Area Youth Football signups

MEXICO — Area Youth Football coaches should attend at meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 27 at Mexico Recreation Center.

On July 28, signups and equipment are handed out at the rec center for kids entering grades three through six. Payment is needed before equipment is issued Cost is $65 for a new player, or $35 for a returning player not needing a jersey.

The player draft will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, July 31 at Mountain Valley Middle School. All players and parents need to attend.

For more information, call AYF President Scott Gauvin at 357-7994. Visit the AYF website at rumfordayf.com.

Blakeman tourney set

YARMOUTH — The 22nd annual Betty Blakeman Memorial Tennis Tournament will be held the weekend of July 15-17 at Yarmouth High School courts.

Long regarded as the premier event on the Maine Tennis Association schedule, the tournament is run in conjunction with the Yarmouth Clam Festival and is a fund raiser for the Cancer Community Center.

Competition will be held in men’s and women’s open singles and doubles, open mixed doubles as well as in men’s 55-and over singles and doubles. The men’s open singles draw has exceeded 100 players of all ages and abilities in two of the past three years.

For further information or to post entries, interested players should contact Tournament Director Don Atkinson at 772-7350 or by email at [email protected].

The deadline for entries is 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 12.

Punt, Pass & Kick

GRAY — Young pro football fans will have the opportunity to exhibit their football skills when the Patriot Grandstand Club hosts the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick local competition at the Gray-New Gloucester High School athletic complex Saturday, July 30.

The competition is free and open to boys and girls ages 6 to 15 and should draw over 300 participants from the immediate are. Attendance is expected to be strong as this is the only official NFL punt, pass and kick competition in the vicinity.

The Liberty Family Foundation is participating in this event as the sole sponsor, providing all the financial support required including t-shirts, water bottles, awards and equipment. The foundation has been involved in other events, making a difference in the community by sponsoring the second-annual Patriot 5K (USATF) road race and making a generous donation to the second-annual Crystal Lake ice fishing derby which benefited the USO, GNG Schools and the DIFW.   

NFL Punt, Pass & Kick allows youngsters to showcase their talents in punting, passing, and kicking with scores based on distance and accuracy. Age classification is as of Dec. 31 of the current year.

Top finishers from each of 10 age groups at the local competition will advance to a sectional competition. The winners at the sectional competition will have their scores compared with other sectional champions. The top four scorers from the pool of sectional champions advance to the New England Patriots Team Championship, to be held at a home game this fall.

Age-group champions at this level will be declared NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Team Champions. The top four finishers in the boys’ and girls’ divisions within each age bracket from the pool of all Team Champions will qualify for the National Finals at an NFL playoff game in January.

For competition information, call B.J. Carter at 653-6115. Entry forms are available online at NFLyouthfootball.com, NFLPPK.com, PatriotPPK.com or from GNGfootball.org. The first 300 to register will receive a free t-shirt and water bottle.