Aristides Serrano, KVRR
MOORHEAD, Minn. - Local college athletes are helping younger students in the area sharpen some of their skills in different sports.

The athletes are some of the best on their teams.
 
Young students from around the area are taking part in InSports Day at Concordia College.

It's a day where local students can learn from college athletes about different sports.

2nd grader Annie Horan loves playing outside.
 
"It's really nice for them to bring all the kids here and let them play all the sports," said Annie.
 
InSports is an organization created by Concordia College students.

It's a way for them to give back to the community.
 
"I think it's huge for the younger kids to just get experience at different sports, but also you know, start having some role models of the older athletes," said Organizer Max Smith.
 
Andrew Deters is a senior hockey player at Concordia.

He is one of the many athletes helping teach younger students how to play the different sports.
 
"The life skills that sports have taught us, we just want to give that back to the kids and show them what sports can do for them," said Deters.
 
Some of the students were so excited about the program that they said they hope it will return next year.
 
"It's really fun here. I hope I can do this a lot again," said Horan.
 
It's a day where kids can get in the game, no matter what skill level.
 
Throughout the day, the kids learned about basketball, hockey, football and soccer.

Moorhead, MN (WDAY TV) - What an honor for a Concordia College athlete who has an outstanding record on and off the ice.
Max Smith is a hockey player and golfer who founded the "In-Sports Foundation”; a nonprofit group that raises money for scholarships so under-privileged kids can attend sports camps.

He's been nominated for the 2015 Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award; a national recognition of athletes in Division One and Three.

Max Smith- Concordia College Student: “It's been really rewarding to see what it does for the kids and the parents, and it's a lot of fun, too. It's a lot better than having a hockey camp for kids.”

The winner of the Mellon Humanitarian Award will be announced at the Frozen Four in Boston this April.

By Lindsey Micheletti,
On Saturday, August 2, 2014 the InSports Foundation hosted a finale to the Team Smalls fundraiser at the Eagan Civic Arena. It included a free open skate as well as shirt and wristband sales. At the end of the benefit was a chuck-a-puck contest and check presentation.  Nick’s friends and family came out to support his fight and future doctor check-ups.  

            Team Smalls was an inspiring campaign that grew tremendously over a 3-month span. Innovative Office Solutions employee, Scott Felton, ran for Nick in Grandma’s Marathon that included a contest for a FitBit. Eagan High School also provided lunchtime shirt and wristband sales for students and employees to get involved.

            At the final check presentation, a total of $2,400 was raised. InSports hopes that this benefit provided Nick with not only financial support but community support as well. We wish the best for Nick as he goes off to play hockey as Gustavus Adolphus College this fall. 

By Lindsey Micheletti,

The InSports Foundation recently had it’s first ever InHockey Camp from July 8-10 in Fargo, North Dakota. The camp was completely free to its campers who came from the Fargo-Moorhead Area as well as the Twin-Cities.

During the camp, the participants had the opportunity to win an equipment scholarship in honor of Anthony Titus. Anthony Titus was an ambitious young athlete from Minneapolis, MN who participated in hockey and football. At the age of 16, Anthony was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting and tragically passed away. InSports wants his name to live on through a scholarship dedicated to Anthony.

The Anthony Titus Scholarship was awarded to three InHockey Camp participants who worked exceptionally hard, showed a positive attitude, and demonstrated outstanding coachability throughout the camp. These traits exemplify what Anthony stood for, and are a fitting tribute to his name.

Originally, there were going to be two scholarship winners, however the competition for the winners was so tough that we had to choose three winners. The winners included Mea Johnson of Fargo, Matthew Anderson of New Prague, and Saysetha Philaphandeth of Minneapolis.

We interviewed each of the winners to get their insight on what the camp and hockey overall means to them.

How long have you been playing hockey?

            Mea: 3 years

            Matthew: 4 years

            Saysetha: 3 years

Which scholarship item are you going to choose? (New skates or 3 new sticks)

            Mea: Skates

            Matthew: 3 sticks     

            Saysetha: Skates

What are you excited about for next season?

            Mea: “I can skate harder and shoot the puck faster for next season!”

            Matthew: “Possibly making it on the JV or Varsity team for New Prague High School.”

            Saysetha: “I am excited to play with my friends Nikos and Jezeir next year on our team,      Novas. Also looking forward to trying out some new moves with the team!”

What was your favorite part about the camp?

            Mea: “The coaches were always there to answer questions if you asked.”

            Matthew: “The best part of the hockey camp was meeting all those nice kids and especially getting closer to the coaches and Max and all the players. Also doing all the activities, I’m thankful for all of it.”         

            Saysetha: “Staying at a hotel, exploring Fargo and its shops, especially Scheel’s. Also, I really liked the games we played at the camp.”

What is your favorite thing about hockey?

            Mea: “It’s more fun than figure skating! And there’s more contact.”

            Matthew: “The action and being in the play the whole time!”

            Saysetha: “I like hockey because it’s challenging for me being a goalie.”


The first InHockey Camp was a great success!  We would like to thank everyone for coming out, we had a great group of kids that all deserve to be recognized.  We would also like to thank all of our sponsors and volunteers, we couldn't have done it without them.  InSports is already planning and looking forward to next year's camp.

By Drew Trafton (WDAY), 

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - You may not think of July as a month for hockey.




A local college player, who's choosing this summer to make an impact, on and off the ice.

"There you go! Nice jobs, guys."

Sports fans might recognize Max Smith as a defenseman for Concordia's men’s Hockey team.

Or as a golfer, because he is also on the school's golf team.

But today, he was something else: the Founder and Director of inSports, the foundation providing the absolutely free "inHockey" camp to 35 athletes from the F-M and Twin Cities metros.

"I wanted to get more involved in the community and to help more kids be able to play sports if they couldn't afford to do so,” says inSports Founder and Director Max Smith.

inSports is owned by Innovative Office Solutions, a literal parent company: Smith's parent own  it.

But Smith's standing out on his own.

Despite being in operation for less than a year, the idea has already appealed enough to the Fargo Youth Hockey Association to donate ice time for the multi-day camp.

"Getting more kids on the ice and getting everybody the opportunity, especially in the summertime, is a great idea,” says Operations Manager of the Fargo Youth Hockey Association Jeff Lockhart.

Smith is also getting heavy support from his school, teammates and even head coach Chris Howe.

The benefit of the program extends beyond the rink and in to the wallet. The inHockey program here in Fargo has raised $3,000 for Zach Kraft, the Fargo hockey player fighting brain cancer, $6,000 for the Concordia Men's hockey team and an additional $2,000 for its women's program.

And that's just from custom merchandise sales.

inSports, also put on a golf tournament in June, and currently is running a separate fundraiser for an Eagan, Minnesota hockey player with bladder cancer.

Eventually, Smith hopes to extend the program beyond the blue lines.

"inSoccer, inFootball, inGolf,” says Smith.

But for now, school, hockey, golf and inHockey, will be just fine.

At the end of the camp today, two players were given scholarships bearing the name of a Twins Cities hockey player who died in a shooting.

The players could choose between a new pair of skates, or three new sticks.