Upward Basketball

Last Saturday morning was so much fun. It was the kickoff of our new Upward Basketball and Cheerleading league. Upward Sports stresses values such as sportsmanship, teamwork, integrity and respect. It creates a supportive and positive sports environment that is designed to bring out the winner in every child and build both their level of skills and their self-confidence. It is a program you will be proud is a part of our church’s ministry. All you need to do is come up here on a Saturday morning and watch it happen. Too often you go to your child’s or grandchild’s sports event only to find parents yelling at the referees and coaches screaming at the kids. It is not an uplifting environment. I remember at one of my son’s soccer games several years ago, our coach got in an altercation with the wife of the other coach; the police had to be call ed and both coaches and their wives were arrested and taken to jail in handcuffs. Now, that makes for an interesting drive home after the game.

You won’t find that here. It was great fun to watch as each kid’s name was announced and he or she ran into the gym through a path created by pompom shaking cheerleaders. It was wonderful to see the referees directing, encouraging and teaching the kids as they played. Their coaches were supporting and encouraging as they made sure every child had equal time to play and felt good and challenged by their time on the court. Make sure you look at the pictures attached to this email.

We received several emails following Saturday morning. One of the coaches wrote, “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for today (Saturday). All of your hard work and prior planning was evident… I was confident that today was going to go well, but I never imagined it would go THAT smoothly. It looked like Stonebridge UMC had run an Upward program for years!! Awesome job! As a coach, and a parent of two players, I really appreciate it. My kids are already excited for next week!” Another person wrote, “I thought the whole process went very smoothly. I was impressed and I have seen other churches run Upwards. Well done.”

I want to thank several people for making Upward happen here. Charlotte Newell, David Lessner, Laurie Wesloski, Rod Wede, Evan Boswell, Tim and Heather Brister, Greg Fries, Madison Smith, Kevin Chapman, Chris Hilsabeck, and all the volunteers. One of the goals in our strategic plan is to use the Robertson Activities Center more effectively. Thank you for making one of our dreams come true.