The Challengers Basketball Clinic brings the community together to experience a wonderful time of socialization through basketball. Held once a year in the Croton-Harmon School District through the Croton Department of Recreation, players with physical and mental challenges, ages 7-21, work with high school coaches and members of the CHHS girls and boys varsity basketball teams.
It’s a win for everyone – the Challengers, the varsity players and the coaches all get to experience the excitement and pure joy that come from everyone interacting in this hour and half long program. Challengers get to experience how a varsity team warms up, stretches and practices basketball drills and skills. They also really enjoy having older kids as their instructors. Varsity players gain greater confidence, awareness and understanding in working with the participants who live with special challenges. At the end of the program, all the Challengers get a medal and a T-shirt and leave with a feeling of personal accomplishment in addition to having had a great time.
Entering its fifth year, the Challengers Basketball Clinic was created by two Croton-Harmon students, Evan Douglas and Jared Douglas, who were looking for a way to make a difference in their community. The two, who are now seniors at CHHS, wanted to work with special needs kids playing basketball. In researching the possibilities locally, they learned that although Croton had a Challengers program for soccer and for baseball, nothing existed for basketball. They spent part of the year volunteering for the LaGrange Challengers Basketball Team to understand how the program works.
Evan and Jared were able to make the clinic happen with a great group of volunteer coaches who jumped on board. They received support from Mark Duncan of the Croton Department of Recreation, coaches Bill Thom and Joe Streany, CHUFSD Athletic Director Thomas Cunningham, Mark Franzoso and the CHHS Booster Club.
This year’s clinic was held at CHHS on Jan. 30 and was a success with 22 Challenger participants. Memorable moments happened throughout the clinic, including an excited 14-year-old participant who called out, “This is so much fun, I never want this day to end!” At the conclusion of the program, a parent thanked the producers, saying, “This means so much – it’s always the special needs kids who get forgotten with winter activities.”
It is the clinic’s success and praise from the Challengers’ parents that motivate Evan and Jared to continue to bring the program back each winter. Upon their CHHS graduation, they will “pass the baton” to a group of sophomore boys, Vinny DeIngeniis, Matt Cestone and Walker Young, whom they have trained in production work to continue this rewarding clinic.
All photos: Lisa Bogdan 2016
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