Bounce TV And Scripps Sports Celebrate New Programming With Olympians Sanya Richards-Ross, LaVonna Martin Floreal, Dawn Harper-Nelson, And The Silver Fox Squad

If you love sports and seasoned gentlemen over 50, Bounce TV and Scripps Sport Network’s new programming may be exactly what you’re looking for.

We had the privilege of gathering at The Shelborne on Miami South Beach to celebrate a new slate of programming coming to the networks.

Before diving into mimosas and French toast, we got to chat with the MVPs of the day: Olympians Sanya Richards-Ross, LaVonna Martin Floreal, Dawn Harper-Nelson, and the Silver Fox Squad members  Irving, former NBA star Kendall Gill, and Jean Titus about their upcoming new shows. 

‘HB’ Talks To Olympian & ‘RHOA’ Star Sanya Richards-Ross

4x Olympic gold medalist Sanya is on an impeccable run in her career off the track, and she’s helping audiences embrace their next chapter with her new show Beyond the Curve.

The Olympian started her track and field career at just seven years old and retired at 30, a shift that challenged how she understood herself outside of athletics, which she worked on in the last two years on the track. 

“I was so intentional about seeing myself beyond just being an athlete. This show is all about that. How do you transition beyond whatever that curve in your life is? For me, it was track and field. And I get to talk to some great people who have done incredible things. And I hope that people who are going through transitions will see that there is a common thread. I always like to say, ‘greatness isn’t fleeting,” Ross told HelloBeautiful.

“And if you’ve been great in one area of your life, you can be great in the next chapter of your life. When I talk to my guests, and the conversations are incredible, I see that they believe the same things. If they were great in one area, if they can apply that same discipline, that same hard work, that same resiliency and grit, they can continue to be great as well. So hopefully the audience will feel that every week too.”

Bounce TV & Scripp Sports Tell Real Stories: LaVonna Martin-Floreal On Unsung Women In Sports

2x Olympian and track and field silver medalist LaVonna Martin-Floreal wanted to fill the void of untold stories of unsung women in sports, and her upcoming show, Paving Lanes, is bridging that gap. 

“We came up with this concept to tell the stories of women who have, in my opinion, been forgotten. Sometimes, when you’re a silver medalist in the U.S., we have so many wonderful athletes that you are forgotten. And I felt that way for many years. But this gave me and others a chance in this project,” Martin Floreal said. 

“You’ll see in the project an opportunity to tell how they lived, what it felt like, who supported them, and just give a way of encouraging the young people to understand that, hey, this has been done before. We’re here for you. We want to encourage you, but we got something to say, too.” 

Dawn Harper-Nelson Looks Back At Her Athletic Journey

In the series, the 59-year-old is telling her own story and shining a light on other athletes ike Olympic gold and silver medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson.

“I have been blessed to be a part of Paving Lanes, where I get to tell my amazing story full of ups and downs, but also to hear some amazing stories that I knew a little bit about, but I got to learn so much more in understanding that we are really not in this alone. We are truly overcoming and overcoming and overcoming,” Harper-Nelson said. 

The East St. Louis native was proud to look back on her athletic journey through the series. 

“What I realized was I was built a little different. When I look at the grand scheme of things and the way that many people function, many people will give up on something that they truly care about and make many sacrifices for, but they will hit that wall one too many times and they feel like I just can’t get through. I was willing to kick that bad baby down because I always say, I wanna leave this tank empty. This thing that God gave me, this ability, I wanna see how far I can truly take me.”

Martin-Floreal believes the show presented an opportunity for her story to be acknowledged. “It always feels like my story was forgotten. I knew my story. My community knew my story. My family knew my story, but I always felt like, ‘okay, it’s forgotten,'” she said.

“Life moves on. You get married, and you have children. You work. Paving Lanes has given me an opportunity to feel valued, to feel powerful, to feel like I still can go forward and give something to the next generation, which is my passion.”

Bounce TV & Scripp Sports Tell Real Stories: Getting To Know The Silver Fox Squad & Mr. #StealYourGrandma

Another group inspiring younger generations is the Silver Fox Squad, the namesake of Bounce TV’s upcoming unscripted series, founded by viral style creator Irving Randle, aka #MrStealYourGrandma.

Randle joked that he initially hated the nickname before embracing it. “I was like, I’m not going to steal anybody’s grandma. I’ll take your auntie because she’ll take some chances. She’ll climb out the window. She’ll jump out of the car, and she’ll do some things for you,” Randle said. 

The squad founder eventually decided to trademark the name.

“I’ve taken it. I love it. I did buy it. It’s mine. I love it. And I’m just enjoying what it brings to life for me right now.”

Randle started the collective to inspire and showcase the style and confident lives of men over 50. Others in the squad include 15-year NBA veteran Kendall Gill, lifestyle coach and model Jean Titus, and more.

Gill found community in the squad, something he hadn’t experienced since his time as a professional athlete.

” I retired from basketball almost 22, 23 years ago. And I had not had any semblance of a team with my family and everything, but outside of that, with men of comparable character and skill and success, I haven’t had that camaraderie since I retired from the NBA,” Gill told HelloBeautiful.

Silver Fox Squad Member Jean Titus Is Grateful For Networks Like Bounce TV

Jean Titus is another squad member who appreciates networks like Bounce that prioritize unique stories. 

“‘I’m very grateful for a network like Bounce, which will take what would be considered odd stories and tell them because it’s the odd stories that turn into great stories. Having the opportunity, as someone over 50, to write a new narrative for what it means to be over 50 is an incredible opportunity, and I think we’re up for the task.”

Be on the lookout for this new slate of shows coming to Bounce TV and Scripps Sports Network very soon.