So far our experience has been great with CYC baseball/softball. They receive t-shirts, are not required to wear cleats at this age (although some do), and around 10 players per team. While up to bat, they are pitched to (by the coach) 6 pitches and if they don't hit, they get to hit of the tee. If they choose, they can for-go the pitching and go straight to the tee. They do not play outs or keep score. This is typical for most associations across the board.
The coaches are very kind and work with your children. At this age with CYC, they do not hold practices, only games on Saturdays. They do not make-up rain outs (and in my opinion is not a good thing due to the rainy season we have had and already out of the 3 games that were to be played, there is already one rain out) However, for the price you pay compared to other associations, a few rain outs are no big deal. Parents do have to participate in concessions 1 time for the season but are not required to buy/sell any raffles, etc. (as they are required to do so with other associations)
Our girls play for Assumption Parish! We give this program 2 thumbs up!!! Go CYC!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Kirkwood Athletic Association Baseball vs. Fenton Athletic Association Baseball
My boys have been playing baseball since they were 3 at Fenton Athletic Association. (They are 9 and 10 now) We have always enjoyed the fields there. The games were always on the weekend, which was good for us since the work week was so hectic. They were very affordable, I believe around $100 per player. (then the cost of the uniform~roughly $80) The ball field is spread out and clean. One of the things I did not like at Fenton was the raffle ticket buying was a must and concession stand duty a must. (Concessions are usually a must but sometimes there are alternatives such as a buyout or having one of their "students" work it for you~as Kirkwood does) I also did not like the "make-up game" process as when it rained, the game would be canceled but the likely hood of it being made up was 50/50. Considering the amount of children who play baseball, Fenton did not seem to have as many teams and of those teams, the competition was slightly lower than other areas. The coaches were decent and the families were nice as far as "sportsmanship" goes. Overall, we truly enjoyed the fields, atmosphere and the teams we were apart of. Compared to Kirkwood, Fenton's field are much nicer though!
Kirkwood thus far has been a nice place to play as well. Their pitching mounds are 47 feet vs. Fenton's pitching mounds at 42 feet. (Makes pitching for a 9 year old a little more difficult) As I said before the teams are more competitive at Kirkwood vs. Fenton and the game is definitely more fast paced. The fields are close together, making it easy to watch multiple games for those of you who have more than one child playing on different teams at the same time (as I do). The league is a little more expensive, roughly $225 (some include uniforms and practices at various fields that have to be rented). There are no raffles to be bought and no concessions....let me repeat....NO concessions! :) Rainouts are always made up and very quickly scheduled during the season..not at the end, as Fenton sometimes does.
For those of you who enjoy an adult beverage now and again or a good ol' hot dog, Kirkwood has Shock-Top on draft (32 oz for $5.50) ...not to disregard Fenton in anyway, as they have all your AB beers available. Both concessions are abundant with food, however I would have to give Kirkwood props on the different types of food sold there ranging from chicken fingers to Brats!
Last but not least, I would recommend both fields but for the better competition, Kirkwood would be the place based on that info alone!
Kirkwood thus far has been a nice place to play as well. Their pitching mounds are 47 feet vs. Fenton's pitching mounds at 42 feet. (Makes pitching for a 9 year old a little more difficult) As I said before the teams are more competitive at Kirkwood vs. Fenton and the game is definitely more fast paced. The fields are close together, making it easy to watch multiple games for those of you who have more than one child playing on different teams at the same time (as I do). The league is a little more expensive, roughly $225 (some include uniforms and practices at various fields that have to be rented). There are no raffles to be bought and no concessions....let me repeat....NO concessions! :) Rainouts are always made up and very quickly scheduled during the season..not at the end, as Fenton sometimes does.
For those of you who enjoy an adult beverage now and again or a good ol' hot dog, Kirkwood has Shock-Top on draft (32 oz for $5.50) ...not to disregard Fenton in anyway, as they have all your AB beers available. Both concessions are abundant with food, however I would have to give Kirkwood props on the different types of food sold there ranging from chicken fingers to Brats!
Last but not least, I would recommend both fields but for the better competition, Kirkwood would be the place based on that info alone!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
CYC Soccer (pre-k and k)
We are excited to be back with CYC this year for soccer! When this age..4 and 6, CYC offers such a great and inexpensive program. Amazingly enough, it only cost us $25 per child WOW! MAJOR WOW! That alone is reason enough for us to participate :)
Their are around 10 girls/boys on each team. They play 5 on 5 and no goalies. Makes scoring pretty easy but you would be suprised at how much "back and forth" play happens before a goal is scored. The games are 1 hour and everyone plays. There are no positions and the kids tend to swarm the ball. I didn't mind that considering when they were at Vetta, there were 20 on a team and 10 of them played the whole time.
The field is much smaller and we love that! They get to the goals a lot quicker and usually a high scoring game! :) Makes watching 4 and 6 year old play soccer, exciting!
We highly recommend CYC Soccer!
Their are around 10 girls/boys on each team. They play 5 on 5 and no goalies. Makes scoring pretty easy but you would be suprised at how much "back and forth" play happens before a goal is scored. The games are 1 hour and everyone plays. There are no positions and the kids tend to swarm the ball. I didn't mind that considering when they were at Vetta, there were 20 on a team and 10 of them played the whole time.
The field is much smaller and we love that! They get to the goals a lot quicker and usually a high scoring game! :) Makes watching 4 and 6 year old play soccer, exciting!
We highly recommend CYC Soccer!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Vetta Indoor Soccer
Just finished our session for the girls indoor soccer up at Vetta-Concord! It was a 10 week session, indoor so no rainouts which is a plus!
We enjoy Vetta's Kickaroo program because of the instruction they receive and how good the "coaches" are~ (the coaches are the same for every team). Two teams do 30 minutes of practice all together, then split off and play each other for the next 30 minutes. It's very cute to watch...swarm ball is what we call it. All the kids just run around trying to score! No positions, but do have goalies.
It's also nice for the parents, it's been our Friday night hangout now for a while. They serve food and drinks (including beer) there!
As far as cost for the league, I think it's pricey! It's $35 to register then $100 for the session. Like most sports, $100 isn't bad but it's only 10 weeks and it cost more than my aerobics class cost. And with two kids participating, it gets very pricey. You get a t-shirt with the cost but the rest (shorts, shoes, shin guards, socks) are on you!
I do think the size of the field is decent..not too big, not too small. Unlike when you play for Fenton's outdoor league ~ huge and way too big for little ones just running around chasing a ball. We love the CYC's league for soccer outdoors...it's small and 5v5 and no goalies which is appropriate for this age (4-5).
My reveiw: Great atmosphere, more on the pricey side for what you get, but we have fun and so do the girls~so overall, WE DIG IT! Will definitely play there again when the weather doesn't permit for outdoor soccer!
We enjoy Vetta's Kickaroo program because of the instruction they receive and how good the "coaches" are~ (the coaches are the same for every team). Two teams do 30 minutes of practice all together, then split off and play each other for the next 30 minutes. It's very cute to watch...swarm ball is what we call it. All the kids just run around trying to score! No positions, but do have goalies.
It's also nice for the parents, it's been our Friday night hangout now for a while. They serve food and drinks (including beer) there!
As far as cost for the league, I think it's pricey! It's $35 to register then $100 for the session. Like most sports, $100 isn't bad but it's only 10 weeks and it cost more than my aerobics class cost. And with two kids participating, it gets very pricey. You get a t-shirt with the cost but the rest (shorts, shoes, shin guards, socks) are on you!
I do think the size of the field is decent..not too big, not too small. Unlike when you play for Fenton's outdoor league ~ huge and way too big for little ones just running around chasing a ball. We love the CYC's league for soccer outdoors...it's small and 5v5 and no goalies which is appropriate for this age (4-5).
My reveiw: Great atmosphere, more on the pricey side for what you get, but we have fun and so do the girls~so overall, WE DIG IT! Will definitely play there again when the weather doesn't permit for outdoor soccer!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
YMCA Basketball Program
Well the boys just finished their basketball league at YMCA! A little review on that: Good, solid, non-competitive program as far as I'm concerned. If your child is a beginner at basketball, this is a great program to start in, no matter what age. We have played there for 4 years now and each year has gotten a little more competitive. We have had the pleasure of being on a great team with a great coach and with improvement, the boys have ventured out and played in tournaments on their own~not affiliated with YMCA. The program is 10 weeks and they practiced one night per week with one game per week. We went undefeated, often out scoring the other teams by 20+ points (which is why I say it's a great beginning place to start...and we have developed as a team over the past 4 years where we could now venture out and play competitively)
I give this one two thumbs up as it has completely taught my boys the fundamentals they need to now play competitive basketball! The price is great, around $75 for a non-member, $55 for a member I believe. (these prices are not accurate as I am guesstimating the cost since it was last season) You also don't receive uniforms but you do receive a jersey to wear for games. You don't receive a trophy or award unless you go to the end of the season banquet (which we have never done for one reason or another).
Thanks YMCA (South County) for making it a great 4 years! I would definitely recommend this program to my friends and family!
I give this one two thumbs up as it has completely taught my boys the fundamentals they need to now play competitive basketball! The price is great, around $75 for a non-member, $55 for a member I believe. (these prices are not accurate as I am guesstimating the cost since it was last season) You also don't receive uniforms but you do receive a jersey to wear for games. You don't receive a trophy or award unless you go to the end of the season banquet (which we have never done for one reason or another).
Thanks YMCA (South County) for making it a great 4 years! I would definitely recommend this program to my friends and family!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Choosing Your Summer Camp
Summer Camp 2011~ Wow, so many to choose from that involve sports as its core. I am a mother of 4 children...my boys are 9 and 10 and the girls are 4 and 6. It's amazing how involved this selection becomes. I can tell you due to experience, that Arnold Recreation offers a summer program that is held at Ferd B. Lang Park in Arnold. My children attended this last year! It was so wonderful as far as cost was concerned~I believe it was $135 for a two week session and that is absolutely cheap for a summer camp. The only problem I had with it was that it was held outside a majority of the time and mid-summer is VERY hot! The nice thing about that is when heat is above the charts, they take the kids to Arnold Rec where they can swim and play inside. There is a creek at the park that the boys loved playing in, odd they were allowed to do that, but supervised so I allowed it. Overall a good camp for the price for sure. Probably won't send them back though due to the heat and some conflicts the boys had with other boys. Due to the age difference that is allowed at the camp (all ages in school), my children felt some issues from the older boys. :(
This year, we have decided to split our time with different summer camps to get a feel of other camps. I need full day camp because of my work schedule so I usually can't participate in the half day camps, etc. So, we are checking out....drum roll...Vetta this year 2 days per week and YMCA South County for a couple of weeks as of now. Vetta was on the top of my list only due to the "sports" concentration. There cost for the week is expensive in my opinion only because I work from 8-5 so need before and after care as well, where the cost becomes a little much. ($36 for before and after care per child, per week) The cost for the camp per day is $36 so we chose 2 days per week on days where we wouldn't need before and after care. They get to play sports (different ones) all day and that means learning new ones as well, along with the traditional swim time. Now the YMCA seems to be a great deal...$142 for the week for each child but if you register early (before April 16th) you get 10% off, plus their before and after Kids club is $12 for the week~WOW! During that time, they will be playing different sports, crafts, field trips, and swimming. The only thing I don't like is swimming is indoors.
I would love to hear others opinions on summer camps they attended in the past or plan to attend this year! Keeping other moms and dads informed and giving advice to others in the same boat will help I'm sure! So feel free to post some advice for all of us moms (or dads) that are trying to locate that perfect camp for the summer!
This year, we have decided to split our time with different summer camps to get a feel of other camps. I need full day camp because of my work schedule so I usually can't participate in the half day camps, etc. So, we are checking out....drum roll...Vetta this year 2 days per week and YMCA South County for a couple of weeks as of now. Vetta was on the top of my list only due to the "sports" concentration. There cost for the week is expensive in my opinion only because I work from 8-5 so need before and after care as well, where the cost becomes a little much. ($36 for before and after care per child, per week) The cost for the camp per day is $36 so we chose 2 days per week on days where we wouldn't need before and after care. They get to play sports (different ones) all day and that means learning new ones as well, along with the traditional swim time. Now the YMCA seems to be a great deal...$142 for the week for each child but if you register early (before April 16th) you get 10% off, plus their before and after Kids club is $12 for the week~WOW! During that time, they will be playing different sports, crafts, field trips, and swimming. The only thing I don't like is swimming is indoors.
I would love to hear others opinions on summer camps they attended in the past or plan to attend this year! Keeping other moms and dads informed and giving advice to others in the same boat will help I'm sure! So feel free to post some advice for all of us moms (or dads) that are trying to locate that perfect camp for the summer!
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