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!

Kids in the Game (KING) is participating in May’s National Physical Fitness and Sports month! This month is meant to spread awareness of the many benefits of being physically active. Frequent exercise can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Daily movement can include activities such as participating in team sports, dancing or simply taking the stairs instead of using the elevator.

KING coaches and kids stretch before working out on the Upper West Side.

To help spread awareness, KING is conducting a month long Fitness Challenge! This challenge consists of a variety of exercises that will get children (and adults) on their feet. The goal of the challenge is to motivate students to beat their own records in fitness elements including planks, push-ups, and lane slides, with the means to develop speed, endurance, flexibility, agility and strength. KING coaches are implementing the challenge during physical education, recess and after-school programs throughout the month. 

Wilson Rose, KING’s Program Manager, notes, “Challenging children to improve on even the smallest of tasks, such as push-ups or planks, helps to boost self-confidence.”

Coach Ashley encouraging the kids at our Washington Heights after-school program.

Students that are the Overall-Leaders and Most-Improved in their programs win exciting prizes!

Fitness Challenge winners in Lower Manhattan.

We’re encouraging all of our schools and families to get involved in the challenge! Here’s how:

Focus on 2 or 3 specific fitness activities each day (push-ups, sit-ups, jogging, planks, squats, etc. Track these measurements each week from now until June to see how much you can improve. Send us your results and we’ll send you a KING water bottle or t-shirt for being part of the challenge! (Don’t worry, we won’t post your results for the world to see.)Wishing all of you a healthy and active May from Kids in the Game!

Be sure to also follow our social media pages for updates and daily exercises: Twitter: @KidsintheGameNYC, Instagram: @kidsinthegamenyc, Facebook: Kids in the Game.

KinG Hoops NYC, partnered with the Jr. NBA, will be hosting the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge.

This free event will take place this Saturday, April 30th, at 10:00am in the Leman Manhattan Preparatory School gymnasium, located at 25 Greenwich Street (between Morris and Battery Place).

Boys and girls ages 9-14 are welcome to show off their dribbling, shooting and rebounding skills. Finalists will receive  gift bags, have the chance to attend special events, interact with NBA/WNBA players, and attend the 2016 NBA Draft!

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.

We’re excited to announce our Spring Semester basketball programs! Clinics will include skill development, competitive drills, and games.

School of the Blessed Sacrament (147 W. 70th Street, New York, NY 10023)

Saturdays, March 12th – April 30th (7 weeks, no basketball on March 26th)

10:00am-10:50am – Pre-K to 1st Grade

11:00am-11:50am – 2nd Grade to 4th Grade

Lower Manhattan Basketball

Leman Manhattan Preparatory School (25 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10004

Saturdays, March 5th – April 30th (8 weeks, no basketball on March 26th)

9:30am-10:15am – Pre-K to 1st Grade

10:00am-12:00pm – 4th Grade to 8th Grade

East Harlem Basketball

Our Lady Queen of Angels (229 E. 112th Street, New York, NY 10029)
Sundays, March 13th – May 1st (7 weeks, no basketball on March 27th)
12:00pm-1:30pm – Girls 4th to 8th Grade
1:30pm-3:00pm – Boys 4th to 8th Grade

Register online at www.kidsinthegame.com/registration

Every November, three of my favorite events take place: my mom’s home cooked turkey feast with all the fixings, a Detroit Lions football game over pecan pie and the one thing I look forward to the most: the first day of basketball practice.  

While I am not too sure how to baste a bird or bake a sweet potato pie, getting ready for basketball season is an occasion I can help you with this November.  

The first few days of basketball practice are critical to a team’s overall success for so many reasons.  It is during these days in November when coaches across the country set the tone for the months ahead.  The message that you deliver to your squad in November can be the difference between a successful season and one that is for the birds.  We will leave the turkey tips to mom, but prepping for the season is something I can help with.   

Michael Murphy selected to coach Senior All-Stars in the ACIS vs Ivy League Senior Game.

At the beginning of basketball season, the first thing that I speak to my team about is our goals for the season.  I learned to keep my expectations to a short, yet valuable list.  One year, I set dozens of goals ranging from how many post touches we had per game to our overall team’s academic GPA.  Setting too many expectations becomes overwhelming for players and difficult for coaches to track the progress of.  Coaches should set all-inclusive goals, and team goals and game goals should be treated differently as they focus on different values.  Teams may take a different strategy into each game, but overarching goals for the season can remain constant.

With that in mind, I set 3 simple team goals for the season.

1. Have fun.
   
   If the team isn’t having fun, there’s no reason to be playing.  There are many things you can do at basketball practice to ensure that your team is having a great time on the court.  I always have the players end shooting contests with a half court shot challenge.  It allows everyone the opportunity to attempt a nearly impossible game-winning shot and regardless of skill level, everyone has a chance to be the hero.  Who knows, we might even need a half court shot during the year and if that shot goes in, all the more confidence the players will have in themselves.  We also save the last 10 minutes of practice for games such as European Handball or “Human Bowling”.  Be creative and add an abundance of humor to your practices.  The kids will be more willing to listen to you if they know they can laugh with you too.  

2. Work hard and develop good habits.  
   
   Coaches on our King Hoop team really stress working hard at developing good habits on the court. For example, if we are running a shooting drill, we stress that the rebounder gets the rebound high in the air with two hands as they would in a game, and that he makes a crisp chest pass to the jump shooter.  If players are not developing good habits at practice, they are developing bad habits.  

As a coach, if you are working hard at focusing on the right things your team will improve each day.  I once had a coach tell me, “Do a million little things right and the big things will fall into place.” I could not agree more!  In basketball and in life, if we focus on working hard and developing good habits, we will achieve success.  

 Give Back.

 Each year I set a team goal of helping others within our community.  The players I work with are very fortunate to have a basketball team to be a part of, but not everyone has this opportunity.  Each season we volunteer at community events to help make a difference in the lives of others.  This is a great opportunity for coaches to expose their teams to causes that might have personal importance to them or to the school community.  

We try to vary our efforts each year. Some examples of our community work include: coaching younger students at community basketball events; teaching underserved youth to read, offering homework help at elementary school programs, volunteering at the Special Olympics, or being a basketball buddy to a child with autism.  Teaching our student-athletes about the importance of helping others builds character and brings them together as a unified team.  

If each season we can have fun, work hard and help others in our community, we will have had a fruitful season, no matter how many games we win or lose.  As coaches, we want to develop our student-athletes into leaders of the community. If we achieve these three goals, we will be well on the way to a successful, turkey-filled season.  

Leman Manhattan Prep ranked Top 10 in New York State ACIS League.

___

Michael Murphy is the President & Founder of Kids in the Game and head men’s varsity coach at Leman Manhattan Prep in Lower Manhattan. Michael is also a former NCAA Division I Coach at Columbia University in NYC. To connect with Michael, you can reach him at Michael@kidsinthegame.com