Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407220077
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The youth recreation club was founded in 1956 to promote youth sports in the Virginia Heights area, hence the name, The Heights Club Inc. The club incorporated in 1972 and still serves the community within its original boundaries, which span from Brambleton to Wasena avenues.
In those early days, the club was for men only, said Robert Smith, a former longtime member. It offered an avenue for fathers and sons to spend time together. For years, membership ran strong, usually at 30 or so, and was even limited to less than 50.
Now, the club has only about 10 active members and is actively seeking more. ``We want to open up membership and encourage anyone to help,'' said Becky Stewart, the club's special events coordinator.
Membership began declining about 10 years ago after former players grew up and graduated, ``and their parents dropped out of the club,'' said Lacy Dudley, the club's athletic director for basketball. At that time, the club didn't shift its focus toward attracting new members.
Today, the club sponsors softball, baseball, teeball, football, basketball, soccer and cheerleading teams. Team participation is, of course, open to girls and boys ages 5-17, and is coordinated through the Roanoke City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The city has about 16 similar youth recreation clubs, but not all participate in all major sports, as does The Heights Club.
In an attempt to reorganize and gear up for a membership drive, The Heights Club recently changed its by-laws, elected new officers, appointed a board of directors and installed athletic directors for each of the four major sports, said Stewart.
Meetings will take place before each sports season begins. The next one will be in the fall, when football and soccer season begin.
But attracting new members to commit their time to youth teams sports may not be so easy in this day and age.
Over time, Smith said he has observed ``a decline in community spirit,'' most likely related to increasing time pressures on families in which both parents must work.
``People are willing to give money, but not time,'' Smith said. And time volunteered by members as coaches or club officers is what youth recreation clubs need most to survive.
Smith said he also believes TV has had a large impact on the way youths spend their free time and on the way families share time together.
John Coates, manager of Parks and Recreation for Roanoke, has observed a decline in certain sports, but happily notes increases in others.
``The number of children playing football continues to decrease, while [participation in] soccer increases,'' he said. He also noted an increase in youth baseball.
``The population all over the U.S. is getting older, and parents are taking a different approach as to what they want their children to experience in sports. Youth football is a rough contact sport with lots of injuries, and those injuries can prevent a youngster's well-rounded participation in other sports,'' Coates said.
To address those concerns, ``soccer has been a tremendous help,'' Smith said. For one thing, a soccer team is less expensive to outfit than a football team, because of the equipment costs.
In addition, softball, ``teeball and soccer allowed the participation of girls in a broader sense.'' Smith said.
At one time, girls' participation was limited to cheerleading for the football team. Nowadays, girls can play football if they want to, but they usually opt for soccer.
The efforts of the new Heights Club's new officers' to promote more teams has paid off. This season, the club has 21 teams in teeball, baseball and softball, compared to 18 in 1993 and 11 in 1992.
``Kids can't participate in school sports until they're in the seventh grade,'' Stewart said. Participation in youth recreation helps them prepare for school sports by focusing on skill development, as well as social development.
``There's a lot of diversity in the backgrounds [of participants], and team sports bring these kids together and teach them how to get along at an early age,'' said Harry Hambrick, the club's newly-elected president.
Youth recreation ``gives families something to do together,'' Stewart said. ``There's not much else for children to get into productively, except sports.''
Participation can provide the parent with a productive outlet as well. Take Lacy Dudley, for instance. His club duty as a volunteer basketball coach and athletic director can be a five-night-per-week commitment during the season. His own children participated in past years but are grown now. So, why does he still do it?
``I enjoy it. It's like a hobby, the only hobby I have.''
Now that's community spirit. (For more information on membership in The Heights Club, call Becky Stewart at 342-5430.)
by CNB