What: Jr. NBA Skills Challenge
Who: Boys and Girls, age 13 and under
Where: Leman Manhattan – 41 Broad St. 9th Floor
Cost: FREE
Sign-up: Email Paul@kidsinthegame.com or come to event 30 minutes prior to start

Do you have the moves like Steph Curry? Can you handle the ball like Maya Moore? Good. Come show us! KING Hoops is excited to host their Jr. NBA Skills Challenge Event February 17th at The Franciscan Community Center. The event will take place from 1:30pm to 3:00pm and is open to boys and girls 13 years and younger. Oh, and did I mention it was free? Yes, free! Boys and girls will compete is separate divisions (14U and 12U) and showcase their ball handling and shooting skills.

To see the official rules click here

From this local competition the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will advance to the regional competition with a chance to advance to the national competition in June.

Finalists for the national competition win an all-expense paid trip to New York City, receive gift bags, attend special events, interact with NBA/WNBA/D-League Players, Legends, & Draftees, and attend the 2017 NBA Draft.

Questions? Email KING Hoops Basketball Director at Paul@kidsinthegame.com

It isn’t easy to summarize a year at Kids in the Game – there are so many small victories that go unseen with the children we work with. Measuring confidence, friendships, perseverance, and just plain fun are not always possible. However, we close out 2017 knowing that those are the wins that we are most proud of. Our organization’s purpose is to change the way New York City children are growing up and this year was a huge step towards reaching our goals. Reading through our 2015 and 2016 reviews, we continue to make tremendous progress and find ourselves more and more excited about what is yet to come. Here are some of the highlights from the year and what you can expect to see from KING in 2018:

1. We continue to expand and serve more schools and families across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx – we worked with over 16,000 children this year across summer camps, school programming, and our travel teams. Our team has approached ~100 talented coaches, yet we still feel like a family in our approach.

2. We had our best summer yet! Our 4 summer camps served ~700 families from June to August as we continued to add new and creative programming for the kids. We had an emphasis on improving our swimming program, adding lessons and better facilities. There was also more interaction between our camps, as we had days that our older camps went to other sites to meet new friends and have some healthy competition. We had fun building out our theme weeks (ie Camp Olympics, Through the Decades, Spirit Week, Superhero Week, etc) and have some creative ideas for 2018 in the works. Our newest location was opened in Park Slope, and look forward to announcing our 5th location for 2018 here shortly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvGsjrPjuiI

3. Although we have a team full of active, energetic, sports lovers, we also consciously opened our mind in 2017 to how technology can enhance what we do. We grew our partnership with CodingKidz, providing after-school and summer camp programs in Robotics, Coding, and Video Game Design, as well as made November ‘Sports Technology’ month across all our schools. Our kids collectively walked to Australia in November (measured by our Fitbits), we had SportsTechie cover our Virtual Reality event at Corpus Christi School, and started meeting as a team to talk about other technology and innovation that will help engage more children and enhance our sports programs. It certainly won’t replace what we do at the core, but always looking for ways to improve!

4. Our travel teams continued to make us oh so proud. KING Hoops had 5 teams playing this fall between middle school and high school, with kids coming from many of our schools and communities we work in throughout the year. We won our first tournament this year in Connecticut, and almost all age groups made tournament runs more regularly. Winning isn’t everything, but we’re a competitive group! KING Spikes, our volleyball program, continued to grow and is primed for a big year in 2018. We launched KING Speed, our track and field program, led by Suzie Clinchy who joined our team this year. We are so proud of the programs we’ve run in schools (PS 188M, Blessed Sacrament, Rebecca School, Leman Manhattan) and of our kids that are starting to run in competitive meets around the city. We take a lot of pride in wearing KING on our jersey and the way our players represent us and continue to grow.

5. Furthering our mission to reach all children in NYC, our non-profit KING Kids has made tremendous progress in bridging the opportunity gap. In our first full year of operation, we were humbled by the amount of support and empathy people have for making sure all schools and families have access to positive coaches and opportunities to play sports. We built a junior board of talented young professionals that have helped us drive the movement and fundraise for scholarships and new programming. Our team hosted our first large fundraising event, a 3 on 3 tournament at St Francis, with over 20 teams. We ran our first corporate volunteer day with VML Foundation, donating sports equipment to 3 public schools across Harlem and the Bronx. We’ve added life skills workshops and academic support opportunities for all our travel teams. We built a website. Tons of good work, and the best part is that we are just getting started! So much to do in 2018 in our community and we appreciate everyone’s willingness to help our cause!

6. Not always apparent to our families or schools, but we have turned inward to make staff development and training a top priority as an organization. Both personal and professional development is a big part of working at KING, which ultimately helps us grow together and run better and better programs in the community. That will continue to be the case in 2018!

Our team continues to believe in the power of sports and positive coaching to help kids grow. Although not something we typically share with our following, our internal core values are what continues to drive our decision making and what we truly believe in while we work with youth. We wanted to share them with you below to give you some insight into what we are all about and our team’s daily focus as we continue strengthening our programs.

1. Radiate positivity and a family spirit
2. Lead by example through healthy habits
3. Embrace individual strengths and diverse backgrounds
4. Present solutions, not problems
5. Be resourceful and creative – do more with less
6. Constant pursuit of personal growth and learning
7. See the big picture
8. Be a world-class communicator
9. Work as a team, play as a team, grow as a team
10. Strive to always be the best part of our kids’ day

Thank you to everyone that has made 2017 such a year to remember. The support we get from principals, parents, coaches, partners, friends, and family is what keeps us energized and healthy. More to come from KING!

In the world of sports, improving is the name of the game. This goes for not only players but coaches as well. There is a reason why the best coaches are relevant year after year: they are constantly learning and adapting to the game. Kids in the Game is excited to partner with CHAMPS (Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated and Positive Students) this March to provide free coaching clinics to middle school basketball coaches. The clinics will lead into an exciting 2017 Spring CHAMPS basketball season beginning in the end of March.

Coaches at participating CHAMPS programs are able to participate in the FREE clinics. The clinics will feature instructive lectures as well as on-the-court sessions. Participants will gain knowledge on many valuable topics, ranging from philosophy to X’s and O’s. Coaches will also gain experience on practice planning, game management and communication approaches. Additionally, strategies for working with kids with varying backgrounds and experiences will be an important component of the trainings as both CHAMPS and Kids in the Game work in diverse spaces.

Each participant of the coaching clinic will receive printed materials to reference during the clinic as well as to take home and implement during their own practices. Attendees should wear appropriate attire for active participation.

Registration is available on Eventbrite (registration is required). 3 dates are available and coaches are free to sign up for 1 date of their choice. Space is limited, so please sign up early!

1. Date: Saturday, March 11, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: M. S. 302 Luisa Dessus Cruz (8X302)
681 Kelly St. Bronx 10455
To register click here

2. Date: Saturday, March 18, 2017

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m
Location: Hunters Point Community Middle School (30Q291)
1-50 51st. Ave. Queens 11101
To register click here

3. Date: Saturday, March 25
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m
Location: Ebbets Field Middle School (17K352)

46 McKeever Pl. Brooklyn 11225
To register click here

If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@kidsinthegame or contact the CHAMPS coordinator Alan Semel at ASemel@schools.nyc.gov

From New York to California and everywhere in between we asked coaches of all levels to share what it means to be a coachable athlete. This compilation is a unique insight into what coaches want to see from their athletes beyond goals, points, and fast times. As an athlete, ask yourself… are you doing these things? What can you improve upon? And as a parent… are you encouraging these traits? Are you allowing your child to be coached?

Paul O’Connor- KING Hoops Coach/Director and Former DI Coach

“Being coachable to me is all about two things: not taking correction personally and the ability to take critical feedback and then directly applying that feedback into the game. It means being an extension of the coach on the court, being even keeled, never getting too high and never getting too low. To me being coachable is a simple as this Doc Rivers quote, “Good players want to be coached, great players want to be told the truth”.”

Wilson Rose- Kids in the Game Coach of Physical Literacy and School of the Blessed Sacrament Middle School Basketball Team

“Coach-ability at its core is the desire to learn. Working with youth in sports is most rewarding when an athlete learns how to take works and put then into actions. When young athletes show the innate passion for learning how their bodies work and accept the challenge of how to put coaching feedback into movements, coaches jobs are easy. The more malleable and curious the mind, the more coachable the athlete!”

Connor Gandossy- Current DI Baseball Coach – St. Louis University

“A coachable baseball is someone open to advice or criticism in order to develop their craft/skills. Sports are a forever adapting game, players must be sponges in order to better their careers.”

Tatum Boehnke – Former DI Swim Coach- Northern Colorado

“To me being a coachable athlete means no eye rolls, pouty lips or crossed arms. You may think that your coach can’t see these mannerisms or that they don’t matter, but believe me, they do. Body language is one of the easiest indications of which athletes are ready to listen, ready to learn, and ultimately ready to become a better athlete. Be careful of what your expressions and posture are saying because they often say more than words. Coachable athletes make eye contact and react with positive stance.”

Katherine Higuera-Mccoy- KING Spikes Head Volleyball Coach

“There is a big difference when you are “forced” to do a sport and don’t have the drive or passion for it. For my girls playing volleyball, coaching them is a pleasure and easier because they want to be there. They continue to ask questions and look for feedback. Most importantly these athletes try to find ways to improve in the sport. They are coachable athletes because of their positive attitudes and how they work actively together.”

Mats Boehnke – FIS Coach – Mammoth Mountain and USA Western Region Development Coach

“Ski racing, arguably, has the most peaks and valleys of any sport. Athletes can go from the top of the podium one day to literally crashing into a net the next. Some race runs feel fast but turn out to be slow while others feel awful and turn out to be super fast. It’s a mental roller-coaster that can discourage even the most mentally tough. Being a coachable athlete mens someone that can stay positive and even keeled despite the frustrations. An athlete works hard during the low times but harder during the high times. Most importantly, a coachable athlete means respecting the sports, dreaming of success and working as hard as you can to get “there.”

Alicen Fair – Elementary and Middle School Coach – ACES Swim Team

“So much of competitive swimming is centered around perfect technique. If you can commit to perfect technique during a hard practice, it will translate to more effective strokes. This ultimately leads to faster times at meets. To me, being a coachable athlete in the pool is putting effort into bettering your craft. It’s easy to get corrections from a coach but it is much harder to actually apply those corrections. When I see athletes putting in effort to better technique, I know they are a coachable athlete.”

King Elite Youth Basketball Tryouts

We are holding 10U, 12U, and 14U team tryouts. (Ages 9-14 are welcome to join us!) The program will be under the direction of Michael Murphy, former NCAA Division I Coach at Columbia University. The cost per tryout is $10.

 
Tryout Dates:

• March 11th, 25 Greenwich St., 6-7:30pm
• March 13th, 229 E 112th St., 3-4:30pm
• March 16th, 535 W 121st St., 6-7:30pm
• March 18th, 25 Greenwich St., 6-7:30pm
• March 20th, 229 E 112th St., 3-4:30pm

FAQs:

• 1 tryout is required; 2 are recommended
• Cost of the team will depend on final numbers; estimate is $1000-$1300 for the season, which includes:
  • Weekly practices
  • Weekly optional workouts
  • 4 tournaments (April / May)
  • Reversible jerseys / game jerseys
• $300 deposit is required to accept invitation to join the team; 2 other payments due on April 1st and May 1st
• Approximately 10 players on each team

For more information, email us at info@kidsinthegame.com or call (212) 634-7262.