LaToya and Chester Pitts (Photo: by Danny Nguyen)

The Chester Pitts Foundation – Fine Arts, Culture and Smiles

Believe it or not, even here in Houston, there are things more important than football. A man who knows that firsthand is original Houston Texan CHESTER PITTS, just half of the brains and brawn behind The Chester Pitts Charitable Foundation (CPCF).

The mission behind the nonprofit is to evoke artistic interest in children through programs designed to inspire natural creativity, arouse enthusiasm for knowledge and energize the spirit of our youth. “The CPCF is designed to be a conduit, or a bridge, for those who don’t have access to the wonderful world of fine arts and culture. A lot of folks that have had the exposure understand the value, but take it for granted that the kids today that go to public schools – every day those programs are being cut and those kids won’t have access to [the arts]. It’s something a lot of us take for granted because it’s the norm,” co-founder Chester Pitts says of the organization. While Chester may think his tall, slender, drop-dead gorgeous wife is just his backup dancer in all this, truth be told, she runs the show. Something he finally admitted to. And what a show it is to run, as many know, starting and keeping a nonprofit moving is not an easy task, but LaToya Pitts does it with grace, dignity and humility, while balancing everything else in her life, including being a mother.

LaToya says having fine arts and culture in your life helps make you a well-rounded individual. “There are studies that show that kids who have the arts in their programs actually score higher on test scores, they do better in school, make better grades, it’s just overall something positive,” she says. All joking aside, Chester graciously admits it’s his wife that keeps their boat afloat. “We are a team – the Pitts Family – she’s the brains and the good looks, I’m just the guy that happens to know the good people who come out to our events and collects the dough,” he jokes while giving his wife a fist bump. It’s that kind of love, excitement and playfulness that is not only the basis and foundation of CPCF, but their marriage and family as well.

Starting with one small event back in 2008 while Chester still played with the Houston Texans, it wasn’t until 2011 the couple took their philanthropic work to the next level, hosting events throughout the year. Each year the foundation selects a high school or middle school and takes them out for their first symphonic experience at the Houston Symphony. “We dress the girls and boys up and buy them formal outfits and bring them to the symphony for a concert, and do a meet-and-greet afterwards,” LaToya says. This year’s experience will be the Sinatra show, which has been raved about in The New York Times. If you know how the Pitts duo rolls, you know it’s bound to be a good time with a lot of laughs. “It’s not just about art or dance or whatever it may be – it’s about what it takes to be good at or be successful at something. Now we’re talking about focusing and concentrating, about diligence – all of those factors line up to make people better human beings. We want to make sure we can capitalize on it with every kid, that we can make them a little bit better, even if it’s just 1%, they’re still better off than they were and that’s our ultimate goal,” Chester says.

This article originally ran in the print issue of LOCAL Houston Magazine. To see the original online version, click here. 

Photo: Rob Foldy/Stringer Gttty Images

As NFL travel gets bigger and bigger, fans are finding themselves strategically picking an away game to add to their calendars as a way to see their team in a new environment…and calling it a vacation. It’s a win-win (assuming your team wins the game…).

Throughout my NFL travels, I’ve been to a number of stadiums and sports towns, and I have to say that Jacksonville is near the top of my list for many reasons.

For starters, what about their newly added scoreboards (largest in the league) broadcast in a resolution no one in the world has (sorry Jerry Jones), free and workingWi-Fi throughout the stadium, and the fact that liquor is available throughout the entire stadium. Off to a good start, right?

Probably the most unique part of the stadium has to be the Clevelander Deck, an addition brought on for the 2014 season. The Clevelander Deck features two heated spa pools overlooking the field from the north end zone, as well as the Clevelander’s Famous Frozen all-natural drinks featuring the Mickey’s Rum Runner, the Cleve Colada and blend of them both in the Miami Vice, and of course everything else offered at the bar. The deck also features live entertainment including the Clevelander Dance team, DJs and live music, as well as 20 full-service cabanas and a postgame party on the Clevelander Deck, which remains open (and serving) two hours after the end of every home game.

A few other notables in favor of attending a game at EverBank Field – the Jaguars are the only team in the NFL to rank in the top three across every category of fan experience as voted on in the Voice of the Fan survey, which was recently released by the NFL. An outdoor stadium in Florida can get brutally hot, so they created a fantasy lounge (State Farm Neighborhood Fan Cave), which is free and open to the public and features air-conditioning, 34 power leather recliners, 21 TV’s broadcasting all of the other games, three Xbox stations and 12 surface tablets. The Jaguars are also the first NFL team to offer Oculus Rift virtual reality experience, which lets you view replays and live action in a 3D format, free.

The team also has a college football style-walk in called The Prowl where the team takes the field for player intros as they walk through the fans. Anyone can go down and be part of it and it gives a truly unique game day experience. Due to the salacious heat, the stadium also has three cool zones feature 120ft worth of cooling benches that are basically bleachers you sit on that blast cold air-conditioning.

Even though Jacksonville is the smallest TV market to have an NFL team, it’s no doubt a football town having hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 when the Patriots beat the Eagles.

Also, leaving the game at EverBank Field is one of the easiest I’ve experienced, with 12 gates and 65-90 lanes of exit. One thing they do at the stadium, unique to anything I’ve seen at any others, are exit signs that label what parking lots are right outside. (Example: Exit here for parking lots A-E.) It saves a lot of time leaving the stadium, especially if you’ve had the joyous pleasure of partaking in any adult beverages.

Of course, there are quite a few reasons outside of EverBank Field to add Jacksonville to your football agenda (sorry Jaguar fans, but your record isn’t one of them).

Way against popular belief, Jacksonville is not a large retirement home by the sea. In fact, it has the youngest population in all of Florida (yes, even Miami). It’s also a city you don’t have to choose the beach or the city – you get both for the price of one (well, you’ll probably need a rental car to accomplish said task, but you catch my drift).

Prefer to drink in the local scene? Then you’ll love the brand new Jax Ale Trail Passport, which is a self-guided tour connecting all seven of the local craft breweries in Jacksonville (Bold City, Intuition Ale Works, Aardwolf, Green Room, Engine 15, Pinglehead, and Veterans United Brewery). Intuition Ale Works (my favorite) has plans for late 2015 to move its brewery to Downtown, next to EverBank Field, complete with a rooftop beer garden overlooking the St. Johns River. There is an actual passport (and prizes) guests can pick up and get stamped as they attempt to visit all seven breweries as you Drink Your Trail Off!

You’ve also got bars like Dos Gatos, The Volstead, The Flying Iguana, Bar X, and The Grape and Grain Exchange to choose from that combine exciting flavors that promote a farm to bar flavor in their adult concoctions. There is also a secret speakeasy, literally located behind the bookshelf at The Grape and Grain called the Parlour. Another great combo of food and drinks is pizza at V Pizza followed by drinks at Sidecar (you guessed it, directly next door).

If you’re active and you know it, raise your hand. No seriously, this is a city you’ll have to prove it. With average temperatures year-round of 72 degrees, you’ll always see people outside running anywhere on the 22 miles of sandy beaches, where the sand is perfectly packed for runners. You’ll also see surfing, paddleboarding, biking, skateboarding, and yoga and cross-fit studios on practically every corner. There are also 72 public and private golf courses to choose from, if that’s your thing. Many of the area courses were designed by legends like Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Jacksonville is also home to the World Golf Hall of Fame, PGA Tour Headquarters and TheChampionship.

Completely opposite of fit and active, Jacksonville is home to two of the best burgers I’ve everhad. First is Black Sheep, which is walking distance to a number of other fun bars and restaurants complete with a terrific happy hour and a great place to meet locals. They serve a number of handcrafted cocktails and be sure to check out the rooftop bar. The second spot is M Shack, which features all natural and hormone-free burgers that are incredibly juicy. I’m a chick and I say they are both well worth the calories, so consider that the only endorsement you need.

For other food options, Jacksonville has quite the diverse menu with casual elegance (think good food in beach attire) and classic southern food, just like your mama used to make. It’s also a hotspot for nightlife, unique bars, pubs and music venues like Underbelly in downtown and Jack Rabbits in San Marco.

If football’s your main reason to visit Jacksonville, that’s a terrific start (especially considering the Jags track history), but there are plenty of off-field activities to keep you busy during the day and night leading up to the game.

Go enjoy the city and may the best team win!

This article originally ran in the sports section of CBS Man Cave Daily – click here to see the original post.

Jaxson on signature hole 16 at the 1st Annual Bermuda Golf Classic (photo: D’Lamina Photography)

Jaxson Takes MVP Honors at 1^st Annual NFL Bermuda Golf Classic

It’s no secret golf can be a frustrating sport, and that’s just for a normal person. Try being nearly 7ft tall, 403lbs and wearing a size 24 shoe and hitting the links. (To put it in perspective, Shaquille O’Neil only wears a size 22 shoe.)

Twenty seasons in the NFL as the self-proclaimed best mascot in sports, Jaxson de Ville (Curtis Dvorak) recently played just his second full round of golf (18 holes) and first tournament – and he came in 3^rd. Flying all the way to Bermuda at Port Royal Golf Course to play in the 1^st Annual NFL Bermuda Golf Classic with his Nike Woods driver TaylorMade irons and putters, Jaxson shot a 78 (+7) coming in behind Lawrence Taylor (LT) and Billy Joe Tolliver.

The retired Taylor and Tolliver battled it out in a sudden death round on signature hole 16 (Jaxson’s favorite hole), with LT snagging first place after out-putting Tolliver. Jaxson snagged MVP honors, which is no surprise to Jaguar fans, but his exceptional golf game may be a surprise to some.

Jaxson has been playing golf since he was five and appearances at golf tournaments over the last 20 seasons have been a regular part of his job – that’s a lot of practice for the cat.

Jaxson attributes his third place standing at the Bermuda Golf Classic to having to arbitrarily guess

Jaxson playing caddy for Lawrence Taylor, who won the Bermuda Golf Classic (photo: D’Lamina Photography)

his handicap. “I just started hitting balls and always speculated what I thought I could shoot in costume,” Jaxson says. “I didn’t know what my handicap was because I hadn’t played a round in costume so we said lets go with 8 because that seems like a fair handicap.”

His handicap wasn’t the only thing unexpected about his first tournament in costume. “We didn’t know if I’d need to take a break or how much water I’d need,” he says noting he took a small break and probably (like most) didn’t get enough water. “I definitely didn’t get enough Gatorade because I faded the last 5 holes – I ended up bogeying my last 4 out of 5,” he admits.

MVP honors weren’t enough for Jaxson (unlike his recent 1^st place winnings) – next year he’s coming back for the real deal. But maybe with different shoes.

“I wore the mascot feet instead of golf shoes because I thought it would make for better pictures, but it’s a lot more difficult,” Jaxson laughs. “It really only hurt in the bunkers – my feet would slide – it was like standing on two soft platters. It hurt my game on a couple shots,” he says.

“I wish I would have been in LT and Billy’s group – with five holes to play I was 3 over at the time and they shot 4 over to tie, so I would have been right there within a stroke of them,” he recalls. “I figured Billy Joe and LT were shooting 70 or 60,” which likely would have put him out of the running he says. Knowing he was so close to winning the first-ever Bermuda Golf Classic, Jaxson is already practicing for next year.

Since LT came out the winner, Jaxson undoubtedly wants a chance to face off against him at the next tournament. As for players he hopes to see in Bermuda next year, he’s personally inviting two Jags players. “I definitely want Blake Bortles here because he wanted to come this year but his schedule conflicted, and of course Scobee because any chance I get to play Scobee in the same tournament is good. He got me in the last tournament we were in together,” Jaxson says looking for payback.

“ I definitely will be working on it leading up to it (next year’s tournament). That’s why I wanted to win the first one because I knew there were only a handful of guys with the handicap as far as the gross. The net balances everything out, but I wanted to win the gross because next year there’s going to be a lot of good golfers out here because guys are going to hear about it,” he says.

Another obvious disadvantage to playing in costume is not being able to see your ball after you drive, which luckily didn’t affect Jaxson’s game too much thanks to an extra set of local eyes. “They gave me a guy named Chris from the club (‘Big Chris’) to ride around with – he was definitely the MVP. He was my eyes and had knowledge reading the greens, so he definitely helped me,” Jaxson says.

Just like a mascot to grab EVERYONE’S attention (photo: D’Lamina Photography)

As for the week in Bermuda, Jaxson says, “It was fun to see a lot of guys you haven’t seen in awhile” – like Fred Taylor, Marcus Stroud, Doug Jones and a bunch of the other guys he spent time with.

“I’m learning things for next time like packing the cart with bananas, Gatorade, and power bars,” he says. And it’s undecided what kind of shoes he’ll wear. Next year’s tournament is slated for April 13 – 17^th.

Photo via Salviace Photography

You’ve got 99 reasons to love JJ Watt – here’s one more.

IF YOU AREN’T AWARE OF WHAT J.J. WATT DOES ON THE FIELD, I’M CURIOUS WHERE YOU GOT THAT ROCK YOU’VE BEEN HIDING UNDER. THE WORK THAT #99 PUTS IN OFF THE FIELD – I’M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT SHOWING UP TO THE WORKOUT ROOM AT 4AM WITH THE CLEANING CREW, FILMING FORD AND HEB COMMERCIALS OR GRACING THE COVER OF ESPN THE MAG WITH THE BEAUTIFUL KATY PERRY – IT’S THE OTHER STUFF THAT IS JUST AS IMPRESSIVE.

It sounds hard to believe, but believe it.

That same heart, determination and work ethic you see from Watt on the field is the same intensity and love he puts into his foundation, the Justin J. Watt Foundation, a 501c(3) that reaches out to middle schools in Wisconsin and Houston with insufficient funding for after-school athletic programs, or no afterschool athletics whatsoever. No one knows more about the importance of afterschool athletics for building character and athletic ability than Watt himself. “The Justin J. Watt Foundation encourages children to dream big and work hard,” says J.J. Watt. “We hope to provide the motivation and means to turn those big dreams and hard work into something incredible.”

Tickets for his 2nd Annual J.J. Watt Charity Classic at Constellation Field in Sugar Land May 1 sold out within minutes and once again crashed the ticketing website thanks to eager fans. The nighttime event will feature defensive and offensive players from the Houston Texans on opposing teams under “Friday Night Lights,” a home run derby, silent auction and fireworks following the game. If you didn’t get the coveted tickets, there are still ways to help the Foundation and local kids by visiting their website and sharing the info with schools in need of funding.

“The Justin J. Watt Foundation has been a strong supporter of after-school sports for middle school kids in the Greater Houston area for the past three years. We have donated more than $800,000 in funding for things such as team uniforms, sports equipment and safety gear which can be used for years to come. We know that when kids look forward to playing on a team after school, they tend to perform better in the classroom and have better attendance. Participating in sports after school also provides kids with opportunities to take personal responsibility, become leaders, develop healthy lifestyles and be accountable to others,” says Connie Watt, Vice President of the Foundation.

The Foundation anticipates reaching the $1 million mark by the end of 2015! To learn more, visit www.jjwfoundation.org.

The Sugar Land Skeeters are part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs (ALPB) and play 140 regular season games – 70 home at Constellation Field and 70 away. Constellation Field is a state-of-theart stadium just 20 minutes from downtown Houston. The ALPB is considered the highest level of Minor League Baseball and is a preferred route for experienced players to be scouted by Major League Baseball. The Skeeters have been around since 2012 and have finished the last two seasons with winning records. www.SugarLandSkeeters.com

This article originally ran in the first-ever sports issue for Local Houston Magazine (formerly 002) in March 2015. If you didn’t snag a print issue, click here for the online version of this JJ Watt story.

Photo via Sofia van der Dys for Local Houston Magazine

Sallie Sargent boasts one of the most powerful jobs in sports.

IT’S 2015 – A WOMAN WORKING IN SPORTS ISN’T SO RARE ANYMORE. TO BE A WOMAN ASSIGNED ONE OF THE BIGGEST JOBS IN ALL OF SPORTS, NOW THAT IS RARE.

MEET SALLIE SARGENT, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE SUPER BOWL HOST COMMITTEE FOR SUPER BOWL LI to be held at NRG Stadium in FEBRUARY 2017. Sargent comes to the table with more than 28 years of sports marketing and special event management experience. Her job is all encompassing; she is responsible for managing all logistical components leading up to the game including sponsorship, hospitality, volunteers, security and fan events. Her job involves keeping everyone happy, including locals, visitors and don’t forget city officials. Oh, and the NFL!

When it comes to Sargent’s actual job description and lengthy to-do list, she laughs. “The NFL doesn’t just give you a template – you have to create it,” she says. Which is where her almost three decades of knowledge will come into play. Although she’s worked on five different Super Bowls, this will be Sargent’s first time seeing it from the bid process (2012) all the way through to execution (2017). No pressure. “My job is to touch every aspect of anything and everything associated with the Super Bowl with two exceptions: I don’t have anything to do with the [actual] game and I don’t have anything to do with the halftime entertainment,” Sargent explains. Everything else is in her capable hands or in the hands of the team she selects to help make it all happen.

“The challenge that is most paramount in my mind is the traffic – traffic management and transportation – making sure we do a really good job of having kind of a marriage of public and private transportation options. I think that is the key for us to be successful,” she says. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, Sargent now calls Houston home. With only two years to learn all the ins and outs of her new home, you better believe she’s digging her heels in. Literally. “I’ve discovered this city is almost a hidden jewel. The people here are so proud of their city and community. My goal is to make sure the rest of the country and the rest of the world knows what we know about Houston, which is it’s a great place to live, to work, to come and visit, to shop and to eat,” Sargent says, noting the James Beard Awards in Houston. The Super Bowl is a huge stage for any city and their residents to showcase all the amazing things that make it what it is, and Sargent says her end result is to “make Houston shine during 2017.” When it comes to everything that goes into planning out a game as big as the Super Bowl, Sargent simply says, “It takes a village.”

Sargent’s extensive résumé includes previous Super Bowls, college bowl games, the NBA All-Star Game, MLB’s Charity Gala, the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the 2008 Republican Convention and a myriad of other large-scale entertainment events.

This article originally ran in the print issue of Local Houston Magazine – the first-ever sports issue (March 2015). Click here to see the online version of this piece.