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Young Athletes Get Lessons Beyond Sports
By: Genetta Adair
Updated: 05/04/2007 at 3:43 PM
Commercial Appeal - Sports -
Crosscheck nurtures spirit, mind and body
Crosscheck Athletic Association (CAA), an organization for Shelby County elementary students, plans to develop the total athlete: mind, body and spirit.
Still in its inaugural year, CAA is available to any student in grades 1-6 in a parent-led association. When a group of parents choose to enter into the Crosscheck league, CAA helps them start their own parent-led association. CAA organizes their games and schedules. What makes Crosscheck different from other youth athletic associations is the desire to develop a student's mind and spirit. One of the intentional programs CAA has introduced with the help of First Tennessee Bank is the First Tennessee Crosscheck All-Academic Team. During this basketball season, more than 200 participants from 10 Memphis-area schools qualified for this team. Unlike other individual award programs, this is a "personal best program." With two ways to qualify for the All-Academic Team, students may carry a 3.5 grade-point average, or they may improve their GPA by 10 percent during that season. If a student starts football with a 2.0 GPA, they can qualify for the All-Academic Team if they bring that up to a 2.2 by season's end. Bill Dryer, one of the 15 board members of CAA, said, "We think it's important to recognize personal best and not compare one to another. Kids are blessed with different gifts and abilities. The message we want to send is that you don't have to be a 4.0 to be successful. If you work hard and smart to develop the gifts you've been given, you can be successful." Bill Seely, executive director of Crosscheck Athletic Association, has been involved in sports his whole life: from little league to college sports, coaching, working as senior vice president of Varsity Brands, and even as a commentator for ESPN. Seely said, "I understand the benefits of athletics, and along the way unfortunately I've seen the ugliness it can produce as well." He referred to fights between professional athletes, fans rushing the court and the win-at-all-cost mentality that Seely believes has tarnished the innocence of youth athletics. "There is a big disconnect from what we think youth sports should be and what it's actually become," Seely added. "The antics seen on the professional field of play have found their way down to our youth, and something has to be done about it." Chuck Newell, president of the Mid-South market for First Tennessee, said, "First Tennessee is proud to partner with the Crosscheck Athletic Association to recognize excellence in the classrooms. Bill's vision for youth sports is right on, and we're happy to be a part of it. Crosscheck will change the way youth sports is done." Seely plans to add new programs with each sports season that will help achieve CAA's mission of developing the total athlete: body, mind and spirit. This season's program planned for May is the Win-At-All-Cost-Initiative, a day of service for all CAA teams. CAA will partner with Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM) for a time of fun while working together to help others. Next year, CAA plans to offer four scholarship programs in under-resourced areas to cover the teams' equipment and uniforms. CAA sponsored one scholarship this year, in Whitehaven. Next year, scholarships will be available in Whitehaven, Frayser, Binghamton and Southeast Memphis. CAA offers football, cheerleading, basketball and baseball. To learn more, visit www.Crosschecksports.org or contact Seely at 218-7665. Genetta Adair is public relations for Crosscheck Athletic Association.
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