National Alliance for Youth Sports

Fort Belvoir Child and Youth Services (CYS) Sports and Fitness (Va.) was recently one of five organizations worldwide to be presented with the prestigious Excellence in Youth Sports Award. Presented by the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) and Athletic Business magazine, the annual award recognizes special organizations that operate diverse youth sports programs that focus on providing positive and safe experiences for all participants.

Located outside of Washington D.C., Fort Belvoir CYS Sports and Fitness provides a variety of athletic leagues and activities to the children living on the Fort Belvoir military base. Whether it’s a 3-year-old just starting out with sports or a 17-year-old looking for a competitive league, Fort Belvoir Sports and Fitness has it all.

“We are a multi-faceted organization that offers a variety of youth sports programs,” said Jerry Arrington, youth sports director for Fort Belvoir CYS Sports and Fitness.

The award was presented by NFL great Emmitt Smith at the annual International Youth Sports Congress.

Along with traditional youth sports, like baseball, Fort Belvoir CYS Sports and Fitness offers activities such as table tennis, pool, bowling, skateboarding and fitness trails. They also organize a fitness and nutritional cooking club.

TheFort Belvoir Sports and Fitness program is centered on four distinct areas: Team Sports, Fitness and Health, Individual Sports, and Outreach. Their athletic programs are designed to offer a safe and healthy environment in which young people have fun, interact positively with others, and acquire skills leading to a life-long enjoyment of sports and fitness. Fundamentals, maximum participation and physical conditioning are emphasized, rather than winning or losing.

“Our program demonstrates that it embraces a child centered recreational sports program aimed at providing positive and safe experiences for all youth,” Arrington said.

Fort Belvoir CYS Sports and Fitness ensures that its sports leagues are being operated by qualified individuals by utilizing the many training and education programs offered by the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). Not only are their coaches trained and educated through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA), but their administrators are also members of the National Youth Sports Administrators Association (NYSAA) – an educational program for volunteer youth sports administrators.

The other Excellence Award recipients for 2008 are the City of Evans Parks & Recreation (Colo.), TinkerAirForceBaseYouthCenter (Okla.), City of Clearwater Parks & Recreation (Fla.) and Hickam Air Force Base Youth Sports (Hawaii).

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