Adapting youth sports to changing times

By Patti Jeffrey

Along with other CYS programming,

CYS youth sports staffers have been figuring out ways to adapt and thrive during the various COVID-19 pandemic phases. Since team sports aren’t a possibility, the youth sports team has recently offered sports clinics in hiking, baseball, football, soccer and golf.

The clinics have been a hit with parents, staff, volunteer coaches and especially children. “It’s fun and we love being back with the kids,” says Cynthia Williams-Patnoe, youth sports director. “We want to provide active sports opportunities for children who might otherwise have been sitting at home playing video games.”

Cynthia understands that it has been really tough on JBLM families who have faced closed parks and playgrounds during the quarantine phase. She says, “It’s so hard, and you keep doing your best with what you have available. That’s where we have been able to help.”

The sports clinics have provided families the opportunity of keeping their children involved with sports while keeping them safe. Each small group of children is accompanied by a staff member in rotating skills drills with cleaning between station rotations (group size is consistent with current guidelines). Maintaining physical distance is constantly monitored, and masks are required for coaches and parents.

“We would love to have hundreds of children attending our sports clinics, but it’s not feasible or possible right now,” Cynthia says. “These clinics have been popular — so popular, in fact, that we’ve had waiting lists. For instance, we had only planned our football Continued on next page.

clinic for the afternoon, but we had enough kids on the waiting list to open up another football clinic in the morning.

“Staff, parents and especially the kids are happy running, jumping and playing. … I feel so grateful we’re able to get this opportunity to help out our military families,” says Cynthia.

“I’m also grateful for our amazing volunteer coaches: Alexander, Thomas, Kinard, Eric and Anthony,” says Cynthia. “They truly have volunteer hearts in them. They’re so well-trained, and they’re here to give their all to military families.”

What’s next for youth sports? It depends on school schedules and COVID-19 restrictions, according to Cynthia. “We want to do the safest thing for children,” she says. “We’re going to be looking at current guidelines in our decisions about fall and winter sports.”

What she does know, and wants to let families know, is that September is the perfect time to get outside and keep children’s gross motor skills developing and healthy.

“Families can do simple things like going on a hike or bike ride, and exploring the great Pacific Northwest,” Cynthia says. (See pages 20–22 for hiking tips.)

Questions about youth sports clinics? Call 253-967-2405. Youth Sports is located at 6398 Garica Blvd. at Lewis Main.

CYS Fall Sports

This schedule includes sports camps and skills clinics. All CYSprescribed precautions for sanitation procedures and distance monitoring will be conducted.

The First Tee Golf (ages 7–18), 4–5:30 p.m. Enroll through Monday, Sept. 14. Cost: $40. • Sept. 15–Oct. 6 at Eagle’s Pride

Golf Course and Sept. 17–Oct. 8 at

Whispering Firs Golf Course. • One PGA instructor from The First

Tee of South Puget Sound and one

CYS staffer. Golf clubs provided with early evening classes.

Sports Skills Clinics (ages 5–15), Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5–6 p.m. Enrollment is open until the day before the clinic. Cost: $35. • Soccer: Two weeks (Sept. 14–24). • Basketball: Two weeks (Sept. 28–

Oct. 9).

Enroll at JBLMcysRegistration.com or call Youth Sports at 253-967-2405. The schedule is subject to change.