Posted on: 2009-02-18
Written by: Karen Blackledge
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| Robert Inglis The Daily Item
Youth basketball instructor Bob Hough, left, explains a drill to Olivia Jordan, Cecelia Hough, 7, and Mary Kuziak, 8, during a youth basketball night on Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Danville. |
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| Robert Inglis The Daily Item
Ken Williams, left, works with his son Barron Williams, 11, on his shooting technique during a youth basketball night on Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Danville. |
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| Robert Inglis The Daily Item
Youth basketball instructor Jim Nizinski lightly guards Spencer Snowden, 8, during a drill at a youth basketball night on Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Danville. |
DANVILLE -- Brianna Emery likes Upward Basketball because everybody gets equal time to play.
"It's really fun," the 10-year-old from Riverside said during practice Monday night at First Baptist Church of Danville.
She said her playing has improved and she "gets to meet new people and be on different teams."
"There are people from my soccer team on my team," she said of her fourth grade team, the Lady Badgers.
This is her second year in the program and the second year First Baptist has hosted it. Last year, there were 118 kids signed up in kindergarten through sixth grades.
This year, participation has nearly doubled to 208, according to Bob Hough, one of the directors of the program along with Troy Klinger and Rob Tray.
Players come from the Danville, Riverside, Bloomsburg, Sunbury, Northumberland and Millville areas.
The program is part of Upward, an international program encouraging sports for boys and girls and emphasizing character and integrity. Worldwide there are more than 700,000 players.
Upward Basketball is also held at other area churches including the Church of the Nazarene in Montandon with more than 350 players, First Baptist Church of Milton and Stonington Baptist Church.
Each team practices one hour a week on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday with games from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Their last game of an eight-week schedule is March 21.
Kindergarten plays the first games while fifth and sixth grades have the final slot. Two games go on at the same time except for the last hour, said Hough's wife, Candace, who helps him coach the team their daughter, Cecelia, 7, is on. Bob Hough also coaches another team.
"Last year we had four third- and fourth-grade teams. This year, we have 10," Bob Hough said.
Possibly 15 percent of the players are First Baptist members. "It's a great outreach to the community," he said.
Monday was the first night for Kara Bergerstock, 10, of the Danville area. "We heard it was a great program. She loves it," said her mother, Kandace. Kara plays on the Lady Badgers third- and fourth-grades team.
Megan Boyles, 7, of Danville, and her sister Kristin, 10, are in their first year of the program. Megan is a member of Lady Flash second-grade team while Kristin plays on the third- and fourth-grades Lady Ducks.
"You get to be teammates and work together," said Megan who also plays basketball at school and at home with her sister and dad Kevin. Her favorites are dribbling and shooting baskets.
Kevin signed the girls up after seeing a flyer at work about Upward. "I thought it'd be a nice experience for the kids," he said.
Eight-year-old Sam Lewis, of the Bloomsburg area, was waiting for his first- and second-grades team The Cougars to start practice. His dad, Steve, who played basketball in high school and in college, coaches two teams.
"It's a wonderful league," Sam Lewis said. "The players not only grow spiritually but grow physically. You really get a concept of what being a team really is and Jesus could be a metaphor for being the center of the team.
"The kids put forth effort and try. They are doing a fantastic job."
This year, there are four kindergarten teams of boys and girls, four first- and second-grade girls teams, eight first- and second-grade boys teams, four third- and fourth-grade girls teams, six third- and fourth-grade boys teams and four fifth- and sixth-grades co-ed teams.
For a registration fee, the kids get a jersey, a T-shirt, scripture cards and a CD related to the cards. At the end of the season, each players receives a reward. Last year it was a basketball. When they sign up, they do a skills review with coaches entering their statistics into a computer and Upward giving them a score and matching them evenly with players of the same level.
The hoops are lowered for every grade except for fifth- and sixth-grade players. Kindergarten through second grades use a smaller ball while third through sixth grades shoot with an intermediate-sized ball.
The kids are awarded green stars if they participate in a brief scripture session during the middle of practice. They can earn a gray star for best offense, a red star for best defense, a gold star for best sportsmanship, a blue star for best effort and a white star for being Christ-like. The stars can be sewn on their T-shirts. Stars are awarded at the end of a game.
During half-time, the players meet with coaches and the audience hears something related to scripture. One week they saw a video and next week they will hear the praise team sing. On March 28, an awards ceremony, featuring a nationally known speaker, will be held. Last year, an illusionist visited. This year, it will be the crazy tie guy, Hough said.
Brianna's father, Rodger Emery, lauded Upward Basketball. "This is really an enjoyable program," he said. "My wife and I enjoy it and the kids like the atmosphere. It's a nice, clean program."
E-mail comments to kblackledge@thedanvillenews.com.
Permission of Use by: The Danville News
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Upward Unlimited is a non-profit organization that partners with local evangelical churches to provide resources and training for conducting children’s sports ministry. Upward Basketball, Upward Cheerleading, Upward Soccer, and Upward Flag Football are all ministry programs of Upward Unlimited.