Buccaneers at Redskins 11/16/14
Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In this candid and compelling episode of Driving Change, host Travis Patterson sits down with longtime friend and former NFL quarterback Colt McCoy for a real conversation that every parent navigating youth sports needs to hear. Colt reflects on his 14-season NFL career and shares an honest look at how that experience shaped his approach to parenting, coaching, and what matters most. From waiting until 7th grade to play tackle football to intentionally not putting his own kids in organized sports during his playing years, Colt offers a refreshing perspective on how to build healthy, grounded kids in today’s youth sports culture.

Colt and Travis talk burnout, over-scheduling, and the silent pressure many families face to specialize too early. Colt also breaks down a powerful locker room survey he once did among pro athletes that revealed something surprising about when they decided to fully commit to their sport. The conversation also turns to the world of college athletics and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals, unpacking how this new reality is trickling down into youth sports and reshaping family dynamics, priorities, and expectations. Whether you’re a sports parent, coach, or just someone who wants to raise strong, self-aware kids, this episode will challenge, encourage, and leave you thinking differently about competition, childhood, and time well spent.

Listen on Spotify, Apple or Amazon

The post Driving Change: The Permission to Say “No” first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The initiative is led by a partnership between the Fort Worth Sports Commission, the NCAA and the Fort Worth ISD around the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. The ten-week reading competition featured 75 elementary schools representing 31,513 students. More than 10,000 new books were distributed to FWISD schools and students as part of the program.

S.S. Dillow elementary school was the ultimate winner of the competition. They received their trophy at the Award Ceremony at Dickies Arena where the top eight schools were in attendance (more than 3,500 students) to celebrate all the students for their significant achievement.

“We are grateful for our partnership with the NCAA and Fort Worth ISD in implementing this impactful program for local elementary students,” said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. “This is a shining example of how our championship events leave a lasting legacy in our community.”

The NCAA® National Woman’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championship will be hosted in Fort Worth through 2027 thanks to combined efforts of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Texas Women’s University and Knight Eady. For more information about the championships visit www.fortworth.com/ncaa.

The post NCAA Readers Become Leaders Winner Announced first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“It’s been our team’s absolute honor and privilege to work with the NCAA, Texas Woman’s University and Dickies Arena to help grow and enhance this championship over the past six years and we are excited about the opportunity to continue to build upon that success here in Fort Worth,” said Jason Sands, executive director for the Fort Worth Sports Commission.

The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship in Fort Worth has left a lasting impact, generating an estimated 12,000 room nights and $8 million in economic impact and attracting more than 8,500 visitors last year alone. The event has garnered national attention, being televised on both ABC and ESPN. Last year’s semi-finals became the most-watched since 2017, reaching a peak viewership of 1.05 million. Since 2019, the championship has contributed significantly to Fort Worth’s EEI total, affirming its status as a top host city for premier gymnastics events.

“The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics committee is thrilled to announce the extension of our partnership with Fort Worth and Dickies Arena for the 2027 championship,” said Shaun Richard, NCAA Gymnastics Committee Chairman. “The unwavering commitment and leadership from the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Knight Eady, and Texas Women’s University will elevate this championship to unprecedented levels for student-athletes and coaches. Their vision promises an extraordinary experience for everyone involved. See you at Dickies Arena in 2025, 2026, and now in 2027!”

“The Dickies Arena team is excited to learn the partnership has been extended and we will host the 2027 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship,” said Matt Homan, GM and President of Dickies Arena.  “We are proud and honored to continue to host this incredible Championship which brings some of the most energetic fans across the country to our beautiful city of Fort Worth.”

Photo credit: Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

In addition to the economic impact and exposure this event brings to Fort Worth, its impact on the local community over the past six years has been extraordinary.  The Readers Become Leaders initiative – a 10-week reading program that is a partnership between the Fort Worth Sports Commission, the NCAA and the Fort Worth ISD – has seen more than 125,000 FWISD elementary students read more than 164 million minutes in six years.  During that time, more than 36,000 books have been donated to FWISD students and schools.

For more information about NCAA Women’s Gymnastics, click here and for the latest sports news and updates visit FortWorth.com/sports and follow @FortWorthSports on Instagram and Twitter.

The post Fort Worth to Host 2027 NCAA Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championship first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida , Utah, Arkansas, LSU, California and Stanford will compete on Thursday, April 18 on podium during two semifinal sessions at Dickies Arena. Thousands of fans from across the country will make their way to Fort Worth to cheer on these teams and individual competitors as they compete for the title of National Champion. The top two teams from each semifinal will advance to the National Championship on Saturday, April 20.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Sports Commission

Semifinal Session 1, Thursday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. CST 

(8) Alabama, (1) Oklahoma, (4) Florida, (5) Utah

Broadcast on ESPN2

Semifinal Session 2, Thursday April 13 at 8:00 p.m. CST 

(10) Arkansas, (2) LSU, (3) California, Stanford

Broadcast on ESPN2

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Sports Commission

National Championship, Saturday, April 15 at 3:00 p.m. CST 

Broadcast on ABC

Oklahoma is the reigning National Championship and looking to claim their third consecutive National Championship title. Florida, Utah, LSU and Oklahoma all competed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship. LSU, Cal and Stanford are all looking to earn their first National Championship title. This year’s National Championships also gives fans the opportunity to see Paris Summer Game hopefuls. Grace McCallum (Utah), Jade Carey (Oregon State) and Amelia Morgan (Utah), all competed in the 2021 Summer Games. Leanne Wong (Florida), Konnor McClain (LSU) and Aleah Finnegan (LSU) are all looking to qualify for Paris 2024. Aleah Finnegan would be the first female gymnast to represent the Philippines if she qualifies.

In addition to the team competition, individuals will compete during the two semifinals for the title of National Champion.

The individual qualifiers for the 2024 Women’s National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships are as follows:

ALL-AROUND INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS

Qualifiers

Jade Carey, Oregon State

Lily Smith, Georgia

Gabby Wilson, Michigan

Skylar Kilough-Wilhelm, Washington                       

INDIVIDUAL EVENT QUALIFIERS

Vault

Mya Hooten, Minnesota

Emma Silberman, Maryland

Sierra Brooks, Michigan

Anaya Smith, Arizona State

Bars

Carley Bauman, Michigan

Courtney Blackson, Boise State

Mara Titarsolej, Missouri

Jada Mangahas, Arizona State                                            

Beam 

Selena Harris, UCLA

Nikki Smith, Michigan State

Amani Herring, Penn State

Isabella Magnelli, Kentucky                        

Floor

Raene Worley, Kentucky

Sierra Brooks, Michigan

Skyla Schulte, Michigan State

Chae Campbell, UCLA

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Sports Commission

The post Eight Teams Punch Their Tickets for National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Photo courtesy of FWISD

M.H. Moore’s students read 16,986 minutes per student, during the ten-week competition period, reading a total of 8,178,755 minutes. “Though I’m moved every year by the progress these students make as part of the Readers Become Leaders Program, this year has been a huge leap forward,” said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth. “This year’s results have shattered the cumulative record of all previous years by more than double, which is an incredible achievement for everyone: the individual schools, Fort Worth ISD as a whole, and the program itself.”

This marks the fourth year Fort Worth ISD, in partnership with the NCAA®, the Fort Worth Sports Commission and the Scholastic Book Company, completed the Readers Become Leaders program. The ten-week initiative featured 78 elementary schools – representing 36,636 students – that read a total of 71,306,182 minutes. All students received a free book courtesy of the NCAA® and Scholastic Book Company for participating.

Photo courtesy of FWISD

The NCAA® National Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championship will be hosted in Fort Worth on April 13 and 15 for the fifth year in a row. The event will take place in Fort Worth through 2026 thanks to combined efforts of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Texas Women’s University and Knight Eady. For more information about the championships visit www.fortworth.com/ncaa.

The post Readers Become Leaders Winner Announced first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Defending champion Oklahoma is back after posting the second highest qualifying score in regional competition. The Sooners won the Norman Region with a score of 198.050, topped only by California’s 198.075 to win the Pittsburgh Regional.

Also in the field are Los Angeles Regional winner Utah along with LA runner-up UCLA; Denver Regional winner and runner-up University of Denver and LSU; Norman Regional runner-up Kentucky; and Pittsburgh Regional runner-up Florida.

“It’s a huge honor for the city of Fort Worth to be able to host the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships,” said Jason Sands, Executive Director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. “It’s one of the most electrifying championship atmospheres in sports with these world class athletes putting on a display of power and grace with unparalleled technical skill. We’ve got Oklahoma back to defend their title with some blue bloods like Florida, LSU, Utah and UCLA determined to knock them off their pedestal. Look out for Cal, Kentucky and Denver as well.”

Competition begins with two sessions on Thursday (April 13). The first, at 1:45 p.m., features Denver, Florida, LSU and Cal, while the evening session at 7:45 includes Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah. The top two teams from each semifinal session will advance to the championship finals Saturday (April 15) at 2:45 p.m.

Photo credit: Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Thursday’s competition will be broadcast on ESPN2. Saturday’s championship will be on ABC.

The top three finishers are returning from last season when the Oklahoma Sooners won their fifth national championship in eight years. Florida finished second, followed by Utah.

The Sooners narrowly edged the Gators with a score of 198.2000 to 198.087.

The leading individual all-around qualifier this season is Abby Heiskell of Michigan with a score of 39.675 in the Denver Regional, followed by Hannah Scharf of Arizona State with a 39.625 in the Pittsburgh Regional. Also, Ohio State’s Payton Harris won the Norman Regional with a 39.600 and Chloe Widner of Stanford captured the LA Regional with a 39.550.

Fort Worth has been host to this prestigious championship since 2019 and is contracted to host through 2026. There was no competition in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited about the opportunity to welcome these amazing athletes, coaches and passionate fans to our great city for a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Sands said. “These athletes have worked tirelessly the majority of their lives to get to this moment, and we have been planning with our partners like Texas Woman’s University, Dickies Arena and our community and hospitality partners to ensure their experience in Fort Worth is unforgettable. We take great pride in being able to host this championship.”

Like so many other sporting events Fort Worth has hosted in recent years, Sands noted, this is another great opportunity for the national spotlight to shine on the city.

“Fort Worth has really made a name for itself in the past few years as a premiere sports event destination, and this championship holds an extra special place in our hearts as we have seen it thrive and grow so much during its time here in Fort Worth,” he said. “The sport of women’s gymnastics is experiencing this excitement and momentum like never before and if you get out to the event and watch in person you’ll understand why.”

Also in 2019, the Fort Worth Sports Commission teamed up with the NCAA Readers Become Leaders program and the Fort Worth ISD to implement the program in kindergarten through fifth grades as part of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, which that season was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

More than 17,000 FWISD students participated in the program, reading a total of more than 6.7 million minutes. It was the single biggest community outreach program in NCAA history.

The program has continued with great success. In four years, the program has seen more than 55,000 students read more than 29 million minutes.

In 2022, the 10-week initiative featured 40 elementary schools representing 14,788 students who read a total of 14,940,594 minutes. All students received a free book courtesy of the NCAA and Scholastic Book Company for participating.

As for the competition in the arena, event officials report that in the NCAA this season, the number of perfect 10s recorded by participants has doubled over previous seasons, promising an exciting program.

Fans can purchase tickets to each individual session, or purchase an all-session ticket through Ticketmaster. For more information,  about the championship, the NCAA Readers Become Leaders Program or things to do in Fort Worth, visit the Fort Worth Sports Commission’s website.

NCAA Division I Gymnastics Championships

April 13 and 15, Dickies Arena

April 13

Broadcast on ESPN2

Semifinal Session 1, 1:45 p.m.

Denver, Florida, LSU and Cal

Semifinal Session 2, 7:45 p.m.

Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah

April 15

National Championship, 2:45 p.m.

Top two finishers from each semifinal session

Broadcast on ABC

Individual qualifiers (with regional scores)

All around: Abby Heiskell, Michigan; Hannah Scharf, Arizona State; Payton Harris, Ohio State; Chloe Widner, Stanford.

Vault: Courtney Blackson, Boise State; Naomi Morrison, Michigan; Ava Piedrahita, Penn State; Lauren Williams, Arkansas.

Bars: Luisa Blanco, Alabama; Natalie Wojcik, Michigan; Emily Lopez, Boise State; Cassidy Rushlow, Penn State.

Beam: Nora Flatley, Arkansas; Gabrielle Stephen, Michigan State; Alisa Sheremeta, Missouri; Jade Carey, Oregon State.

Floor: Sierra Brooks, Michigan; Elexis Edwards, Ohio State; Derrian Gobourne, Auburn; Delanie Harkness, Michigan State.

This article, written by Rick Mauch, originally appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press and is shared with permission. 

The post NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship Returns to Fort Worth first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Fort Worth was also awarded four years of NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. This will position Fort Worth as host for NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships for eight straight years.

Fort Worth hosted the NCAA Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and was previously awarded the 2021 and 2022 Championships set to be held at Dickies Arena. The 2019 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship at the Fort Worth Convention Center broke single session and overall attendance records for the last five years.

“We can’t wait to welcome back student-athletes, coaches, fans and families who will travel to Fort Worth and experience our world-class city,” said Jason Sands, director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. “Sporting events like these create a significant economic impact to our city by bringing business to our restaurants, hotels, shops and attractions.”

The Fort Worth Sports Commission, Texas Woman’s University, Knight Eady and Dickies Arena have worked in a close partnership for the past five years to secure the NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships to Fort Worth.

“Texas Woman’s University is thrilled to once again play a part in hosting the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas,” said Lisa Bowerman, head gymnastics coach for Texas Woman’s University. “After several years of partnering with the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Knight Eady, I know that the collaboration among all groups involved will result in a first-class championship event for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”

“Dickies Arena is looking forward to extending our partnership with the NCAA and welcoming them to Fort Worth in the coming years,” said Matt Homan, president and general manager of Dickies Arena. “We can’t wait to create an exciting atmosphere for the student-athletes during the championships and to showcase our city and provide a world-class championship experience for the players, coaches and fans during these marquee events.”

Texas Christian University has also been a key partner in securing NCAA events to Fort Worth.

“This is an incredibly exciting and historic day for Fort Worth,” said Jeremiah Donati, director of intercollegiate athletics for TCU. “Being able to attract a marquee events like the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament to our city is a great example of the partnership between TCU, Fort Worth and Dickies Arena. We are honored to serve as the host institution. With great pride, we look forward to welcoming universities and their fans from across the country to Fort Worth and sharing with them how much our city and community have to offer in addition to enjoying March Madness in a new world-class venue.”

Fort Worth was awarded the title of host after a highly competitive bidding process against destinations across the nation, led by the Fort Worth Sports Commission. Combined, the events  are expected to drive more than $14.7 million in economic impact, bringing in more than 114,000 visitors and 17,700 room nights to Fort Worth.

In 2019 the Fort Worth Sports Commission completed the largest outreach program in NCAA history with the Readers Become Leaders program, which included over 30 schools and more than 17,000 elementary students and over 6.7 million minutes read. Plans for similar community impact programs are in the planning stages for the 2021 and 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

This article originally ran in the Fort Worth Business Press and is reprinted here with permission. 

The post Fort Worth Lands NCAA Regionals and Championships first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.