Prep athletes are not the only players being denied participation in their favorite sports during the current pandemic. Younger players who would normally be fully engaged in CYO and travel basketball team activities have experienced a disappointing shutdown of all team activities by concerned health officials.
Safety of young athletes always comes first, but a time when players first develop a passion for sports is now on hold.
In the case of the local CYO this would be a time when the gyms at St. Vincent and Kenilworth Junior High would open early on each day during the weekend for teams from all church parishes to play contested games.
The Catholic Youth Organization has provided an opportunity for young boys and girls from the third to eighth grade to develop individual and team skills by playing regulated games under the watchful eye of veteran officials. CYO depends entirely on volunteers and parents, and rules allow that all players get into the games. It is the largest youth organization in the North Bay.
Now the gymnasiums are locked down for all CYO play. There are no balls bouncing on hardwood floors in front of encouraging parents on the weekends.
There will be no CYO play this season from Marin to Ukiah. Gone will be those competitive games with playoffs as the goal.
Despite rules prohibiting inside play, there are proactive parents who are trying to provide an opportunity for players to engage in modified organized basketball. One of the former CYO teams which was stocked with fifth-grade boys last season has resumed practicing under pandemic guidelines as if games were in the future.
Under the coaching leadership of local parent Beni Comma, the sixth graders are alternately working out on the outside courts at Petaluma Junior High and Kenilworth while observing distancing protocols. Guidelines for youth practices mandate no competition so the participants work on individual skill building. No player contact is allowed.
“We have been working a lot on our shots, lay-ups and passing,” said one of the boys after practice. “Most of the time we wear face masks too.”
At recent practices, boys have brought their own equipment which they wipe clean after short periods of play. Contact with other players and scrimmaging is not allowed.
There are many reasons for continuing youth practices during the current health crisis. First and foremost is the consideration for the physical and mental well being of the developing players. Each individual welcomes the chance to participate again with teammates and the exercise is healthy if monitored correctly.
Practice at Petaluma Junior High has been productive and a positive outlet for the same group of boys who played together last year in the CYO where they finished 5-5 and earned a spot in the playoffs. At present, however, there are no CYO programs in operation.
“Sometime, there are as many as 40 candidates for junior high basketball. My goal is to get these kids ready to try out. We work mostly on individual skills, and stay clear of scrimmaging,” said Comma. “One thing that the boys need to work on is the jump stop. Everything works off the two-foot stop in basketball.
According to studies, sixth graders should improve basketball skill in high speed lay-ups, screening, advanced passing and shooting form. Sometimes, shooting skills learned at the youth level stay with players for an entire career.
All of the individual skills are emphasized by Comma in his monitored workouts on the Petaluma Junior High outdoor courts. In the meantime, the boys are enjoying a brief time away from distance learning at elementary school.