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Successful Start to Patriot Sports If you stop by the gymnasium at Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Homes on Saturday mornings you’ll hear the pitter patter of little sneakers, echoed by a chorus of bouncing basketballs in every direction. Children ages 2½ - 10 are learning the fundamentals of basketball in our new Patriot Sports community outreach program. On October 22nd we launched Patriot Basketball, a free 8-week basketball program for pre-school and elementary school age children in the surrounding communities. Patriot Sports is a developmental athletic program for children of all ages that encourages self-confidence, physical fitness, and awareness of God’s love. In our current economy families are feeling the financial strain to pay for any extra-curricular activities. By providing an affordable – free – developmental program, we remove the barriers that might keep a child from participating. Therefore no child is turned away because of finances. The difference between a traditional league and a development program is in the structure. Our purpose is to equip kids with the necessary skills to succeed in the game. “Learning fundamentals is not just playing 5-on-5,” Coach Adam Spencer explained. “You have to start early on practicing the correct ways.” Spencer, whose own children are 7 and 2 years old says, “I want my son and daughter to have some confidence when out on the court. It’s a lot more fun when you are having success, and I want to equip the kids with the necessary skills that will lead to that confidence.” When it comes to the fundamentals of the game, Spencer works with the children on pivoting, using the pads of their fingertips to shoot and dribble rather than the palms of their
Coach Adam Spencer with our 6 volunteer coaches who are Liberty University Students: (Left to right) Adam Spencer, Kelsey Richard, Cord, Kelley Garrett, Jasper-Lynn Sweazey, Brian Lowery, David Oester.
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hands, and proper defensive techniques. There are 4 different sizes of basketballs as well as basketball goals for each age group. Character development is as important to Spencer as teaching the proper defensive stance. Each week there is a character-trait theme associated with a color such as red for caring. Each session begins and ends with a reminder of a simple yet important message of God’s love. So far, 37 children from 28 families have participated in the program which includes some of our staff’s children and a few of our residents; Jakell Age 10, Isaiah Age 9, Conner Age 9, and Yasmeen Age 6. However, two-thirds of the families that have attended Patriot Sports thus far, have had no previous affiliation with our Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Homes. We are excited about these new friendships. Patriot Sports is a great way for our ministry to expose families in our community to our primary services of residential care and counseling. Because our residents come to us as young as age 6, it is significant for us to be able to connect with families with 2½ -5 year olds. Through Patriot Sports we are delighted to be currently serving 17 pre-schoolers. Helping Coach Spencer in mentoring these children each week are a team of volunteer coaches including six Liberty University Students: Kelsey Richard, Corderius Cowans, Kelly Garrett, Jasper-Lynn Sweazey, Brian Lowery, David Oester, and two of our High School residents Tevin and Harley. Spencer, who is in his second year with Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Homes, has coached high school varsity basketball in Florida, New Jersey, New York and the Hudson Valley Hawks of the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL). “From pre-school to professional, I’ve been blessed to teach players the game of basketball over the past dozen years,” Spencer said. “The number one goal at every level of the game is to have fun.”