Every year the Kiwanis de Amigos hosts a cross country meet called the Rattlesnake Run at Christopher Columbus Park. Middle school cross country teams across southern Arizona are invited to participate free of charge!

There are two heats for both boys and girls— the A and B heats. The top seven runners on a team run in the A heat for both boys and girls and the rest who want to run are placed in the B heat. This year 158 girls and 199 boys participated. This represented 13 girls’ teams and 15 boys’ teams.

Woosh! That’s the sound that the water makes as the boat soars over it. I look out at the lake as it shimmers in the sun. I take a deep breath and continue paddling. Would you believe that there is a dragon boating team that practices in the middle of the desert?

Dragon boating is a remarkable sport. It’s fun, and you get to make friends. It is a team building activity. You get to paddle with the rest of the team in rhythm. Dragon boating is also beneficial exercise: it helps build upper body strength, core muscles and stamina. It is a superb way to stay fit!

 From July 30 through Aug. 10, the Arizona Cardinals had their 2022 open practices. I had the opportunity to be there to interview the team’s president, cheerleaders and fans. I also met Big Red, their mascot, and enjoyed The Kids Interactive Zone.

It was exciting to see the gigantic State Farm stadium from the freeway. Inside was even better...I received a Cardinals flag, a Cardinals key holder and a State Farm towel. The concierge shared stickers with me, and the cheerleaders gave me a poster.

 Walking into the new Rock Solid climbing facility, you’ll experience breathtaking views of climbing walls that go upside down, slant, twist and go up to the ceiling. Rock Solid, at 3949 W. Costco Drive, opened in September of 2020, but defying all odds, it successfully opened even with a global pandemic. Rock Solid was founded by Cory Hanson, Lindsey Taylor and Carlton Taylor.

 With the COVID pandemic, many things changed. One thing that changed was the way that sports were influenced. Whenever people think of sports, they think of teamwork and everyone together. However, that was something that COVID changed. COVID brought many problems upon volleyball coach David Rubio and his team. Rubio is the head women’s volleyball coach at the University of Arizona and has been in that position for 30 years.

 Southern Arizona has a new football team. On Thursday, Sept. 20, I went to hear the announcement of the new team’s name and logo. The event was held at Mercado San Agustin near downtown Tucson.

 I was very nervous when I arrived at Arizona Stadium. We went through the media elevator to the skybox. The hallways were crowded with journalists running through them. I started to get more and more nervous as I got closer to the skybox. And then suddenly there we were at the media entrance door.

Last year during the college football bowl game season, the UofA Wildcats in the PAC 12 conference played Purdue from the Big 10 conference in the Foster Farms Bowl.

The coach for the UofA at the time was Rich Rodriguez. The new coach for the Wildcats is Kevin Sumlin, who was previously coach for Texas A&M. Quarterback for the UofA was Khalil Tate. He set a record for most rushing touchdowns. Arizona’s best linebacker is Colin Schooler, now a sophomore. Arizona had a decent game because of kicker Josh Pollack.

 Imagine dreaming that one day you’ll become a professional baseball player. What would it look like for you? For David Peralta, left fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, his dream did come true.

Peralta was born in Venezuela and came to the U.S. to become a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals at age 18. The Cardinals released him in 2009 after injuries and shoulder surgery. Peralta began to play for the Diamondbacks in 2013, with the minor league team. Peralta says he was called up to the major league club in 2014.

The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the only U.S. stop of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship, brought the best of International motorcycle racing to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the weekend of April 20–22.