Eighth graders aim for state cross-country titles

The 3-day camp put on by Brandon McCall of McCall Motivation LLC, aims to encourage physical, mental and emotional growth.

The organization was formed in 2016 and has a regional footprint, extending to Richmond and even parts of northern Virginia.

Kids had an opportunity to trade in or trade up their gently new cleats for a new pair on Saturday.

Track and field and swimming are among the team sports that might be best for children with autism.

The new AAU football program just formed in January but has already drawn dozens of kids from in and around the area.

With more states lifting stay-at-home orders and loosening restrictions, it could lead to the return of youth sports sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. While organizations in just about every state are formulating plans to return, some states have already set in motion dates for a return to action. The Ohio Department of Health said youth leagues for non-contact and limited-contact sports were able to start May 26, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said youth sports and camps could start back up May 31, with games likely starting in mid-June, while Florida Gov. For more serious and expensive travel sports, this might be about the time organizations start seasons and playing prominent tournaments, but the clock is ticking.

Little League International, which announced the move, also canceled regional tournaments but said the events would return in 2021. By contrast, the NFL, the world’s most affluent professional sports league, generated roughly $16 billion in 2018, according to USA Today. Major League Baseball generated $10.7 billion in 2019 and the NBA nearly $8 billion in 2018, according to Forbes, so youth sports generated more money than those leagues combined. The owner of Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy in suburban Detroit, an organization that’s home to 150 youth volleyball teams and has produced numerous Division I college volleyball players over the years, Sack had been, as usual, making preparations for the club’s signature event. “You go from ramping up to this.”Cancellations of such big youth sports events have a serious trickle-down effect, too.