Courtesy: Mercury News


Opinion: Youth center is a haven for youth sports

By Cynthia Bojorquez

18/07/2010

Last week 100 boys and girls from San Jose, ages 10 through 19, participated in the 2010 U.S. Futsal National Championships in Long Beach. These youths are part of the Eagle Warriors Athletics (EWA) Program at the MACSA Youth Center in East San Jose. Past MACSA EWA teams have won 29 national championships and this year, MACSA won six national championships and placed second in three additional age groups. Clearly, the MACSA Youth Center is a place where young athletes are thriving in San Jose.

In its July 11 editorial, the Mercury News highlighted the need to take a hard look at youth sports — particularly the lack of equal opportunity for athletes whose families cannot afford to pay club sport fees. While these fees vary from sport to sport, a six-month club season for volleyball averages between $3,000 to $5,000. How can families who are struggling to put food on the table and pay their mortgages afford this? The answer is they can't. As a result, programs like MACSA's are becoming increasingly more important.

At MACSA, we are committed to providing quality youth sports programs that are affordable and accessible. We offer a variety of sports camps, fitness programs and drop-in recreation programs.

Open Mondays through Fridays, MACSA is one of very few gyms on the East Side open until 10 p.m. In a neighborhood heavily impacted by gangs, the MACSA Youth Center offers a safe, positive environment where youths can learn about healthy lifestyles, actively engage in physical activities and connect with their families through recreation.

Moreover, the MACSA Youth Center provides culturally relevant services to a predominantly Latino community where one in three Latino students, ages 6-19, are overweight or at risk of being overweight.

According to the Health Trust, it is predicted that as many as one in two Latino children will develop diabetes as result of the obesity epidemic — an epidemic that can be mitigated by maintaining recreation programs and physical environments like the MACSA Youth Center.

MACSA was able to provide these services in the past because it received a subsidy from the city of San Jose. However, that subsidy ($229,000) was eliminated in this year's budget. As a result, MACSA's sports programs are in jeopardy. Unfortunately, other youth sports programs are also in need.

Earlier this year, the East Side Union School District proposed to eliminate after-school sports. Thankfully, a group of committed parents and community leaders stepped up to the challenge and are working hard to raise funds.

More and more entities, whether cities or school districts, are struggling to find ways to keep youth sports programs going. If they are not successful, the long-term health consequences for our youth will be significant.

While difficult, this financial crisis is also an opportunity for action. The Silicon Valley Children's Agenda Network, a consortium of local agencies, is working hard to advance a children's bill of rights to ensure that every child is safe, healthy and successful. To learn more, go to www.kidsincommon.org/the-childrens-agenda

At MACSA, we firmly believe that the ability to play in a safe, positive environment with caring adults — the opportunity to learn the values of leadership, teamwork, good sportsmanship and even the chance to develop one's natural physical ability in the hopes of some day getting into college — is an equal opportunity right every child should have.

We invite you to join us in making this a reality for all San Jose kids. To volunteer, make a contribution or find out more about the MACSA Youth Center, please contact us at 408-929-1080 or look for us on Facebook at MACSA, Inc.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com