Where It All Begins
Long before they took the court for a volleyball match, cheered under the Friday night lights, or ran onto a high school football field, Sydney Reutlinger, Rylee Church, Harper Lawless, Oliver Fellers, and Vince Fagot were simply kids playing sports at the Orthman Community YMCA.
Like many young athletes, their YMCA sports journey started because a parent signed them up. What came next was more than learning how to serve a volleyball, throw a football, or perform a cheer. At the Y, they found friends, learned how to be team players, and began building the foundation that would eventually carry them into high school athletics. Sydney remembers those early years less for the specific skills she learned and more for how much fun it was to be there. “I remember always being able to be with my friends and just having a good time,” she shared.
At the Y, youth sports are about more than developing better athletes. Kids learn sportsmanship, respect, teamwork, confidence, and how to build relationships with the people around them. For these five athletes, those lessons stuck. “It gave me a head start in sports cause it gave me a feel for what I’m doing and what it’s going to be like at the next level,” Oliver said. Rylee remembers the Y as a place where she learned the fundamentals that she would eventually build upon as a high school athlete. “It helped me grow and learn the basics when I was younger,” she said. And for Vince, one of the most important lessons was learning that sports are rarely about what one person can do alone. “It taught me how to work as a team,” he said.
Harper still remembers Deacon, one of her early cheer coaches, who made practices fun. “He always included fun cheer games. It just made it more appealing to do in the future,” she said. What started as a place to play and have fun would eventually become a place they returned to—not as kids, but as role models.
Giving Back To The Next Generation
Perhaps the best part of these stories isn’t where these athletes started; it’s that they’re now giving back to the places where it all began. The Y has a special relationship with local high school sports teams, creating opportunities for today’s high school athletes to invest in the same young athletes who are following behind them. High school teams help coach Y Sports, participate in camps, and host special Y Night events on game day where young athletes get to experience pregame excitement alongside the players they admire.
For some of today’s high school athletes, those experiences feel remarkably familiar. Oliver can still remember being a little kid running through the pregame tunnel with the high school football players during Y Night. He shares, “I remember being a kid, running out through that tunnel with the high school boys. It was the coolest thing ever.” Now, he gets to be one of those high school boys. “Getting to do that now,” he adds, “I think back on when that was me, and the excitement that they feel.” It’s a full-circle moment: the kids who once looked up to high school athletes can eventually become the ones younger athletes look up to.
Sydney has experienced that same feeling through volleyball and basketball. “When we helped with the UNK volleyball camp, I think it was really cool that we got to be with the little girls, because we also were in that situation once, and it felt good to know that they looked up to us.” She remembers being that little girl, too. “I also really enjoy when the girls’ basketball team goes on Saturday mornings to help. I remember as a kid, it just made me feel more confident knowing that they would always help us.”
The high school athletes may think they’re simply showing up to help coach for a morning or spend time with a younger team. But to the kids watching them, those moments can mean much more.
The Impact Carries On
The beautiful thing about the Y’s sports community is that the story doesn’t end when a child grows out of youth sports. The Y offers football, cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, and golf for children ages 3 through sixth grade. For some, Y sports will be the beginning of a lifelong love of sports. For others, it may simply be a place to make friends and have fun. Either way, the impact can last long after the season ends.
When asked what they would tell the next generation of athletes, these five high schoolers didn’t talk about winning championships or becoming the best player on the team. They talked about enjoying the experience and continuing to show up. “Just keep doing it. It gets a lot more fun as the years go on,” Oliver said. “Have fun, enjoy the game while you’re young,” Vince added. Sydney encourages kids to try everything they can. “Get involved and do as many sports as you can, because you never know what you’re going to like or not like unless you try it,” she said.
Rylee’s advice is about the people they’ll meet along the way. “Keep showing up and showing out and make friends along the way; friends help you through the experience and make it more fun.” And Harper has a simple reminder for any kid who might be waiting for a friend to join them: “Don’t let your friends not doing it stop you from doing it. Get out there and go do something.”
Because sometimes all it takes is one kid deciding to show up. One coach making practice fun. One high school athlete taking the time to encourage a younger player. And one generation of athletes choosing to come back and help the next one.
That’s the kind of impact YMCA youth sports can have. It starts with a kid playing a game, but it can grow into confidence, friendship, leadership, and a lifelong connection to their community. And someday, the little kids running through the doors today may be the ones standing there looking back, saying, “I remember when that was me.”