In the increasingly competitive world of youth sports, the Greenwich House Girls Basketball League stands apart. The non-competitive league, founded in 1995 by a local parent unable to find a basketball league for his ten-year-old daughter, has morphed into an intergenerational community affair by combining league play with volunteer coaching, mentorship opportunities, and strong community and parental support.
The League, now in its 19th season, has grown from a small group of girls who were excluded from competitive, boys-only programs, into eight teams with 92 girls. The girls, aged nine through fifteen, are led by a squad of volunteer coaches, most in their 20s and 30s, themselves mentored by an experienced coach with at least 25 years of relevant experience.
The League’s goals are to give the girls a chance to have fun while building self-esteem, to teach them to win and lose gracefully, to work well with others and to instill the discipline to attend games and practices. Everyone receives court time and everyone’s abilities are accepted. The focus is on improving skills, which may not always lead to points on the board.
“To be able to play without the pressure of winning or worrying about messing up, it allows you to develop the love for the sport and figure out what they are naturally good at,” said rookie coach Dana Brown. That’s not to say the girls don’t want to win or give anything but their best effort both on and off the court. “Seeing them lose breaks my heart, because I see how hard they try. We constantly remind them that they are getting better day by day and as long as they gave 100%, that’s all we ask ,” Brown continued.
Brown is developing new skills as well. She decided to get involved because the girls are the same age she was when she began to play. Her goal is to help foster a love of the game in the girls, not a love of winning. A competitive player for 12 years, Brown approached her first year coaching with nervous excitement. “All I know is competition, so this is a complete 180 for me,” she said. Enter Jules Love.
Love, a senior gentleman and volunteer, has stepped in as the League’s coaching mentor. Sitting on the sidelines during the preseason practices, Love counseled Brown on drills to run and provided tips to develop team camaraderie. “By the end of the year, we’re all family,” Love said, referring to both Brown and the players.
In fact, watching a game can sometimes feel like a family reunion. Bleachers are filled with a mix of players, friends and family. Familiar greetings bounce from aisle to aisle while encouraging cheers radiate out, their intended recipients both the players and the coaches. To attend a game is to see the embodiment of Greenwich House’s 100-year-old mission: help New Yorkers of all ages, from young players to experienced coaches, lead more fulfilling lives. For more information or a game schedule, contact Omar Amores at 212-242-4140 or visit http://greenwichhouse.org/basketball .
