Sports

When The Rock basketball players arrived at their first home game last month, they commanded the attention of the gym the moment they entered. Several starters have garnered national attention from Division I colleges and universities, and the moment they start playing, it is evident why. The private K-12 Christian school has a student body of just over 500 students but has garnered one of the best basketball teams in the state. 

Sarah Lauerman took an interest in French culture and was intrigued by the sport of pétanque. She wanted to learn how to speak French and engage with the culture further, so she started a club around the sport. Now Lauerman is the president of Gainesville Pétanque, a club she started in 2017 with informal meetings. It has since grown to include 50 members and is played at two public courts in north Gainesville. And she had the sport included in the Gainesville Senior Games.

After crossing the finish line with aching muscles and a rapid-beating heart, Chris Nikic knew he had proven himself yet again. The 23-year-old athlete with Down syndrome was the first Special Olympics Florida athlete to complete the second annual Race for Inclusion at Flavet Field Saturday. Special Olympics Florida collaborated …

Miami Ultraskate record-holder Neena Beena hosted a longboard and skateboard event Sunday at the Boulware Springs Park trailhead with “awesome prizes,” competitors said. The free seventh annual Briefcase Push Race challenged riders in a 10K race and 2-mile race on the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, and a dizzy race, freestyle competition …

The arrest and charges against University of Florida back-up quarterback Jalen Kitna are a reminder of the dark problem of child pornography in Florida and the nation, law enforcement and other experts said. “It is a super serious issue,” said civil attorney Trip Green of Ocala. “You can be charged …