Longtime YMCA board member, Jaylon Letendre, is recognized in the Santa Barbara Independent's 37th Annual Celebration of Our Nicest Neighbors.
The only thing more impressive about the sudden rise of flag football in Santa Barbara is how quickly girls climbed to the top of the heap. After only a few short seasons of elementary and junior-high athletes carving out their own female divisions — or, in some cases, simply beating the boy teams — girls’ flag football became an official high school sport this fall. For that, Jaylon Letendre deserves a sky-high high-five.
It started when the mother of three coached her oldest son and his fellow 6th graders during Noon League at Foothill School, where students play organized sports during lunchtime. “I had to coach myself on how to coach football,” she laughed.