Panel in Los Angeles on Coaching to Prevent Youth Violence

On Tuesday, September 22, Up2Us Sports presented a panel of distinguished experts for a discussion on violence prevention strategy and goals, moderated by Founder and CEO, Paul Caccamo. The primary objective of the panel was to focus people’s attention on the power trained sports-based youth development coaches have to help kids say no to violence and make better decisions.

The panel included influential Los Angeles community members who are experts in the space and are passionate about reducing youth violence in Los Angeles and around the country. Panelists included:

• Megan Bartlett, Chief Program Officer, Up2Us Sports;

• Blake Chow, Commanding Officer - West Bureau, Los Angeles Police Department

• Bruce McCall Jr., Sports Program Lead, Sheriff’s Youth Foundation

• Pam Shriver, Olympic gold medalist in tennis and ESPN commentator

• Anne Tremblay, Director, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development

• George Weaver, Vice President of Child Development and Special Programs, Brotherhood Crusade.

The panelists spoke candidly about the current situation in Los Angeles, the role trained coaches can play in youth crime and violence prevention and the efforts that are being made by the LAPD, LA Sheriff’s Department, LA Mayor’s office and others to help combat the epidemic.

The panel was attended by nearly 100 guests, including a new cohort of Coach Across America coaches who were attending the Up2Us Sports National Coach Training Institute in Los Angeles.

Rugby Legend Phaidra Knight on the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Growth of the Sport in America

Phaidra Knight wears many hats as a professional athlete, brand ambassador, sports agent, and motivational speaker - but one she doesn’t yet wear is that of an Olympian. She hopes to change that soon. Named USA Rugby’s Player of the Decade in 2010, the two-time All World honoree is currently training for the chance to compete in Rio next summer as part of the first-ever U.S. Olympic women’s rugby team. Up2Us Sports recently caught up with Phaidra to talk everything rugby, including her passion to make sure youth all over the world have a chance to play the game she loves.

Up2Us Sports: The Men’s Rugby World Cup started last week. Who do you think will win?

Phaidra Knight: Based on the impressive performances during the first round of pool play, it could honestly be anyone's game. Japan pulled off the biggest upset in rugby history, defeating the Springboks of South Africa. But based on their impressive record, attention to detail, discipline, and outstanding come from behind win versus Argentina, I believe that the New Zealand All Blacks will repeat.

Up2Us Sports: How is Team USA expected to do?

PK: According to some recent interviews with Team USA players and an article in the Wall Street Journal, the Eagles have their minds set on advancing to the quarterfinals. After a loss to Samoa in their first pool game, they will have their work really cut out for them to earn a spot in the quarters with matches remaining against South Africa, Japan, and Scotland.

Up2Us Sports: You’ve played in three World Cups yourself, and were twice named an All World Team Honoree. Can you talk a bit about what the World Cup experience is like?

PK: The World Cup experience is like nothing in the world. Rugby becomes our total focus, not only for the 2-3 weeks of playing in the World Cup, but also for the year leading up to it. The team gathers for one to two months leading up to the World Cup to train in residency in an effort to fine tune for the big dance. It's an incredible time for team bonding. Once we reach the World Cup, our primary tasks are to play, train, recover, review film, and discuss strategy. The twelve competing countries all reside on a common campus, which is pretty cool. There is opportunity to form new friendships while playing the best rugby in the world.

Up2Us Sports: What is your favorite World Cup memory?

PK: My favorite World Cup memory was the entire 2006 World Cup in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We finished with a record of 4-1. It was representative of an outstanding performance by Team USA led by a pretty talented staff.

Up2Us Sports: For anyone who doesn’t know a lot about the sport, but are interested in watching the World Cup, can you share a few basic rules or must-know facts to the game?

PK: A few basic rules that anyone who doesn't know the sport should know is that in rugby, only lateral or backwards passes are permitted as opposed to the forward pass commonly used in American football. Rugby is also continuous, barring an infraction, so when someone is tackled, play does not stop. A ruck occurs, which is a contest for possession of the ball. When scoring a try (which is similar to a touchdown in American football), the player must ground the ball under control using their hands. In American football, there are unlimited substitutions, but in rugby there are limitations on the amount of players that can be substituted into a match. In rugby 15s, only seven substitutions are allowed, and in Sevens only five are allowed. Generally speaking, players cannot return to play once they have left the game unless within a certain time frame for a blood-related injury. In rugby, only a mouthguard is required to play, whereas, in American football, padding and a helmet are required.

Up2Us Sports: Earlier this summer, the U.S. Men and Women's Sevens teams qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics - which has the sport back for the first time since 1924. It will be the first appearance of women’s rugby on the Olympic stage and you’re currently training to be on that team. Tell me a bit about the process, your training and what the outlook is for Team USA next summer.

PK: The pathway to becoming an Olympic player starts with an athlete playing exceptionally with their club/collegiate team to reach the representative level. Available to players more frequently now are development academies and camps where players can showcase their talents to national team selectors/influencers. Once a player is identified as having potential to play at the international level, they may receive an invite to attend a national team camp, which allows the player to train with current members of Team USA. Based on their performance, they may receive an invitation to train in residency at the Olympic Training Center (OTC), tour with Team USA or with the developmental team.

My training is a little different from the majority of the Olympic pool players presently. I spent the first six months of this year training in residency at the OTC and have since then, been training on my own, working with various rugby and athletic specialists. I am significantly older than the other players in the Olympic pool, so some elements of my training and recovery are little different.

The outlook for Team USA, both men and women, is very optimistic. The women recently experienced a coaching change, with former Eagle and Team USA coach, Julie McCoy, being brought back to lead the team to the 2016 Olympics. She has experienced a great deal of personal growth and coaching success since her last stint with the team.  She and her staff will be working closely with the USA men's coaching staff (arguably the best Sevens coaches in the world), Mike Friday and Chris Brown, to cultivate an Olympic medal contending team. The USA men jumped from 13th to 5th place in less than 12 months under the leadership of their coaching staff. They also had less than a 20% chance of qualifying for the Olympics. With growing support from USA Rugby and CEO, Nigel Melville, I look forward to great things from the USA in the next 12 months.

Up2Us Sports: The World Cup plays 15s - which is the traditional version of rugby - but the Olympics will have Sevens. Can you talk about the difference between the two?

PK: The biggest difference between the two is the additional eights players per side on the field in 15s, making for a much larger coverage area for the players in Sevens. Instead of a scrum of eight (in 15s), there is only a front row (two props and a hooker) in Sevens. The game of 15s is played for two 40-minute halves with a 10-minute halftime, whereas Sevens features seven-minute halves with a one-minute halftime (10-minute halves with two-minute halftimes for championship matches). More points are typically scored in Sevens games than in 15s.

Up2Us Sports: You have represented Team USA on both the Eagles and Sevens teams – do you have a personal preference between the two?

PK: In 15s, as a flanker, it was my job to follow the ball. That allowed me to roam freely about the field. I loved playing that role. I didn't necessarily have to be a cog in the wheel. I had a free pass to push the limits of the game, setting the tone in many instances. However, I really love the wide open nature of the Sevens game. Although there is a greater field territory to cover with just seven players, there is more space both before and after a line break, which is something I have grown to love. Candidly speaking, although the players in Sevens are typically the fastest players in rugby, I prefer tackling Sevens players at this stage of my career, because they are a bit smaller than traditional 15s players. The thing that challenges me the most in Sevens is what I love the most -- the discipline and work ethic required to work within a very structured format with the other six players on my team. It goes against my very nature as a flanker in 15s. 15s will always have a very special place in my heart, but at this stage, I really love Sevens.

Up2Us Sports: It’s being reported that rugby is the fastest growing sport in America. A recent study showed that participation in the sport increased by 81% from 2008-2013. Based on its recent growth, and it’s upcoming re-appearance in the Olympics - what do you see for the future of the sport worldwide and across the U.S.?

PK: I believe that rugby will see it's most dramatic growth spurt in popularity within the next 10-15 years in the U.S. Over the next two years, there will be the establishment of at least one men's professional league followed by a women's professional league. I believe this will formally commercialize the sport in America and create tremendous viability, profitability, and sustainability. The 2016 and 2020 Olympics will provide the platform for exposure, worldwide, to create exponential growth, making it one of the top five sports in the world. It will become the ambassador of many great things including discipline, respect, and camaraderie that all other sports strive to attain.

Up2Us Sports: You’ve been involved with Play Rugby USA - an Up2Us Sports member organization - for many years. Up2Us Sports is working to advance sports as a tool for addressing the critical issues facing today’s youth. What does developing youth through rugby mean to you? Why is it important for children, particularly in urban environments, to be involved in sports?

PK: Developing youth through rugby is an integral part of the foundation and future of rugby in America. I believe is goes without saying that it means a great deal to me. I believe that it's equally important for children in both urban and rural environments to be involved in sports. Having grown up in a very rural area in Georgia, I witnessed then and continue to see the need for young people to develop positive connections with themselves and others through sport. It also offers them the discipline, work ethic, and interpersonal skills that can transcend  and enhance other areas of their lives. Sport helps children confronted with aggressive emotions, such as anger, to channel them in positively, keeping them out of harm's way. The health benefits of being physically active through sport are numerous.

THE WINNING TEAM: Meet Coach Gabriel

In the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, just eight blocks separate Chicago Youth Boxing Club (CYBC), where Coach Gabriel works, from where he lives. In a city that is home to more violent neighborhoods than any other, Little Village has experienced its fair share of violence, crime and drugs. Growing up there, Gabriel has too. But he used sports as an escape from the dangers of the streets, and now he devotes his life to ensuring that the youth living in and around those eight blocks are able to escape as well.

The former professional fighter found himself without a gym when Windy City Boxing closed its doors in 2006. When a new gym, CYBC, opened in his neighborhood, he stopped competing and started coaching. As one of Coach Across America’s first coaches, Gabriel has been a part of Up2Us Sports since the beginning. Now, sports-based youth development is ingrained in his coaching techniques. “The first year, I was nervous trying this stuff out, but now I do it and I don’t even realize it’s all the things I’ve learned over the years at [National Coach Training] Institutes,” says Gabriel.

Now, he uses lessons learned from sports to keep his kids in the ring and off the streets.  When a kid comes in with dreams of becoming a professional fighter, Gabriel encourages them to be the first person in their family to graduate from college. “I don’t mean to take away their dreams, but I want to be more realistic: I want them to be more focused on school, I want them to go to college.” Gabriel estimates that in his seven years at CYBC, over 30 kids have achieved this goal.

While CYBC is focused on the youth in the neighborhood, the entire community benefits. Instead of sneaking out of their houses and getting in trouble, the children stay home because their coaches have taught them to make better choices. These young boxers stay in school, and become friends and positive influences on one another. Most importantly, after school - between the hours of 3pm and 6pm, which is proven to be the most dangerous time for risky behavior in teens - these kids are in a safe haven with positive adult role models at CYBC. “They come in at 3pm and they’re here until 7pm or 8pm, even though a training session only lasts two hours. They just want to be here.”

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Coach Gabriel is funded by The Humana Foundation.

THE WINNING TEAM: Meet Coach Joe

From cooking to coaching golf, Coach Joe Ramirez is always bringing his best to the table. After graduating from Miami Senior High School and receiving his culinary degree from the Orlando Culinary Academy, he was ready to start a career as a chef. However, the poor economy limited his options. When an opportunity came up in his hometown to coach local kids in sports, he couldn’t turn it down. He needed a job, and as a lifelong athlete, loved the thought of coaching and giving back to the community he grew up in.

Joe serves as a Coach Across America coach at Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation, coaching SNAG golf in the after school program. SNAG - an acronym for Starting New At Golf - teaches the game of golf to people of all ages and abilities in almost any environment. Adapted programs like this are incredibly important in areas like Miami-Dade County, where golf is not an option for most youth due to their economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Joe teaches the kids that playing golf isn’t just about the game. It’s about the intangibles that come from playing the game, like resilience, discipline, self-awareness, and most importantly, social confidence. This was a critical influence in one student’s life, in particular.

Victor was in third grade, but had the learning and emotional capacity more typical of a first grader. He was extremely shy, lacking in confidence, and refused to participate. The other kids in the program did not bully him, but they also did not include him. Coach Joe had a solution. He met with the rest of the group and explained Victor’s situation to them - that he wasn’t any different from them, he just learned differently and needed their help to feel like a part of the team. By helping them understand Victor’s challenges, Coach Joe prevented the group from further excluding him. It also helped boost the team’s social confidence as they all felt empowered to speak up and play a part in helping Victor. The extra attention, not just from Joe but from his teammates, allowed Victor’s confidence in golf - and in life - to grow.

Joe credits Coach Across America and culinary school for helping him develop lessons and activities he could use to supplement those required by the SNAG curriculum. While attending an Up2Us Sports National Coach Training Institute, he was taught how to handle different situations and learned new games and strategies to help the kids understand the lessons they were learning through golf. Joe loves the similarities between cooking and coaching: “In the kitchen, the chef is the coach and his sous chefs are his players. You’re all on the same team and it takes teamwork and guidance to get everything done. As a chef, you have to keep learning which ingredients work together to make the food taste right, and as a coach you have to keep learning the different personalities of the kids and how they fit together to be successful.”

How My Swim Coaches Helped Me Become an Olympian

One of the reasons I loved swimming as a child was simply because I loved the swim coaches on my first summer team. During one particular afternoon practice, I vividly remember my first coach Sean had us all singing lyrics from a Jimmy Cliff song: “you can get it if you really want, but you must try, try and try, try and try, you’ll succeed at last” during a kicking set when it was chilly outside and most of us were in a bad mood since the water was so cold. He also sang “you’re my sunshine on a cloudy day“ to us when we didn’t want to get in the water. He was always smiling, optimistic, and playful. As an eight year old, everything was new, challenging, and exciting and I viewed my swim team as an extended family. My first coaches gave me a pure love for the sport of swimming, which opened up many doors.

Leaving my summer team to train on a year-round team was a hard decision to make at age 12. I loved my summer team and I knew I would miss the atmosphere of warm summer days spent wearing my speedo all day, hanging with my friends and goofing around with the coaching staff. But it was time for the next step and for new challenges. The transition was difficult, as we would train in the mornings before school and again after school during the winter months in an outdoor pool. It was the complete opposite of swimming in the hot afternoons in July. Swimming was no longer fun for me and I was constantly tired and always cold with wet hair. My new coaches were also difficult to adjust to, as they demanded more of me. I remember constantly getting into trouble. I was a young difficult teenager; rebellious and emotional. I would have long talks with my coach Ron about how I wanted to have a social life and how I felt like I was missing out. He was always talking to me about the bigger picture and my future, which I was unable to see at the time. I would talk back to him, challenge him, and fight with him often, yet it was through his high expectations that I grew as a young athlete. He gave me a set of lessons to build my future on; attention to detail, discipline, setting bigger goals, and developing an appreciation for my family and the strong community that we lived in. He also developed my stroke technique and my confidence in racing, which provided a solid foundation for the next level of competition that I would experience at UCLA.

I moved down to Los Angeles to study and train at UCLA, which inevitably came with a higher level of expectation. I was intimidated by the workload and was fearful I wouldn’t survive all four years training at that level while also managing my schoolwork and travel demands. Again, I was lucky to have two coaches to help guide me during those years of doubt and struggle. My coaches Greg and Cyndi gave me the faith that I needed to push past my comfort levels. After one particularly hard week, I remember calling my coach Greg crying because I was so overwhelmed with the demands of Division-1 swimming, schoolwork, and all the social distractions that came with university life. His ability to calmly listen, understand, and support me during this transition was one reason I kept going—even though I was doubting myself and my abilities. I remember he would say, “find a way” when I would be swimming slow. He set the bar higher than I set for myself and eventually, I rose up to it.

My head coach Cyndi was my source of strength that propelled me to competing at the Olympic Games. I had doubted my abilities for years, thinking I wasn’t good enough to race at that elite level. I was only 18 when I began swimming with her and was more than a handful for the first few years. She demanded the best out of us, and if I wasn’t giving 100% in workout, she would kick me out of the pool. Cyndi allowed me to make mistakes, but there were definitely consequences for my occasionally reckless behavior. There were times when I missed morning workouts because I was out  late with my friends, and once I was suspended for a week. She helped me take ownership for my actions and she taught me not to compare myself to others, which was something I had always done. She encouraged me to set personal and athletic goals, to work with UCLA’s sports psychologist and nutritionist. Cyndi gave me the opportunity to explore elements of training that I had never thought of.  She believed in my potential and nourished my self-confidence with her ability to see me as more than just a talented athlete. She was there for me outside of the pool when I was having difficulty with my parent’s divorce and breakups with boyfriends. I trusted her like family and was able to open up to her about problems in my life that would inevitably affect my performance in the water. Her strength of character gave me the courage to eventually qualify for the Olympic team and compete at the highest level of swimming.

Each of my former coaches has deeply impacted my life. There is no doubt in my mind that without all the lessons my coaches instilled in me throughout the years, I would have never become an Olympian. The power that coaches posses to positively impact and empower the lives of others is unmatched and is a such a rare gift. I was beyond blessed to have had a handful of coaches who gave me the courage and confidence to pursue my dreams and to appreciate all the opportunity in sports. Although he was never my personal coach, every UCLA Bruin learned from the great John Wooden and one of his quotes still inspires me to this day: “success is never final, failure is never fatal, it’s courage that counts.”

“I Do” vs. “I Can”: Marriage Equality and Youth Sports

This summer, Americans witnessed the highest court of the land deliver a message to LGBTQ youth that one day they too, can say “I do.” But little more than a month prior to the ruling, a rather startling survey revealed that many LGBTQ youth continued to suffer from widespread prejudice in sports settings across the nation. The levels of homophobia and discrimination in youth sports, in which the U.S. ranked worst of the six countries surveyed, suggest that the legal victory of “I do,” while important, may have little bearing on the persistent social challenges faced by LGBTQ youth in saying “I can.” By “I can,” I mean “I can play baseball.” “I can play basketball.” “I can play football.” The study looked at 9,500 LGBTQ people in 6 countries and found that 84% of gay males and 82% of lesbians were subject to verbal slurs like ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’ while participating in sports. Half of gay men and nearly a third of lesbians hid their sexuality from their teammates for fear of rejection, and only 1% of those surveyed felt that gays and lesbians were completely accepted in youth sports.

Invariably, in every one of the situations in which discrimination occurred, there was an adult, also known as the coach, who either paid no attention or tacitly allowed these homophobic slurs to slip under their radar without intervening. The effects of these coaches’ ignorance are not just that the vast majority of LGBTQ drop out of sports because they do not feel welcomed, but also that the coach establishes a norm in which the wider umbrella of prejudice and bullying becomes acceptable to all youth, gay or straight. This is neither good for sports nor good for this nation.

Sports programs must be inclusive of all youth, and coaches must be trained to value and promote diversity and inclusion. We simply cannot afford to have any child drop out of sports based on prejudice. It is anathema to what sports represent to our society as a way to bring people together. It is also damaging to the overall process of child development. The evidence that participation in sports creates healthier and more engaged citizens is overwhelming. Boys who play sports are much less likely to drop out of school and much more likely to avoid making bad choices like joining a gang. Girls who play sports are more likely to have confidence and self-esteem, graduate from school, and avoid teenage pregnancy. The regular physical activity that comes from sports is now being linked to stress reduction, cognitive skill building and crucial brain development that contribute to children’s grit and self-worth. The case for youth sports is clear:  youth sports are critical to child development. For LGBTQ youth who experience higher rates of depression and suicide, these benefits may literally save lives.

It is critical that schools, parks and other publicly financed institutions require coaches to be certified in sports-based youth development (SBYD).   SBYD incorporates the best practices in positive youth development into coaching so that coaches know how to address issues like bullying, racism, homophobia and sexual harassment among their teams.

The results of this recent study remind me of an SBYD training conducted by Up2Us Sports in Los Angeles that involved more than 100 coaches, many of them from urban minority communities. The training provided coaches with resources and methodologies for designing practices that engage all youth; promote social interaction across race, gender, and sexual orientation; address issues of trauma; inspire health and wellness; and maximize the sports experience as one of growth, learning and fun. Upon the completion of the training, one of the coaches stood up and shared his story of being a gay man in an inner-city community in which his family, his church, and his sports team disowned him. He described a journey of feeling so isolated that he nearly dropped out of school and got involved in violence and other negative behaviors just to cover up his identity and his lack of acceptance. He concluded that it was his love of sports that eventually motivated him to turn his life around and become a coach. While he stated that he did not intend to “come out” at the training, the training enabled him to understand that his plight was shared by millions of children in this country whose silence in sports was reinforced by coaches who were never trained to speak out about prejudice and bullying. He said that only now did he realize the influence that a coach could have in making a child believe that he belonged.

It's important now more than ever that we train our coaches to step up to the plate and be the role models that their positions require. This is not a gay issue, it’s a youth development issue. Sport is the level playing field that has historically been the platform for ending prejudice and discrimination. It is important that one day when LGBTQ youth say “I do,” it's because they grew up just like any other youth who said  “I can.”

“I can play basketball.”

“I can play soccer.”

“I can play sports.”

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In 2013, Up2Us Sports and the Ben Cohen StandUP Foundation partnered to increase awareness of bullying in youth sports by creating an anti-bullying curriculum and toolkit for programs and coaches. The toolkit is built to ensure that all coaches have the awareness, knowledge, and strategies to make safe sports environments a reality. Click here learn more about the training and to access the toolkit.

 

Ambassador Claressa Shields Shares Documentary with Flint Youth

Up2Us Sports ambassador, Claressa Shields returned to her home town of Flint, Michigan to inspire youth with T-Rex, the award-winning documentary about her road to becoming the first woman to win an olympic gold medal in boxing in the 2012 olympics. In the documentary, the filmmakers show how Claressa was able to overcome her difficult upbringing through her love of boxing and the help of her coach.  Claressa met with 130 youth after the screening to answer questions and sign autographs.  In addition to the youth screening with member organization Crim Fitness, a public screening was held in the evening with over 300 attendees, including the Mayor of Flint.

Measuring Healthy Choice Behavior in At-Risk Youth

By School-to-School International

Up2Us Sports is encouraging undeserved youth in cities across America to make positive life choices through its Sports-Based Youth Development Program. Up2Us Sports harnesses the power of sports to ultimately reduce youth violence, promote health, and inspire academic success. School-to-School International had the opportunity to collaborate with the New York-based organization to help measure the extent to which their programming is instilling healthy choice attributes in participants.

Research has shown a correlation between certain attributes in young people and the types of life choices they make. In fact, eight “High Impact Attributes” have been isolated as key predictors of future healthy decision-making in youth: Self-Awareness, Positive Identity, Situational Awareness, Plan B Thinking, Future Focus, Discipline, Social Confidence, and Prosocial Connections. Up2Us Sports uses these eight High Impact Attributes as a scale to measure the success of its Coach Across America program.

STS assisted Up2Us Sports in producing annual surveys to study changes in youth before and after participating in Coach Across America programs. Tools for surveying youth in two different age groups were piloted. STS used widely accepted techniques of quantitative statistical analysis to analyze the pilot test results and ensure the survey design would produce reliable results. In addition to the eight High Impact Attributes, STS recommended the inclusion of a Global Well-Being1 scale, an overall predictor of social and emotional health.

We hope this work will help Up2Us Sports in establishing accurate linkages between their Sports-Based Youth Development Programs and healthy decision-making attributes in youth participants.

1. The items used in this survey are based on the well-being scale in Gallup’s publicly available survey items.

Up2Us Sports partnered with School-to-School International to increase the effectiveness of its evaluation of the Coach Across America program. The blog was originally published here on the STS blog.

Miami Marlins Honor Up2Us Sports as 2015 Charity Partner

On Friday, July 31^st, the Miami Marlins honored Up2Us Sports as a 2015 Charity Partner.  The Miami Marlins have funded Up2Us Sports’ work in the Miami area and provided SBYD training for all baseball coaches in MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. 

In celebration of this partnership, Up2Us Sports coaches, board members, donors and staff attended and participated in the game to spread the word about sports-based youth development. Up2Us Sports donor Robin Green threw the first pitch of the game, followed by Leonel “Macho” Garcia giving the Play Ball announcement. Garcia was accompanied by his coach, Kleiton Almeida, Up2Us Sports’ 2015 Coach of the Year. 

An additional $6,000 was raised to support Up2Us Sports through ticket proceeds, 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. We look forward to continuing our work in Miami with the Marlins. 

Worldwide Day of Play Hosted by Up2Us Sports, Nickelodeon, and Mayor of Miami Gardens

Up2Us Sports was proud to partner with Nickelodeon and the City of Miami Gardens to host a Worldwide Day of Play to kickoff Mayor Oliver Gilbert’s citywide fitness challenge.  Nearly 2,000 kids from summer camps across Miami-Dade and Broward County got a chance to participate in active play with Coach Across America coaches and Nickelodeon stars from Every Witch Way. Coach Across America coaches from the Miami area had kids running around, playing 4-square and tossing water balloons to stay cool.  A mix of experienced and new coaches were leading games and using coaching techniques they learned at the National Coach Training Institute.

Up2Us Sports also received a generous donation of $10,000 from Nickelodeon to continue to improve the Miami area through sports.

Paralympian Matt Scott Inspires Brooklyn Youth

Three-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Matt Scott has travelled the world playing the sport he loves and on July 24th it took him deep into the heart of one Brooklyn’s most under-served communities: East New York. In the utility room of the Nelson Mandela Community Center, Up2Us Sports member organization Street Soccer USA gathered 50 of their summer camp children to hear Scott share his inspiring story about how sports have made a powerful impact in his life.  Born with Spina Bifida, Scott has spent his entire life in a wheelchair. But he didn’t let it stop him from playing a game he fell in love with at a young age. He answered questions from the group of 7 and 8 year olds that ranged from how he goes to bed at night to who his favorite basketball player is. He surprised all of them when he was handed a basketball and showed off his expert ball handling skills.  Matt showed these Brooklyn youth how sport allowed him to turn his disability into an opportunity - and an Olympic medal!

Matt has represented the United States in international wheelchair basketball for over a decade, including at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. Team USA opens play against Colombia at the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto on August 8th, in preparation for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.