Sports Doing Good Newsletter, #33

Nov. 4 – Nov. 10, 2012

Welcome to week thirty-three of the Sports Doing Good newsletter.

Much is still going on in terms of recovery in the New York area due to Hurricane Sandy. We have a couple of stories of organizations (MLB) and individuals (Carmelo Anthony) helping out in the recovery, just two of so many who are reaching out to help their neighbors and strangers alike. This sense of teamwork is of course indicative of the true nature of sport and we are happy to see so many working together.

We also have an array of non-Hurricane Sandy news. We start and end with items featuring young kids. They will amaze and amuse. Enjoy. Amongst the other stories we feature a determined high school runner (Chris Huss), a special NBA team (Oklahoma City Thunder), two soccer legends pairing up for a charity game (Ronaldo and Zidane), a young lady (Chy Johnson) and her special group of football-playing friends (Queen Creek HS football) who are helping her deal with bullies.

Finally, we are proud to offer two stories that highlight our armed forces and the incredible sacrifices they have and continue to make in service of others. Please take a moment on Veteran’s Day to acknowledge that sacrifice.

As a reminder, we will be attending two events in New York City this week. If you are going to be at Beyond Sport United on Nov. 13 or the Ivy Sports Symposium on Nov. 16, please make sure to get in touch.

Please continue to send along your stories. You are both our audience and our best source of stories. Our email address is sab@sportsddoinggood.com and our Twitter handle is @sportsdoinggood. Finally, if you think others would like to receive the newsletter, please feel free to forward it on or have them contact us directly at sab@sportsdoinggood.com. (If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore you can use the Unsubscribe button at the end of the newsletter.)

So enjoy. And have a good week.

9-Year-Old Girl Turning Heads on Football Field
This young lady is creating a buzz all around the country with her blazing speed and sure tackling.
Video: http://youtu.be/pEsavEfhEFY

Carmelo Anthony of New York Knicks delivers food, supplies to area hit hard by Sandy
In conjunction with the Carmelo Anthony Foundation, Feed the Children and Metro Ministries, Anthony delivered 500 boxes filled with food and cleaning supplies to a housing project on Columbia Avenue, a block away from where he lived as a child in Red Hook.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/8608705/carmelo-anthony-new-york-knicks-delivers-food-supplies-area-hit-hard-sandy

Cross country runner beats the odds after tragic accident (video)
An 18-year old high school student in Minn., overcame difficult obstacles to succeed on the cross country team at his high school after surviving a horrific car accident when he was a child.
http://www.kare11.com/news/article/997014/396/Cross-country-runner-beats-the-odds-after-tragic-accident

Fighting for country — and a cure; Army captain Boyd Melson boxes to raise money for spinal cord research
Boyd Melson, a 2003 Academy graduate, has another reminder of why he fights, only this one is more than a symbol — and the Army captain’s clashes now occur inside a boxing ring. But the truth is, Melson needs no reminders when he steps through the ropes. He knows precisely why he forges ahead, fighting for a cause larger than his own gain or glory.
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/page/veteransboxing121108/army-captain-boyd-melson-fights-country-cure-spinal-cord-injuries

Boyd Melson has vowed to help Christan Zaccagnino walk again. “I believe I was put here to help cure spinal cord injuries,” he says.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A Basketball Fairy Tale in Middle America
LeBron and Durant are, conveniently for storytelling purposes, opposites. LeBron looks like something out of a Marvel comic: a sentient pile of muscles. Durant looks like something from a Pixar movie — a humanoid praying mantis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-fairy-tale-rise.html

Ronaldo and Zidane to play charity match in Brazil
The annual United Nations charity match featuring former World Cup winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane will be played in Brazil. The 2013 ”Match Against Poverty” will take place in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on Dec. 19 at Gremio’s new arena.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/soccer/story/Ronaldo-and-Zidane-to-play-charity-match-in-Brazil-88445824

Special Olympics partners with One Team to change lives through sport
Special Olympics, one of the world’s leading non-governmental organizations using sport as a tool for positive social change, was announced as an Official Partner of One Team, Euroleague Basketball’s acclaimed corporate social responsibility programme, at the second annual One Team workshop in Barcelona.
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague-for-life/news/i/102532/6351

Soap and Soccer: GOALS’ 3rd Annual Global Hand Washing Day Tournament
GOALS’ 3rd annual Global Hand Washing Day soccer tournament was a huge success this year! It was a day-long event filled with food, music, dancing, soccer, prizes, and, of course, plenty of soap and hand washing!
http://goalshaiti.org/2012/11/soap-and-soccer-goals-3rd-annual-global-hand-washing-day-tournament/

Kervens distributes soap to soccer fans who came to watch the tournament.

Coaches measuring up – more than 10,000 times!
As of just a few days ago, one of our NYSCA Member features hit a huge milestone – the 10,000th coach evaluation was submitted through Rate Your Coach. One evaluation at a time, Rate Your Coach is playing a part in improving the quality of coaching in youth sports.
http://www.nays.org/article/10739-Coaches-measuring-up-%E2%80%93-more-than-10,000-times!

Mack Brown says Texas’ first play will be out of the wishbone to honor Darrell Royal
Darrell Royal is the dominant figure in Texas football, and may always be. Mack Brown didn’t just accept that fact when he became the Longhorns’ coach, he embraced it. In fact, “embracing” might be understating Brown’s affection for Royal.
http://tinyurl.com/arws2zo

Arizona student with special needs avoids bullies with protection of football team
Chy’s “boys” form a solid core of the Queen Creek football team, and they have successfully kept those who would target the special needs student away. Jones doesn’t completely understand why or how it has happened, but it has.
http://tinyurl.com/bs5jax4

Chy Johnson and the Queens Creek football team

Warrick Dunn Charities Expands to Baltimore to Turn a House into a Home for a Single Mom and her Family
Warrick Dunn Charities (WDC), a public non-profit serving single-parent families across the country continues to change lives through its Homes for the Holidays (HFTH) program.
http://www.foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_warrick-dunn-charities-turns-habitat-house-into-dream-home-firsttime-homeowner-her-family-16226.shtml

Warrick Dunn with Williams family

Permanently empty seat at Gillette Stadium to honor American POWs, MIAs
On Friday, the New England Patriots and New England Revolution will become the first teams in the major professional sports leagues to leave a spectator’s seat permanently unoccupied in their stadium to honor servicemen and servicewomen who have been listed as prisoners of war or missing in action. http://www.boston.com/yourtown/2012/11/08/gillette-stadium-leave-seat-empty-permanently-honor-american-pows-mias/Oevlcxl9NnzCazqNFF9hYO/story.html

Legless F1 driver masters handcycling
Alex Zanardi talks about his transition from Formula 1 driver to Paralympic Gold medalist.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/international/2012/11/01/human-to-hero-alex-zanardi-paralympic-formula-1.cnn

National Collaboration Supporting After-school Sports Programs Arrives in New Orleans
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA and Mercedes-Benz USA are continuing a national collaboration with a launch in New Orleans. This initiative will train and place 26 Coach Across America coaches in 11 local after-school sports programs, benefitting 3,250 underserved youth in 30 communities.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-collaboration-supporting-after-school-sports-programs-arrives-in-new-orleans-177246591.html

Baseball donates $1 million for Sandy relief efforts
Major League Baseball announced Friday that in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Players’ Association a donation of $1 million is being made to benefit the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Feeding America to assist in the efforts being made to help those affected most by the storm.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121102&content_id=40155972&c_id=mlb

ESPN’s ‘Salute to Veterans’ to Air November 7-11
ESPN will honor veterans and troops in programming across its U.S. media platforms Wednesday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 11 with its fourth annual America’s Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans initiative presented by USAA.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/11/02/espns-salute-to-veterans-to-air-november-7-11/155887/

Williams Forrest Partners With TopSpin Charity; Creates New Site and Mobile App for Charity’s 2012 Tournament
Started in New York City in 2009, the annual TopSpin event has become a who’s who of sports, marketing and education professionals and has raised $750,000 since inception and spurred events in Chicago and San Francisco.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/08/4970357/williams-forrest-partners-with.html#storylink=cpy

Dragon Baby fights evil…and wins!
A very cute and cool video paying homage to one of the great mixed martial arts athlete ever, Bruce Lee.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dragon-baby-video-164955804.html
Video: http://youtu.be/1oHWvFrpocY

EVENT REMINDERS

Upcoming Event – Nov. 13: Beyond Sport United: Sports Teams for Social Change
Beyond Sport United was created out of the undeniable truth that sports teams have an unrivalled ability to impact on the ever-widening populations of the cities that house them. This unique one-day event has been designed to showcase how these heroic brands and their historic resonance have the profound ability to become hubs of positive influence and resource. http://www.beyondsport.org/united/

7th Annual Ivy Sports Symposium
“The Ivy Sports Symposium is an annual student-run conference that is considered one of the global sports industry’s premier events. The Symposium enables the industry’s leaders and most successful executives to share invaluable knowledge with their peers and potential successors.” http://2012sportssymposium.eventbrite.com/?utm_source=Sept.+10%2C+2012&utm_campaign=Week+24&utm_medium=email#