Sports

By Ginger DeShaney Tim Cook was a man for others.  “That’s what he was,” said his dad, Joseph, noting so many guys have told him that Tim helped shape them into the men they are today. The Shamrock Showdown, March 17-18 at the Murphy Rink, is in its ninth year of honoring and remembering Tim and raising money for scholarships for South Boston youth. Tim was a fun-loving, loyal, amazing guy. “He was always smiling,” Joseph said.  Tim was a Navy Corpsman who brought immediate medical care to wounded soldiers on the battlefield. He was 28 years old in March 2013 when he lost his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his combat experiences. The Timothy “Doc” Cook Scholarship Foundation provides scholarships to South Boston [...]

By Ginger DeShaney It was a full-circle moment for some parents last week as the upstart South Boston Soccer League kicked off its first season with a meet-and-greet and parade at Moakley Park. When Jean Matthews was a kid, she played for South Boston Youth Soccer, which has been revitalized as the South Boston Soccer League. Now she’s getting her 6-year-old son, Ryan, into it. “I love it,” said Jean, who played soccer until she was 21. “It’s good for the kids.”  Ryan added, “It’s great.” Jack Feeney also played SB Youth Soccer. “I used to do it when I was a little kid. I'm excited for him to do it,” he said about his 3-year-old son.  Jack got friendship and great memories from his [...]

By Ginger DeShaney The football action was fast and fierce. The cheering was thunderous. The girls and boys were having a blast on the field and parents couldn’t contain their enthusiasm on the sidelines. The electric atmosphere of Friday Night Lights has come to South Boston, thanks to Allison Baker and her hard-working team. Friday Night Lights, the brand-new Kickoff For Kids Youth Flag Football League, has 230 boys and girls ages 6-13 on 16 teams. There’s a girls’ division (ages 7-13), peewee boys (6-8), and junior boys (9-13).   “It’s fun to watch,” said dad and peewee coach David Byrne. “It’s a community feel with the parents. It really brings everyone together and strengthens the community.” While Allison was out and about Saturday after opening [...]

Registration is open for the South Boston Soccer League. Games will be played Sundays, Sept. 8-Nov. 12, at Saunders Stadium at Moakley Park. South Boston Soccer League, for ages 3-14, is a continuation of South Boston Youth Soccer after president Billy Baker stepped down. The new league is organized by former SBYS players/coaches: Caitlyn Murphy, Samantha Mackie, Michaela Colvin, and Katelyn Evans. Click here to register players. Coaches can sign up here.

South Boston Online stopped by M Street Park (Lee Playground) recently to check out the city’s Summer Sports Center.  The Boston Parks and Rec Department offers these free drop-in sports centers around the city from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week for boys and girls ages 7-14. Each location offers instruction in several popular sports. And every week, clinics are held on different activities, such as soccer and hockey. The Bruins’ mascot, Blades, made an appearance at M Street Park recently.  Five kids had signed up for a day of fun, sports, and camaraderie Tuesday. The program at M Street has about 20 staff members, providing a fantastic kid-to-staffer ratio. Baseball was a highlight for the kids that day, while many of the [...]

By Ginger DeShaney A miserable workout led Rebecca Skudder to find her stride … and found MyStryde.  While training for a half-marathon back in 2014, Rebecca was supposed to do a running workout on the treadmill because it was cold out. “And I was like, this is miserable,” she recalled. So she took a spin class to change things up and get in her workout. “While I was in that cycling class, I was like, why don’t they just do this for running and make running on the treadmill so much more fun?” Assuming spin-like classes existed for running, she went home and started looking for studios. There were none. She decided she needed to change that. Unique studio In 2016, the self-trained entrepreneur opened [...]

By Ginger DeShaney What started as a pickup flag football game between kids and their moms has grown into a major fundraiser that benefits South Boston children.  “My main focus is truly the kids who are in need,” said Allison Baker, founder of Kickoff for Kids. “That’s why it was created.” This year’s Kickoff for Kids women’s flag football tournament will be held Saturday, June 25, at the Pop Warner Field next to the Murphy Rink. There are 10 teams in the 30+ division (also known as the Moms’ division) and eight teams in the younger division. “The moms love it,” Allison said, noting some teams are stacked with 20 players. “They like to be part of something, enjoy the day, and be with their [...]