CCYA focuses on building athletes with good character
Published 3:44 pm Thursday, October 8, 2020
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
BY JON PAUL MARTIN , Sports Correspondent
In Clark County, Football happens more often than you think.
Amid cancellations, schedule changes and the general uncertainty that has impacted youth sports this year, one upstart program is running at full steam.
The Clark County Youth Athletics Association (CCYA) is a 501c(3) non profit group supporting area youth through teaching fundamentals of sports and life.
The program enrolls well over 200 kids and is supported totally by donations.
With a low cost to parents and scholarships available, the program is dedicated to making sure that any young athlete has the ability to get involved.
CCYA was formed in June 2020 after the long-running Civitan football program in the county decided not to move forward.
The organization was formed by Kevin Warner and current board members President Jimmy Day, Vice President Allison Fuller, Treasurer Jess Toews and Secretary Barbara Conkwright.
Athletes in kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to participate in either football or cheer programs and even get to keep their jerseys thanks to generous donations received.
This year, the season for the league began in August with plans to run through mid-November. During the season, each team will play each other twice with a tournament at the end. Games occur every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Along with the fundamentals of football and cheer, the volunteers involved put just as much emphasis on the character of children.
“Football and cheer are teaching the athletes life lessons in respect, sportsmanship, character and discipline,” Toews said. “The relationships built will last a lifetime.
“I personally have seen football become an outlet for some kids. They don’t get school, social time or have any kind of PE. Football has become the place for families to gather and kind of shut out the craziness of the world.”
Attending one of the league games is much like attending a sport at a much higher level. Parents and fans fill the sideline (socially distanced) and sport their team’s apparel, which has the added benefit of being readily available since they use NFL names.
There is passion on the field and across the sideline, however coaches and fans alike are extremely well behaved, and it shows in the way the kids handle themselves. The atmosphere is full of family and a team mentality, but most importantly, it is full of smiles.
For more information on supporting or participating in the CCYA program, visit their Facebook page at Clark County Youth Athletics.
