Sign up now for spring youth sports
In his 11 years with Russellville Parks and Recreation, Chad Sears has seen programming grow by leaps and bounds. “When I first got here, in the spring all we had to offer was girls softball,” said Sears. That’s not the case anymore.
Parks and Recreation now offers a wide-ranging slate of activities for all seasons. As basketball wraps up, registration is going on now for softball, T-ball and soccer, with sign-ups taking place at the Rec Center and Chucky Mullins center. Cost is $30 per child with discounts for siblings.
Softball is designed for girls ages 6-12. Soccer is for boys and girls ages 6-12, with a biddy body program also available, for ages 3-5. T-ball is for boys and girls ages 3-5.
Softball and soccer clinics will be offered free of charge for children who sign up to participate in these sports.
Children aren’t the only ones who need to flex their athletic muscles. The department is also gearing up for an adult blacktop basketball tourney, set for April 8 and designed for high school graduates and older. Deadline to register will be April 5. Teams of three to four players will pay an entry fee of $75 per team, with sign-ups at the Rec Center and Chucky Mullins Center.
Adult dodgeball, co-ed adult volleyball, adult softball and adult flag football are also in the works for near-future offerings.
The department has also expanded beyond sports, with flourishing feeding programs for children as well as a range of community events.
“I used to say the summertime was a little bit of a down time, but right now it’s not,” Sears said. “We have the Fourth of July fireworks show, Movie in the Park, the Fishing Rodeo – we have a bunch of stuff going on in July.” And by the time August hits, fall sports are gearing up. “We used to only offer fall baseball and soccer. When I came in ten years ago, we started to add programs.” Parks and Rec now offers volleyball, flag football and fall softball.
“There’s a variety of things we have going on, and I’m just excited about the opportunity for our Parks and Recreation Department to continue to grow and offer kids the chance to stay out of trouble and to be involved in a team setting,” said Sears. It’s crucial, he said, and it’s not just about sports – it’s about life. “Sports give kids the chance to work as a group and obtain a common goal. The common goal in sports is to win; the common goal in life is to be productive.”
Russellville City Councilman Arthur Elliott commended Sears for the work he has done in Parks and Rec.
“At a young age, we need to start developing our kids,” Elliott said. “You learn a lot of different things from sports – how to be on a team, how to grow up, how to take ‘no’ and how to take ‘yes.’ You learn a lot of things. That’s why I was in (youth sports) when I was younger, and when my kids were younger, I coached all the way through until they got to the middle school. I just think early childhood development is the most important thing we can do for community.”
Elliott said Sears is doing a great job with parks and recreation in Russellville, and he hopes community support for these programs will continue to increase.
To keep up with everything going on in the department, follow Russellville, Al Parks & Recreation Dept. on Facebook. For more information or suggestions, call 256-332-8770.
