Free sports registrations expanded in Colorado Springs to promote physical, mental wellness
Thousands of Colorado Springs kids will have the opportunity to play team sports in the coming years for free as nonprofits and donors look to combat mental health crises among youth and promote the social and physical benefits of sports.
Colorado Springs Children’s Hospital declared pediatric mental health a state of emergency in October as high numbers of children sought care, many combating thoughts of suicide. The crisis has not abated over the school year, said Greg Raymond, southern region president for Children’s Hospital Colorado. However, mental health crises among youth tends to recede in the summer and he is hopeful that will happen this year.
The expansion of free team sports through the city’s parks and recreation department could also help address the problem, he said.
“Sports specifically have shown to lower stress, to lower anxiety and depression, to increase self esteem and confidence. It leads to less substance abuse and other risky behaviors and even increased life satisfaction,” Raymond said. Sports can also help address obesity and diabetes, both growing problems among youth.
The Olympic City USA Task Force announced Monday it raised nearly $400,000 to waive registration fees for students in preschool through fourth grade to play soccer, t-ball, baseball and softball. The city will prioritize practice locations in the southeast and central areas of the city and space for the youngest players in preschool through second grade.
The funding will expand a program that started in 2021 and waived registrations for those in pre-kindergarten through second grade to play soccer.
The program successfully tripled registrations, Mayor John Suthers said. Participation in sports can help develop a person’s character, he said, and prepare them for life. He played youth baseball and other sports as a kid and applied those lessons since.
“I learned how to win with humility and I learned how to lose with both grace and the determination to do better,” he said.
By eliminating fees, the program could help combat declining interest in team sports that’s been seen across the United States. Regular participation in team sports has dropped from 41% of children ages 6 to 12 in 2012 to 37.8% among that same age group in 2020, according to the Aspen Institute. Participation in all sports has been rising across that same period and age group from 73% in 2012 to 76% in 2020.
The funds donated by the Daniels Fund, Dakota Foundation, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Gazette Charities Foundation, Comcast, Boeing, Schuck Foundation and Chapman Foundation ensures that free registrations will be available through 2026. Additional grants and donations will have to be raised to support the program in the following years, city spokeswoman Jamie Fabos said.
Registration for fall soccer opens May 9 and the first 550 players to register will have the $78 fee waived. There are no income or eligibility requirements to receive waived registration.
Free registration for t-ball, baseball and softball will be available in the spring. The number of spots available will be dependent, in part, on recruiting volunteer coaches, Fabos said.
To volunteer as a coach visit coloradosprings.gov/volunteercoaching.
The Dragons soccer team, in red, and the Falcons, in purple, battle during a 6-and-under Colorado Springs Youth Soccer game Monday, May 2, 2022, at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Coach Gregory Johnsen ties the shoes of his son, Aslan, 6, before the Dragons played the Falcons in the 6-and-under youth soccer league game Monday night, May 2, 2022, at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Coach Gregory Johnsen gives his Dragons team a pep rally before their game against the Falcons in a Colorado Springs 6-and-under Youth Soccer League game Monday night, May 2, 2022, at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Keegan Smith, 3, practices his soccer skills during the news conference at the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center Velodrome on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. The City of Colorado Springs offered free youth soccer to children in kindergarten through second grade in the first phase of the project. The program has been expanded to include t-ball, softball and baseball. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
