A look ahead to top enterprise and feature stories planned globally by AP Sports. New digests will go out each Thursday and Monday and will be repeated on other weekdays. Please note that story plans may change depending on news and other issues.
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As with all our operations, we welcome and want your feedback. If you have thoughts or questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia, deputy sports editor for presentation and storytelling, at 215-446-6632 or at ogarcia@ap.org.
All times are Eastern.
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NOTE: The timing for OLY--Skateboarding-Brighton Future has changed. It will move early Sunday.
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FRIDAY, Oct. 26
GYM--SIMONE SAYS
Simone Biles has something to say. About her boundary-pushing gymnastics. About the future of the embattled organization she competes for and her own role within the sport she has dominated for the better part of a decade. On the eve of her return to the world championships, the four-time Olympic gold medalist feels empowered in a way that even surprises those closest to her. By Will Graves. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Friday.
SOC--A TEAM OF THEIR OWN
It started out as a social project to get misbehaving kids off the street in a rural town in central Sweden. Now it's a top-flight soccer team representing and giving hope to millions of people from unstable, disputed territories in the Middle East. The 14-year journey of Dalkurd is an unlikely story of second chances, cultural integration and using the world's most popular sport as a force for good. Perhaps most poignantly, it has given the Kurdish population — scattered and ravaged by war for decades — something to cherish as their own. By Steve Douglas. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos and video by noon Friday.
SATURDAY, Oct. 27
ATH_NYC MARATHON-HUDSON MIRACLE
NEW YORK — The image is miraculous: Passengers standing on the wings of a US Airways jetliner as it floats down the Hudson River. Pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and air traffic controller Pat Harten are forever linked because of the amazing outcome for all 155 passengers. Approaching the 10th anniversary of the "Miracle on the Hudson," they'll meet again at the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Sullenberger plans to put the finisher's medal around Harten's neck in Central Park on Nov. 4. By Melissa Murphy. UPCOMING: 960 words, photos by noon Saturday.
SUNDAY, Oct. 28
OLY--SKATEBOARDING-BRIGHTON FUTURE
The 14-year-old skateboarder from California has her own vert ramp in her backyard, with Tony Hawk even stopping by from time to time. Brighton Zeuner may not be a familiar name now, but just may be when skateboarding makes its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Zeuner's been referred to as the Chloe Kim of her sport. Like Kim in snowboarding, Zeuner's hoping to come home to California with gold. By Pat Graham. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Sunday.
MONDAY, Oct. 29
BKC--LOYOLA-SISTER JEAN
CHICAGO — Not a day goes by that Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt doesn't think about the magic and madness of last season. Loyola-Chicago stunned and charmed the nation with a Final Four run that turned the lovable nun and team chaplain into, as she puts it, an international celebrity at age 98. As another season gets under way, Sister Jean can't help but look back. "It's just been such a run, more than people realize," she said. "People who know what the Final Four is all about are just as excited as we are. It makes us feel good. We have a lot of adopted Ramblers now, too, because they're on our side." UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Monday.
TUESDAY, Oct. 30
FBN--JETS-LEGGETT-TDs FOR TAYLOR
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jordan Leggett has extra motivation for the New York Jets to score this season. The second-year tight end is currently running a campaign called "Touchdowns for Taylor," set up in memory of a 15-year-old Florida high school wide receiver who died 10 years ago from an injury to his abdominal area on the football field. Along with Taylor Haugen's parents, Brian and Kathy, Leggett is pushing for increased awareness and education for safety in youth football. By Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 a.m. Tuesday.
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Again, if you have questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia at 215-446-6632 or ogarcia@ap.org.
Thanks,
AP Sports
