Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Drace Wilson | NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (April 9, 2024) Coach Jeff Shelton, right, and Freddie...... read more read more
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Twelve Rota Middle/High School students, aged 11-14 years old, gather in the school’s basketball court for practice. On first glance, this would be a practice for the middle school basketball team at many schools across the United States. However, this group of co-ed youth are part of Advanced Training & Travel Team, or A3T, at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota.
Coach Jeff Shelton, youth sports coordinator for Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Rota and A3T co-lead, saw an opportunity and created the program in 2016. He wanted to fill the gap for the children who had aged out of the youth sports program but were not ready for varsity team sports. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on more than sport skills development.
“A3T was developed to align with CYP (Child and Youth Programs) and The Boys and Girls Club core values of integrity, respect, accountability and collaboration,” said Shelton. “Combining sports and character building doesn’t always fit in the competitive sport arena, but it is necessary for the building blocks of a good person.”
For overseas schools, these students can be at a disadvantage with limited students to compete in all the sports and levels similar to a stateside school. Rota Middle/High School has a school varsity team, but typically there are not enough students to create middle school or junior varsity teams.
A3T program allows youth to participate in two seasons – basketball and soccer – where they practice, develop skills, and compete against local Spanish teams. Shelton previously coached in the high school’s varsity basketball programs so he felt comfortable mentoring these youth to meet the demands of varsity sports. The program’s co-lead and MWR employee, Freddie Cordero, provides his expertise on soccer, or fútbol as it's known locally. For each season, they co-coach the sports – even getting on the floor to do push-ups with the youth – and coordinate practices around the school’s sports and activities.
When selecting sports to focus on, Shelton explained that basketball and soccer are two sports easily found in the local Spanish community making it an easy choice. The A3T team will compete in approximately six games against local teams within the Cadiz province. These games are good at honing skills while also fostering cultural exchanges and understanding.
The team practices together, subscribes to a code of ethics, and serves as youth ambassadors both on and off base. Shelton requires that the youth participate in several community service events around the installation such as the MWR Eggsplosion, events at School Age Care (SAC) program, and more.
For Shelton, he believes that being a good person is just as important as being a strong, skilled competitor.
“It’s funny, because everyone thinks the best athletes are the target,” said Shelton, “when we are actually looking for the youth with the biggest heart towards helping.”
While many of the current youth in the program are focused on developing their basketball skills, Shelton is convinced they will see with time how being leaders, both on and off the court, translate to a better overall basketball player.
“I like basketball and being part of a team, said Lucca Guido, 7th grader at Rota Middle/High School. He enjoys the program because he can improve his skills at the sport while developing leadership skills and being with his friends.
Several of the program’s graduates are now actively involved in the varsity sports at the high school and demonstrating leadership qualities, both within sports and school activities.
“I wanted to join the A3T team because I felt that it was a great opportunity to grow as an athlete,” said Ariel Macias, an 8th grader at Rota Middle/High School and former soccer A3T participant. “Not only did it help me reach that goal, it helped me become a better person by giving us, as a team, a chance to make the community a better place through volunteer work. Now, I feel that I am ready to move on to high school and bring home a championship.”
For senior Amyah Tate, she said she joined the team during middle school because her brother wanted to join and her competitive nature made it an “easy yes.” She was one of the first girls on the co-ed team.
“I would say my growth in the program was tremendous, it gave me opportunities that I wouldn't have gotten [elsewhere],” she said.
Tate elaborated by stating that her participation in the program allowed her to hone her skills by playing against Spanish youth who were passionate and dedicated to their sport. In her words, the program “allowed for a healthy development of my aggression in soccer, and to become a good defensive player.”
This type of growth is exactly what Shelton hopes for with the youth who participate in the program. He wants to develop their skills while giving them the tools to be leaders within the community.
“We have been proud of many of our participants who have went to high school and made the varsity programs to a few who are now in college playing sports or in ROTC programs,” said Shelton. “What we want to provide is an opportunity to build confidence, strength, empathy and compassion as well as see that that their presence is important to this community and therefore to society.”
As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2024 08:15 |
| Story ID: | 468812 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Rota's A3T: Developing Youth Leaders on and off the Court, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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