Arizona girls lacrosse pioneer Jessica Livingston on cover of Lacrosse Magazine

Chaparral girls lacrosse coach Jessica Livingston is featured in this month’s issue of Lacrosse Magazine as one of the “10 people changing youth lacrosse now.” The magazine cites Livingston for creating AZ Girls Lacrosse, a K-9 instructional league she started with only five girls in 2004 and has since taught lacrosse to about 1,000 girls in the Valley.  Livingston also started a post-collegiate team, the Arizona Storm, for which she still plays, and since 2002 has been the head coach of the Chaparral Firebirds, the current two-time defending Arizona high school champions.

In 2010, US Lacrosse recognized Livingston with its Excellence in Growing the Game award, which is given to an individual who supports the US Lacrosse mission and vision to develop lacrosse in a particular geographic area.

“I’m beyond shocked, honored, you name it,” said Livingston on Tuesday when January issue of Lacrosse Magazine, which also features a two page photo of her inside the issue, came out.

While the national attention is flattering, Livingston was far more focused on Tuesday on the first day of practice of the high school season.  Chaparral returns only seven players from last year’s state title team, having lost 14 players to graduation and two players to moving out of state.  ”The first day of practice is always a great day!” said Livingston as she pulled lacrosse sticks, balls, field cones and mouth guards from out of the back of her truck parked alongside the road next to the practice field at Mountain View Park in Scottsdale.  ”What could be better than the first day of practice?”

This Saturday morning, January 7, Livingston will also be starting a new six-week session of her Desert StiX lacrosse program for girls in grades K-9.  All sessions will take place at Cochise Elementary School, Mountain View Park, 9451 N. 84th St. in Scottsdale.  To register for the Desert StiX program, click here.

How to throw a football

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you are playing some touch football today or teaching your child how to throw a spiral, here’s some advice from NFL quarterbacks on how to throw a football.

Flag football season kicks off

Seven-year-old Matthew Mowrey listens to his coach between plays at Saturday's flag football season opener.

Scottsdale Youth Football kicked off its flag football season on Saturday with a game between the Firebirds Gold and the Firebirds Red.  The two teams are comprised of boys from northeast Scottsdale in grades 1-3.  They play an eight game season.  Here are some photos from the game.  The Firebirds Gold are in white.

Fitness Conditioning with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

The U.S. women’s soccer team is the feel good story of the moment.  However, while many of the players were unknown to most of us less than a week ago, they have been working hard for a long time.  Nike, one of the team’s sponsors, has been putting together a series of videos called “Pressure Makes Us” since the team selection process began last September in Atlanta.

Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi famously said that “fatigue makes cowards of us all”  and that football games in November were often won in July.  These three videos of the U.S. team’s training and conditioning shows that to some degree the games during the last few weeks in Germany were won last fall and winter.

Mercury hosts Dog Days of Summer

Mercury forward Candice Dupree.

The Phoenix Mercury is hosting its 5th annual Dog Days of Summer game on Sunday, July 10. The team takes on the Tulsa Shock at US Airways Center with tipoff set for 3 p.m.

A canine-focused festival will take place prior to the game, beginning at 1 p.m., in the Casino Arizona Pavilion, with 27 animal-friendly vendors and rescue organizations on-hand.

Participating businesses include:

43rd Ave Animal Hospital

Dermatology for Animals

Eye Care for Animals

Furbabies Delectable Delights

Hands on Dog Training

Howland Studios

Hug N Pups Pet Grooming Salon

Natural Paws

PALS

Pete and Mac’s Recreational Resort for Pets

The Spectrum Group

The Pet Club – Tolleson

The Synthetic Grass Store and

Villa La PAWS Resort and Spa

Last year's Dog Days of Summer event.

Participating animal rescue and non-profit organizations include:

Dogs even ended up courtside at last year's Dog Days of Summer event.

Arizona Adopt-a-Greyhound

Arizona Golden Rescue

Arizona Jack Russell Rescue

AZ Saint Bernard Rescue

Banner Good Samaritan Paws 4 Hope Dog Therapy Program

Canine Companions for Independence

Empty Bowl Pet Food Pantry

Fallen Feathers

Gabriel’s Angels

Lost Paws Sterilization, Education, and Rescue

MinPin Haven Rescue

Arizona R.E.S.C.U.E. and

Toy Fox Terrier Rescue

Fans can stay cool during the Dog Days of Summer while taking in Mercury basketball for as little at $10. Tickets can be purchased online at phoenixmercury.com or by calling 602-252-WNBA.

UP NEXT: The Mercury celebrates Season 15 on Friday, July 15 at 7 p.m. against the Washington Mystics. Cheryl Miller, the Mercury’s first head coach, will be in attendance and will address fans at halftime. Fans are also encouraged to bring bottled water to donate to the annual Salvation Army Water Drive, which benefits the Extreme Heat Emergency Plan.

Gilbert Youth Football League accepting fall registration

Gilbert Youth Football League will host registration for tackle and flag football from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Peter Piper Pizza (Gilbert & Williams Field roads). No experience is necessary.

GYFL offers programs in football and cheer beginning at age 5.

This photo is from the league’s newly designed website, which is updated regularly to include information about the league and players as well as coach and player development and links to sports-related news.

The mission of the GYFL is to provide a positive and enjoyable learning experience while teaching sportsmanship, fair play, integrity, honor, respect, loyalty, personal courage and dedication through football and cheer. The league serves families in the East Valley cities, including Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

Additional in-person registration registration events will be held:

July 16, 10am-2pm – Dicks Sporting Goods, San Tan Mall

July 23, 10am-2pm – Peter Piper Pizza, Gilbert/Williamsfield

July 30, 10am-2pm – Dicks Sporting Goods, San Tan Mall (this is the final tackle registration)

Aug. 6, 10am-2pm – Peter Piper Pizza, Gilbert/Williamsfield (this is a flag only registration)

Aug. 13, 10am-2pm – Peter Piper Pizza, Gilbert/Williamsfield (this is a flag only registration)

Find additional registration information.

Former Arizona Cardinal saves child from drowning

When he heard Anne Moore’s screams for help, Leonard Pope didn’t hesitate. Moore’s 6-year-old son, Bryson, fell into the deep end of a swimming pool during a cousin’s birthday party in Americus, Georgia. last weekend. Pope, a backup tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, leapt into action. He ran outside from inside the house and jumped, fully clothed, into the pool.

Now playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Pope was with the Cardinals from 2006-2008, including their run at a championship in Super Bowl XLIII.

“I couldn’t see Bryson anymore,” Pope said. “All I saw was his fingertips at the top of the water,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Reischea Canidate.

“My hands reached to his waist, and I kind of brought him up to his mom. He stood up and was delirious for a little while.” After some pats on the back and some coughs, the child recovered. As Pope put it, “He came back to Bryson that day.”

The rescue came when Pope, along with other NFL players, would usually be at a minicamp in preparation for next season. However, due to the current lockout, Pope was at a party with his family at the house and was able to hop in and scoop Bryson up. His presence was a godsend for Bryson’s mother, as she told the Americus Times Recorder that Pope might have been the only person at the party who knew how to swim.

“My heart dropped. It could’ve been any child, not just Bryson. I wasn’t waiting on anyone else… to try to pull him out,” Pope said. Nicknamed “Champ,” the Georgia native certainly earned it in the Moores’ eyes.

Pope spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, making 23 catches for 238 yards and five touchdowns in his best year in the Valley in 2007.

This incredible rescue makes it clear just how important pool safety and swimming lessons are, especially during the hot months of summer. Check out a list of Valley aquatics programs, and read these tips for pool safety. Be prepared — despite the lockout, NFL athletes won’t be available at every poolside gathering. — Robert T. Balint

Sports around the Valley: weekend update

Mercury opening weekend

The Phoenix Mercury look to start the first home stand of the 2011 season off right against the visiting San Antonio Silver Stars in the home opener tonight at US Airways Center. The first 6,000 fans will receive a free T-shirt commemorating the WNBA’s 15th season of existence. Then, on Sunday, the Mercury will host the Indiana Fever at 3pm.

The Mercury are two-time national champions, winning titles in 2007 and 2009. Forward Penny Taylor has already made a splash, averaging 15.5 points per game through two games. A native Australian, Taylor was a member of the national squad who took gold at the 2006 Sydney Olympics.

Star point guard Diana Taurasi was held to just nine points by Seattle in a 71-78 loss on June 4, but returned to her characteristic self June 10 in a 84-98 loss to to the Los Angeles on June 10, scoring a game high 31 points.

“I’m excited about it,” head coach Corey Gaines said in a phone interview about returning to familiar territory. As a team, Gaines feels, “We’re jelling.” Tipoff tonight is at 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at the arena or wnba.com.

Contact/Tackle Football Camps at Phoenix Christian High School

This weekend, Phoenix Christian High School will host a football camp that will teach the basic technique of football tackling to Valley athletes from grades 3-9.

The offseason is the best time to improve, and Phoenix Christian High head coach Brandon Harris and Phoenix Christian Junior High head coach Coach Mo Streety will instruct on blocking, tackling and other necessary skills on the gridiron. This weekend’s camp is the first of three that Phoenix Christian High will host this summer.  Coach Harris is entering his first year as head coach; Coach Mo has brought success to NFL players and Valley high school athletes alike.

Participants should wear comfortable athletic shorts and a T-shirt, and bring both running shoes and cleats. The cost for the two-day camp (6pm July 18-19) is $25 per athlete. Sessions will also run on the 20th and the 27th-29th as well as July 11th-13th & 25th-27th, all at 7pm. Camps will also be held during the first two weeks of August, times TBA. For details, contact Brandon Harris at 602-265-4707 or by email at bfharris@phoenixchristian.org. Phoenix Christian High School is located at 1751 W. Indian School Road in Phoenix. Download the release waiver here.

Diamondbacks host Sox for three-game series

The Chicago White Sox are coming to town this weekend for a three-game series. The Diamondbacks will look to make up lost ground after losing a three-game stand against San Francisco, and every game will count as the two teams are battling for first place in the NL West.

Friday:
First pitch @ 6:40pm
Projected starters:
ARZ: Daniel Hudson (7-5, 3.82 ERA), RHP
SFO: Edwin Jackson (4-5, 4.39 ERA), RHP

Saturday:
First pitch @ 5:15pm
Projected starters:
ARZ: Zach Duke (1-1, 4.56 ERA), LHP
SFO: John Danks (2-8), 4.54 ERA), LHP

Sunday
First pitch @ 1:10pm
Projected starters:
ARZ: Josh Collmenter (4-2, 1.86 ERA), RHP
SFO: Philip Humber (6-3, 2.95 ERA), RHP

— Robert T. Balint

FutureForKIDS hosts sports and fitness camp for at-risk kids

Kids take a warm-up lap before beginning a day of sports and fitness activities at ASU football's practice field.This past Saturday morning, armed with bright new t-shirts, dozens of aspiring athletes went through a series of stretches to get ready for a day of activity at Arizona State’s practice football fields.

Story and photos by Robert T. Balint

This past Saturday morning, dozens of aspiring athletes went through a series of stretches to get ready for a day of activity at Arizona State’s practice football fields. These were not Sun Devils, however, but participants of the Future for KIDS Youth Sports & Fitness Camp.

FutureForKIDS was started by its founder and president, Rodney Smith, in 1991. Smith had benefited from a mentor in his childhood, and wanted to extend those same benefits to kids as an adult. The non-profit aims to make differences in the lives of at-risk children, ages 8-14, of the Phoenix metro area. Through athletic camps, and, since 2002, academic mentorships, the volunteers of FutureForKIDS have reached over 129,000 children. At-risk kids’ chances of success are threatened by circumstances such as underfunded schools, youth crime, etc.

The program staff had arranged a series of stations all around the field: baseball tees, cones for soccer drills, and plenty of space for football passing, catching, and running drills. Before the kids were divided up into groups for the stations, however, two visitors stopped by to say hello: Dennis Erickson, head coach of the ASU football team, and the Phoenix Suns Gorilla. Erickson was slightly more verbose than the simian visitor, and talked to the kids about accountability and the importance of success in the classroom.

“The more you study, the more successful you are in school, the more successful you’re going to be at everything that you do in your life,” the head coach said. “I got 85 football players on my football team at Arizona State, and we ask them to do a lot of different things. We ask them to be accountable in all aspects of their life.

“Winning is one thing, [but] being successful in life and in school is the most important thing.”

ASU head football coach Dennis Erickson imparted words on accountability and success to the campers.

After Erickson’s remarks, and a good bit of clowning from the Gorilla, the kids hit the stations. A host of retired professional players, coaches and volunteers ran each location, teaching basic skills such as a quarterback’s drop-step, kicking and dribbling a soccer ball, and the proper mechanics of a baseball swing. One station featured relay races that included pushups, agility drills, and sprints in the challenges.

Always a fan favorite, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla meets and greets kids from around the Valley.

For Diego Valdez, 8, from Phoenix, the football and soccer stations were his favorite. He hopes to play football in high school, preferably at the receiver position, while a fellow group mate, Kyle Harris, 7, from Alabama, prefers playing quarterback. For Elena Geiger and Melissa Moldinari, two 11-year-olds from Phoenix, the soccer drills of dribbling around the cones and practicing footwork were highlights of the day. “It’s fun, and it’s like dancing,” Geiger said.

Derek Kennard, a retired offensive lineman who spent 10 years in the NFL, was in charge of running one of the running back and wide receiver stations. A bear of a man, Kennard helped the kids learn a football stance and how to take a handoff, and tossed up passes for the receivers. He gave extra attention to both the children who were having trouble, and the athletes of the group who were pulling down one-handed highlight-reel catches.

Derek Kennard celebrates another completed pass at his running back/wide receiver. Kennard played in the NFL from 1986-1996.

For Kennard, “Teaching something new for the kids, and seeing the excitement in their faces when they get it—the ‘Aha!’ moment” is the best part of the day, the coach said with a wide grin in between stations.

“To see how much confidence that gives the kids, and to cheer them on, that’s the thing. Seeing the happiness in their faces.” That’s what it’s all about.

Arizona Cardinals Isaiah Williams, left, and John Skelton, right, spent time with the campers, signing autographs and taking pictures. Skelton, a quarterback, threw some spirals to some of the hotshot campers.

Jump, bounce and skate in Chandler

By Robert T. Balint

With its June 4^th grand opening behind it, the Xtreme Air Jump ‘N Skate Park is now open for business. The 30,000-square-foot complex, located just off the 202 at McQueen and Pecos Roads in south Chandler, is home to wall-to-wall trampolines and a skate park—not, fortunately, mixed together.

The main trampoline area is 100 feet long, with slanted trampolines on the walls. At the back is the park’s unique Velcro wall, a huge sheet of the material that jumpers, after donning one of the stylish Velcro suits, can stick to by jumping into it.

Separate from the main area, there is a smaller trampoline basketball court and a separate dodgeball court, where games are scheduled. Park staff, known as the “flight crew,” and a host of closed-circuit cameras that feed to screens around the park keep watch, so that parents can look after their kids without having to hop on the trampoline themselves. For the younger children, there is a separate 7-and-under area with a couple of inflatable structures for tamer jumping.

For kids who prefer resisting gravity with a set of wheels beneath their feet, there is Xtreme’s large indoor skate park, ideal for beginning and novice skaters. Designed and built by California Rampworks, the company that builds tracks for the X Games, the park features boxes, quarter-pipes, a half-pipe and several moveable rails and plenty of edges for grinding.

The most exciting feature is the foam pit that skaters can fly into via a ramp, handy for practicing and polishing tricks. Helmets must be worn by all riders, and every skater younger than 18 has to wear pads. It’s often a mix of skateboards and Razor scooters, but BMX bike riders have a chance at the park as well, from 7 to 9pm on Wednesdays and 7pm to midnight on Saturdays.

Tyler Cameron, 12, of Phoenix hops a quarter-pipe at Xtreme Air.

Besides the two parks, Xtreme has several other attractions on sweet, blessed solid ground, including a small arcade, a store stocked with skateboards, T-shirts, and protective gear, and a snack bar with both traditional kids’ fare and coffee drinks for the weary watchers of bouncing children. What Xtreme does well, and promotes, is catering to parents with coffee, sitting areas, monitor screens and free wi-fi.

Kids refuel themselves for another round at the snack bar, which also features wi-fi and coffee drinks.

A boutique next door, Xtreme Escape, which the park’s website says will offer clothes, designer jeans and accessories, is coming soon.

The most crowded times are in the early afternoon and evenings, around 1pm and 5 to 7pm. Younger children make up most of the jumpers and skaters earlier in the day, and older kids come later in the evening. Check out xtremeairjumpandskate.com for hours, pricing, and beginner/novice skateboard class times.

PHOTOS: Daniel Friedman