Rec Sports

Youth Lacrosse Thriving in Port Washington

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2025

The community of Port Washington, located on the North Shore of Long Island, understands the important role that athletics can play in shaping the development of its youth.

Since 1963, the Port Washington Youth Activities (PYA) organization has played a central role in providing year-round playing opportunities for local youth, with sports offerings ranging from baseball to wrestling, from field hockey to lacrosse.

While most of the PYA’s programs are top-notch, perhaps none is more impactful in the community than the lacrosse program. Registration numbers were at an all-time high last season, with 300 boys’ and girls’ participants from K-6. That’s in addition to a robust “littles” lacrosse program for 3-4 year olds.

“We’re fully invested in developing all kids,” said Morgan O’Connor, who has served as a PYA coach for the past six years and now oversees the girls’ lacrosse division.

O’Connor credits the quality of the PYA’s volunteer coaches as one of the primary reasons for the success of the lacrosse programs.

“We work hard to find the best coaches in the area, and have been pretty fortunate through the years to have so many be a part of our program,” she said.

Community support is one of the hallmarks of the Port Washington youth program, a USA Lacrosse member organization. Having its own outdoor complex — Lions Field — with ample field space helps overcome one of the barriers that many other youth programs face. A strong partnership with the varsity and JV teams at Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School provides additional support.

Matt Lilien, commissioner of the boys’ division, says that the older kids serve as important role models for the younger kids.

“The impact of the high school players is immense,” Lilien said. “Whether they are demonstrating drills at a practice or helping with our winter program, they really have the attention of the younger boys.”

“There’s a great trickle-down effect by having the local high school players helping with beginner clinics and events,” O’Connor said.

Lilien says that while the PYA is committed to providing a quality top-down lacrosse experience for all, the coaches also put some responsibility back on the kids.

“It’s important to us that kids are learning the right way, but also the right things,” he said. “We really harp on kids being good teammates and having the right attitude. Effort, team, and sportsmanship are all really important things that we stress. We want lacrosse to be fun for everyone.”

One of the PYA’s biggest events is the annual Harvey Cohen Youth Tournament, named in honor of the legendary National Lacrosse Hall of Fame member who committed most of his adult life to growing the game on Long Island. The two-day event in late May attracts as many as 80 town teams and serves as a major fundraiser, including donations to charity.

“The tournament is a major undertaking, but it’s a very fun event,” O’Connor said. “We’re fortunate to have so many people who are willing to help.”

Lilien credits Port Washington’s family atmosphere and parental involvement as being strong support pillars for the PYA program.

“Port Washington is a sports town, and people are always looking to help out,” Lilien said. “The more people that we have involved, the better the overall experience will be for the kids.”

Now in its sixth decade of serving the community, the PYA appears top be as strong as ever.

“Lacrosse has always been big here, but we’re very grateful for the commitment of so many others through the years that have helped build this thing to where it is now,” Lilien said. “Our success is due to all of them.”

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Effects of learning, exercise, and game curriculum model on the physical fitness of preschool children aged 3–6: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Published

6 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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DTR Youth Cheerleaders Host First Annual Sports Banquet

Published

15 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

On December 13, 2025 the DTR Youth Cheerleading Teams and their Coaches Lavender Barrois, Barbara Gomillion and Shelby Barthelemy hosted the 1st Annual Youth Sports Banquet. This event was held for all the football teams from 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and their families. These groups of kids have worked hard on and off the field all season and are well deserving of this achievement. During the event, ea…

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Crenshaw Coffee Cart gives back to youth in South LA

Published

23 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOS ANGELES — In Leimert Park, coffee is not just fueling a community, but helping prepare young people for life as entrepreneurs.

Tony Jolly, owner of Ora Café in Leimert Park, wanted to pay it forward and give someone else the same opportunity to own a business.

So around the corner from his shop, Jolly started something called the Crenshaw Coffee Cart.

The cart gives underserved youth, between 16 and 20 years old, and some who were previously incarcerated, the training and experience needed to not just be employable, but one day a business owner themselves.

Click the arrow above to watch the video.

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Here’s how to help with Yakima’s parks and recreation cuts | Government

Published

31 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The city is partnering with the Yakima Valley Community Foundation to give people a way to donate directly to parks and recreation programs and facilities.

Going into 2026, the Yakima Parks and Recreation department is facing major cuts that will reduce parks maintenance, community programs and facility availability.

For months, the City Council has been working to address a $9 million budget shortfall. Over the summer, the council approved around $3 million in cuts, reducing funding for things like Tahoma Cemetery lawn watering, the summer concert series and movies in the park. Funding for youth and adult sports programs was eliminated.

After a property tax levy on the November ballot failed, the City Council made an additional $6 million in cuts, including a proposed $3 million from police, $1.75 million from fire and $1.4 million from parks and recreation.

The proposed parks and recreation cuts included reducing parks maintenance by 16% and eliminating general fund contributions to the Yakima Harman Senior Center, Washington Fruit Community Center and Lions Pool. After hearing from dozens of concerned community members, council members agreed to use one-time reserve funding to keep the Harman Center open for all of 2026, the Washington Fruit Community Center open through June and Lions Pool open through February — but the long-term future of the facilities is still uncertain.

Sharon Miracle, president and CEO of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, said she believes the impacts of the cuts will be hard to ignore, especially when it comes to parks maintenance.

“It means bathroom facilities will be closed. It means those porta Johns that are out around the parks for maybe a senior taking a walk in the park, or a mom with a young child who needs to go to the bathroom — those won’t be available, and our parks won’t be well cared for,” she said. “And those are green spaces that not just local residents use, but people coming to our town see and visit, and it’s one of the things that makes this community vibrant.”

Earlier this year, the city and community foundation set up a fund to help save summer concerts and movies. Now, they’re opening four more funds where people can contribute to the Harman Center, Washington Fruit Community Center, Lions Pool and park maintenance.

A longstanding partnership

Ken Wilkinson, the city’s parks and recreation manager, said the city’s partnership with the Yakima Valley Community Foundation isn’t new.

In 2018, the city received multiple anonymous donations for improvements at Randall Park and approached the community foundation about setting up a fund to manage and invest the money. The community foundation said yes, and with the help of additional donations and state funding, the city was able to complete a $1.4 million renovation project at Randall Park.

The two entities have also partnered to open up funds for Miller Park improvements and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Aquatic Center — the latter of which received around $3 million in community donations.

The partnership gives people a place where they can easily make tax deductible donations for city projects with no fees attached. It also helps assure people their money is going to the specific cause they want it to, Miracle said.

“This is a way that folks can actually make sure and feel comfortable that what they’re donating to — for example, Parks and Rec — that those funds can only be spent within the Parks and Rec budget,” she said.

After the levy failed, Wilkinson said it was clear people wanted to help.

“People at city council meetings were there to talk about parks and Washington Fruit Center and Harman Center and Lions Pool and all that,” he said. “And they started to say, ‘Well, can we donate? Can we give? What can we do to continue to support all the great quality of life stuff that you guys do?’”

So, the parks department reached out to the community foundation for help with donations.

Wilkinson said the funds are beginning to gain momentum. The parks maintenance fund recently received an anonymous $300,000 donation, representing a significant step toward the city’s $400,000 goal. The Harman Center also recently received an anonymous $50,000 donation, and Wilkinson is optimistic that the city will be able to host at least a few concerts and movies this summer. The total goal for that fund is $50,000.

In December, Yakima resident and Washington Broadband President Forbes Mercy also made a $115,000 donation to the city to save the youth sports program and fund construction for outdoor calisthenics bars at Chesterley Park. Mercy said he’d made donations to the city last year, and after selling part of his company, he wanted to keep the momentum going.

For him, it’s a way of paying a dividend of appreciation to the community that’s supported him.

“Instead of just handing it back to the government as taxes, even though it’s a small percentage you could write off, I felt it was more beholden that I continued to help things,” he said. “And you couldn’t ask for a better time to help the city than right now.”

Looking to the future

Wilkinson said he’s beyond grateful for the community support he’s seen thus far.

“This community is so generous, and we are so appreciative in Parks and Rec, you know, not just for these funds, but what our individuals have done like that anonymous donation to Randall Park — just incredible,” he said.

Mercy said he’s encouraging people to help pick up small items where they can.

“In this time of lean income and lean abilities for the city to add some of these quality-of-life issues that only can happen when we have a larger funding amount, then we need to fill in that difference,” he said.

But individual donations are just one part of a bigger picture. To ensure a sustainable future for major quality-of-life items, like the pools and community centers, the city will need to find a long-term solution. Both Mercy and Miracle have said that they’re proponents of putting the property tax levy back on the ballot as a way to generate a more sustainable source of revenue for the city.

“That isn’t the role of philanthropy, is to always fill that gap,” Miracle said. “The City Council is responsible for finding a way to fund the services that it provides, and a tax levy is something reasonable, and that’s a very, very affordable tax levy.”

The proposition on the November ballot would have increased the property tax levy to $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed value. Voter turnout for the election was relatively low — around 27%. Miracle said she sees that as a reflection of a need for people to be more engaged with the issues going on in their communities, so they understand what’s at stake.

Moving forward, she hopes the City Council can find a reliable path forward.

“We’ve had a lot of strategy meetings about, ‘Gosh, what can we do? How do we fix this in a bigger scheme?’” she said. “Because it’s one thing just to fill it in with donations, but that’s not sustainable, and I want to really emphasize that relying on donor bases to fill in the city government’s gaps is not a sustainable piece. We need to figure out how to rectify that budget going forward.”

To donate, people can visit the Yakima Valley Community Foundation’s website and click the “Donate Now” button. Miracle said the community foundation also accepts checks.

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Rec Sports

Poolesville High School Dedicates Gymnasium in Honor of Legendary Coach Fred Swick

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MCPS

Published December 21, 2025 at 9:26AM

Poolesville High School formally dedicated its gymnasium on December 19, 2025, in honor of longtime educator, coach, and athletic director Fred Allen Swick, whose impact on Montgomery County athletics spanned decades. The newly named Fred Swick Gymnasium recognizes Swick’s lasting legacy as a mentor, leader, and champion for student-athletes in the Poolesville community.

Swick, who died in 2021 at the age of 70 after a seven-year battle with multiple myeloma, devoted much of his career to Poolesville High School. After beginning his teaching career in 1974, Swick joined Poolesville High School in 1983 as a physical education teacher and head boys basketball coach. He later became athletic director in 2006 and, by that time, was already the school’s all-time winningest coach in both boys and girls basketball. He also coached baseball, football, and softball, often while teaching full course loads.

Under Swick’s leadership, Poolesville athletics experienced sustained success, including an undefeated 27-0 girls basketball season in 2017–18 that culminated in the school’s long-awaited state championship. Known for his humility, Swick was widely respected not only for his wins, but for his dedication to students, sportsmanship, and community. Even after retiring as athletic director, he returned to coaching and remained deeply involved in youth sports and school life.

MCPS Athletic Director Jeff Sullivan posted the following:

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Rec Sports

President Trump Announces New ‘Patriot Games’ Showcasing Top High School Athletes From All 50 States

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

President Donald Trump has announced a new national showcase for top high school athletes: the Patriot Games, a four-day competition scheduled for the fall of 2026. The event will bring together one male and one female high school athlete from every U.S. state and territory, creating a unique field of elite youth competitors representing all corners of the country.

The Patriot Games will be part of Freedom 250, an administration-led slate of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Trump described the event as a major addition to next year’s semiquincentennial plans, emphasizing that the competition will feature strictly separate boys’ and girls’ divisions.

The Patriot Games format, selection process, and specific athletic events have not yet been publicly detailed, but the administration says more information will be released as planning develops.

While pockets of criticism for the event formed on social media, as is the case with most inititatives of President Trump, the overwhelming online response centered on support and excitement for a national showcase dedicated to high school athletes.

Many commenters praised the idea as a long-needed platform that mirrors youth Olympic festivals or national all-star games in other countries. Coaches, parents, and former athletes highlighted how rare it is for high school competitors to earn a truly unified national stage — especially one featuring representatives from every U.S. state and territory.

Some users noted that American prep sports already produce world-class talent in football, basketball, wrestling, track and field, and more, and welcomed the opportunity to see elite athletes from different regions compete side-by-side. Others called it a potential boost for college recruiting, NIL visibility, and the overall growth of high school athletics.

In short, much of the reaction framed the Patriot Games as a celebration of youth sports excellence — a chance to elevate rising stars, strengthen national pride, and create a uniquely American tradition tied to the country’s 250th birthday.

The Patriot Games are one of several events planned under the Freedom 250 initiative. Other scheduled programming includes:

These Freedom 250 events will operate separately from the programming organized by America250, the bipartisan commission established by Congress in 2016 to oversee the nation’s semiquincentennial.

Despite the separation, America250 leadership expressed support, noting that additional celebrations offer more pathways for public participation. “America250 welcomes Freedom 250 and its initiatives that will give the American people more ways they can celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” said chair Rosie Rios.

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