Max Starks Youth Football Camp is a Wonderful Volunteer Opportunity

This past month I got the opportunity to volunteer at Max Starks Youth Football Camp. The event was filled with football activities and at the same time provided a real world experience for me.

Going into the event I wasn’t sure exactly what my responsibilities would be. The only description I really got about the job I would be doing is that I would help the camp run smoothly and direct people to different stations. Once I showed up to the event I was given different tasks and responsibilities. To start things off , I helped laying out all the fruits on a table where the kids would be passing by. This task including everything from opening the fruit boxes to finding the correct space for them on the table. Following that I got to help out on the refreshment side of things. Since this was a football camp, plenty of Gatorade was to be provided. This task consisted of cleaning several Gatorade coolers with water and soap. Afterwards I had to rinse it out with some more water and later drying it. I then mixed the Gatorade powder with water and ice and ended up with several filled coolers. The coolers where then placed on a table at the 50yard line, a convenient spot for the kids to go to on water breaks.

            Once the camp got going my task was simple. My job along with other volunteers was to keep the kids hydrated. It’s Florida so it must’ve been at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. While kids were on line waiting to go through drills I walked over and made sure they got water. I also made sure they got water in between drills. The other thing about this task was filling up the bottles on a regular basis.

            The simplest task of all had to be guarding the back entrance. My job was to direct parents and kids to the main entrance. I only opened the fence for the coaches and Max Starks himself. I must say for a guy who has earned millions of dollars Max Starks is guy who’s down to earth. Him and his family greeted me upon arrival and were constantly smiling enjoying a beautiful event for the kids.

            It should also be noted that Ford sponsored the Max Starks Football Camp. That is why at the beginning we all got Ford Built Tough t-shirts. Ford feather banners were also in sight.

            In the end the Max Starks Football Camp was a wonderful experience. It taught kids more than just football but real world advice. It also showed me that more than just coming up with an event name or theory goes into it. You actually have to people all hands on deck. The sun was hot that day but we were given plenty of liquid. Not to mention we got Chic-fil-a sandwiches as lunch. I was fortunate enough to have worked on several different tasks that day and got to see the event from different point of views. Not once was I ever yelled at, I actually felt like I had known them for years. 

Lawrence Frank leaving Brooklyn?

Doc Rivers' coaching staff could take a hit with Alvin Gentry and Tyron Lue potentially leaving to be another team's head coach. Both Gentry and Lue are candidates for the Cleveland job and should they land it Rivers will likely look for someone to come in and fill the hole. Lawrence Frank was a part of Doc's coaching staff in Boston during what some might say was the original big three era. Frank's current job is to send reports to Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd after he removed him from active participation with the players. Lawrence Frank was originally signed to be a lead assistant and is still owed $5 million throughout the next five years.

Lewis Katz dies in plane crash

Former New Jersey Nets owner Lewis Katz died this weekend, saturday night to be exact. Katz was departing from Hanscom Field, 20 miles from Boston, and was headed towards Atlantic City when the plane he was on went off the runway, crashing into an antenna and fence. According to philly.com witnesses felt a boom and saw a fireball form as a result from the crash.

Lewis Katz owned the Nets during their golden years, their back to back finals trips in 2002 and 2003 to be specific. Katz sold the New Jersey Nets in 2004 and even owned the New Jersey Devils at one point in time. In the sports industry Lewis Katz was loved and respected. Yankees primary owner Hal Steinbrenner expressed his thoughts on Katz's passing and the Yankees held a moment of silence prior to sunday's game. The connection between Katz and Yankees comes from Katz being a minority owner as well as him investing in the YES Network.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement on the subject, "Lewis was a trusted friend and valued member of the NBA family....". 

Scott O'Neil, CEO of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers, also chimed in calling Katz "a passionate leader, philanthropist and humanitarian."

Lewis Katz was a Temple alumni along with Bill Cosby in the same graduating class of 1963 and has recently spoken at the schools commencement last month. 

There were no survivors in the plane crash. Katz had just bought the Philadelphia Inquirer days before the crash. 

It's safe to say the death of Lewis Katz impacts the sports world, his efforts and achievements will always be remembered. 

Oklahoma City Thunder Keep Winning

The Oklahoma City Thunder have now won the same amount of games this series as the San Antonio Spurs. After having Ibaka return and ignite the team with potent energy, the Thunder made sure to keep that same intensity in game 4. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the charge with a combined 39 points at half. This Thunder team that has flourished in games 3 &4 appears to have found its mesh with players like Reggie Jackson, StevenAdams and Serge Ibaka joining the action. Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka control the boards and protect the rim, which allows others to close out hard on the wing and perimeter. The two big men combined for 30 rebounds 35 points and 12 blocks in two games. Jackson proved to be another offensive weapon that can play with Durant and Westbrook and oh by the way can defend. It should be noted though that Reggie Jackson suffered an ankle sprain in game 4 that caused him to miss the majority of the game. The next game will be played in San Antonio where the Spurs dominated games 1 & 2 winning by a combined margin of 52 points.

The Spurs do not have to panic if in reality all they have to do is keep winning at home. However, they cannot afford to turn the ball over double-digit times. Turning the ball over allows the Thunder to get out and run and play an up-tempo offense where they can use their athletic ability to their advantage. Where as in games 3 &4 the Spurs scored a total of 3 fast break points, failing to score any on Tuesday. San Antonio needs to slow the game down and share the basketball if they want to avoid another 40-point performance by Westbrook. It will be interesting to see how game 5 plays out, given the fact that Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka each played 35 minutes or more. Meanwhile no one other than Boris Diaw played anything close to 30 minutes for the Spurs. All games this series have ended in blowouts and the home court advantage belongs to the Spurs. At the end of the day all they have to do is win at home. 

Yankees Look To Keep Winning

The New York Yankees look to keep on rolling tonight in St. Louis. The bronx bombers have won 3 in a row and have 2 games remaining on their road trip, both against the Cardinals. Coming off an extra inning victory last night the Yankees will send David Phelps out to the mound. David Phelps is a St. Louis native and will be looking for his 2nd win of the season. Lance Lynn, who is winless in his last 5 inter-league starts, will start the game pitching for the Cardinals. Look for the Yankees to continue their clutch play as Brett Gardner did last night. After all this will likely be Derek Jeter's last series in St. Louis.

Who's Your Wedding Crasher?

Last week we saw Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck crash a couple's wedding. Weddings tend to be memorable but if your pro athlete crashed it, it would be LEGENDARY. Which pro athlete would you want crashing your wedding?

Sports Medium NFL Update

The NFL draft was just last week and the young and up and coming rookies have started to implement themselves into the team. Johnny Manziel the college superstar appears to have a long way to go while Michael Sam appears to start marketing himself. Robert Mathis the veteran recently made headlines as well.