In this episode, student-athletes tackle life's challenges through experience and learning.

On a Positive Note

On A Positive Note: Grab a Tissue! 

Coming up on a positive note where good news does exist. We're going to pay for the rest of this school. You have no more bills. A heartwarming moment as this college athlete scores a major win. Plus this female wrestler is headed to the Olympics. Many little girls are too shy to start wrestling because they don't have someone like a role model proving anything boys can do. Girls can do too over in Connecticut. You might catch these very good boys. The next you're in the airport, the experience has been wonderful and the response has been wonderful from everyone how those puppies are helping to ease travel anxiety and why these veterans are kayaking 22 miles today. Good news does exist and you've come to the right place to find it. It's time for on a positive note. Hello. Hello and thank you for tuning in. I'm Jordan and you're watching on a positive note where good news does exist. So rest assured here on a positive note, you can be sure to find some of the most heartwarming stories from all around our communities. There's stories that will move you and inspire you our intention with every episode of on a positive note is to help you at home, feel good to provide you stories that will warm your heart. So let's get this party started. Shall we? We are kicking this episode off with some seriously moving sports stories. Fair warning here. This one's really touching. We've got your behind the scenes. Look at the moment. One Long Island University football player had his life changed forever after what some may call a pretty rough go at it. This deserving young man has just scored a major win. Take a look, Dykstra will tell you he's not a star player for the Liu football team. He says he's more of a grinder. I'm someone who's a hard nosed kid, the guy who won't complain, you know, who will do the extra rep. He's tough and he loves to play the game. He has all the things that it takes to be on a full scholarship except he's not in each of his first two years, Reese and his family paid about $7000 in tuition. Reese, worked a part time job to chip in and his mom, a teacher in Ohio also took on some side jobs and Reese admits he often wondered if it was worth it. There's days where I'm in class thinking like, you know, I'm doing all of this and I'm still paying to do this, do they not notice me? Am I not valued enough? And this year it got worse due to rising tuition and a change in his family's financial aid, Reese's bill increased to more than $20,000. And his mom wondered, is it worth it? That's a big difference for our family. And I really thought it was time that he took an inventory of. How much do you want to do to your body? Because there's a cost to all this because of the foundation I've created here and because of the life I created here, I just couldn't walk away. And so Reese came back this season deeper in debt, but just as dedicated, he didn't even flinch. He kept grinding, kept going full speed. He's on time. Attitude's always good. We got some newcomers reporting. So coach Cooper decided to do something good for Reese at a recent team meeting. Now Reese thought the meeting was just going to be about the usual team rules. But then my buddy beside me tells me he's like, hey, you know that camera's kind of pointed at you and then his mom Facetimed the coach. Oh I didn't know what it was is that Reese's Mo it was just great just hearing her voice, but it was better hearing this. We're gonna pay for the rest of this school. You have no more bills as his teammates celebrated, Reese covered his eyes, buried his head and started to cry for that to happen. I was completely in shock. My hard work finally paid off, but I couldn't really believe it was still happening. I was so happy that Reece was so validated for his hard work and his effort. I just felt like yes, good for you. In fact, Reese called it the greatest validation of his life. And he said behind those tears, which he could not hide was a lot of happiness and a lesson he everyone will learn and you're going to get knocked down. There's going to be days when you're like, this isn't going to happen for me. You just got to keep pushing to keep swimming forward and you know, every obstacle that hits you keep going through them because eventually it will pay off just like it did for Reese. Oh my goodness. Listen, I tried to warn you about that one. Well, Rees tells us that he won't let the full scholarship change his work ethic. He says he's still working his part time job at L A Fitness. Now, despite some gloomy weather making the backdrop. In our next story out of Long Island, hundreds of student athletes gathered in East Islip to learn some important life lessons they can use on and off the field. It's all part of an important program with the name. I just love ambassadors of compassion. What this program is is basically a 10 week program that teaches kids resiliency, teaches them forgiveness and kind of helps them get life skills. They all handling life's challenges in the best possible way. That's what ambassadors of compassion is all about. We think the more things we give them to prepare them for life, the better off they're going to be. Long Island athletes spent the afternoon learning about emotional resiliency and well being mental health is like really important like um coping with difficulties you've been through like I recently just lost my mom like a week or two ago. So coming here, like being with my coaches, being with my team, like it makes me feel better, like motivates me. None of this life is easy and you're gonna get thrown stuff no matter who you are, you're gonna have big challenges and the big message is it's not what happens to you. It's how you handle it. Then the kids go back to their schools and they meet once a week for half hour, 45 minutes have an online journal on it that they, they can download and they talk about different issues. And then at the end of the 10 weeks, they do a community project. It just brings a nice warm feeling, uh knowing that we can help these kids with some of the challenges that they have in their life and help them get through that. And, you know, basically it's ok to fail and you're going to fail the message, just keep going and don't give up. I think they did a really good job of showing how important it is to persevere and work on yourself and work on your goals to achieve what you want. Yes, perseverance. Use that story as a reminder to bet on yourself. Like she said, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Now, the Ambassadors of Compassion program has been found to improve grades and attendance in students. It also reduced anger distraction and disciplinary actions amongst the student body too. Well, veterans are working to raise awareness for their own in our next story in quite the physical way, they're hitting the water to kayak at 22 miles in order to raise awareness around PTSD. Walk it in, in there. There you go. 22 kayakers taking the 22 mile journey across the Long Island South. The number 22 also represents the number of veterans that take their lives daily in the US. Participants chatted with our crews all about how events like this one can help us decrease that heart breaking suicide is a big problem in our community and to feel the pain that I did out there and just kind of think like someone is going through way more than that. It really puts it into perspective like what people are going through. So let's get involved. Let's help combat that issue in our communities. Feel free to head to our website. For more information. Now, let's keep the sports theme coming in here on a positive note. Well, it seems like sports like pickle ball and tennis have been all the rage lately. Women's wrestling has quietly become another one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Teams and tournaments are growing at high schools and colleges nationwide. So, how are these athletes getting a leg up in the sport? We're introducing you to one family where nearly every member has hit the mat saying they've just got wrestling in their blood in most families taking down. Your little sister isn't exactly encouraged. They can only take each other down when they're in on a mat and anywhere else in the living room house. No, but knock over a Botts kid, they bounce right back. 15, 13, 11, 10, 87, six, out of seven siblings have embraced a sport that can look a lot like rough housing. She move your partner grabbed by the back of the head. Karina go on in this group of grapplers. 15 year old Kayla is the star. It was very obvious early that she had a lot of talent at the age of nine hoping to improve at jujitsu. Kayla decided to try wrestling when you told your friends, like, I'm gonna be a wrestler. What did they say? They were shocked at what they heard. Tell me about that. Well, some friends thought it was like too manly mattress, never saved eyes. Her talent was undeniable just turns out that she's a once in a lifetime athlete in wrestling and that it's, she's one of the best girls in the country and one of the, one of the best or arguably the best girl to ever come out of Connecticut in her age category. Soon, Kayla will represent her country as a member of team USA at the Pan American Games. Felt great. I finally proved my point. Her sights set on the 2028 Olympics. I can't wait to see it and just cheer her on and changing the sport. Many little girls are too shy to start wrestling because they don't have someone like a role model. Ok. Now, you know what that sound means, it's time for today's. Did you know, did you know that since 1984 the number of women who wrestled during high school has seriously increased. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, that number has grown from 804 to more than 50,000 as of spring of 2023. And now I just know that number will keep growing. Thanks to inspirations like the family and that ladies and gents this today. Did you know? And on that note, thank you for embracing all of this positivity with me. Remember, good news does exist and you can always be sure to find it right here. On a positive note, I'm Jordan Casa and I'll see you next time.