Academy Notebook: West Dallas Cancer Awareness event; Four Academy athletes invited to Elite Development Invitational?

Dallas Housing Authority to hold West Dallas Cancer Awareness event at Rangers Youth Academy on April 15

The Dallas Housing Authority will hold its West Dallas cancer awareness health fair at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy next Saturday, April 15. The event will provide free health screenings and educational materials while connecting the West Dallas Community with healthcare providers in their area.

Next Saturday’s health fair, scheduled for 9 a.m. – noon, will aim to educate and equip the community with the tools needed to lead a healthy lifestyle and improve cancer prevention through early detection. The health fair is open to the public and free to attend.

Services scheduled for the West Dallas event include colorectal cancer screenings and testing information, on-site blood glucose screenings, asthma education and screening tools, health and nutrition information with cooking demonstrations and much more.

DHA partners will also be on-site to provide information on cancer treatment support for anyone impacted by the disease, including financial assistance, non-emergent medical transportation and counseling services.

Research conducted by the American Cancer Society in 2022 found that over 1.9 million new cancer cases were diagnosed across the U.S., with breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and kidney/renal pelvis cancers being the five most common types in the state of Texas.

Prior to Saturday’s event, DHA will also provide free mammography screenings for women 40 and older through a DFW mobile cancer clinic. Breast cancer screenings will take place on Friday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Head Start Dallas, adjacent to the Texas Rangers Youth Academy.

Those interested in free mammograms available on Friday, April 14, are asked to make an appointment at dhantx.com/news/cancerawareness.

Four Rangers Academy athletes selected for MLB Develops Softball Elite Development Invitational

Four Texas Rangers Youth Academy softball players received news of their invitations to the MLB Develops 2023 Softball Elite Development Invitation (EDI) in Kansas City, Mo., from June 15-20.

Among the Rangers Youth Academy softball stars selected are EDI returners Gio Frias, Ana Gonzalez and Olivia Veiza, along with first-timer Destan Burks, who received an invitation to last year’s event but was unable to attend due to illness.

“It’s truly an honor to be selected along with three other top softball players in our organization and I will do my best to represent the Texas Rangers Youth Academy well,” said Burks, a Red Oak High School sophomore.

The nearly 65 athletes invited from across the U.S. to attend the five-day development event will participate in on-and off-field activities designed to mimic USA Softball training camps ahead of international competitions and the Olympic Games.

Athletes will work on position-specific drills, simulated game play and mental skills, plus receive mentorship and access to collegiate softball opportunities while working with the EDI coaching staff comprised of USA Softball Olympians, professional softball players and college coaches.

“It's an honor to be selected and to be able to work with coaches who have made it so far,” said Veiza.

“I was able to attend last year, and I'm extremely excited to be invited again. It was an amazing experience to get to work with many new girls from all over and meet different coaches who have been in our place. I want to take as much information I can to improve my skills not only as a player but also as a teammate and person on and off the field.”

Veiza, a North Forney High School junior, and Burks each have experience playing on multiple Texas Rangers Youth Academy All-Star teams, along with fellow invitees Frias and Gonzalez.

Attending this year’s EDI in Kansas City will help them further develop their skills as they look for repeat selections for this summer’s Rangers RBI All-Star and All-Star Jennie Finch Classic teams before hopefully pursuing college softball careers.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn more to help improve my game,” said Burks. “Also, learning new skills and experiencing different drills from the coaches will be great.

“Both the competition and fellowship with other top players allows the sharing of information to positively impact all our games. We are all different, but each of us brings something special to this game of softball.”

Jr. Home Run Derby (Baseball): Round One – April 30, 2023

Sluggers ages 10 to 14 can register for the Texas Rangers Youth Academy Jr. Home Run Derby on April 30. Round one winners will advance to the regional competition where they’ll swing for a spot in MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals in Seattle. Register here.

Jr. Home Run Derby (Softball): Round One – April 30, 2023

Sluggers ages 12 to 16 can register for the Texas Rangers Youth Academy Jr. Home Run Derby on April 30. Round one winners will advance to the regional competition where they’ll swing for a spot in MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals in Seattle. Register here.