Bailey Smith

4 days ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Bailey Smith

The Lely High School football program is trading helmets for whistles this week, as varsity players take on a different role — coaching kids at the team’s annual youth camp. The three-day camp, which began Monday evening at Lely’s football field, is open to children from kindergarten through eighth grade. The event is led by Lely football players, while high school coaches serve as administrators.

6 days ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Bailey Smith

Some of the top prep and NCAA hockey programs in the country made the trip to Southwest Florida for a one-of-a-kind summer showcase aimed at helping the next generation of players take the next step — both on and off the ice. The Matterhorn Fit All Ivy Futures event brought together elite youth hockey players for a weekend of high-level competition, hands-on coaching, and unmatched exposure in front of schools like Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Maine, Miami University, and more.

6 days ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Bailey Smith

More than 1,500 of the nation’s top high school football players touched down in Naples this weekend for the 2025 Top Gun Showcase, hosted by Football University. From California to Massachusetts — even Alaska — elite athletes traveled across the country for a chance to learn, compete, and get noticed. “This is the best from those [previous] 20 regional camps that come in here and it culminates in the end-of-the-year Top Gun,” said Erik Richards, national scouting director for FBU.

1 week ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Bailey Smith

With a name like Thor Parrish, strength might be expected. But instead of wielding a hammer, the Florida Gulf Coast University graduate is using a driver, launching golf balls and a new kind of training facility that combines CrossFit and golf instruction. Thunder Performance, co-founded by Parrish and his wife Jenny, is redefining how golfers train. Located in Fort Myers with a new expansion in Naples, the facility is part gym, part driving range, and all about customized performance.

1 week ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Bailey Smith

>> SHE'S BEEN A FAMILIAR NAME ON THE SOUTH FLORIDA JUNIOR GOLF SCENE FOR YEARS NOW. ELI IS GOING OUT ON TOP. SHE'S MAKING HER FINAL ROUND OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA JUNIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP. ONE TO REMEMBER OUR BAILEY SMITH SHOWS US HOW SHE WALKED AWAY WITH A WIN. >> I KNOW I WANT TO LEAVE A GOOD IMPACT AND LEAVE WITH A BANG FOR NAPLES NATIVE. EVA LIE HER FINAL EVENT ON THE SOUTH FLORIDA PGA JUNIOR TOUR WAS GOING TO BE SPECIAL NO MATTER WHAT SHE HAD.