A monthlong special report
from Spokesmanreview.com
A monthlong special report
from Spokesmanreview.com
|
Last year, 8,726 local kids put on cleats, hoisted bats, tied their running shoes and headed outside for some fun and exercise. Coached by around 900 volunteers, they gathered at places like the South Complex off Regal Street or at the Dwight M. Merkel Sports Complex just north of Joe Albi Stadium. And as they got ready to run, dribble, catch, skip and jump, they all knew one thing: They were guaranteed to get some game time, because that's the way it is in the Spokane Youth Sports Association.
"In soccer, everybody plays at least half a game, and in tackle football, everyone plays at least one continuous quarter," said Philip J. Helean, the association's executive director. "This is about everybody getting a chance to play a sport they love."
The Spokane Youth Sports Association has been around since 1965, when a group organized Spokane Junior Football for 284 boys.
Most recently, the association added lacrosse.
"We're hoping to offer high school-age volleyball and basketball soon," Helean said.
Inclusion is a high priority.
"We want to get the kids playing while they are young, so they don't get overlooked," Helean said. "It seems like in middle school is when all that happens, whether you make the select teams or not. We want to be the alternative so the kids don't give up on sports if they are rejected in junior high."
Michael Terris has been involved with the association since the mid-1970s, when he joined a soccer team as a 16-year-old. Today he coaches three girls soccer teams, volunteering 10 to 12 practice hours a week and heading to weekend games.
"I don't have any other hobbies," said Terris, who's also the District 6 commissioner for the Washington State Youth Soccer Association. "I also have a full-time job for the county – I'm not sure my wife would allow me to get involved in anything else."
The Spokane Youth Sports Association is funded by program fees, private donations and income from a bingo hall on East Sprague Avenue. Monday nights, Northern Quest Casino in Airways Heights also hosts a bingo night for the group.
"That's worked out really well, after we lost the other bingo hall (on Monroe Street)," said Helean, adding that there's a shortage of good facilities and quality fields in Spokane. "I really hope they go through with developing the fields around Joe Albi Stadium. When you can host tournaments, that is a big economic boon for the entire community."
The association maintains the north and south soccer complexes as well as Andrew Rypien Field in northeast Spokane.
"It's $75,000 to just take care of the north and south complex," Helean said, but it's worth it.
Terris said coaching has changed over the years, mainly because many parents push their kids to concentrate on one sport.
"Parents can be very far removed from the reality of how far their kids can go in pursuit of a sport to get a college scholarship," said Terris. "We just keep telling them that it's good grades that are going to get them a scholarship more so than anything else."
With coaching comes phone calls and e-mails from parents, adding another couple of hours to Terris' weekly schedule.
Having clear rules and regulations helps settle most conflicts, and there is zero tolerance for bad parent behavior on the sidelines, even when a referee makes a "bad" call.
"I just love it. Even when you have a tough game, I just love coaching," Terris said. "Those of us who stick around do it for the kids – they make it all worth it."
Spokane, Wash., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Inland Northwest • ©Copyright 2009, The Spokesman-Review
