All In The Football Family

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index All In The Football Family

The Tomaszewski family: Nick, Max, Ariel, Xavier, Zander and Michelle. Photos by: Lindsey Walsh Merriam

by Colleen Onuffer

With shorter days and cooler temperatures come thoughts of fall football but for Churchville-Chili Jr. Saints Football and Cheerleading, practice started back on August 1. The organization provides a safe, positive environment for local youth to learn the necessary skills of football and cheerleading.

“This year, we have the largest number of kids we’ve ever had,” said Churchville-Chili Jr. Saints (CCJS) President, Nick Tomaszewski, noting that there are 120 kids registered in the football program and 60 kids in the cheerleading program.

Churchville-Chili Jr. Saints was founded in 2015 in order to create a team that would work with the school district to increase the number of players and ability of Churchville-Chili’s football program.

“This organization provides a more congruent way to teach kids the skills needed from a young age up to varsity,” explained Tomaszewski. “I got involved with the Jr. Saints to make sure the coaches were teaching skills the same way as the school to make it easier on the players when they got into the school system.”

The CCJS program starts in kindergarten and goes through sixth grade, preparing athletes for modified sports in seventh grade.

“I was a modified coach for the school for the last four years and can tell Jr. Saints has helped kids with the transition into the school’s football program,” said Tomaszewski. While he is not coaching modified this year, the organization and the school district continue to work closely together. “Some of our coaches have even been going to the varsity practices, to make sure they’re teaching skills the same way.” While skills and athleticism are important, the CCJS website notes that all coaches are USA Football Certified, “which places the emphasis on safety, technique and prioritizing the overall health and well-being of our athletes.” “What I like most about being involved is getting to see kids out here being active, doing something they love, and something they will carry on to the next level,” said Tomaszewski. According to him, almost all of this year’s varsity football players came through the Jr. Saints program. “It’s great to get them started early and see them continue through their football career.” Beyond that, the program gives kids something to be a part of. “This year we had to split up some of the grades, which gives them a new circle of friends.” The organization also stresses the importance of respecting others and listening to leaders. “Before we went back to school, we invited some of the teachers to practice and talked about how the players should listen to their

continued from page 5 teachers the way they listen to their coaches.”

CCJS is a member of Rochester Youth Football and Cheerleading Organization, competing against other local towns within Monroe County such as Hilton, Hamlin, Spencerport and Gates. The league was created to keep players on the team associated with their own town. While this helps the schools build skills within their own districts, it also creates community around the players and tight-knit teams.

“Kids that participate in the program will play with the same kids that they’ll play with in the school system,” said Tomaszewski.

The program goes beyond the players though.

“We rely on support from the parents to keep this organization going,” said Tomaszewski. “Everything is done completely through volunteer – the coaches, the board members, and every game has a pair of parents that help out.”

Games are played on the Churchville-Chili modified field and run through mid-October, followed by playoffs and championships. A game schedule is available at: http://www.ryfc.org/

Nick Tomaszewski has been the president of Churchville-Chili Jr. Saints since 2020. He serves on the board alongside his wife, Michelle, who is the organization’s Registration Coordinator. The two have four kids, who have all participated in the program. 6  | My Hometown September 2022