D Wade Gets Jet Cover!

NBA Star Talks Legal Woes And Free Agency


With his latest custody victory under his belt, NBA Star Dwyane Wade (why does his NBA photo look like a fashion photo?) has a lot to think about these days, both on and off the court.

During an exclusive interview Jet, Wade shares how he¹s dealt with the pressure of potentially landing a career-high contract and zigzagging between divorce court appearances in Chicago and Miami.

Recently, a Cook County judge denied a request by the estranged wife of the Miami Heat star that the couple's two sons be returned to her.

A judge last week awarded Wade "physical possession" of the boys after determining that the boy's mother, Siohvaughn (SHOH'-vahn) Wade interfered with the player's visitation with his children.

Associate Judge Fe Fernandez said he was concerned by Wade's ex-wife disobeying court orders when court rulings were not in her favor, and denied her request for custody of the two boys.

Also on the table is Wade's free agency. Wade can opt out of the final year of his contract by June 30th to become a free agent this offseason.

The team has launched an official We Want Wade campaign with the goal of keeping the six-time All-Star in 'Wade County' forever.

Forever, ever?
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Not to exclude our own local athletes...Washington Redskin Devin Thomas gets the cov too.

He's featured on Krave Magazine, the fashion issue.

Yeah, let the DT - kravin' begin.

Speaking of athletes, you won't want to miss this coming up this weekend.

Many will participate for a good cause.

Butler Returns To DC

Two-Time NBA All-Star Caron Butler, former Washington Wizard and current Dallas Mavericks forward, was back in Washington, DC this morning, not for an NBA matchup, but to promote cycling nationwide and to announce a partnership between Caron Butler's Bike Brigade and the League of American Bicyclists.

Butler cycled side-by-side with the Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik André Henrik Christian, the Ambassador of DenmarkFriis Arne Petersen, Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) on a ride through Washington, D.C., as the group headed down Pennsylvania Avenue's new bike lanes, circled the Lincoln Memorial and finished in front of the Capitol building.


Butler also does his annual Bike Brigade in Racine, Wisconsin (his home town) and will be giving away 500 or 600 bikes on July 10th. It will be the sixth annual Bike Brigade to bring cycling awareness to inner city youth and youth in general about riding and staying fit.

"Today's bike ride is something I will remember for a long time", said Butler.

"Riding alongside the Crown Prince and forming this new partnership with the League of American Bicyclists was a great experience. I am happy to be back in Washington and to be part of the community again. I think it's a great thing and with this partnership, I look forward to doing a lot of beautiful things in the future."

Fletcher Can Dance

Pro Bowl Redskins Linebacker London Fletcher is known for his swift footwork on the field. On Monday, June 7 he will demonstrate his moves off the field at Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, MD.

Fletcher agreed to visit the school of the grand-prize winner of the inaugural Hip, Happy and Healthy Essay Contest, sponsored by The Washington Post to benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH.

The visit is scheduled for Monday, June 7, at 2:30 pm at Washington Episcopal School, located at 5600 Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda.

Student Isabelle Caroline Kramer, 13, of Washington, D.C. wrote the winning essay, which focused on the hazards of anorexia among her peers. Kramer, a dancer, requested the charismatic Redskins player join her and her friends on stage for a dance routine.

Uh, oh. Is this a precursor to something else?

Could we see Fletch on Dancing With The Stars next?

Formula Sports & Entertainment Group, a Bethesda-based sports marketing firm, created the essay contest to promote healthy lifestyles among teens and secured The Washington Post and The Children’s Inn at NIH as partners in the initiative. The contest garnered more than 160 essays from 7th graders throughout the region.

Proceeds from contest sponsors benefitted The Children’s Inn. Fletcher is an official Sports Ambassador for The Children’s Inn at NIH and has generously promoted The Inn’s mission to provide a safe haven for children during serious illness. The Inn celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Since opening, more than 10,000 families have stayed at The Inn.

SuperBowl 2014 In Newark, Huh?

NFL folks might wanna take a look at this first.

Summer Camps

Summer is here (at least the weather is) and that means youth summer camps.

Here's an **update** to our list.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Youth organization will hold its area Power Camp for Youth June 28-July 2, 2010 at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Camp activities will include a visit from current Washington Redskin Safety, REED DOUGHTY on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 from 2pm – 4pm.

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Skins' Donovan McNabb to hold football camp. **NOTE: This event has passed**

Although now a member of the Washington Redskins, Donovan McNabb will always look at the Philadelphia area as a big piece of his life.

If you're in the New Jersey area this weekend, McNabb will host a football clinic Saturday, June 12 the Memorial Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art sports center in Marlton, NJ. The non-contact clinic is open to boys and girls ages 11-16 and will be led by Donovan and other experienced coaches and NFL talent.

His new teammates Clinton Portis, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis will join him along with former Eagles Brian Westbrook, Jon Runyan, Chad Lewis, and Bobby Taylor.

For more information, visit DonovanMcNabbKidsClinic.com.Here's a look at a couple happening in our area this month.

**This event has passed**. The Washington Mystics launches Camps + Clinics. The Camps + Clinics initiative, sponsored by Inova Health System, will host the Mystics first annual youth basketball summer camp program. The camps are open to boys and girls ages 5-16 and will focus on basketball fundamentals with direct instruction from professionals including former University of Maryland standout, Christy Winters-Scott and former WNBA players Monique Ambers and Jessie Hicks. In addition, campers will receive instructions from current Washington Mystics coaches and players. Visit www.washingtonmystics.com/camps.

**This event has passed**. Redskins'TE Chris Cooley will host his annual Old Spice Chris Cooley Football Camp this Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 at Fairfax High School from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The camp is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. Visit www.ChrisCooleyCamp.com for info.

If you are aware of others in our area, let us know.

What You Might Not Have Heard About Dan Snyder Today

While reports today focused on Dan Synder's comments about Super Bowl 2014 being played in New York, his comments about Albert Haynesworth not attending the recent OTAs, or the Skins making an offer to Michael Westbrook to join the team, what fell under the radar was Synder awarding a college scholarship to one lucky, local student.

Kiana Hardy, an Oxon Hill High School graduate is the latest recipient of the Washington Redskins' Charitable Foundation Scholarship Fund awards program.

Kiana Hardy, recipient of a $25,000 college scholarship - courtesy of the Redskins Charitable Foundation's Scholarship Fund.
Hardy's parents and grand parents were on hand today during a press conference out at Redskins Park along with owner Daniel Snyder.

"Excited", was the word Kiana's dad, David Bond, used to describe the occasion.

A self-proclaimed Philadelphia Eagles fan (and recently converted Redskin fan), Bond got two gifts from his new favorite team. His favorite quarterback, Donovan McNabb, and the gift that keeps on giving - seeing his daughter become the first family member to attend college.

"We're looking forward to her having a great collegiate career, and we're just thrilled that we can help", said Snyder.

Hardy will attend Spelman College this Fall where she will be a biology/pre-med student, with a minor in Spanish.

Already thinking about giving back to the community Hardy said, "One day, I hope to become a bilingual pediatrician. I hope to attend Howard Medical School and come back and be able to work at Children's Hospital."

Hardy applied for several other scholarships including one with the Divine Nine's, Delta Sigma Theta sorority of which she is associated, and Ebenezer Baptist Church.

None of those could match what she received from the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Hardy received the call from Synder and head coach Mike Shanahan.

"When I actually found out I won, I was in tears. I couldn't wait to tell my family, everyone, all my friends. I'm just so appreciative."

Hardy said she began the scholarship application process in February of this year and when she hadn't heard anything she thought someone else had won and was preparing to implement her backup plan.

“I still was going to go to Spelman, but I was paying mostly with the loans.

Last year's recipient, Clayton Armstrong, a graduate of Ballou HS was also on hand to congratulate Hardy. Armstrong is a Political Science major who just completed his first year of college at the University of Arizona.

"It got rough, but I stuck it out and finished with a 3.5 GPA", said Armstrong.

He offered the following advice for Hardy as a soon-to-be college freshman. "I just warned her it's overwhelming, but she can do it."

Armstrong, the first recipient of the Foundation’s scholarship, credits the college scholarship fund for his success and said going to Arizona helped broaden his horizons. "I want to make sure my education is diverse and that I got away from home to see what the rest of the country is like. Going to the University of Arizona, that was big for me."

Broadening his horizons also included working as an intern at the White House last summer. He was chosen along with a handful of students to participate in the White House's D.C. Scholars internship program last summer.

Armstrong is hoping to continue the success he had last summer as he awaits word from several internship opportunities he applied to.

"This summer, I'm still waiting on confirmation on a couple of internships that I've applied for. I'm not really sure what I'm doing this summer, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be working at somebody's office."

Kiana plans to keep busy this summer as well. She plans to work with the Maryland Parks and Planning Commission where she will be a camp counselor.

Stosur Upsets Williams At Roland Garros

From RolandGarros.com

Gutsy performance by Stosur of Australia. She put her nervous wobble when serving for the match in the second set behind her and fought off a match point against her serve in the third set to prevail. It was a big-serving match, Williams firing down 13 aces to six by Stosur. But the American dished up nine double faults to one by Stosur and 46 unforced errors to 24 by the Aussie. The world No.1 did manage to hit more winners (55) than her No.7-seeded opponent (37). Stosur wins 6-2 6-7 8-6.

She'll take on Jelena Jankovic in the semi-final making this her second appearance.

Highlights.

Howard Soccer Recruits Join Season Winning Team

Photo: Howard's Owyn Manson
Howard women’s soccer coach Brent Leiba has announced a seven-member recruiting class that will join a team that reached the Great West semifinal last year and is coming off its best-ever season.

Among the incoming freshmen are five with extensive club-team experience and three Washington, D.C. area products who have made impacts at the ODP regional and high school levels.

The class is comprised of Tempestt (Bre) Roper (Fredericksburg, Va.), Owyn Manson (Silver Spring, Md.), Imani Pierre (Silver Spring, Md.), Sydney Ross (Springfield, Va.), Arielle Elizee (Miramar, Fla.), Chaucia Sydnor (Rockville, Md.) and Payton Bouie (Laurel, Md.).

“We are very excited about this class,” Leiba said. “Each player brings certain strengths and a passion for the game that will play an important role in helping to direct and build this program.”

Here's a look at each player:

Tempestt (Bre) Roper (Fredericksburg, Va.,/Courtland H.S./FASA Impact Elite Team)
Four-year letterwinner at Courtland High School’s varsity team; Assisted Cortland to three District and three Regional Championships; Was a first-team Battlefield District Player; Garnered second-team Region I Player honors and All-Area Free Lance Star honorable mention; Played on the FASA Impact Elite Travel Team & FC Fredericksburg Super 20’s team; Named to the Virginia ODP Central District Pool; Selected for the United Soccer League ODP SYL National Camp

Owyn Manson (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase H.S./Laurel United Premier)
Named to the Washington Post All-Met Team; Received All-Gazette honors; Helped lead her team to two State Championships (scored the winning goal in this year’s championship); Lettered in three sports (soccer, track & field, basketball); Helped the Laurel United Premier club team to two State Cups and a Region 1 Championship; Attended Our Lady of Good Counsel H.S. before transferring to Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Imani Pierre (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair H.S./Calverton Keieteur)
Named team MVP and team captain; Garnered All-County honors; Selected to play in the Senior All-Star Game; Played club ball with Calverton Kaieteur; Received the Coach’s Award

Sydney Ross (Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee H.S./SYC Liberty)
Four-year letterwinner at Robert E. Lee High School’s varsity team; Named to the All-District Team; Named Team Captain at Robert E. Lee and SYC Liberty club team

Arielle Elizee (Miramar, Fla./American Heritage School/Miami Strike Force)
Named Most Consistent Player and helped lead American Heritage School to a State Championship; Played her club ball with Miami Strike Force

Chaucia Sydnor (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson H.S./Free State)
Named to the All-Gazette Team; Was a Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention; Named Team MVP at Walter Johnson H.S.; Was also the team captain and won the Jesse Owens Award for Athletics; Helped the Free State club team to the State Cup Final

Payton Bouie (Laurel, Md./Reservoir H.S./Laurel United Premier)
Helped lead her squad to a County and Regional Championship; Named Team MVP; Also helped her squad to the State Cup Final; Played her club ball with Laurel United Premier.

KEEN Greater DC Celebrates 18 Years and 18 Programs

To celebrate 18 years of making exercise fun and free for young people with disabilities, KEEN Greater DC (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) will host its annual Sports Festival on June 6 from 11 am – 3 pm at Hadley’s Park in Potomac, Md.

KEEN, a volunteer-led, non profit organization, provides 18 recreational programs to more than 280 young people with significant physical and developmental disabilities in the Greater Washington, DC, area. The June 6th KEEN Sports Festival will bring together more than 500 KEEN “athletes” from its Montgomery County, Md.; Washington, DC; and Fairfax County, Va., programs and their families, volunteers, and community leaders for the event. Among them will be Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, who shares KEEN’s commitment to children and young adults with disabilities and became an Honorary Board Member in 2009.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring together so many KEEN families, volunteers, and supporters,” said Burt Braverman, president of the KEEN Greater DC Board of Directors. “KEEN sponsors make this event possible, and we’re very grateful for their support.”

For more information on KEEN Greater DC and the Sports Festival, visit http://www.keengreaterdc.org, or e-mail ProgramsDC@keengreaterdc.org

Next Generation of MMA Greats

Get a glimpse of our area's upcoming and next MMA champs, courtesy of Master Lloyd Irvin.

As you know, Irvin has the top MMA fighters from the DC area with the likes of Mike 'The Hulk' Easton, and Ron Stallings.

The TEAM is in California at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. We'll have more details later.

Take a look at his program, and get info on his upcoming MMA summer camp.

Jimmy Lange Returns To Ring In 'No Excuses!'

Junior middleweight contender Jimmy Lange (31-4-2, 22 KOs) of Great Falls, VA headlines another exciting Ice Promotions boxing event on Saturday, July 10 at the Patriot Center.

Lange looks to get back on the winning track after losing his World Boxing Council (WBC) USNBC Championship title to Chase Shields in a 12-round decision last March. The opponent for Lange, who also held the WBC’s Continental Americas 154-pound belt, has not yet been named. One of the region’s top draws based on his attractive fighting style, tremendous heart and overall positive character, Lange has gone 6-2-1 in front of large crowds as the Patriot Center headliner over the past six years. The Bishop O’Connell graduate was showcased on the first season of the NBC reality boxing TV series The Contender. His bout will be a 10-round contest.

Dubbed “No Excuses” the event will showcase seven professional bouts including Tim “Pitt Bull” Coleman (17-1-1, 4 KOs) vs southpaw Damian Fuller (30-7-1, 14 KOs) of Detroit. Coleman is coming off a win against Mike Arnaoutis for the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) 140-pound belt last December. Meanwhile, veteran southpaw Fuller lost to world contender Lamont Peterson in his most recent fight held April 10, 2010. Both have fought previously at the Patriot Center – Coleman won his third pro fight impressively against Spencer Harsley on September 17, 2005, while Fuller successfully beat another “Pitt Bull”, Dean White, on the May 12, 2007 card.

The card will also feature Jennifer Salinas (11-1, 4 KOs) of Manassas, VA in a six-round contest against an undetermined opponent. Tough and talented with beauty to match, “The Bolivian Queen” has developed a strong following in the region when she returned to the ring in 2009 after giving birth to her second child in 2008.

Juan “The Savior” Rodriguez (4-0, 4 KOs) of Haymarket, VA faces off with Dontre King (2-7-1, 1 KOs) of Cambridge, MD, a tough competitor with deceptive ring record, will face Rodriguez in a six-round welterweight contest.

Tony “Mo Better” Jeter (9-2, 8 KOs) will face Reston, VA’s Lawrence Jones (3-2-1, 1 KO) in a six-round middleweight bout.

Tickets at ticketmaster.com. Info at www.jimmylange.com.

See Lange's March fight in photos here.

Mystics Get A Home Win Over Connecticut

Mystics' Lindsey Harding defends ball against Connecticut player Sunday's 69-65 contest. Photo/CD Brown.

The WNBA's top draft choice, Tina Charles was no match for the Lady Mystics Sunday as the Mystics defeated the Connecticut Sun 69-65 in a game that found the home team leading for most of the contest.

The two teams met previously the week before where the Sun held a fifteen point win (80-65) over the Mystics' head.

But the tide turned finding the Mystics outscoring their opponent 10-3 in the opening minutes of the first quarter, and later in the same quarter by as many as ten (16-6).

Monique Currie led the way with 18 points, behind Crystal Langhorne (voted one of DC's top athletes under 25 years old - the only female listee among the Top Ten) who chimed in with 17.

Lindsey Harding, who provided much of the spark and was chief playermaker of the game (9 assists) fell hard to the floor driving to the basket bruiser her left shoulder. She is expected to be fine. Harding held her own with 10 points, following Nikia Sanford with 11.

The Mystics performed in front of a crowd hovering close to 9,000, energized to see their Mystics back home after a stint of road trips the week before.

"It's great to be home", said Mystics head coach Julie Plank. "I feel like it was the home opener."

The Sun made a courageous comeback effort in the fourth quarter coming to within three points during the period. But it was team plays like steals by Harding leading to a layup by Monique Currie that kept the Sun at bay.

Tina Charles posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Sun. Kelsey Griffin and Renee Montgomery each added 10 points.

Mystics Going Green

The Mystics are at home this Saturday against the Atlanta Dream in a 7pm contest. The team will feature its second annual “Go Green Night”. Mystics players will wear shirts made of organic fabric that will be available for purchase at the Team Store, located near the F street entrance of Verizon Center.

Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity, will be located on the Verizon Center concourse collecting gently worn shoes to be distributed around the world. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes to people in over 125 countries including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal, and the United States. Additional companies and organizations will be around the Mystics concourse giving away prizes as well as distributing information on how to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle.

The team will also participate in an event at Barnard Elementary School to work with teachers and 40 3rd and 4th grade students on a Go Green! project to green their school that will teach students the basics of planting a garden and the importance of proper nutrition.

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