#426. Upward basketball
Oct 23rd by JonMy only role on our championship winning eighth grade basketball team was to organize games of tag on the playground before practice started.
It wasn’t an official role, but I like to think maybe that got the players that were good at basketball warmed up for practice and that the coach secretly appreciated my playground skills.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m talking about serious games of tag. The kind where the ground is considered lava or shark infested water or the ultimate, “shark infested lava” and you’re out automatically if you touch it. And you have to jump and swing and plan strategic escape moves on monkey bars. I ran a top notch tag program, which is fortunate given how bottom notch my basketball skills were.
I played less than 2 minutes the entire season and remember sitting on the floor during some games behind the players that got chairs. After our one loss that year, the coach actually said on the bus ride home, “Well the one bright spot is that everyone got to play.” A few players immediately responded, “Acuff didn’t play.” The coach slapped his forehead, the bus rolled on.
All in all, it was probably the exact opposite experience of what programs like Upward are doing. According to their website, Upward is “a fun, reliable, passionate and encouraging sports experience for boys and girls, in K5 through sixth grade.” Their motto is “Every child plays. Every child learns. Every Child Is A Winner.” Based on those criteria, my eighth grade experience was 0 for 3. I didn’t play. My basketball skills are currently limited to awkward layups, so clearly I didn’t learn. And by no means was I a winner.
Upward is at thousands of churches around the country right now and I wish it had been at mine when I was a kid. Since it wasn’t, here is what I imagine Upward basketball is like:
1. Instead of “try outs” you have try ons.” Since no one is getting cut from the team, this is just a session for everyone to try on their new game jersey. Congratulations you made the team.
2. There are no losers in an Upward basketball game. Just a team that came in first and a team that came in second. At the bare minimum you’re getting a silver metal.
3. Parents don’t swear at the referee from the stands, but instead pelt him with words of affirmation, “You look good in stripes! Good call ref, in fact they’ve all been good calls today! You most definitely do not need glasses!”
4. Instead of blowing a harsh, shrill whistle, the referee blows a small, brightly colored kazoo. Instead of getting mad when you hear it as a player, you can’t help but laugh and pat your opponent on the back. “Kazoo!” you say, “Don’t you just love a kazoo?”
5. Instead of rejecting, swatting or blocking a shot, you “shot borrow,” jumping into the air and saying, “excuse me, I appreciate the basket you are trying to score right now, but I too would like to score a basket and I’m afraid I will need to borrow this basketball for a moment to try my own shot.”
6. Instead of doing a crossover dribble to shake opponents, you do a cross. Your opponent gets to see the shape of the cross formed on the floor and reflect on what Christ did for us while you get to blow by them to score a basket. It’s a win-win.
That’s how I imagine Upward basketball to be, but it’s possible I’m off.
Do your kids play? Did you play? Maybe someone with some Upward experience can let me know if I’m 0 for 6 or 6 for 6.
Comments
I was always afraid of getting hit in the head with a ball and I put so much focus on avoiding this that I made an awful player. Of course, I recognized this weakness and so I never tried out for basketball, I just played it occasionally in PE. After that I joined swim team (no balls–whew) and really wasn’t good at that either (although I did win the “Most Improved Player” award my first year–course that’s pretty easy when your times at the beginning of the season are slower than a snail stuck in a pit full of tree sap).
We don’t have Upwards at my church, but it sounds like fun. I don’t agree so much with the “everyone is a winner” thing myself, but I think that overall the program sounds like it would be really good for kids.
Did anyone ever do Awana? I remember competing in the Awana Games when I was in like 3rd grade. It was intense!
Um, I take umbrage with the comment above that Upward is wussy and therefore should be girl exclusive. I am not familiar with the program and cannot fairly bear witness to its wussiness, but would just like to say that it is not fair to so narrowly stereotype any one gender in such a manner. I might as well call all men a pack of troglodyte cave trolls. But I won’t, because I know that it would be inaccurate to do so. Not only are men not all troglodytes, but I know a few women cave trolls as well.
A very timely post, indeed, as today is, in my church office, The Last Day to Register for Upward Basketball Before The Price Goes Up $10. Or, as I call it, “Dang it, I forgot to take a vacation day” day.
I’ve never heard of Upward sports but it sounds like they have a good heart behind it but I’m afraid I have to agree with others on here that it’s not for me. Life is not always fair and not everyone wins. And when you work hard, you get rewarded with WINNING. I worked at a Christian sports camp for years and it was competitive and Christ centered. I argue that you can have both. Christ-centered competition teaches you to be gracious when you lose and how to be humble when you win. It teaches you life skills at a young age. If everyone wins then what life skills are learned?
or OU just got beat by a better team that day. Don’t tell me they were unfocused. They looked good and probably deserve to be number 2.
My son doesn’t have a dad. I correct that: He has a dad who’s a horrible man. My son has “lost” enough at life that he needs to learn that it’s OK to try stuff sometimes, and that people aren’t always waiting there to pounce on you the second you do something wrong (a misperception about God, no?). He already knows that life isn’t fair. Let Upward give him and a thousand other boys just like him a safe haven to be kids.
Wow, that was sorta profound. I think it’s time to go deal with my own issues of playing King of the Mountain while my softball team beat the tar out of everyone else.
Hear, hear, Devout Hypocrite.
Different kids in different circumstances need different things. What’s wussie and feel-good to one person can be healing and liberating for another. Been there, done that.
And, Kitty, your comment rocked.
I’ve seen a lot of Upward sports lately…basketball, cheerleading, soccer, and flag football.
I’m waiting for Upward Boxing. That’s where you lay hands on the other kid in Jesus name.
I always want to put an s on the end of Upward and call it Upwards Basketball (my nephew plays). Also, I notice that tons of folks put an s on the end of AWANA. I propose that Christians like putting unnecessary “esses” on words.
I put my daughter in Upward basketball for a year because she wanted to learn the sport without getting “stompled” by those who already knew how to play.
I wish I had been warned in advance that the focus was evangelism, however. We found that out the hard way when all of the sudden it was half time, someone was preaching, and it seemed really really rude to get up and walk out. So instead, I ended up missing part of the game so I could get snacks and make a bathroom run.
I learned how to get saved a lot that year….
On the bright side, my daughter did pick up a lot of the basics, enough to know that she was no good at basketball, anyhow. Now if only origami was a sport.
@Mikki
Am I misinterpreting your comment or were you offended by the evangelism aspect of upward basketball?
5 years of Upward, all year round, basketball, baseball, soccer. Our church has a sports complex and my husband runs the concession stand, is a commissioner and coaches.
Good times, good times.
0 for 6, Jon, but nice try!
Some of your readers should stop trying to apply what Upward does to all of life – it does not teach that everyone gets whatever they want. There is a place in every child’s life for positive affirmation and encouragement without everything being a competition.
Competitive sports, by the way, is no closer to how life works than non-competitive sports. Look at the money markets and ask who got rich, who lost their retirement and/or house and/or job. I saw a documentary on Lyndon Johnson and was surprised how Texans vote, but then remembered what went on in Florida 4 years ago, etc
Upward stops at grade 6 for a reason – it is geared for the younger children. The kids are there to have fun 1st and foremost, and learn some skills and sportsmanship along the way. They do a fantastic job of providing coaches drills and practice outlines, of assessing kids so teams are pretty even, of organizing lineups so even in each game the shifts are pretty close, of providing top quality jerseys and “extras”, of helping ministries solve issues as they come up, of providing devotionals and the Gospel to kids who may never hear it otherwise. Each night each lineup rotates through the players from top to bottom, starting with a different player each week (the lineup order never changes – just where you start on it).
I am surprised at all the negative comments here, but I understand Upward, like a church building or any other program is just a tool to help people meet God and become more like Jesus. Some people just need to leave certain tools alone because they are a danger to themselves or others!
Well I have coached ever since our Church started Upward. I was skeptical about the program at first and after four years as a coach I think I have a solid opinion.
I think the idea of Upward Basketball is mostly great. It's great to have a competitive sport that is supposed to be outside the lines of the bad stuff that goes with such competition like fighting, swearing, and a very un-Christian experience.
However, I have found that Upward wasn't as good in reality as it is presented by those that run it. Parents, coaches, referees, and players still get upset and let the human nature take over. That is unavoidable.
I agree with some of the others here that the reward system is unrealistic. I have had to gives award stars out at the end of games to players that truly did not deserve usually because of a bad attitude or not playing to their potential (usually caused by the bad attitude). I have also had to reward ball hogs that wouldn't pass because I did not, as a coach, have the power to call a timeout and bench a player.
I have also found that as a ministry tool, Upward is basically non-existent. It's not bad for outreach but the little time used for witnessing and such makes it difficult for leading others to Christ. It is, however, good for getting people in the door.
In concept I think that Upward is a good idea. You want kids to have an opportunity to compete in a place that is loving and not hateful. In reality though, Upward does not deliver on its promises entirely.
I would say its not a bad program but I have seen and been involved in betters ones.
I played Upward basketball. It isn't far from what you said. The only thing you left out is the classic prayer before the game. Sure this is a classic thing to do in sports, but it still had the adrenaline rushing effect most of the time (depending on how good the prayer was).