Basketball Registration Open

Tammy Shondelmyer, director of Next Generation Ministries at Pequea Baptist Church, 6062 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gap, wanted to make sure area children had the opportunity to take part in Upward Basketball during the fall and winter of 2020-21. Working together with Doug Kauffman, children's outreach director, and other volunteers, Shondelmyer has devised a plan for the program that meets COVID-19 restrictions. "It will be a challenge," said Shondelmyer. "There are so many parts of this to think through."

Upward Basketball is a nationwide program provided through sponsoring churches. At Pequea Baptist, children learn basketball skills, but there is also a faith-based component that works devotionals into practice sessions. Game days feature a halftime challenge with an inspirational speaker from the league or the community.

Registration for the program opened on Oct. 15 and will end Thursday, Dec. 10. Registration fees will be reduced this year, and registration will be limited to 150 players. Evaluation nights will be held on Monday, Nov. 30; Tuesday, Dec. 1; Monday, Dec. 7; and Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. each night. During the evaluation nights, the students will be sized for a jersey and asked to perform drills that demonstrate skill levels, including dribbling drills, shooting drills, and a defensive skill test. Previous basketball experience is not necessary. The purpose of the evaluations is to help divide students into teams for competition. First- and second-grade boys and girls play together on coed teams. Older students have separate teams for boys and girls. Practices will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays, and each team will be assigned one evening a week to practice.

A number of changes have been made to meet COVID-19 restrictions. "We have divided the year into two parts," said Shondelmyer. "We are (running the program) for 10 weeks, so each (group) will play five weeks," she explained. Boys in grades five through eight and girls in grades six through eight, will play games on Saturdays from Jan. 9 through Feb. 6. Boys in grades one through four and girls in grades one through five, will play Saturdays from Feb. 13 to March 13. Players will be required to wear masks when not playing, and spectators, which will be limited to two per player, will be requested to wear masks in the building. In addition, a half hour buffer has been added between games in order to clear out the building. During games, bagged snacks and bottled beverages will be handed out for participants and spectators to consume outside the building. An additional building will be open for families that have to remain at the church for multiple games.

Registration for the older age group is available at https://registration.upward.org/UPW71071. Children who want to participate in the younger age group may be registered at https://registration.upward.org/UPW71182. Readers who have questions may call 717-442-4403.