As a kid, YMCA Board Member Dean Koelbel and Vice President of Koebel and Company was always small for his age. He joined a basketball team at the University Hills-Schlessman YMCA in second grade, and getting the ball through the hoop didn’t come easily for him. When he scored his very first basket during a game, his teammates rushed the court with hugs and high fives. Today, Dean is vice president for Koelbel real estate company and has three kids, who are growing into athletes as he did. Decades later, he’s still close with his YMCA basketball teammates. And every time he walks into the Schlessman gymnasium, he’s transported back to childhood, that special game day and the love and support of true friends.

“Sports not only promote physical activity but also boost mental health and self-esteem. For me as a kid, I also benefited from the social skills — being around peers, having a common goal and developing as a leader.”
 

YMCA staff member Jessica Giffin knows the power of YMCA Youth Sports. As a high schooler, she fine-tuned her game by playing on a YMCA adult rec basketball team. As a mother of three, she strengthened her relationship with her daughter by coaching her third/fourth-grade YMCA basketball team. And as a long-time Y member, she applies what she learned on the court to her workouts, shooting hoops as her warm-up!

“It’s about bringing a positive attitude, showing up for your teammates, listening to your coach and playing with heart.” 
 

YMCA Board Member and Vice President at FirstBank Greg Shields learned how to play basketball at the University Hills-Schlessman YMCA. Because his parents worked in the military, his family moved around a lot. But at the Y, Greg found a place of belonging. Now senior vice president with FirstBank, he volunteers his time coaching Y youth basketball.

“I was that kid searching for a place to belong and grow, so I understand first-hand what a vital role a place like the Y can play in a child’s life. I learned so much from my YMCA Youth Sports coaches and teammates that has guided me through school and life.”

YMCA staff member Amy Ventura played sports for the very first time when she was 7 years old, on a YMCA soccer team. After that, she continued YMCA soccer and later got her first taste of basketball on a Y team. From there, she tried every sport she could — tennis, softball, volleyball, track & field. That first YMCA Youth Sports experience set the foundation for her love of sports and experience as a high school athlete. So, it makes sense that her son also had his very first sports experience at the Y, on the T-ball team for 4-year-olds.

“Team sports are so amazing in their ability to teach you how to work together, support others, build relationships and just have fun.”
 

Professional football player Bubba Bolden “literally grew up in the YMCA.” It was his second home partially because his mom Breezy Bolden is a long-time YMCA staff member, and current Denver YMCA CEO. It’s also because he loved sports, and at the Y, he could experience them in an environment that also instilled core values like leadership, work ethic and social skills. The positivity and encouragement of his YMCA coaches motivated him to keep pushing for his life goals — which eventually led him to become an All-American high school football player, a starting safety for the University of Miami and a Seattle Seahawks draft pick at age 22. Bubba is grateful for the lessons he learned at the Y, both on and off the football field, and he’s still in touch with his YMCA friends and supporters.

“Participating in youth sports shows you that you can be special, and that’s exactly what it did for me. The role that YMCA Youth Sports played on my path to the NFL was big. Playing football at the Y taught me skills and grit, and the coaches and staff instilled in me the belief that I could be great and that I could do anything I wanted in this world.”  

Throughout his youth in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Don Matthews was a championship swimmer for the YMCA. Today, yellowing newspaper articles and carefully preserved awards medals serve as testament to his skill at breaststroke and his YMCA Youth Sports experience.

And something else serves as testament too: his granddaughter YMCA staff member Liz Matthews, whom he taught to swim at the New Jersey shore near their home. Liz remembers water, pools and the ocean being a focal point for time spent with her grandfather, “Pops.” Like him, Liz grew up loving sports, as she played on youth soccer teams coached by her father, Don’s son. “When I think back to my childhood,” Liz says, “my biggest memories are all the sports teams I played on, so much time traveling to and from games — so much time with family.”

"Youth sports were a huge part of my childhood, helping me to learn teamwork, work ethic and confidence, and giving me so many friendships.”

As a long-time YMCA staff member, Sandy McClain knew the powerful impact of YMCA Youth Sports well before she had kids of her own. So, she brought her two sons to the Y for sports skills and physical activity from the time they were babies. She exposed them to as many different opportunities as possible — baseball, soccer, basketball, swimming and more — so they could find their own passion. Max became a college pitcher and Brody was a two-sport high school athlete. Not only did they benefit from learning teamwork, gaining leadership skills and making friends, but they also leveraged YMCA Youth Sports to chart career paths, as they both now work for the Y!

"Through YMCA Youth Sports, we created a lot of family memories — and both of my sons found their own passions.”