Allen Sports Association (ASA) is a volunteer-based, nonprofit youth sports organization founded in 1976 by Allen citizens. The purpose of the organization is to provide quality sports and recreation for children who reside in the cities of Allen, Lucas, and Fairview. They promote year-round sports programs and provide the organization and leadership necessary to carry on such programs in the best interest and advantage of all participants. Programs are open to players of all levels and experience and there are currently ten sports programs. Over 18,000 participants enrolled annually and over 3,000 volunteers participate at various levels, from coaching to serving on committees.
We spoke with Angela Martinez, Sports Specialist at ASA, about the importance of team sports at a young age. Having been active in sports from a very early age through her college years, Angela is often asked about her favorite aspects of being involved in sports. As a competitor, she always includes the competition component. However, there are three aspects of youth sports that she believes are of the greatest value.
The first are the life lessons learned through sports, such as the value of teamwork, the importance of fundamentals, sportsmanship, overcoming adversity, and the power of perseverance. These lessons extend beyond sports and apply throughout life.
Youth sports also help develop valuable skills on and off the field. Kids learn fundamental skills in their respective sports, which they can build upon as they continue. Team sports also allow kids to develop interpersonal skills, learning to work together for success. This skill is crucial in life, as working with different abilities and personalities to achieve a common goal is challenging but essential.
Beyond the lessons and skills gained, the friendships built through being on a team are priceless. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of team sports. The team learns together, celebrates victories, and supports each other in defeat. The camaraderie built through these experiences is hard to describe for those who have not been part of team sports. To this day, Angela's closest friends are her teammates from over 30 years ago, and she cannot imagine not having them as lifelong friends.
There are countless benefits to team sports and engaging kids early. While it is difficult to outline all of them in one article, Angela confidently states that getting kids involved in team sports is an investment that is priceless.
Allen Sports Association aims to provide a solid foundation for kids starting out in their program and build upon that for years to come. To achieve this goal, they are always looking for volunteers. If you would like to volunteer for any of the programs, please visit our www.allensports.org to register. Another way that you can get involved is through being part of the annual Play Fore Kids Golf Tournament on September 20th . This is ASA's annual fundraiser which allows them to keep registration costs low for sports programs, as they never want finances to be an obstacle to kids participation with ASA.