As we kick off the new year, I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am for all the support from the Perfect Game Foundation. Heading into 2025, I’m especially grateful for the mentorship and guidance I’ve received—it’s been instrumental in shaping my career path, and I’m excited to stay connected with the Foundation as I continue to grow professionally.

I’m also back at Elon University for my final semester of college, and it’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was starting my journey here, and now I’m already entering the home stretch.

A huge thank you once again to Del and everyone at the Foundation for being such a big part of my journey. Wishing you all a joyful start to the new year and continued success in everything you do!

Lyndsay Goodwin

The second semester of my Junior year at Ole Miss has started & wow is time flying by! I am currently in the process of applying to internships within the sports industry for summer to gain experience and create more relationships. This spring at the football facility will consist of recruit visits & spring practices which will keep me busy over the next few months. Excited that TPGF Golf 2025 Planning has begun and hope to see you at TPC Potomac on July 14 for TPGF Golf Tournament # 13! Sending everyone good wishes for the opportunities that lie ahead in 2025!!

Jiya Uttamchandani

Kyra Grodman

Hello, my name is Ben Hoffman, and I am an eighteen-year-old senior at Yorktown High School. In the last byline, I discussed the CFB playoffs and different Bowl games that were going on during the playoffs. This month, I will be talking about NFL playoffs and what we’ve learned from the wildcard games.

The NFL divisional round is about to happen and the games are getting better. Looking at the AFC games, the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills are set to play each other as both teams have MVP candidates. Right now this game is most likely the game of the weekend because there is a 50-50 chance either team will win. Both teams are Super Bowl contenders and have an amazing offense. The only thing that Buffalo has that Baltimore doesn’t is home field advantage. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, the Bill dominated the Ravens, but now the Ravens have upgraded their team. 

Looking at other games going on is the Washington Commanders vs the Detroit Lions. This game has become the most expensive game to watch as the average ticket price is just under $1,000. Not only is this game expensive, but it will also determine if the Commanders or the Lions are truly super bowl contenders. The Commanders recently won their first playoff game since 2005, but this doesn’t mean much to the Lions as they have shown themselves as one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. This game can go either way but will most likely go Detroit's way because they have more playoff experience then the Commanders. 

The NFL playoffs is one of the most exciting playoffs in sports. Every playoff game is a win or go home situation and anything can happen. Cinderella stories can be made and there can be great comeback games. Although I didn’t cover every game in the divisional round, the other games like the Philadelphia Eagles vs the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs Vs the Houston Texans will also be exciting to watch. Who do you think will win the Super Bowl and who do you think will get the Super Bowl MVP? My hope is that the Chiefs don’t get another ring and Patrick Mahomes has a bad game at some point, but this prediction will probably not happen.  

The College Football 12-Team Playoffs.

College football is undergoing a huge change with introduction to a 12 team playoff bracket. This season marked the first time this style of playoff was used and so far it seemed to have paid off. For years, the four-team playoff has been both celebrated and criticized. While it elevated college powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia it often left underdogs overlooked and people wondering what could have been. 

With lots of anticipation throughout the season and arguments on the upcoming playoffs, they have finally ended so I can give you the run-down. Certainly there are a lot of goods that have come out of the playoffs. First, the bracket gave teams that normally wouldn't of made it a place to show what they can do and it sure did paid off; teams such as Ohio State ranked #8 and Notre Dame ranked #7 both made it to the championship ticking off powerhouses like Oregon #1 and Georgia #2 along the way. Another good that came out of this was giving small-market teams and players like Arizona State and Boise State big stages so that they could showcase their talents in order to progress for the future. Despite this, criticism was raised questioning how this affects the competition and the selection process. 

The process to determine the 12 teams raised lots of questions but is ultimately up to a committee. First, the five major conference champions (Big10, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Mountain West) get immediate entry. After that it is up to the committee to determine the 7 other teams. The committee takes in account a teams record and strength of schedule as well as other factors. This year there was certainly disagreement among the general population when SMU, a 11-2 team made it over Alabama, a 9-4 team.

Obviously when you look at records SMU clearly deserves it but, the consensus is Alabama played much harder teams and should be in the playoffs. The small number of people who thought SMU should have made it were quickly proven wrong as SMU had a quick 10-38 loss versus Penn State. Another criticism made was regarding the conference champions. Many people thought that rather then 5 conference champions making it there should just be the 12 overall best teams. This allowed for teams like Clemson, Boise State and Arizona State to make the playoffs. All conference champions lost the first game they played even Oregon and Georgia which does raise concern regarding the playoffs. 

In my opinion, the 12-team playoff format for College Football is a great addition to the sport because it creates more excitement and opportunity. Despite this, there are certainly improvements that can be made for the future.

Hi, I’m Julia Boller, a  Senior at Yorktown HS and this is another  ‘Julia’s Captures’ with sports and lifestyle photos. Sorry for the low amount of sports photos. With basketball season happening now, I will work to get more!  Hope you enjoy them !  

This is one of my favorite pictures I have taken. It is similar to one in the previous newsletter, but is more focused on the other activity going on during the sunset. I love the colors in this picture, which I increased through vibrance in Photoshop. I took this in Naples, Florida. I also increased the contrast to highlight the business despite the peaceful sunset.

This newsletter I wanted to focus on specifically on the sun, and the many different views it may have. This picture was minutes before the sunset, and highlights the definition in the many waves. I like the boat in the background of this picture, and think it adds depth to the overall image. Despite the vibrant sun, the color of the waves shone through. I took this picture in Naples, Florida on my Nikon Z50.

I really like this picture because it shows the power and brightness of the sun, able to shine through despite the blockage of the trees. I like how it looks like the sun is escaping the blockage of the trees. In Photoshop, I increased the contrast to bring out the difference in color between the sun and the trees, and the fact that the sun makes the trees look very darkly colored. I took this picture on my Nikon Z50 in Florida.