By Misti McDonald
Moapa Valley Progress
The local Clark County Parks and Recreation finished up the last of its Basketball games on Feb. 17. Games began on Jan. 11 with the help of local referees and Volunteer coaches. Parks and Rec officials reported that the youth program was a successful season.
The teams were divided by age. There were six kindergarten and first grade coed teams; four 2nd and 3rd grade coed teams; four 4th and 5th grade girl teams and 5 boy teams; and the 6th grade had two coed. All games were played at the Fine Arts building at the Logandale Fairgrounds.
Parks and Rec coordinator, Theresa Briggs, said that the games went smoothly and the parents seemed to be pleased this year. “We didn’t have even one complaint this year!” Briggs said. “In the past it has been a pretty heated environment at the games with some passionate parents hollering at referees who apparently were missing calls.”
The referees had the same training this year as in the past, with the exception of a practice game with an actual team playing.
“I think the practice game really helped with their confidence and judgments attributing to their not being afraid to blow the whistle when it was needed,” said Briggs
Parks and Recreation strives to keep the purpose of the program alive, “Fun and Fundamentals”.
“We keep score at the games because the kids like to know it, but there are no winning or losing teams,” Briggs said. “All the players get a trophy to take home.There is plenty of time for that competitive edge in the future. For now we just want the kids to learn the basics and have a great time learning.”
Parks and Rec Specialist, John Stastny said “We had a great season! There was a huge improvement in each and every child from beginning to end. I love to see that!”
When asked if the kids had a good time, Stastny who coached one of the team said, “None of my kids ever missed a single practice! I wonder if half the excitement is the yummy snacks they get at the end of the game?”
The parents of the kids are asked to rotate bringing snacks at the end of the games. “ It works out! There’s 8 kids on a team and 8 weeks in a season,” said Stastmy.
Statsny expressed appreciation to the volunteer coaches who supported the program. “We couldn’t do it without them!” he said..
“Each coach has a personal interest in the kids’ learning, there was very little favoritism, and all the kids got chances to play.” said Briggs.
