The general feeling about today’s youth is they have abandoned the playgrounds and ballfields for the virtual world of online gaming and social media.
Statistics can back up this narrative, too. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that kids spend more than seven and a half hours a day, on average, in front of a screen each day. Only one in three participate in daily physical activity.
The Ohio Valley seemingly is doing its part to be an exception, if the numbers of players in the J.B. Chambers YMCA youth basketball leagues are any indication. This weekend is the make-up week for youth basketball in grades K-6 as another successful winter league coming to a close at the Elm Grove facility.
Participation is Growing Rapidly
Just how successful you ask?
“This is our largest youth basketball league ever with around 700 kids participating,” said Adam Shinsky, executive director of the Chambers Y. “We’ve progressively grown the last three years from the high 400s to at or around 700 kids.”
Shinsky noted the older grades enter as teams and pay a team fee, so the numbers may be a little higher as each team can bring a different number of players. But the facts remain: participation is up—way up – and that’s a good sign for both the YMCA, youth fitness and health in general.
The executive director since 2015, Shinsky came to the YMCA in December of 2004 as the Sports Program Director, so he’s seen firsthand the growth of the youth leagues. The growth has necessitated expansion in terms of facility usage for the YMCA, both for the winter leagues and the basketball tournament.
Games are routinely held at nearby St. Vincent Parish School, along with Bridge Street Middle School and Steenrod and Elm Grove elementary schools. The Y is partners in education with both Ohio County Schools and St. Vincent’s, and it is able to take advantage of the schools’ courts when available.
What’s the Driving Force?
“Really, it’s the girls’ game becoming more popular,” Shinsky said. “We’ve always had a big number of boys’ teams, but right now, we’re balanced between boys and girls.”
That includes the upper grade levels, where third and fourth, along with fifth and sixth grade groups are encouraged to sign up as a team. Schools like St. Clairsville, Shadyside, St. Michael’s, Triadelphia and many others sign up as a group. Shinsky noted that cuts down on the “stacked team” question when throwing teams together randomly. This way, all teams are hand-picked.
The first and second grade teams are randomly selected and feature separate boys and girls teams. Kindergarten is co-ed and can also feature full teams, but that’s because it’s more of an instructional league that doesn’t keep score and allows players to learn the game.
Different Structure for Different Levels
The top-grade levels are competitive by design. In addition to being allowed to handpick teams to enter, the YMCA utilizes certified officials from the local West Virginia/Ohio board that are scheduled by Mike Clyde.
For the lower levels, it’s about learning the game, and how to play it. Kindergarten through second grade players can take what they learned during camps the Y offers in during the fall months and apply it to real-game scenarios during the Winter.
Coaches, either parents or YMCA staff members are on the floor with the players, helping to direct them and giving real-time instruction as the game progresses.
“We want them to know what offense is, what defense is, and to get a good workout,” Shinsky said. “It’s not really competitive. The first week, you see a lot of running with the basketball, but as it goes on, they learn how to dribble, to pass, how to play. Six weeks later, they are much improved.”
While not competitive per se, it’s still basketball. The kids are allowed and expected to play defense and apply pressure. Best to get them used to it early, lest a rude awakening be waiting down the line.
“It’s good to teach basketball the right way at a young age,” Shinsky said. “You’re going to see ball pressure. I know personally I don’t want someone letting my son walk the ball down the floor and then he gets older and all of a sudden there’s a press and he doesn’t know what to do.”
Basketball Year Round
Up next for the YMCA is hosting its annual March Basketball Classic.
Youth select and travel teams from across the region can participate in a week-long tournament in grades third and fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, with divisions for both boys and girls.
Teams are guaranteed three games and medals are given to the players from the winning and runner-up teams. Like the winter youth league, participation in this tournament has also grown considerably since its inception in 2006.
“When we started, we had four teams and one division,” Shinsky said. “It’s grown to 40 or 50 teams in six or seven different divisions.
“We play throughout the week as a lot of these teams play out of town during the weekend,” he explained. “This gives them an opportunity to compete before the weekend as opposed to practice where you’re facing a basic offense and defense.”
In addition to the youth leagues, the YMCA offers instruction camps, including targeted camps for conditioning, shooting and ball handling. That leads into the summer, where the Y is in year two of partnering with the Wheeling Recreation Department for summer basketball leagues. The NBA and ABA levels are comprised of high school varsity and junior varsity players, along with freshman and the Jr. Pro League for middle school-aged players.
For more information, visit www.wheelingymca.org or check out the facility’s Facebook page by searching for the Wheeling YMCA.
