Featured Athletes
One of the most unique things about the BODYARMOR State Games is that the multitude of sports offered and the variety of athletes that participate. Each month we like to to highlight some of our youth, high school & adult participants that have a story to tell.
There are many reasons that make for a good story. Did you or your team have a great experience at the BODYARMOR State Games and earn a medal? Maybe your athletic talents have earned you a college scholarship which you’d never thought possible. Or perhaps you’ve made friendships through your participation in sports that will last a life time. Think you have a good story to tell? Use the buttons below to tell us about how the BODYARMOR State Games have impacted your life.
Featured Athlete Profile – Alex Leatu – Padel
Padel is joining the BODYARMOR State Games lineup in 2024! To help us showcase our newest sport, we spoke with Alex Leatu, a Certified Padel Coach at Charlotte Padel Club. Alex played college tennis at Vanderbilt and Baylor before picking up Padel in 2017 and working...
Featured Athlete Profile – Kaleb Easley – Boxing
Boxing is joining the 2023 BODYARMOR State Games line-up, and this month’s Featured Athlete can’t wait to compete! Check out our Q&A with Kaleb Easley, a 12-year-old boxer and track and field athlete who is a member of the Al Lowe Boxing Club. Q&A with Kaleb:...
Featured Athlete Profile – Kendra and Willow Danzer – Strongman & Taekwondo
The 2022 BODYARMOR State Games are officially a wrap and we are exited to showcase some of the amazing athletes we had participate this year. One of the unique features of the Games is the wide variety of sports offered. This year we hosted five sports under one roof...
Featured Athlete Profile – Jacob Summers – Roundnet
We've got another Featured Athlete for you - Jacob Summers. Jacob, who participated in the 2022 BODYARMOR State Games Winter Roundnet Tournament, is a 17 year old Roundnet player (aka Spikeball) from Raleigh. Jacob currently holds the title for the...
Featured Athlete Profile – Natalie Richards – Powerlifting
It's time for another featured athlete to help us showcase one of our newest sport additions - Powerlifting! Natalie Richards, who graduated from North Carolina State University in 2019, is currently a 23 year old professional powerlifter, 3X American...
Featured Athlete Profile – JamaRR Royster – Powerlifting
It's time for another featured athlete to help us showcase our new sport additions for 2022! JamaRR Royster, who graduated from Chowan University in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science and a minor in coaching, is currently a champion...
Featured Athlete Profile – Ellie Kim – Jump Rope
Jump Rope is joining the BODYARMOR State Games sport line-up in 2022 so we thought it was only fitting to pick a competitive jump roper as one of our Featured Athletes. Check out this Q&A with Ellie Kim, proud member of the Super Skippers, the YMA of...
Featured Athlete Profile – Hannah Williams – Ice Hockey
This month’s featured athlete is Hannah Williams! Hannah is a college student from Wilson, NC, who played Ice Hockey in the State Games in 2018 and 2020. The right winger began playing at age 11, and her team eventually made it to Nationals in...
Featured Athlete/Coach Profile – Jerry Fehlman – Youth Soccer & Disc Golf
This month’s featured athlete and coach is Jerry Fehlman! Jerry first learned of the Powerade State Games in 2009 when the games traveled to the Charlotte area. He was coaching youth soccer at the time and decided to enter the girls youth recreation team that he was...
Featured Athlete Profile – Chase Sams – Ice Hockey
This month’s featured athlete is Chase Sams! Chase is a 9-year-old ice hockey player from Indian Trail, NC and is currently a member of the CJC Elite 10u team. He first began playing ice hockey in 2014 when he was just three years old, and he has participated in...
Featured Athlete Profile – PaHeru Nubia-Ra – Gymnastics & Taekwondo
This month’s featured athlete is PaHeru Nubia-Ra! PaHeru is 9 years old and is a USA Gymnastics Level 5, Division 1 men's gymnast, as well as a Red Belt in the U.S. Taekwondo Center system. PaHeru’s journey has not always been easy, and he has overcome many obstacles...
Featured Athlete Profile – Kahlen Kuddie – Wrestling
This month’s featured athlete is Kahlen Kuddie! Kahlen is 13 years old and a rising 8th grader at Kannapolis Middle School. Six years ago, she took the mat for the first time and fell in love with wrestling while attending a tryout for her brother. Kahlen’s mom says,...
Featured Team Profile – Wake County Basketball Association (WCBA) 2025
While we continue to prepare for this summer’s Powerade State Games, we would like to recognize the Wake County Basketball Association 2025 team (WCBA 2025) as our next featured profile! We chatted with Head Coach, Brad Deifer, to discuss the team’s makeup, history,...
Featured Athlete Profile – Kalee Wiltshire – High School Soccer
Our next featured athlete is Kalee Wiltshire, a 3-year varsity soccer player from North Brunswick High School. The school is located in the southeast portion of the state in Leland, near Wilmington. The Scorpions made the 3A playoffs last year and were off to a 2-0...
Featured Athlete Profile – Colin Riddick – High School Baseball
Colin Riddick is a baseball player at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City. He was a pitcher on the Region 1 team last summer, helping them to a Silver Medal finish. This was the best finish for Region 1 in over 20 years! Colin answered various questions on his...
Featured Athlete Profile – Taryn Thompson
Taryn Thompson has played soccer in the Powerade State Games for several years. She competed in our Youth Soccer Tournament for three consecutive summers, earning Bronze, Silver & Gold. This past summer, Taryn earned a final roster spot in the Girl's High School...
Featured Youth Ice Hockey Team – Team Raleigh Wealth Solutions
The 2019 Powerade State Games Youth Ice Hockey Tournament took place at Extreme Ice Center over the weekend of June 21st-23rd. The 14 and under age group was comprised of a five team pool with local participants and also athletes from Greensboro & Raleigh....
Featured Team – WCNC U18 Girls Soccer
Our next profile is on a U18 Girls Soccer team who will be traveling to compete at the State Games of America in Lynchburg, VA August 3rd-4th. Bob Clausen is the head coach of the team and manages logistics, travel, and the rest of the behind the scenes. He enjoys...
July Featured Athlete Profile – Kate Miller
Kate Miller has been competing in the sport of Archery for the past six years. She attends Pinnacle Classical Academy, in Shelby, NC, where her journey with the sport began in the fifth grade. “Archery from a practical perspective, is not a sport that I would have...
April Featured Athlete Profile – Yolanda ‘YoYo’ Monroe
YoYo Monroe is an avid Pickleball player and quite an accomplished athlete. Her athletic journey was long devoted to the sport of handball, where she played internationally for several years. She was a member of Team USA and also traveled on the European Tour. The...
March Featured Athlete Profile – Angela Maher
Angela Maher first gave the sport of Figure Skating a try while she was enrolled in graduate school. “Growing up, I was always passionate about figure skating but the closest ice skating rink was nearly two hours away! So while I didn't get the chance to skate as a...
February Featured Athlete Profile – Sebastian ‘Kid Rocket’ Bettinger
Sebastian Bettinger, AKA ‘Kid Rocket’, has been competing in BMX racing for over half of his life. Sebastian competes in the 12 year old expert class and has experienced a great deal of success in the sport, traveling across the country with his family in order to be...