League Sports

CAC Panthers
The Christian Activity Center coaches four competitive, co-ed basketball teams. 100 boys and girls (25 youth in each of four age groups) compete successfully as the CAC Panthers in area basketball leagues.

The Panthers play league basketball games every Sunday afternoon. Times vary by week. Please contact Cyra Lohman: cyra@cacesl.org for a schedule of games.

The CAC Panthers’ 3rd – 5th grade team took 1st place in the 2005 Youth Sportsplex Basketball League and ended the season with an impressive 8-0 record! The Panthers’ 9th – 11th grade team placed 3rd in the 2004 St. Louis Men’s Basketball League and ended the season with a solid 11-6 record.

League membership fees are supported by the CAC to allow talented youth to compete at a high level of competition year-round. The CAC Panthers have won 7 league championship titles in the past 5 years under the leadership of coach Jonelle Evans. Among CAC’s many amazing athletes is one high school senior who this fall will play Men’s Basketball for the Saint Louis University Billikens!

The objectives of CAC’s recreation program are as follows:

• To provide daily physical education for girls and boys ages 6-18: Budget cuts in our local school systems have reduced the number of physical education hours that our children receive each year. In addition to increasing children’s physical fitness, these programs provide important opportunities for teaching the values of sharing, cooperation, and conflict management. For this reason, the CAC developed a regular physical education program, using the President’s Physical Fitness model, which measures and tracks the physical development of more than 125 elementary school children. We then incorporated these achievements into our popular “Rams 28 Club,” a project sponsored by the Marshall Faulk and St. Louis Rams Foundations that provides incentives for children’s health, educational, and personal development. These fitness records are also reviewed by our Nurse/Health Educator to identify children with physical needs and ensure they receive screenings or services from one of our healthcare partners.
  
• To provide alternative recreation opportunities for all girls and boys: Understanding that not all children and youth are initially attracted to physical education and competitive sports, we have made increasing efforts in the past few years to expand our range of “alternative” recreation activities. Numerous studies demonstrate that play, both structured and unstructured, helps children develop physical and personal self-confidence, learn to socialize effectively with peers, and express themselves creatively. In this area, our volunteer staff (primarily from Greenville and McKendree Colleges) has proven invaluable, organizing and supervising “New Games” (non-competitive group play) and working with small groups and one-on-one with individual skills development. In 2002 we added an “Indoor Playground,” an age-appropriate play area for 50-70 primary school age children. Overall, we expect to reach more than 2,000 girls and boys through some form of alternative, small group, or individual recreational activity in 2005.
  
• To provide year-round team sports and competitive play to girls and boys ages 10-18: For several years the CAC has fielded one of the more competitive boy’s basketball teams in our city. More recently, we have expanded this program to include girl’s basketball and volleyball, slow pitch softball, and a new summer track program. (Note: while the participation of our girls in these programs has increased almost 30%, we are one of the few community centers fielding girls teams, limiting girl’s opportunities for play). Equally important is our requirement that participants provide regular evidence of school attendance and good grades, which allows us to develop a strong alliance with our local system. In 2002 our Recreation Coordinator made even greater strides in this area, training and monitoring our volunteer coaches so that we can better review each player’s physical, personal, and academic development. This requirement of both academic and sports achievement has provided several of our current participants and CAC “graduates” with access to further educational opportunities they might not have otherwise experienced given their economic realities. For example, two of our youth were invited to attend a special basketball camp at Wake Forest University (NC) three summers ago. We currently have six graduates – four young women and two young men- attending schools such as University of North Carolina, the University of Kentucky, and Northwest Missouri State on athletic scholarships. In 2005 we intend to continue this program with increased outreach and support to other local community centers, especially in assisting agencies in developing girl’s sports programs.
  
• To provide summer camps, clinics, and recreational outings to children and youth 6-18: During summer months, the CAC holds extended hours. In addition to continuing our previously described components, we take advantage of the additional time and warm weather to schedule more outdoor activities, both on and off site. For example, approximately 125 CAC children have the opportunity to attend one of two week-long, overnight rural summer camps that offer a broader range of recreation activities than we can offer at our site, such as swimming, boating, and archery. We also coordinate a number of field trips, nature walk, hikes, and trips to waterparks and Cardinals games. In addition to our continuing schedule of team sports, we are fortunate to host several short-term sports clinics led by visiting college volunteers and groups such as the Southern Missouri Sports Crusaders, now in their eleventh year of providing basketball, volleyball, football, and cheerleading camps, as well as sportsmanship training to CAC children and youth. During the summer of 2005, we plan to continue these programs and increase our range and number of local field trips for our children and youth.