Rockwall YMCA celebrates record-breaking spring sports season

(ROCKWALL, TX — June 1, 2018) The JER Chilton YMCA at Rockwall recently wrapped up its most successful spring sports season to date, with its volleyball and soccer programs recording their highest enrollment ever.

Rockwall Y spring volleyball closed out the season with championship games on May 12. Winners of the second through fourth grade division were the Fusion led by head coach Alecia Beasley, finishing with an undefeated record of 8-0. Beasley said the Rockwall Y presented a great opportunity for the girls to have fun trying out a new sport.

“The girls play basketball together, and we chose the Y because they wanted a place to have fun while trying out a new sport in volleyball,” Beasley said. “They had a lot of fun playing here at the Y.”

Head Coach Alecia Beasley and the Fusion took home the second through fourth grade division volleyball championship.

The fifth grade Dallas Christian Chargers and Head Coach Jamie Perkins with their fifth through seventh grade volleyball division championship trophies and medals.

The fifth through seventh grade division championship saw the fifth and six grade Dallas Christian Chargers teams battle it out for the gold, with the fifth graders coming out on top to complete a perfect season at 8-0. Head coach Jamie Perkins said she loves the strong support she and her players always receive from the community when playing at the Rockwall Y.

“The Rockwall community and the Rockwall YMCA are amazing to our team, and they support us in everything we do,” Perkins said.

The Rockwall Y’s volleyball program saw a huge spike in enrollment this past season, with 250 girls signing up to build new skills and form new friendships. The program had 23 total teams this season, compared to 16 last season.

“Starting our volleyball program at such a young age in the second grade and giving the opportunity for girls to play up through the seventh grade has helped us see tremendous growth in that program,” said Rockwall YMCA Sports Director Bill Cadman.

Spring soccer at the Y also saw a big increase in the number of sign ups this year. The program had 105 total teams this year with 1,020 kids signing up to play.

“The main reason for our growth in the spring soccer program is the improvement in the quality of officials, the quality of our fields, and it gives people the opportunity to play in their own backyard in Rockwall rather than having to travel to other cities or associations,” Cadman said. “It’s definitely the reason for our philosophy of putting the child first and the sport second.”

“The YMCA is unrivaled in presenting the very best youth soccer program for kids of all ages, especially for the Small Fry age group,” said Geoffrey Lyons, head coach of the Small Fry league team Little Giants. “The kids have all developed little bits of the fundamentals of leadership, from encouraging their teammates to subbing out for a teammate to getting playtime. It’s very incredible, and a truly euphoric experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Registration is now underway for the wildly popular British Soccer Camp hosted by Challenger Sports this summer at the JER Chilton YMCA. With an innovative curriculum that develops skills, speed and confidence in players of all ages and abilities, British Soccer Camps provide boys and girls with the rare opportunity to receive high-level soccer coaching from a team of international expert’s right in the heart of their own community.

All campers this year will be sent a code to download Challenger’s new personal skill development app, iChallenge. The app allows players to view and practice the skills linked to their ability level, upload a video completing their chosen skills, receive personalized online coaching from a member of our experienced virtual coaching team, score points for videos and compete in league tables with other players from across the world. They can also follow and vote on the other players as well as challenging them to innovative freestyle duels.

British Soccer Camp runs from June 25-29 and July 30-Aug. 3.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Photos by BRN Media.

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