with another player.

“I started to feel sick in the car. I threw up once we got home. I took a nap because my vision was blurry, and I threw up again and then ended up in the ER for four hours,” she said.

Her mom, Liz Whiting, said, “As a parent, I really did not want any long-term effects from this, especially at such a young age.”

AHN physical therapist Kim Kelley suffered three concussions playing soccer in high school and college, all in the midst of going for a header.

“In high school, another player and I went up at the same time, and I hit the ball, and she hit the back of my head,” Kelley said.

The U.S. Soccer Federation also now requires that any time there’s a potential concussion, coaches must include the player in an assessment, and if it could be a concussion, they must call in a medical professional.

“I think it’s really important to stop and make sure that they’re evaluated so it doesn’t get any worse because there are horrible long-term effects if it continues to happen,” Whiting said.

Kelley, who works with kids who have concussions, says, “If they get hit in the midst of a current concussion or a fresh acute concussion, potentially it’s fatal. You know, we see that those kids have a prolonged recovery, higher risk of prolonged headaches, prolonged symptoms, some higher risks – we’re talking about depression, anxiety, things like that.”

One of the most important things for players to do is to be honest about their symptoms and for parents and coaches to look for subtle signs they may not be telling you about.

“You have to be honest with yourself, with everybody else,” Kelley says. “It’s very hard with these athletes. They’re extremely competitive. No one wants to miss any playing time, but we are talking about your career and well-being.”

Whether it’s practice or a game, these young soccer players give it their all – every sprint, every block, every shot. They are passionate about the sport.

Eight-year-old Ivy Armel says she loves the “footwork, goalie, scoring.” Teammate Adley Valkavitch says, “I like when I have to defend,” and Markich says she likes “the games, practicing and all my teammates.”

Mia Duckstein is 15 and says the coaches teach them how to properly head the ball.

“If you do it the right way, it doesn’t hurt, but if you do it the wrong way, it kind of hurts a little bit,” she says.

Her mom, Mikaela Halaja, says, “It’s hard not to wonder if and how those headers, even when they do it the right way, are affecting the brain. Even if it’s little bumps and bruises along the way, it is definitely a concern.”

The young players want to win on the field, but their parents often have a longer-term perspective, wanting to ensure they win at life.

One interesting note from the study was that girls had fewer concussions overall, but a higher percentage of their injuries were from concussions – 10% compared to 6% for boys. This could be because of female anatomy, because boys have thicker skulls and stronger neck muscles, but there’s no scientific consensus.

For more on kids activities, go to kidsburgh.org.

KDKA is proud to partner with kidsburgh.org.

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – For many families, “summer travel season” means it’s time to plan a relaxing vacation they’ve been dreaming about all year long. For others, it means a nonstop circuit of weekend road trips with the team, living out of suitcases and hunting down hotels that are a stone’s throw away from the fields or gym.

Youth sports isn’t just a weekend hobby, it is a $91 billion industry annually, with almost 60 million kids registered to participate in community sports across the country. According to a recent Aspen Institute report, 27.5% of those kids are on travel teams. That’s a lot of sideline cheers and more hotel breakfasts than we can count!

Whether families are planning their summer around bucket list destinations or team schedules, the challenges of managing travel are often the same. From staying organized and keeping everyone entertained to choosing a property that’s ready to welcome teammates and their families, being on the go all summer can leave you ready for a vacation at the end of your vacation.

Lifestyle and parenting expert Caryn Antonini is no stranger to being on the road with kids – she is a mother of two boys who are currently athletes, and she shared her most valuable travel tips as viewers and listeners map out their summer adventures.

Click here for more information.

Copyright 2025 WALA. All rights reserved.

No one schools you like a seventh grader.

Three spoke to the Annapolis City Council on Monday, testifying to an uncomfortable truth: The affluent capital of Maryland can be a horrible place to play.

“The fields in Annapolis are either a dust field, mud pit or uneven ground instead of well-kept Bermuda fields,” said Nola McCamley, a student at Bates Middle School. “I am worried I will get injured twisting an ankle or tear my ACL because of the fields.”

It‘s been like this since my kids started playing team sports 20 years ago. There are nice parks in Annapolis, and if you can access the water, the Chesapeake Bay is your playground.

But the sorry state of the large rectangular fields needed for soccer, lacrosse and other sports is driving kids away, and the relationship between the city and its 17 nonprofit rec leagues is, to put it mildly, adversarial.

Annapolis will select a new mayor and at least three new City Council members in November. Over the next six months, I’ll explore problems they’ll face, both leftovers from Mayor Gavin Buckley’s eight years in office and new challenges.

Two Democrats want to be mayor: Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles and former Alderman Jared Littmann. The filing deadline is in July, but no Republican or independent has announced a run yet.

Voters should ask candidates about their vision for recreation. It’s not just about play time.

Volunteers who run these programs believe youth athletics have the power to address some of the inequality and violence that mar Annapolis as a place to live.

“Most of us speaking tonight have kids on our teams who have been touched in the last six months by gun violence in our city, at the Boys and Girls Club turf field, at the bus stop on Clay Street and most recently, the murder in Robinwood,” said Emily Tomasini, a coach and board member at the nonprofit advocacy group PlayAnnapolis.

“I’ve been touched by it.”

The next mayor and council will inherit a department with a $1.7 million budget and roughly 250 full- and part-time employees. Roslyn Johnson leads it. Hired two years ago, she sees the criticism organized by PlayAnnapolis on Monday as misinformed.

“They told their own narrative last night,” she said, “not a truthful narrative.”

PlayAnnapolis surveyed 300 families and found that many consider field quality and services inferior in the city. They blame Johnson.

“The Annapolis Parks and Recreation Department clearly doesn’t know how to do it,” said Neilye Garrity, the group’s executive director. “And they blame overuse.“

This is a hyperlocal issue, the kind that seldom makes news.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools owns the big multipurpose fields in the city and considers them educational assets. It partners with others for their use where it can.

Annapolis manages the ones at Bates Middle, the Phoenix Academy and Germantown Elementary schools. The county maintains one at Annapolis Middle — inches across the city line — and smaller ones at elementary schools.

Truxtun Park, the city’s largest park, has two lighted baseball-softball diamonds and basketball courts. None of the city’s rectangular fields are lighted, and just one is all-weather turf, the Boys & Girls Club.

The county is renovating PAL Park, also outside the city. It has lighted diamonds and a small, rectangular grass field. Quiet Waters Park nearby has no ballfields.

Thousands of kids in the city and county vie for field space in the Annapolis area. It is allocated through the county reservation system, joined by the city last year.

It gives teams first dibs on fields closest to players’ homes. But demand is so great that games and practices spread to Crownsville, Broadneck and farther afield. Teams outside the city, facing similar pressure, and adult leagues land in Annapolis, too.

This year, a new middle school sports program complicated the formula, with rec teams losing an hour of afternoon practice.

In 2023, PlayAnnapolis asked the county for help. The city offers fewer rec programs in fewer places than the county, a comparison Johnson says is unfair because of the relative size of each government.

“Meanwhile, we don’t even have [school] aftercare,” said Garrity, who’s also Littmann’s campaign manager. “We have dormant community centers. At the core, we’re missing fundamental operational things.”

Some of the details are maddening.

The state paid for upgrades at Bates, but the school system installed a grass field instead of more durable turf, citing cost and environmental concerns. The worn dirt space is closed for reseeding.

Weems Whalen Field, built by the city atop an ash heap, has been closed for 12 years because of contamination concerns.

Orioles great Cal Ripken donated the city’s only all-weather field to the Boys & Girls Club. When the club halted its sports program, it became the middleman for reservations.

Problems created over decades will take time to fix, but some upgrades are in the works.

County schools and rec and parks will add lights to the Annapolis Middle field this fall, a $1 million project. Opening Weems Whalen will cost more and take years to remedy.

Buckley hasn’t ignored recreation and parks.

He’s laid the groundwork for new bike trails, expanded pickleball, upgraded the skatepark at Truxtun and improved trails at Waterworks Park. Two waterfront parks are being developed, neither with playing fields.

This year, he proposed a basketball court and e-gaming center at Stanton Center, serving neighborhoods plagued by drugs and gun violence.

“This will be a game changer for that community,” Johnson said.

PlayAnnapolis offers scholarships for kids whose families can’t afford team sports or get to the fields. Families who can are leaving for greener fields — taking their money with them.

It’s the kind of small-town blues the next mayor could easily ignore. But no matter who wins in November, he or she will face hard feelings on both sides.

“I don‘t understand,” said Tim DeWitt, who manages field access for the Annapolis Soccer Club. “I am fighting with them over everything.”