Partner Profile: Kidsports

As we look towards the future of Civic Stadium Park, we are excited to be partnering with some incredible organizations. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting some of our partners so you can get to know them better and formulate a clearer picture of what Civic’s future may hold.

Bev Smith, Executive Director of Kidsports, knows that active kids are healthier, happier and do better in school. She also recognizes the growing need to provide more space and time for kids to be physically active. “When we close a school,” says Smith, “we often close the gym, too.” School closures often mean that more children are competing for less time in the facilities that are still open and available.

Elementary students participate in about 50 minutes of physical education per week—well below the 60 minutes of daily exercise recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and far less than they need to be fit and gain lifelong movement skills. Kidsports has set out to reverse that trend.

Founded in 1953, Kidsports began as a ten-team youth basketball league and has grown over the past six decades to offer seven core sports and serve more than 15,000 children each year. “The goal is to provide children in grades K-12 with a way to be active, have fun, and improve their physical fitness,” says Bev Smith. “Kidsports emphasizes the role that sports plays in childrens’ lives as being more than just a game.” The KIDSPORTS mission is for all kids to play, develop, and have fun.

By focusing on key movements and concepts, Kidsports coaches and staff work hard to instill in each of their players the ABC’s of physical literacy—agility, balance, and coordination. These skills allow children to live healthy, active lives and to develop more  complex skills safely as they become active in team sports and recreational pursuits.

Kidsports has served the Eugene/Springfield area for 63 years without ever having its own facility. Eugene Civic Alliance can’t wait to partner with this incredible organization at Civic Park and we look forward to helping Kidsports improve the health and the physical fitness of children throughout Lane County by providing a place and more space and time for all kids to play.

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