(3/24) The Glade Valley Athletics Association has been serving the Walkersville and Woodsboro Community for over 70 years, offering 11 different sports for ages as young as four and, in some sports, all the way up to High School. Among these are soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, wrestling, softball, cheerleading, basketball, field hockey, and track and field. The organization provides opportunities to about 1,600 kids every year.
Laura Lebo, GVAA Board Treasurer, said, "GVAA does a whole lot more in the volume of activity and number of athletes, it’s much greater than people realize."
Most of the sports teams practice outside using the fields at Heritage Farm Park. The only deviation is seen with track and field, which uses the track at the high school, basketball, which uses local gyms and courts, and wrestling, which often uses the Whitmore-Zimmerman Building located within Heritage Farm Park. Whether indoors or outdoors, GVAA programs help students stay active and build community.
GVAA Board Secretary, Wrestling Commissioner, and GVAA mom Amanda Bowen said, "I have kids involved in many different sports: football, lacrosse, soccer, cheer, wrestling. It has kept my kids very active and my husband coaches so it gets us involved in the community more and keeps us busy."
The year has also been a success for many of the sports. In 2022, the PONY football team won the Mountain Valley Youth Football League (MVYFL) Super Bowl. The Soccer program also had a successful fall season, with two teams making it to the championships.
But GVAA also has some sports in which athletes can take time to really enjoy the learning process. "Our fall season is more relaxed to help kids learn as they move up the next year so it is less competitive," said Baseball Commissioner and Coach Steve Gessner. "I enjoy coaching and playing with the kids, watching those who start out with T-ball and then stick with it for the whole way through."
This approach must be working, as baseball enrollment numbers have been consistent even after Covid, with about 200 students participating this season. This applies to other sports as well. Said Bowen about wrestling, "This year has been great with parents contributing and good enrollment. It’s been built over the past few years since Covid shut things down. [The wrestling team] went from about 20 kids to 60."
Enrollment is also benefited by GVAA events where families are able to meet the coaches. Recently, the Walkersville Public Library hosted a meet-and-greet for fifteen families with children participating in soccer. All around, the program is hoping for a higher attendance rate and plans to hold similar events earlier in the year.
GVAA Soccer has been doing well overall. Co-Commissioner for Soccer Kevin Conley said, "Enrollment has been great; we have on average 270 kids participating. For the younger soccer groups we practice one day a week, and for grades higher than 1st it is two days a week with both groups having games on the weekends."
Brian Roub, another Soccer Co-Commissioner, said, "It’s exciting to see kids grow over time in a sport. You see little kids who might be very shy, but then years later whether you are coaching them or you see them play at the high school, it is amazing to see the transformation and watch this kid grow up, become more confident, and just really enjoy the sport. That’s really why I do this. It’s one of the most rewarding things about coaching."
There are so many great people who both work at and grow alongside the GVAA program. It is a keystone of the Walkersville community, providing a variety of opportunities for children to engage with each other, and for the greater community to support young people as they attend games on the regular. "It’s much more rewarding to be out with my community than sitting in a basement and kids playing video games, it’s just a great opportunity," said GVAA Board President Michelle Fyock.
The program has a lasting impact on all those involved, even into adulthood for many student athletes. Said GVAA Director Angela Coleman, "I’ve been a director for two years and I have been involved with the cheer program for five years. I have kids in their twenties who were in cheer when they were five, and I still go to those cheer practices on occasion to help out with the little ones."
GVAA relies on continued enthusiasm and support as it builds connections across the community it serves. Residents of the Glade Valley area will soon have the opportunity to cheer on spring athletes competing in baseball, softball, track and field, soccer, and lacrosse. There are still opportunities to register athletes and even just to catch a game and enjoy the greatness our local youth have to offer.
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