Drew Davis, Features Editor
@ddaviscourant
While Friday Morning Announcements sports reports are filled with FCIAC recaps, there are several teams whose success goes unrecognized. These teams are apart of the youth basketball program at the YMCA, also known as Y-Ball.
Y-Ball is a ten-week long season that runs from December to March which includes players in ages ranging from elementary to high school. With over 100 participants at the high school level, the season consists of around 10 regular season games and additional play-off games.
Even though there is a school sponsored high school basketball team, Y-Ball serves as an alternative for those who enjoy the sport but do not want to play on an intense level. “I like basketball but I’m not competitive enough to play for the high school team,” junior Chris Harte said. “I like to get more playing time and I wouldn’t necessarily get a lot of that in high school basketball.”
Without the pressure of being an FCIAC or varsity level sport, the league has more of a
relaxed atmosphere. “Y-Ball is an organization that allows for fun games to be played without having the stress of being on an actual team with real practices,” senior captain Daniel Kushner said. “Y-Ball is great because almost anything goes and if you can not show up to a game it is not a big deal.”
Compared to a varsity sport, Y-Ball is less of a time commitment. “The schedule is very simple,” Daniel said. “It’s usually one or two games a week and there aren’t any official practices, but I know of teams that run unofficial practices when there are open gyms at the YMCA.”
Since there are no official practices, regular and post-season games make up the majority of the program. “Everyone makes the playoffs so the regular season is really built just to see the seeds for the playoffs,” Chris said.
However, even though it is not an FCIAC sport, according to junior captain Scotty Luntz the energy and excitement is still there. “I think it’s a fun league and it’s unique to have that excitement in a recreational league,” Scotty said. “Everyone still feels a sense of pride because they all want to win the championship.”
Part of this excitement is due to the way the teams are drafted by captains. “There are 16-18 captains every year,” Scotty said. “The captains have a draft in the beginning of the year and that’s how they decide what team you are on.”
While teams are sometimes chosen around the captains’ friends, Y-ball is still a way to develop new relationships. “I meet new kids, especially from different grades,” Chris said. “It ties the community together since there are rarely any fights and everyone gets along and high fives each other at the end of games.
Overall, Y-Ball is a way for players to enjoy the game of basketball and has become a highlight of many members’ winters. “It’s something that gets me through my week,” Chris said. “I know that sounds cliche, but I look forward to it.”
Even though the league is not as competitive as high school, players still put effort into it because they enjoy it. “I have learned that you still need to practice even though it’s not high school. Practice still makes perfect, just to go out and have fun,” Chris said.
