Destin young athlete Renesmae Green recently made an impressive showing on the national stage, placing eighth in her group in the 2026 Youth Athlete of the Year competition.
The nationwide competition celebrates young athletes from across the country and across a variety of sports, backgrounds and experience levels. Athletes advance through a series of voting rounds, beginning within competition groups, with the highest-ranking competitors moving forward toward the national championship.
The ultimate Youth Athlete of the Year will receive $25,000 and a championship experience that includes appearing in a 3BRAND national advertising campaign on CBS and in Sports Illustrated, being honored at the Family Film & TV Awards and participating in a one-on-one mentoring session with NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.
The competition also benefits Russell Wilson and Ciara’s Why Not You Foundation, which focuses on education, children’s health and fighting poverty. The competition has a significant national reach: its 2025 Youth Athlete of the Year campaign generated more than $21 million in grants for its charitable beneficiaries.
Against that national backdrop, Renesmae’s Top 10 finish is an exciting accomplishment for a young athlete from Destin.
A dedicated two-sport athlete, Renesmae competes in travel softball with the Florida Thunderbolts and also plays volleyball. She has played A-class softball on a 12U team since age 9 and, as a fifth grader, plays on her school’s junior varsity softball and volleyball teams.
Renesmae trains and competes five days a week, developing not only her athletic skills, but also the teamwork, discipline and determination that come with competition. “We’re incredibly proud of Renesmae,” said her father, Robert Green. “She works hard five days a week, plays two sports and continues to push herself to get better. Seeing her ranked in the Top 10 is an incredible accomplishment, and we’d love to see our community get behind her.”
For a young athlete representing our little corner of the Emerald Coast, finishing eighth in her group in a nationwide competition is certainly something for Destin to celebrate.
