Youth Sports Link

Sports Link is provided as a convenience for residents of South Windsor. The following organizations are operated independently and are not administered by South Windsor Parks and Recreation Department. For program details contact the individuals listed below.

South Windsor Little League

www.southwindsorlittleleague.org Al Maximino amaximino@cox.net

South Windsor Soccer Club

www.southwindsorsoccer.org fields@southwindsorsoccer.org

Michael Moriarty VP@southwindsorsoccer.org Gary Schoedler president@southwindsorsoccer.org Jaime Curylo (Dir. of Operations) ops@southwindsorsoccer.org Chris Mead Christopher.mead@southwindsorsoccer.org

South Windsor Hockey Association

www.swhockey.com

American Legion Baseball

www.ctlegionbball.com https://www.ctlegionbball.com/teams/?u=swindsrleg&s=baseball

Craig Zimmerman General Manager & 19U Coach craig_zimmerman@msn.com 860-670-5224

Adam McLaughlin Assistant General Manager & 17U Coach amac1619@yahoo.com 860-384-0799 S.W. Panther Football & Cheer

www.southwindsorpanthers.org Antonio Petgrave apet@att.net Samantha Petgrave (sports link/VP) Samantha.petgrave@gmail.com

South Windsor High School Athletic Dept.

Dave Sytulek dsytulek@swindsor.k12.ct.us

South WindsorGirls Lacrosse Club

www.swgirlslax.org Andrew Boyle Andrew.R.Boyle@gmail.com Darla Jarvis djarvis.home@gmail.com

South Windsor Boys Lacrosse Club

www.swboyslacrosse.org Joseph Canales (sports link/Pres.) Jcanal86@gmail.com Eric Mahan mahan@hartford.edu

Cricket

Amit Saini amit.saini@doosan.com

Venkjata Adithya Chakravarthula Venkata.chakravarthula@doosan.com

Recreational Jim Snow Youth Basketball League (Grades K-12)

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Proudly named for former long-time Recreation Director, Jim Snow. This fun, recreational league emphasizes the importance of a team, while developing skills. We offer a progression of divisions beginning with kindergartners in our Mighty Mites hoop division all the way through senior year of high school. Since the goal of this league is to provide fun, recreation play for youth, we require participants to play within their designated grade level division.

Mighty Mites Hoop (Grades K & 1) Introduce your child to basketball with this instructional, co-ed program that teaches the fundamentals of basketball to young players using a variety of fun drills and activities designed to improve skills!

JIM SNOW YOUTH BASKETBALL PHILOSOPHY

HEALTH AND SAFETY As a town organization, we believe that the health and safety of the players entrusted to our care is a serious responsibility.

PLAYER EXPERIENCE We strive to maintain our program in such a way that all players will have the opportunity to broaden their horizons, to gain knowledge by acquiring new skills and to experience the joy of friendship. RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP We believe we have an obligation to parents to provide responsible leadership possessing good judgment.

EQUAL PLAY OPPORTUNITY All divisions in the South Windsor Jim Snow Youth Basketball League have very specific playing time rules designed to allow each child the opportunity to play at least one half of every game. Every child will be assigned to a team. There are no cuts from South Windsor Jim Snow Youth Basketball. Please be sure to register before the deadline to ensure your child is placed on a team.

Saturdays, 1/8- 3/12, $75 Locations: ET & PRS, Instructors: SWPRD Staff Program will be extended if weather causes cancellations Limited space available

9:00 a.m.-9:50 a.m., Eli Terry Gym 10:00 a.m.-10:50 a.m., Eli Terry Gym 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m., Eli Terry Gym

9:00 a.m.-9:50 a.m., Phillip R Smith Gym 10:00 a.m.-10:50 a.m., Phillip R Smith Gym 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m., Phillip R Smith Gym

More Mighty Mites (Grades 2 & 3)

Girls & Boys Leagues

Full court basketball games are introduced in this modified instructional format! Staff will provide a combination of instructional drills and controlled scrimmages. “Game” times will be hourly from 9:00am – 3:00pm and will rotate for each team weekly. All teams will be provided with a schedule prior to the program starting. This non-competitive program is highly recommended for those third graders who are not quite ready for Beginner Division League play. Catch you on the court!

Saturdays, 1/8-3/12, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $75 Location: Orchard Hill, Instructors: SWPRD Staff Program will be extended if weather causes cancellations Space is limited

Beginner Division (Grades 3 & 4)

Girls & Boys Leagues

We create a boys beginner division and a girls beginner division. Practices and games are used as opportunities to learn basic rules of basketball and develop skills in a non-competitive, encouraging environment. Coaches and officials will use teachable moments to help players learn the rules and develop good sportsmanship while gaining skills and making new friends. Participants who do not attend practice regularly may have adjusted playing time in games.

South Windsor Parks and Recreation staff determine a player’s team placement based on a number of factors including but not limited to: the school the player attends, the number of registrations received, and basketball experience.

One hour per week practices begin the first week of November and are held weekdays at 6:10pm or 7:10pm at local elementary schools. Practices are determined by our volunteer coaches and based on the space we have available to us.

Games begin the first weekend in December and are hosted on Saturdays at various times between 9am and 4pm. Each team plays a total of ten games. Each participant receives a game t-shirt to keep. Pending COVID restrictions, the season will end with an award extravaganza for all beginner participants.

We do not honor specific requests for teams, practice days, or locations.

Season runs November - mid March, $95 Location: Practices are held at local elementary schools, games are held at Wapping Recreation Facility Registration deadline is Friday, 10/15

Junior Girls Intertown Division

(Grades 5 & 6)

Intermediate Girls Intertown Division

(Grades 7 & 8)

Senior Girls Intertown Division

(Grades 9-12)

These divisions allow players to participate in a basketball environment that promotes good sportsmanship and respect of others. To ensure our girls divisions are able to participate in a variety of competition, South Windsor participates in an intertown game schedule which incorporates competition with surrounding towns such as Somers, East Windsor, Ellington and Vernon. The participating towns collaborate to decide age appropriate recreation game rules for the season. Participants who do not attend practice regularly may have adjusted playing time in games.

South Windsor Parks and Recreation volunteer coaches determine a player’s team placement based on a number of factors. Please plan to attend all skill assessment gym times scheduled in November to assist our volunteer coaches in building well-balanced teams. We do our best with limited knowledge to create fair teams. The goal of this league is to provide fun, recreational play for youth.

One hour per week practices begin the first week of December and are held weekdays 6:10pm, 7:10pm, 8:10pm, or 9:10pm at local elementary schools. Practices are determined by our volunteer coaches and based on the space we have available to us. We try to keep the practice day/ time and location consistent but often have to rearrange schedules due to school availability. Earlier practice times are designated for younger divisions.

Games begin the first weekend in January and are hosted on Saturdays at various times and locations. Each team plays a total of eight games. Four of the games will be hosted at the opponents’ location and four will be in South Windsor. Each player receives a game jersey to keep and an end of season t-shirt.

We do not honor specific requests for teams, practice days, or locations. Please visit our website for Frequently Asked Questions and other important division information such as skill assessment dates, practice and game schedules, and announcements.

Season runs November - mid March, $115 Location: South Windsor Schools and surrounding participating town’s facilities Registration deadline is Friday, 10/22

Junior Boys Division

(Grades 5 & 6)

Intermediate Boys Division

(Grades 7 & 8)

Advanced Boys Division

(Grades 9 & 10)

Senior Boys Division

(Grades 11 & 12)

These divisions allow players to participate in a basketball environment that promotes good sportsmanship and respect of others. Game rules are developed to accommodate players of varying abilities and to promote equal opportunity for all participants. Participants who do not attend practice regularly may have adjusted playing time in games.

South Windsor Parks and Recreation volunteer coaches determine a player’s team placement based on a number of factors. Please plan to attend all skill assessment gym times scheduled in November to assist our volunteer coaches in building well-balanced teams. We do our best with limited knowledge to create fair teams. The goal of this league is to provide fun, recreational play for youth.

One hour per week practices begin the first week of December and are held weekdays 6:10pm, 7:10pm, 8:10pm, or 9:10pm at local elementary schools. Practices are determined by our volunteer coaches and based on the space we have available to us. We try to keep the practice day/time and location consistent but often have to rearrange schedules due to school availability. Earlier practice times are designated for younger divisions. Games begin the first weekend in January and are hosted mostly on Saturdays at various times and locations. An occasional Friday or Sunday game may be scheduled to accommodate school events. Each team plays a total of ten regular season games. Scores and standings are kept and the season ends with a single elimination tournament for all teams. Each player receives a game jersey to keep.

We do not honor specific requests for teams, practice days, or locations. Please visit our website for Frequently Asked Questions and other important division information such as practice and game schedules, and announcements.

Season runs November - mid March, $120 Location: South Windsor Schools Registration deadline is Friday, 10/22

Become a Volunteer Youth Basketball Coach!

Our town’s vast youth recreation basketball league is produced by over 100 volunteer coaches each season! Coaches are among the most influential adults in the lives of youth athletes and they are essential for a great season. If you or someone you know is interested in leading a team of youth basketball players, visit us online and register to be a coach!

In order to provide quality coaches training, process background checks, and for ample time for coaches to plan their season, the deadline to register as a coach is Friday, October 15th. We will host a mandatory coaches orientation and seminar prior to the start of the season in November.

NEW Coaches Seminar

All SWPRD coaches welcome!

Come learn how to optimize your leadership with first-time author and college athletics administrator, Matthew Raidbard. Matthew Raidbard has been a men's college basketball and senior level college athletics administrator for the past 15 years. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. His research primarily focuses on determining the best leadership style and behaviors for athletic coaches to practice.

The seminar will include two parts. The first will, give an introduction to leadership practice, and discuss the importance of coaches viewing themselves as leaders and making intentional leadership choices. It will discuss how coaches can determine what the best leadership style and behaviors are for them to practice based on their personal values and beliefs. This seminar is also designed to help coaches understand the impact their leadership choices can have both positively and negatively on the athletes they coach. It also teaches coaches how to critically assess their leadership behaviors in order to determine if they are working as intended or if they need to be changed.

The second part of the seminar will focus on conflict avoidance, de-escalation, and resolution. With each passing year coaches are being asked to take on more leadership responsibilities for their team and athletes, including; having their decisions questioned by parents, guardians, or other people supporting an athlete on the team. This part of the seminar will teach coach’s techniques for how they can set reasonable expectations for athletes and their supporters upfront in order to hopefully avoid future conflicts or tensions. It will also provide coaches with the tools to they need to de-escalate conflicts with these same supporters, and afterward bring the situation to a peaceful and amicable resolution where everywhere feels heard and is understanding and accepting of the outcome.

Location: Wapping Banquet Hall Date: Saturday, November 6th Time: 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. Fee: FREE for all SWPRD Coaches Instructor: Matthew Raidbard Learn to Skate Program Learn to Skate is a beginning ice skating program that is challenging and rewarding - but most of all, fun. Participation in the program will enable beginning skaters of all ages and abilities to learn the fundamentals of ice skating while teaching them the necessary skills that are used for their further skating advancement. Skate Rentals available for an additional $10 for each 4 week session, you must provide your own helmet.

Fridays, 6:40 p.m.-7:40 p.m. September 10, 17, 24 & Oct. 1 October 8, 15, 22, 29 November 5, 12, 19, 26

Residents: $80 Non-residents: $90

Location: South Windsor Arena Instructor: South Windsor Arena Staff

SWHS Ski and Snowboard Club & TEMS Ski and Snowboard Club

RESIDENTS ONLY

Stay tuned for more information regarding Ski and Snowboard clubs this winter! We are doing our best to make these available to you this winter. We are currently waiting for more guidance from the Department of Public Health. Your child’s safety is our upmost importance at this time. Please be on the lookout for more information as it becomes available on our website.