Aaron Dill and I have been friends since my days at GolfWRX.com, and the friendship continued even when I worked for one of his competitors. He’s one of — if not the — hardest working men on any truck, and the sheer volume of Vokey wedges makes that statement irrefutable.
In my opinion, given how good the Vokey platform is, the Tour dominance is pretty evenly split between product and Aaron. To watch him help his players and, in the same breath, hand them a tool with precision and variety makes it almost impossible for any wedge program to keep up.
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On any given week on the PGA Tour, there are 250-plus Vokey wedges in play.
Five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are Vokey users. Eight of the top twenty have Vokey wedges in the bag. It’s no secret that Vokey wedges have absolutely dominated the wedge market since their introduction to the PGA Tour in 1997 (Andy Bean was the first in Memphis) and have been No. 1 since 2004. That’s 21 years and counting at the top spot, and with SM11 hitting the shelves, that number will undoubtedly grow to 22.
That’s not to say that the competition isn’t stiff. Callaway, TaylorMade, Cleveland, PXG, Cobra and Ping have all risen to an elite level in the wedge department. For the consumer, I can’t think of a time when finding the perfect wedge setup for your game has been easier. Would I say everyone is a 10/10? Yes.
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In a market full of Alphas, Vokey would be considered the Lion. Twenty-one years of doing it at peak levels, technology with recon delivered from one of the GOATs in Mr. Vokey, his Luke Skywalker in Aaron Dill and every Jedi apprentice on the way up. All this crew does is wedges, and it creates a very steep hill to climb for any contenders.
First of all, Aaron fits a set of tools, not a set of wedges. And secondly, the strike dictates everything.
Let’s take a look at what that means.
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Vokey fitting
When I say the word tool, I mean it just like that. From 135 yards out until the time I grab my putter, I am allowed four tools to navigate that space. I need proper turf interaction for full shots, something that controls spin, something I can flight, and most importantly, a tool that I can consistently live in the magic spot on the face, which is grooves two through five.
In the past, I didn’t pay much attention to the latter. At times, I got lucky and stumbled onto maybe one wedge that satisfied all that. But in a nutshell, like everything else in my bag, it was a game of hit and hope.
This is why I think fitting is the key component to any of these 2026 products. From driver to putter, with every company operating at God-like levels, it’s essential that you get with a fitter to find that magic.
Aaron’s initial fitting landed me on a setup that checked off all the boxes. The second time around was to ensure that his work harmonized with my “feel player” technique, and I must say it was perfect.
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Most notably, the SM11 tech story that centered around CG consistency across all lofts was spot on. The 54/58 came down in launch by two degrees with an uptick in spin of about 400-500 RPMs. Why? I was fitted into a set that not only jived with my short game and gapping needs but also had me owning (not leasing) grooves 2-5 across the set. Giving the player a wedge that ensures that kind of contact is massive. Especially a player like me who relies on strong wedge play to survive. Weirdly, it almost feels like I found a driver that’s 15 yards longer.
To be fair to the competition, this product quality exists across many OEMs. The pursuit of that magic CG placement in harmony with the grind has been a North Star for the entire industry. But in my opinion, it started with the Vokey T grind. That specific wedge and its low-spin, flight characteristic were so noticeable that you’d see it in countless bags on Tour (staff and non-staff), whether it was the right wedge for that player or not. Basically, the flight was so good that you would see players adapting to the wedge to play it rather than the other way around.
One of the foundations of any Vokey launch is the sheer volume of grind options: F, S, K, T, D, M. There are 27 total options for the consumer. Not to mention K*, L, V, A+, MA+ and a few more out on Tour. Another thing that keeps Vokey at the top of the bill out on Tour is that they literally have an already manufactured wedge for anybody. Can other OEM Tour reps grind a wedge to add that level of variety? Yes, but it’s hard to replicate wedge to wedge.
My New Setup
The most important thing in this exercise was understanding the marriage between loft, grind and bounce. In many cases, consumers will choose wedges based on a bounce number, with little regard for where the bounce is or how it aligns with the rest of the tool. For example, I tend to lean on “lower bounce” platforms because I’m a feel player with good hands, and my delivery changes from day to day. The problem I was having was that the L-G-B union was never really in harmony. I might get lucky and find two of the three, but I never really landed on a wedge that checked off all three. The ultimate truth teller here is the strike point. When L, G and B are running in the same direction, grooves 2-5 become the star of the show.
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If you can find a wedge setup that consistently gets you out of that part of the face, regardless of your delivery, you are in that happy place Aaron always talks about.
This is the setup I landed on, and they are in the bag as we head into my first big event of the season in less than a month.
SM11 44/10F w/ True Temper Tour Issue DG S400
Wunder
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Titleist Vokey SM11 Raw Custom Wedge
A Grind For Every Player
For every player, there’s a set of grinds fit for clean contact. SM11 provides a leading combination of lofts, bounces, and grinds to promote solid contact (between grooves 2-5), predictable performance, and the confidence to take on whatever the shot demands.
Grind Comparison
Consistent CG Location
For a given loft, SM11 features the same CG location in all grinds, resulting in a controlled, consistent launch angle. No matter which sole design fits your swing or course conditions, your launch window is locked in—leaving you free to choose the lofts and grinds that work for you.
A Smarter Way To Spin
The new Vokey Spin System combines an angled face texture, shot-specific groove shapes, and deeper spin milled grooves to deliver the right amount of spin from any lie, in all conditions
The follow-up verified everything the fitting set out to do. My gapping was in perfect 13-yard buckets. I had options around the green with the 54 and 58, and most importantly, I have confidence.
If this isn’t a testimonial to go and get fit, I don’t know what it is. If you’re following along with the Fully Fit 2026 journey, you’ll gain a true understanding not only of how important fitting is, but also of how elite every OEM is at making golf clubs this year. In all honesty, I have never had so much trouble picking a set of sticks. If the ones I picked were 9.8/10, the ones I didn’t were 9.79/10.
In this instance, it was the combo of the product and my friend that got me over the line. He’s just remarkable at what he does, and it’s not a fluke that the best in the world all have him on speed dial.
Trust me, everyone knows AD.
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Final Gapping and Full Specs
Vokey SM11 44.10F with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 35.75 EOG, D4, 64 lie, Golf Pride BCT (58R, two double side, logo down)
Vokey SM11 50.08F with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 35.5 EOG, D4, 64 lie, Golf Pride BCT (58R, two double side, logo down)
Vokey SM11 54.12D with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 35.25 EOG, D4, 64 lie, Golf Pride BCT (58R, two double side, logo down)
Vokey SM11 58.08M with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 35 EOG, D4, 64 lie, Golf Pride BCT (58R, two double side, logo down)
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Gapping on Trackman
44 Stock: 22 launch, 8750RPM, 131 Carry
50 Stock: 26 launch, 9575RPM, 118 Carry
54 Stock: 27 launch, 10,100 RPM, 104 Carry
58 Stock (60 yards): 28 launch, 9285RPM
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Now the best way to get an inside look as to what happened is to get it straight from the man who dialed me in, Vokey Wedge Rep Aaron Dill
Aaron Dill’s fitting assessment for Johnny Wunder
Goals:
Clean carry yardages off the irons
Build a matrix of wedges that cover more shots
Have a sand wedge that performs well from the fairway and around the green
Find a LW that checks off more boxes and addresses problems
My fitting with JW started with some gap work. Math with wedges is very important and sets the tone for where the fit will likely go and how many wedges the players will benefit from. This exercise is also an honest reminder of what your yardages “really” are. The goal is to reach those yardages at 85 percent speed to get the launch, carry and spin correct.
JW tested a 44F, and this was an outstanding add. The benefits of the sole and the loft gave him the carry and trajectory we wanted. JW can create some natural loft, so it was important to take the time to find lofts that get the ball on grooves 2-5 more often. The next wedge needed to carry about 13 yards less, which led us to a 50. We tested both 50-12 and 50-08. Johnny has a path that, at times, can bottom out a little early or launch the ball a little higher, so we needed to find a sole that played a little thinner or with less bounce to bottom out closer to the ball at impact.
The next wedge loft we tested was 54, and again, we wanted a 13-yard reduction in carry. The testing we did on this loft also showed it sometimes launched a little higher. This led us down a couple of paths. Do we increase bounce or decrease and see how he reacts to the feels? My gut said he needed bounce for the trajectory, but we needed to stay thin to get a clean strike on the ball for the flight. We also discussed how important it is that the 54 is good around the greens. This tends to be an undervalued wedge and is used mainly for distance. The strike and versatility were the goals here, and the thinner model with more forward bounce was the clear winner. This wedge has important jobs to do. It has to be a great fairway club with controlled trajectory, and a get-me-out-of-trouble wedge when into the grain, in a long bunker shot or in any scenario where you may struggle.
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The last club we tested was a 60, but it was clear the trajectory was still higher than we wanted, so we entertained a 58. We discussed the use of this club and the challenges JW faces around the greens when missing them. The carry yardage was not as important on this wedge, but it was still good to see that it was in the ballpark. The goal of this wedge is to check off as many important greenside boxes as possible. The change in loft from 60 to 58 lowered the trajectory and increased carry and spin. We tested multiple grinds to see if something stood out. The thinner, low-bounce soles performed similarly to the 54, but we made some sacrifices for the versatility. The M grind performed outstandingly around the greens and in the bunkers. I had concerns that JW would have a hard time creating height in form conditions. JW has great hands and had no issue getting under the ball cleanly. His ability to create height is a benefit, but it simply needs to be managed with less loft and the right grind.
The set we put together was calculated and proven to perform. This setup addressed many things, like carry, launch, spin, and, most importantly, the confidence any good player must have. The 44/50 are basic distance wedges, but the flight and hit location on the face need to be a point of focus to achieve consistent, predictable results. The 54 was my favorite part of the session and had the cleanest impact across all locations. But I loved the fact that we talked through the values of this club away from the fairway and, more so, around the green. The way JW hit bunker shots with the SW (high and spinny) made us both question if a 58 was needed. The 58 was the cherry on the sundae. This club has a lot of boxes to check. The balance of the sole gave JW the fairway launch and spin he needed for distance play, but going greenside and in the bunkers, we saw a constant flight and shape that you could trust.
The late goals are not the only habit that Hearts are forming. Winning the hard way, getting maximum points from a bare minimum performance, is something that title-winning teams do too.
“If you want to challenge for titles and win leagues, you have to win ugly, and Hearts did that tonight,” former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew told Premier Sports.
He was not the only pundit to comment on Hearts’ below-par performance. While McInnes named an attacking side, they looked timid in the build up, struggling to stay calm in the typical chaos of an Edinburgh derby.
“They’ll not really care about the performance, they’ve got 12 games to create history,” former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson, who also had a hard job picking a man of the match, told BBC Sportsound.
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“Harry Milne, for me, he tried everything he possible could to affect the game, to drive Hearts forward. Other than him, pretty much all of them were stinking.”
Well, quite. Scott Allan, the former Hibs and Celtic midfielder, was a bit more eloquent in his assessment.
“Tonight was such a big game and to not play well at all… I couldn’t see Hearts scoring a goal, I thought there was only going to be one winner and it was Hibs,” he reflected.
“To win like that, clean sheet as well, it says so much about what you’re building in there.
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“Derek McInnes will not be worried about that performance. What a position that puts Hearts into, going into that game on Sunday.”
Ah yes, the game on Sunday. Rangers at Ibrox. Hearts won there back in September, their first victory away to the blue half of Glasgow since 2014.
No-one could have imagined then that, the next time Hearts came to town, the visitors would still have a lead over their hosts in the standings.
“If they get three points at Ibrox, I think they’ll win the league,” Stevenson predicted. A big call for a big game.
Nigeria may have a Junior Grand Slam Player this Year
A Nigerian teenager could play at a tennis Grand Slam this year. His name is Seun Ogunsakin.
Ogunsakin is currently ranked 74 in the world junior rankings, which puts him close to automatic entry into major junior tournaments. He narrowly missed out on playing at the Australian Open Juniors earlier this year, but his ranking now places him in line for the French Open Juniors and Wimbledon Juniors main draws.
Playing at a junior Grand Slam is a big step for any young player. It gives players exposure to top level competition and is often the pathway to professional tennis.
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Ogunsakin has been competing steadily on the ITF junior circuit, picking up points that have helped push his ranking upward.
If he maintains his position, he is expected to gain direct entry into at least one Grand Slam junior event later this year.
Should that happen, Ogunsakin would become one of the few Nigerian players in recent years to feature on tennis’ biggest junior stage.
The individual behind Washington Wizards’ mascot, G-Wiz, has reportedly retained Waukeen McCoy as his legal counsel against LA Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes. McCoy, a San Francisco-based attorney, previously represented Hayes’ former girlfriend in a domestic violence lawsuit.
During pregame introductions before the Lakers’ game against the Wizards on Jan. 30, Hayes shoved G-Wiz. As a result, the NBA suspended Hayes for one game.
Thanks for the submission!
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According to TMZ on Tuesday, McCoy confirmed he will represent the person behind the mascot, who is expected to press charges.
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“We will give them the opportunity to resolve the matter before taking legal action,” McCoy told TMZ. “But legal action is anticipated.”
McCoy is familiar with the Lakers big man, as he helped obtain a settlement for Hayes’ former girlfriend, Sofia Jamora, in a lawsuit against him in June.
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Hayes was arrested in 2021 after authorities received a domestic violence call from his then-girlfriend, Jamora. Hayes also reportedly got into a physical altercation with the police who responded. He received three years of probation, community service and domestic violence classes.
In 2024, after TMZ released a video of the 2021 incident, the NBA said that it would reopen its investigation into Hayes. However, the league has not handed down any punishment for that incident.
What did Jaxson Hayes say about shoving the Wizards’ mascot?
LA Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes served his one-game suspension against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. He returned to the team in Saturday’s 105-99 win over the Golden State Warriors.
In his postgame media availability, Hayes was asked about the shoving incident with the Washington Wizards’ mascot.
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“Obviously apologized to the team, to the mascot,” Hayes said on Saturday. “I mean, we’re all trying to get ourselves in the mental space and the physical space to get ready to go out and play a game, and when somehow I’m stretching, and somebody steps on my foot, I might have lost it.
“Should have handled it a different way, and we live, and we learn, and so just going to keep doing that again.”
After being shoved by Jaxson Hayes, the mascot fell toward several Wizards dancers who were entering the court. The mascot’s lawyer, Waukeen McCoy, told TMZ on Tuesday that the individual behind the mascot was injured.
Division leaders clash when the Pacific-leading Los Angeles Lakers battle the Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs in a key NBA Western Conference matchup on Tuesday. San Antonio is coming off a 138-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, while Los Angeles dropped a 119-110 decision to Oklahoma City on Monday. The Spurs (36-16), who have won four in a row, are 16-10 on the road this season. The Lakers (32-20), who had a three-game winning streak stopped, are 14-9 on their home court. Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot) and Austin Reaves (calf) are all out for Los Angeles. Deandre Ayton (knee) is questionable.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. San Antonio is a 13.5-point favorite in the latest Spurs vs. Lakers odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 224.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Spurs picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 38-16 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
After 10,000 simulations of Spurs vs. Lakers, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (224.5). The Under hit in its last head-to-head meeting. The Under has also hit in seven of the last 10 San Antonio games, and in six of the last 10 Los Angeles games.
The SportsLine model is projecting San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama to score 21.9 points on average and be one of six Spurs players to score 10.8 or more points as the model projects that the teams will combine to score 232 points.
The Mountain West added North Dakota State as a football-only member beginning in 2026, getting paid $12 million to do so.
Could they seek more realignment moves?
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I discuss how winning impacts realignment moves for schools like Sacramento State.
Will the Hornets find a home in an FBS Conference?
Also, I owe an apology to Kennesaw State.
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Michigan’s Big 10 schedule is among the most difficult of any league slate in the country for 2026.
Can Kyle Whittingham overcome that to put the Wolverines in the Playoff?
03:21 Mountain West Expansion Speculation 07:21 Group of Six Playoff Potential 12:33 Bison’s FCS-to-FBS Transition 17:53 Winning’s Role in Conference Growth 28:26 College Football Playoff Debate
Villanova and Notre Dame are in the final stages of solidifying a monumental scheduling sacrament to begin the 2026-27 college basketball season.
The Wildcats and Fighting Irish’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have been given special clearance by the NCAA to open next season in Rome for a doubleheader on Sunday, Nov. 1, sources told CBS Sports. College basketball’s official start to the season is Monday, Nov. 2, but the NCAA quietly approved a waiver in January to allow the teams a one-day head start, given the historic precedent of the games.
The motivation for the overseas twinbill happens to be one of the most famous people on the planet: Pope Leo XIV.
The two universities are prominent private Catholic schools with connections to the Pope. For Villanova, an obvious one: Robert Francis Prevost is a 1977 alumnus. The Notre Dame piece is tied to the school’s massive global brand. Notre Dame is regarded as the most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning in the world. It also has an outpost in Rome. An avowed sports fan, the Pope also grew up in Chicago, which has a significant Notre Dame fan presence given its proximity to nearby South Bend, Indiana. (Soon after Prevost was named the most powerful man in the Catholic Church, online detectives went back and found he appeared on television during the White Sox’s 2005 World Series run.)
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Notre Dame’s women’s program is a powerhouse with two national titles and nine Final Fours. Since 2020, Niele Ivey has been the coach. Villanova owns three national titles in men’s basketball and has made the Final Four seven times, most recently in 2022 under Jay Wright. It’s now coached by Kevin Willard.
Villanova and Notre Dame worked in concert on arranging the game for months, sources said, with talks seriously materializing in the early fall. Paperwork has not been finalized, but both schools are moving forward with the expectation that one of college basketball’s most ambitious scheduling ideas in recent memory will transpire on the first day of November.
Fox is on board to broadcast both games, per sources, with the doubleheader scheduled to play out in the afternoon in Rome. That means breakfast-time basketball in the United States. While final details are still being worked through, the general plan is to have Villanova-Notre Dame lead into NFL coverage on Fox in the United States on that Sunday. The women’s game is planned to air afterward on Fox Sports 1.
Starting a season in a foreign country isn’t unprecedented: Women’s college basketball opened this past season in Paris with Duke playing Baylor. On the men’s side, Villanova and Notre Dame is believed to be the first season-opener on foreign soil and the first regular season Division I basketball competition in Italy.
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The teams will play the doubleheader at the Palazzetto dello Sport, known more colloquially as the PalaTiziano. The arena seats 3,500 people for basketball games and has existed since the late 1950s. It was built in the lead-up to Rome’s hosting of the 1960 Olympics. The PalaTiziano underwent significant renovations from 2018-2023 and is approximately 30 minutes from the Pope’s residence in Vatican City.
The Pope’s involvement in the event — if any — is unclear and very much to be determined, according to sources, though officials from both schools have been in contact with the Pope and people around the Holy See. Notre Dame’s president and others had a private meeting with the Supreme Pontiff in November, while Villanova had officials fly to the Vatican last May to see Pope Leo’s inaugural mass. Villanova’s president, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, was not in the same class as Prevost in the 1970s, but the two did overlap as undergrads at VU.
The schools intend to make the trip not just about basketball, but a huge educational experience as well. Rome, which surrounds Vatican City, is a destination for millions of devout Catholics and tourists every year.
And come November, should all go to plan, it will play host to a global American sporting event.
United States figure skater Maxim Naumov delivered an emotional performance in his Olympic debut on Tuesday, honoring his late parents who died in a tragic plane crash last year.
There wasn’t a dry pair of eyes at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday night, as Naumov fulfilled a dream he had alongside his parents, former pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were among the 67 people killed when a military helicopter collided midair into American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington D.C. in January 2025.
Naumov, 24, was expected to be a long shot to even crack the top 10 at this year’s Olympics, let alone medal. But he delivered quite the show that resulted in a full standing ovation, as he looked up at the sky and said, “Look at what we’ve done,” per ESPN.
Maxim Naumov of Team United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh,” Naumov said after his short program resulted in a score of 85.65 — good for 12th and having him qualify for the next round.
Naumov skated to “Nocturne No. 20,” and he couldn’t have been happier with his performance, knowing his parents were with him in spirit.
“I’ve been inspired by them since day 1, ever since we stepped on the ice together,” Naumov, who was holding an old photo of himself and his parents on the ice together in the kiss-and-cry zone after dedicating his performance to them.
Naumov’s parents were among a contingent of U.S. figure skaters, coaches and family members who tragically passed away from the crash after leaving a developmental camp in Wichita, Kansas after the 2025 national championships. Naumov was on an earlier flight.
Maxim Naumov of Team United States competes in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026.(Elsa/Getty Images)
Three days before being named to the U.S. Olympic team, Naumov was emotional after skating in their honor at the U.S. Championships, where he held up the same picture of himself as a 3-year-old boy with his parents on either side of him.
“Sharing the vulnerability with the audience and me feeling their energy back has been something I remember for the rest of my life,” Naumov said to reporters after his skate that solidified his spot on the U.S. team. “It’s what my parents and I — one of our last conversations was about exactly that, and you know, it would mean the world to me to do that. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
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As he took the ice, Naumov said that being too technical about his performance wasn’t the thought process.
His effort level was all that mattered — no matter the result.
USA’s Maxim Naumov holds a picture of his parents, who died in a plane crash last year, after competing in the figure skating men’s singles short program during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 10, 2026. Naumov’s parents Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova died after a midair collision of an American Airlines plane and a US Army helicopter in Washington DC on Jan. 29, 2025.(WANG Zhao / AFP)
“I wasn’t thinking about executing anything perfectly or anything like that. I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out. Leave everything out there. Have no regrets. And that’s exactly what I felt,” he said, per ESPN.
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Naumov will perform again during the men’s free skate on Friday night.
Sam Darnold’s NFL journey has been nothing short of inspiring.
The quarterback finally got to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy with his Seattle Seahawks, his fifth NFL team, Sunday in Santa Clara.
Darnold was the third overall pick out of USC in 2018 to the New York Jets, where he was hoping to take the team out of playoff purgatory and cement himself as one of the greats for “Gang Green.”
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Instead, Darnold found himself out of New York after three seasons, traded to the Carolina Panthers and beginning his move from the East Coast to West Coast.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
After battling with Baker Mayfield in Carolina, Darnold eventually landed as Brock Purdy’s backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Then he got another shot at starting in the league with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to a 14-3 record.
The success Darnold found led to choices in free agency, every player’s dream. He went with the Seahawks, reuniting with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and the rest is now history.
So, as Darnold sat at a Raising Cane’s to celebrate with a “shift” in front of Seahawks fans after the 29-13 victory, Fox News Digital asked him what lesson might be learned from his journey through the league.
“I really think it’s about believing in yourself and taking it one day at a time,” he said over the phone. “I think, if there’s any lesson, it’s that. Continue to be yourself in any situation and always believe in yourself.”
Darnold’s belief led him to this point. And he got a taste of what Wednesday will be like at the parade in Seattle when Seahawks fans flocked to Raising Cane’s to see their Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
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“It’s unbelievable, man,” he said. “I mean, the warm welcome I got with fans was just pretty special. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. It’s just unlike anything I’ve seen.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during the first half of the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Feb. 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
“They’ve shown up for us all season, all the way to the end. So, I’m very thankful to be playing here in Seattle with these fans.”
Fox News Digital spoke with Darnold in March 2025 when he made the decision to join the Seahawks after they had just traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, making the starting quarterback spot open. He said he loved the mutual interest and believed in head coach Mike Macdonald and the group of guys already in the building.
Darnold was simply hoping to fit in and help lead the team to the promised land. Mission accomplished.
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“Clearly, I made the right decision,” he said almost one year later. “It’s been a very special ride with this group, with my teammates and the coaching staff that we had this year.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks walks on the field after the NFC championship against the Los Angeles Rams Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks won 31-27.(Getty Images)
“It’s funny, I feel like after the Super Bowl even, we all wanted to play another game. Maybe not physically, but mentally, emotionally, we’re still in it, and we just love playing ball with each other. That’s all you can ask for when you sign up to play this great game.”
Bolton Middlebrook Leisure Trust has scooped the contract to run five leisure sites as an agent on behalf of Bolton Council. The 15-year contract starts on 1 April.
Managing director, Neil Hutchinson, told HCM that the trust, which has been operating Bolton Arena since 2021, has been preparing for the bid since his appointment four years ago.
Underdogs in terms of scale, the team are delighted to have fought off competition from much larger operators.
“To get to the start line and be in a position to even bid for a large leisure tender is a huge challenge for a small local independent leisure trust, such as us,” he says. “We had to work very hard over the last year just to meet the criteria checklist to enable us to submit a competitive bid.
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“Although price was a factor, Bolton Council had written the tender to be more about quality delivery, social value and investing in Bolton communities, this played to our strengths, because our health and wellbeing angle was very highly commended.”
Contract goals include increasing overall participation by 20 per cent and priority groups by 30 per cent. Supporting 10,000 people with inactivity-related health conditions and improving the mental wellbeing of targeted participants by 20 per cent.
“The council wanted an operator that would collaborate with public health and work towards reducing health inequalities across the borough, particularly in areas where there is less access or engagement with health and fitness,” says Hutchinson. “Our health and wellbeing fund is about reinvesting back into Bolton and we’ll also buy most of our support services locally.
“We’ll be working closely with Bolton Council and Public Health on an ABCD approach maximising Asset Based Community Development to improve peoples lives across Bolton.
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“Initiatives which extend beyond the four walls of the leisure centre are planned, for example utilising the parks and green spaces for activities such as yoga. A whole town activation of a population of 180,000 is in the pipeline that will involve a mass orienteering style event to engage schools, colleges and families.”
One of the leisure centres is a shared site with the NHS, so as part of the GM Active collective the trust will be running the Prehab4Cancer programme. There will also be GP referral cardiac rehab, stroke prevention and Parkinson support programmes ,as well as further engagement with established partners, including Age UK and Bolton Deaf Society. Some instructors have been trained in sign language to run classes for the hard of hearing and this will be extended.
Around £1.2 million will be invested in gym refurbishments across the sites in the next two to three years, replacing gym equipment, upgrading changing areas and creating a health and wellbeing hub with a specialist gym at one of the sites. A wellbeing membership giving access to mental health services and advice on nutrition and sleep with access to a GP will be offered as part of gym memberships.
“The next challenge is to mobilise for the 1st April and we can’t wait to go live,” says Hutchinson.