[ad_1]
Sandy Springs Youth Sports is experiencing record numbers of participants, the head of the organization said.
COVID hit the youth sports association that operates at the Morgan Falls Athletic Complex hard, said Colan Wheat. But since then, they’ve returned to the four sports it offers: baseball, softball, football and cheer with more than 1,100 kids participating in 2022.
COVID did give the city time to install turf on five of the baseball and softball fields.
“It couldn’t work out, in a sense, more perfect for the park. And that’s the ironic part of this is that you can find the benefit of a complete disaster that happened across the world,” Wheat said.
The youth never saw an interruption caused by the installation of the artificial turf.
The goal is to replace grass and dirt infields with turf on the remaining fields. More netting around fields, new bleachers and sunshades over those bleachers will be installed by the city, he said.
Braves’ championship boosts participation
“We have been the beneficiary of a Braves championship as well,” he said.
The Braves radio network, which Wheat helps manage, saw a massive uptick in listenership among kids ages 12 to 17, he said.
The kids all want to grow up to be the next Ronald lcuna and Austin Reilly and Ozzie Albies after having seen what a championship win does, Wheat said.
He said probably more than 75 percent of the kids, boys and girls, who participate in Sandy Springs Youth Sports attended the Braves parade after winning they won the World Series in 2021.
“And if you don’t think that that gets people wanting to get involved in youth sports, especially baseball, and softball, I think you’re crazy. I think it absolutely creates energy amongst a sport that cannot be compared to anywhere else,” he said.
Last summer they hosted the first Braves clinic at the park, which brought Braves alumni to teach the youth baseball. The Braves Baseball Clinic will be hosted again this year on Aug. 3, with registration opening on Feb. 13.
Families with kids ages 4 to 12 enjoy sports
Sandy Springs Youth Sports serves kids ages 4 to 12 years old in recreational sports, from beginner athletes to high-level participants, Wheat said.
The organization is family oriented with approximately 70 percent of the families from Sandy Springs and the other 30 percent from Dunwoody. It focuses on teaching the fundamentals and how to work with one another.
“I think we’re going to enjoy our 53rd year of youth sports in Sandy Springs, that’s how long Sandy Springs has been around. And I will tell you that if you walk and go into any local watering joint, you will find someone who either played at Sandy Springs Youth Sports and or their kids are currently at Sandy Springs Youth Sports,” he said.
He said it’s a great place to not just meet friends, but for families to become friends and have a profound effect on their children.
School can be stressful, but when kids get on the baseball field, they don’t have to be an instant success, he said.
“When my daughter hits the ball and she runs to first you see the biggest smile in the world. And as a parent, that’s ultimately what you want your child to experience. You want your child to experience those moments of glory and success,” Wheat said.
They also experience failure, but that’s OK because it’s a great teaching moment in which parents can get involved, he said.
Cheerleading grew 200 percent last year and is the fastest-growing sport. Softball is pacing almost 20 percent ahead of 2022, which was a record year.
Softball, baseball registration open
Registration is open for softball and baseball. Tryouts begin for older age groups at the end of January, with practices starting for all age groups in the middle of February, he said. The younger groups don’t do tryouts. They often do a selection of friends, trying to keep best friends together so they are comfortable and enjoy participating even if they don’t have great success on the field.
The younger kids will practice a couple of times and play one game a week. The older kids in the higher levels might practice three times a week. They will play two to three games a week.
The younger kids only play on Saturdays, but the older kids will play on other days as well.
The organization also offers scholarships to kids using donations from local businesses and from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody residents.
[ad_2]
Source link
