East County Sidelines: 10.08.15

Area swimmers named Scholastic All-Americans 

Swimmers Ryan Walker, of Braden River High, and Courtney Chapin, of Lakewood Ranch High, were both recently named to the 2014-15 USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team. 

To make the list, applicants must have a minimum 3.5 grade-point average for the current academic year. They also must have recorded a time equal to a Junior National 2011 bonus time in any event during the SAA qualifying period, which ran from Aug. 16, 2014 to Aug. 15, 2015. 

Walker and Chapin both swim for the Lakewood Ranch YMCA Wave Runners and competed in the 2015 YMCA Long Course National Championship this past summer. 

Skills First travel program to launch in Lakewood Ranch 

Lakewood Ranch resident Toby Madison has spent the past few months building his Mid-Range Game program through a series of Friday Night Hoops events. 

Madison, who coaches Lakewood Ranch High’s junior varsity basketball team, is preparing to launch his own AAU travel basketball program. 

The multi-level travel program will be called Skills First and will operate under the Mid-Range Game umbrella.

“I have a vision of where this program can be in a couple years, and I think it is highly likely it will become the destination basketball program in our area,” Madison said in a statement. 

For more information about Skills First and Mid-Range Game contact Toby Madison at [email protected] or 812-259-4089 or visit mid-rangegame.com. 

Pirates to hold For Love of the Game fundraiser 

Braden River High will hold its third annual For Love of the Game Dinner and Silent Auction Feb. 27, at the Chelsea Center, in Sarasota. 

More than 300 people are expected to attend this year’s event, which has raised more than $60,000 for Braden River’s athletic teams over the past two years. 

Tickets for this year’s event are $50 with sponsorships available. Guests will enjoy dinner and drinks, live and silent auctions, a 50/50 raffle and a guest speaker. Past speakers included Harold Reynolds and Clint Hurdle. 

The Pirates also are accepting donations for the auctions in the form of merchandise, gift certificates and services. 

For more information visit forloveofthegamebrhs.com.