Every Wednesday I babysit an eight-year-old girl, Quinn.
She gets home from school, eats a quick snack, gets dressed, and then I drive us to the Athens Community Center for her basketball game. Quinn is part of the Athens Community League. Boys and girls from 3rd to 12th grade form into teams based on their grade, and play two games every week. Grades three to six are co-ed.
“It’s great for building some basic skills,” Mary Haines, Quinn’s mother said. “It also gives the kids in the community a chance to play on a team with each other before joining junior high sports.”
The league promotes a positive athletic experience and emphasizes skill development in a non-competitive atmosphere. They do not keep track of individual or team standings.
Other youth sports at the community center include t-ball, coach pitch baseball, futsal, Fall soccer, and instructional basketball (no games) for kids in 1st and 2nd grade. The fee is $35 per child, per sport.
Children from all over the Athens School district participate, while some kids even come from the surrounding areas like Nelsonville or Federal Hocking.
These Athens youth leagues give kids the opportunity to meet other children in the community while improving their skills, staying healthy, and also having fun.
If you have any questions about youth sports, you can contact Erin Helms at ehelms@ci.athens.oh.us or call her at 740-592-3325.