Coming together to make Coosa County proud
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Photos courtesy of Trenton Davenport.
Special to the News
Coosa Upward recently passed its one year mark, and the group is very grateful to the countless individuals and organizations who have been a part of bringing county-wide youth sports back to Coosa County.
The county did not start just one, but four county-wide youth sports leagues in the past year from the ground up, completely staffed by unpaid volunteers and completely funded by donations.
The first year is naturally the most challenging organizationally and financially, but we did it! Coosa Upward started last year creating a basketball and cheer league, then moved on to soccer, football and cheer season, and it is currently in its co-ed baseball season.
Driving by a local field and seeing youth playing ball evokes something inside of you, but driving by a local field and seeing players and spectators listening to the Word and bowing their heads together in prayer, evokes something even stronger.
By nature sporting events are competitive, but Upward aims to build a love for sports and a love for Jesus by creating a fun and uplifting atmosphere. Coosa Upward exemplifies the best in our county because so many different entities have come together to make this program work.
Coosa Upward’s coaches are the backbone of the organization, working hard every week teaching athletic and biblical knowledge. Naturally many are parents, but amazingly many are not. They are either young adults who have fond memories of their youth sports experience, student athletes who want to make a difference, or believers who want to have a positive impact on the lives of Coosa County youth.
The organization has an amazing co-director, Lynn Castleberry, who manages the Facebook page, Upward Coosa Sports, as well as manages the concessions on game days.
Game days would not happen if it were not for the church partners who provide volunteers in the concession stand and the pastors who deliver the Game Day Devotion.
Coosa Upward does not charge admission to games; we want parents to be able to watch their child play without any financial barriers. For that reason, the organization is also very thankful for the financial donors which include county churches, businesses and community members who enable Coosa Upward to keep registration costs low and purchase the equipment necessary to run the leagues.
The group also extends its gratitude and appreciation to the community partners who allow Coosa Upward to use their facilities for practices and games.
The end-of-season celebration for baseball is June 24. Coosa Upward will take the month of July off to allow for family vacations, and then it will start again with basketball and cheer registration in August. Please join the Facebook page, Upward Coosa Sports, to stay informed.
Thank you, also, to the community Dollar Generals who allow us to place Coosa Upward registration info cards at their registers.
For more information on Coosa Upward, or if you would like to donate to the program, please text Debi Stover at 256-401-3281.
