Tag: sports spotlight

Gymnastics Leaps to Year-Round Success   By Greg Mellen Since the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, when an athlete nicknamed the “Flying Squirrel” helped vault the United States to its first women’s gymnastics team gold medal since 1996, the sport has been tumbling forward once again into popularity. With the Road to Rio for […]

Lacrosse Expands Its Reach   The 2015 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game was staged at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and drew a crowd of 10,084. Photo courtesy of Trask Smith/Zuma Wire By John Vivirito America’s “oldest sport” has been experiencing a growth spurt over the past 15 years. Lacrosse, a game first documented by European missionaries […]

Beach Sports Put a Stake in the Sand By Zoie Clift Though beach sports have been around for years in various forms, recent years have seen considerable growth across sports that haven’t always had a strong tradition on the sand. Volleyball has been a mainstay, but soccer, ultimate, tennis and wrestling are also enjoying newfound popularity […]

Games That Serve As An Inspiration By Rachel Carter To say that organizing the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles is a massive undertaking doesn’t do the event justice. With 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches from more than 170 countries, 30,000 volunteers manning nine days of events (July 25–August 2) and a torch […]

Softball Winds Up For All Ages By Greg Mellen As it awaits a potential return to the Olympics, softball continues to attract participants interested in the sport from the youngest ages to active senior leagues. While baseball claims to be America’s game—despite its reputed English roots—it is softball that is American through and through, invented […]

Aquatic Sports Score New Look for Events By Greg Mellen Aquatics events are enjoying a rise in popularity, something expected to increase in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. From diving and water polo to synchronized swimming and traditional swimming, participants of all ages are eagerly joining a category of sports that is […]

March Madness Raises the Bar By Greg Echlin Last year at the NCAA Men’s Final Four, the oft-used phrase “Everything’s bigger in Texas” rang true, just as the North Texas Local Organizing Committee wanted it. The combined attendance at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for both the semifinals and the championship game—158,682—set a record. Getting everything […]

Rugby Running Into a New Era By Lisa Clifton During the 1920 Olympic Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium, the United States rugby team defeated France 8-0 to win the gold medal. Four years later, the American team celebrated another Olympic gold following a rematch in Paris that ended in a 17–3 score. The momentum and […]

Racket Sports Serve Up A New Approach   By Greg Mellen For about as long as humans have been able to string rackets or shape paddles, they have used them to create games. In Western civilization, the first racket sports were derived from handball, which was played by monks in about the 12th century. Today […]

Veterans Events Serve A Greater Purpose By Greg Mellen Society values the service of its veterans. They are our defenders. And the sacrifices of the members of America’s armed forces can be immense. But when veterans return home, they sometimes aren’t the same as when they left. They may come back with broken bodies and […]