Youth Basketball, Roundball renaissance, Upward program gives each child moment to shine

If someone walked through the Real Life Center at Ashland Grace Brethren Church, he or she might notice a simple, solitary X marked on the carpeted floor.

Chances are, that person would have little idea what to think of the icon. But to one little girl, that X marks her -- and only her -- spot.

Alexis Reed, a first-grader at Taft Elementary who is one of 122 children grades 1-6 in the Upward cheerleading program at GBC, was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, a disease that makes it difficult to learn or control the parts of her body.

"She's got so much static in her brain, when you need her to do something, the fewer words you use, the better because it gets through the static," said Alexis' adoptive mother, Judy Reed. "If you talk, talk, talk, it's not that she can't understand it, but that she just can't process it. So when I say, 'Spot,' she knows exactly where to go to."

With Bible studies during every practice and devotionals at halftime of all games, the Upward program, in its fifth year of basketball and third year of cheerleading at GBC, seeks to point children to a Savior.

But to Alexis Reed, it has become something like a savior itself.

"It's great therapy for her. It takes her longer to learn than it does the other kids, but I've never seen her learn as quickly as she has here," Judy Reed said as she choked back tears. "I don't know if it's because it's fun or what, but she is just really, really blossomed. It's a fantastic program."

Some 618 Ashland-area children flow through the doors at GBC, Trinity Baptist Church in rural Ashland and Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah every Saturday during these winter months. Trinity Baptist and Bethel Baptist, in their second year partnering with GBC, are known simply as Upward North.

The first Saturday of games was Jan. 17, postponed a week due to poor weather conditions, and the awards banquet is scheduled for March 14.

Since every child is given an NBA-style introduction that might make even Le-Bron James green with envy, complete with a flashy lighting display and an adrenaline-inducing soundtrack, that means 618 children are made the center of attention at least once every week.

"There's nothing like being the focus of the family's attention," said Chris Harter, a scorekeeper and coach before he became the program's director of basketball. "I think so often kids are kind of left to their own means, to entertain themselves and to provide their own satisfaction. ... It's just a chance for that kid to come out and just really feel like it's their moment."

Five years ago when Upward started in Ashland County, the number of children involved was 190. With a 325 percent growth rate in that time, the Upward mission has spread like wildfire.

"People are embracing this program and saying, 'Man, I get why we're doing what we're doing,' and they're investing," said Tami Van Hove, children's ministry coordinator at GBC.

On any given Saturday when the league is in session, between 2,000 and 3,000 people walk through the doors at GBC and Upward North to play in or watch any of the 27 games that take place, according to Harter.

Some of those attend church regularly at GBC or any of the area's other churches. Many do not.

"It's kind of like the Grace Upward program, but the reality is, it's not," Harter said. "I think I'm safe to say that probably two-thirds of our coaching staff -- we've got 100-plus coaches -- come from outside of this body of believers. What a testament it is to the community the way they've supported the program."

Additionally, more than 300 people volunteer on Saturdays do everything from serve concessions to referee to clean up afterward.

With all that goes on Saturdays at GBC and Upward North, it would be easy for the main attractions -- basketball and cheerleading -- to get lost in the spotlight.

But people like Dana Shymske, director of cheerleading, are there to make sure the fundamentals of their respective sports are learned and followed.

"They're learning cheerleading skills so that if they want to try out for cheerleading in junior high or high school, that they have the background to do that," she said. "At the same time, they learn that God loves them and has a plan for their life."

Basketball teams are selected by a computer program that evaluates players and divides them up equally among teams based on skill level.

There are no stacked teams. Just stacks and stacks of fun.

According to Van Hove, all of those factors combine to make GBC and Upward North "the place to be on Saturday."

Contact Matt Strayer, sports writer, at 419-281-0581, ext. 244, or mstrayer@times-gazette.com.