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YUMA, Ariz. - The Let's Move! Initiative, introduced by the First Lady Michelle Obama, stresses the importance of physical activity during a child’s earliest years to put him or her on the right path for a healthy lifestyle. Communities and families need to work together to promote healthy habits for the next generation. The Youth Sports Program aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., provides military children a fun and engaging activity that encourages outdoor play and an active lifestyle.
Recreational sports are also a low-cost opportunity for parents’ to enrich a child’s life outside of school and home. The children learn the importance of team dynamics, work ethic and commitment. Soccer, track and field, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, flag football and an upcoming youth bowling league are some of the sports offered by the air station.
“Youth Sports is a great program for the children of our active duty [Marines and sailors], Department of Defense civilians, and retirees,” said Angela Hansen, the youth sports coordinator for MCAS Yuma. “Youth Sports gives the kids some structure and an opportunity to make friends and build a sense of community at a young age.”
The YSP is a great kick-start for these kids to make new friends.
“It’s hard to pick up and move constantly, make new friends, and be in a new environment,” said Hansen. “When a child joins a sport here on base, it creates an instant community and they have ten new friends to bond with who understand what they’re going through.”
Learning the fundamentals of camaraderie and making friends is the name of the game.
“We want everyone to be involved, so we don’t emphasize winning,” said Hansen. “It’s about enjoying the sport, having fun, learning to play. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played the sport before, our knowledgeable and enthusiastic coaches will teach them everything they need to know to play the game fun and safely.”
After every sports season there is an end of season party where the kids can relax, have fun and celebrate accomplishments and progress. At the conclusion of the party, the children receive participation trophies.
This year’s summer season came to a celebratory end, Saturday, with the final YSP games, followed by a pizza pool party at the Oasis Pool aboard MCAS Yuma.
“[The party] gives them a chance to hang out with their team members outside of practice, they can just kick back and enjoy each other’s company,” said Hansen. “A lot of them have friends on different teams so we do the party for the whole program. So now they can hang out with other team members that they maybe didn’t interact with on a daily basis at their own practices.”
Although the summer season has ended, the fall season is coming up quickly. Flag football and cheerleading are offered in the fall. The cheerleaders will be cheering for the flag football games; registration for both sports ends Sept. 3.
Fall sports practice will begin mid-September, with the first game of the season scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19.
“I encourage the parents to enroll their children in youth sports,” said Hansen. “I think it’s a great way to stay active and build a sense of community. It also helps them to learn some discipline and coordination and commitment to something greater than themselves.”
Registration for the fall sports teams can be completed by calling Mrs. Angela Hansen at the Community Center aboard MCAS Yuma. 928-269-2324
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2013 16:54 |
| Story ID: | 111533 |
| Location: | YUMA, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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