Information in this staff report was provided by the City of Santa Maria. 

SPOKANE, Wash. – Meet Jack Coy, a wheelchair athlete playing in Hoopfest at 14 years old, getting the opportunity to play with kids just like him.

“It’s priceless,” Coy said. “I never could’ve imagined something like this that could’ve happened. It’s truly amazing.”

“It makes me feel like I have friends to play with, that I belong here.”

Coy’s mom and dad both played basketball, and his brother is his biggest competition.

“I’ve been basically playing basketball my whole life,” Coy said. “My brother also plays basketball, and we’re both very, very competitive, so just trying to get that edge on each other.”

Jack’s mom, Stephanie, says she loves being able to watch her son play, and done in an environment so welcoming and opening has Hoopfest.

“It fills you up with a lot of pride,” Coy said. “It’s pretty tough competition, so, you’re cheering and hoping that they win, but yeah, you want everyone to win and have a good time.”

Parasport Spokane Development Director David Greig helped lead the organization of the event, and he spoke on what the most rewarding part of providing a space for wheelchair youth who love to hit the court.

“What we hope to see is these young kids seeing the future, seeing something to aspire towards, and getting to meet hands-on. They don’t get to see this on TV, right. They don’t get to see this on ESPN, so we bring it here for them, and they get to witness it firsthand and their parents, and it gives them something to shoot for.”

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A young girl dribbles a basketball under the guidance of Imlay City girls’ varsity basketball coach Bob Bova Tuesday morning at the annual Youth Skills Camp.

Thirty-five girls in grades one-eight turned out for the three-day Imlay City Youth Basketball Skills Camp Tuesday-Thursday at the high school.

The lucky campers were instructed by varsity girls’ basketball coach Bob Bova and his entire coaching staff, Kevin Pilarski, Katie Dye and Mark Weigle along with Middle School Coach Kristyn Kurka.

Bova said the camp focused on age-appropriate skills and how to use them properly.

“We are teaching age-appropriate fundamental skills along with introducing game concepts in order to increase players confidence, understanding and ultimately, passion for the game of basketball,” Bova said. “Our Team Slogan/ Motto is “212 degrees – be the S-Team” which encourages players to give great effort, never quit and be great teammates. We want the campers, and our players, to have a great experience and have fun while working to improve their games.”

Bova had plenty of help at the camp with what he called “an outstanding turnout of volunteer camp counselors”. They included: freshmen Addison Brown, Adalyn Seigler, Macie Stine, Isabella O’Malley and Yariela Galeana; sophomores Leelynn Craven, Mia-Ann Grapentin, Roslyn Bruman and Gabbey Duncan; juniors Ava Nadrowski, Savannah Douglas, Mackenzie and Alexis Bruyere; and seniors Hannah Carney, Lilley Duncan and Adrianna Vlahos.

One of the many campers in attendance at Tuesday’s opening day of the annual Imlay City girls’ basketball Youth Skills camp gives it her all as she heaves the ball up and toward the basket.

Bova also had some headliners to lead by example.

“We were honored to have special guest coaches Amy Forti and Imlay City alum Mary Lengemann at camp to support out Program,” added Bova. “It is fun, exciting and rewarding to be able to work with these young players and a great opportunity for our current players to give back to the program. It wasn’t so long ago that they were the campers looking up to the high school players.”

The annual camp is part of a bigger goal for Bova and Imlay City High School.

“We are dedicated to building the excitement and passion for Imlay City Girls Basketball and this camp is vital to that mission,” Bova stressed. “We are also having a golf outing on August 10 at Castle Creek to support Imlay City Boys and Girls Basketball, along with the Imlay City Volleyball program. Also, our 3-on-3 Basketball tournament on August 16. We are hoping for a great turnout.”

A camper at the Imlay City girls’ Youth Skills Camp works on dribbling and shooting on the opening day of camp on Tuesday. Photos by Erin Wetzel

— Lisa Paine

Two of the 35 campers in attendance at Imlay City’s girls’ basketball Youth Skills camp work on their age-appropriate skills, putting them to the test against each other in Tuesday morning’s first day of camp.

Imlay City varsity girls’ basketball coach Bob Bova instructs two of the young girls on how to shoot from the floor at Tuesday’s opening day of Youth Skills Camp at the high school.

DENISON, Texas (KXII) – The Denison 10U All Stars are looking to keep their season going this weekend.

After winning their district tournament, they’ve now advanced to the Diamond Youth Sports Regional Tournament in Paris.

They earned a 7-4 win over Spring Hill today, and with a win tomorrow, they’ll advance to the state tournament. The team is excited to be able to continue playing together.

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On Saturday, at Susens Field in Superior, kids of all ages had the chance to try their hand at a sport growing in the Twin Ports, rugby.

“So, we had a lot of passing drills today. Moved it through pretty quickly so the kids could kind of have some fun but also learn a little bit about the game. And just appreciate the spirit of camaraderie with rugby,” said Jeramy Katchuba, Director of Youth Rugby for the Twin Ports Rugby Football Club.

The youth event was hosted by the Twin Ports Rugby Football Club and was a kickoff to their new youth rugby program. Katchuba said he chose to get involved with the program after noticing a lack of youth opportunities following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve got a strong group of people that are looking at ways to get it reintroduced to the community. And I said, you know what, I’d really love to help out with getting youth rugby going again,” said Katchuba.

The aim of the event, and coming events, is to connect youth athletes with the sport of rugby, but also with each other.

“I think one, just the physical activity piece of it. You know, making sure that kids are getting out there, being physically active, having some fun. Two, it’s all about the spirit and camaraderie, building community. It’s a new opportunity for kids to have fun, but also engage with others,” said Katchuba.

Katchuba said being able to connect younger generations with seasoned players shows that there is a future for the sport in the Twin Ports.

“I’ve been playing for over 30 years. It’s fun, you get to meet new people, it’s a physical activity, but it also builds community. Some of my strongest friends, longest friends are people that I met 30 years ago,” said Katchuba.

The Twin Ports Rugby Football Club is working with local schools, community centers, and other local organizations to bring rugby to the community, aiming to get the ball in front of as many young athletes as they can.

The Twin Ports Rugby Football Club is hosting a youth flag rugby program on Tuesday nights in August from 6PM-7:30PM for all kids ages 5-13 years old. Registration opens on June 28th. Click here for more information.