Article 9, Volume 1
Youth Basketball
The powers that be at Bailey's Community Center (BCC) in Bailey's Crossroads, Va are not, in my opinion, willing to put forth the necessary effort to ensure that children in the Bailey's Crossroads community have an opportunity to participate in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (FCYBL) or any other basketball leagues for youths. This situation is sad when you consider the FCYBL is funded, in part, by the county and more than 75,000 youths in the county and surrounding jurisdictions participate.
Each year I receive about 40 to 50 calls from parents and students about youth basketball. If I refer them to the BCC there is nobody there who can give them an adequate answer. Oh, they may invite them to come in and sign up, but after they sign up, the follow-up action by BCC is unacceptable.
Also, once a child signs up for a team at Bailey's, he or she get the impression that Bailey's is going to have a team, so they don't pursue signing up with another organization. Then, when they find out that BCC is not going to have a team it is too late to join another club.
This year, the pattern continued, except no real effort was made to organize any teams. According to my calculation, and the sign-up sheet that was posted, at least 40 children signed up or expressed an interest in playing. Again, this year I was told that they are not good enough to have teams.
The powers in place are willing to tease the children every year about organizing teams for the league, but then before the time for league registration they will come up with some lame excuse as to why it cannot be done.
Then the children are told that can sign up for house league because they do not think they are good enough to play in the county league.Chances are the children will not play in any league this season.
Four parents called and told me that they took their children to practice on two or three occasions and there was no coach present and the children was just clowning around. In frustration they went back home.
Background
For 25 years BCC was one of the highest rated youth organizations in the region. We received several commendations for our efforts. I had 12 outstanding volunteers working with me in 2008-09. We had 70 children participating on 6 teams. Our girls team Division 1, went to the finals and barely lost. One of our boy's teams won a league championships. In fact, one of our teams won a championship every year for 10 straight years.
We were one of, if not the most diverse organizations in the area. Our players came from at least 22 different countries.
On November 24, 2008, I invited the center director to our coaches meeting and he invited Pam Washington to accompany him. Two weeks after the meeting , 6 citizens of the community, members of the Bailey's Crossroads Community Center, Inc., advisory board, came together and decided they were going to take over the basketball operation. They agreed to call themselves the "Bailey's Community Center Advisory Board" collected all the money, opened a bank account, and essentially eliminated organized youth basketball teams at the center. These six, decided to eliminate usage of any reference to the official board that was in place.
Despite the distraction we had a successful season.
In September 2009 the board and center director had the children to sign up for FCYBL league play, and started practicing in October. After 8 weeks of hard practice, the children were told that they were not going to play in the county league.
I had one team organized and they played one game in the FCYBL. Then the league and the team was told that Bailey's team would not be participating. I pleaded with the powers that be to let the children play since I had assumed all responsibilities and the schedule was set.
A meeting was called and 8th graders were informed that could not play in the FCYBL, instead they could play in the house league against 5th graders. This was very disappointing. Several of the children cried openly when they were informed.
They participated in the house league and defeated teams by scores like 80-6. It was a total disgrace. The house league, in February 2010, rightfully, found a way to disqualify the team before the season ended.
In September 2010, I told the director, at BCC that I had four teams that wanted to play. He told me that the unsanctioned advisory board was going to have teams, so it would not be right for me to try and organize any teams.
Again, they had the children sign up. Put an unprepared, coachless team in the league and only showed up for one game.
The situation was so pitiful, in January 2011, the FCYBL, rightfully, had to drop them from the league.
It turned out that Bailey's didn't have any coaches or organization for teams to be formed.
Who is the contact person?
I really don't know who to talk to anymore. I talked with Community Services director, Chris Leonard; area director, Chris Scales; area director, Bruce Patrick and BCC director, Chonn Lacey.
Who do I contact? I ask the BCC director, and he refers me to the appointed commissioner, Daryl Lucas, then he refers me back to Chonn. Then I'm referred to the board or back to the commissioner. Round and around I go, but end up getting no where.
They all gave me varying stories.
But the bottom line is, the children in this area are denied an opportunity to play. Money is not a problem, in 1993, I was successful in getting the county to set aside $5,000 to use primarily for youth basketball at BCC and three other community centers. Since BCC does not have any teams, I cannot attest to how the they are spending or spent the money.
The contact person is Pam Washington. I don't believe any other board member is active in the decision making process.
Each year I have to pass up at least $15,000 in free camps, games and other freebies that are offered to county teams. Why? Because we do not have an organized program.
What Can We Do?
Organize. They are not going to pay me any attention. I need parents and citizens who have an interest in seeing youths participate basketball to come forth and join me in my efforts to restore the game and all the activities that go with it back to the Bailey's Crossroads community.
Youth basketball is not just about playing, it is also about scholarships, jobs, interacting with other children, using the gym for the community, strengthening local high school teams and many other benefits.
For example, our last 8th grade girls team sent 6 girls to varsity as freshmen in high school.
For more information on the status of BCC, and pictures that show, in part, the condition of the gym, visit our new dedicated Website, http://www.bxrcc.blogspot.com/
My email address is, gebryant411@gmail.com
Youth Basketball
The powers that be at Bailey's Community Center (BCC) in Bailey's Crossroads, Va are not, in my opinion, willing to put forth the necessary effort to ensure that children in the Bailey's Crossroads community have an opportunity to participate in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (FCYBL) or any other basketball leagues for youths. This situation is sad when you consider the FCYBL is funded, in part, by the county and more than 75,000 youths in the county and surrounding jurisdictions participate.
Each year I receive about 40 to 50 calls from parents and students about youth basketball. If I refer them to the BCC there is nobody there who can give them an adequate answer. Oh, they may invite them to come in and sign up, but after they sign up, the follow-up action by BCC is unacceptable.
Also, once a child signs up for a team at Bailey's, he or she get the impression that Bailey's is going to have a team, so they don't pursue signing up with another organization. Then, when they find out that BCC is not going to have a team it is too late to join another club.
This year, the pattern continued, except no real effort was made to organize any teams. According to my calculation, and the sign-up sheet that was posted, at least 40 children signed up or expressed an interest in playing. Again, this year I was told that they are not good enough to have teams.
The powers in place are willing to tease the children every year about organizing teams for the league, but then before the time for league registration they will come up with some lame excuse as to why it cannot be done.
Then the children are told that can sign up for house league because they do not think they are good enough to play in the county league.Chances are the children will not play in any league this season.
Four parents called and told me that they took their children to practice on two or three occasions and there was no coach present and the children was just clowning around. In frustration they went back home.
Background
For 25 years BCC was one of the highest rated youth organizations in the region. We received several commendations for our efforts. I had 12 outstanding volunteers working with me in 2008-09. We had 70 children participating on 6 teams. Our girls team Division 1, went to the finals and barely lost. One of our boy's teams won a league championships. In fact, one of our teams won a championship every year for 10 straight years.
We were one of, if not the most diverse organizations in the area. Our players came from at least 22 different countries.
On November 24, 2008, I invited the center director to our coaches meeting and he invited Pam Washington to accompany him. Two weeks after the meeting , 6 citizens of the community, members of the Bailey's Crossroads Community Center, Inc., advisory board, came together and decided they were going to take over the basketball operation. They agreed to call themselves the "Bailey's Community Center Advisory Board" collected all the money, opened a bank account, and essentially eliminated organized youth basketball teams at the center. These six, decided to eliminate usage of any reference to the official board that was in place.
Despite the distraction we had a successful season.
In September 2009 the board and center director had the children to sign up for FCYBL league play, and started practicing in October. After 8 weeks of hard practice, the children were told that they were not going to play in the county league.
I had one team organized and they played one game in the FCYBL. Then the league and the team was told that Bailey's team would not be participating. I pleaded with the powers that be to let the children play since I had assumed all responsibilities and the schedule was set.
A meeting was called and 8th graders were informed that could not play in the FCYBL, instead they could play in the house league against 5th graders. This was very disappointing. Several of the children cried openly when they were informed.
They participated in the house league and defeated teams by scores like 80-6. It was a total disgrace. The house league, in February 2010, rightfully, found a way to disqualify the team before the season ended.
In September 2010, I told the director, at BCC that I had four teams that wanted to play. He told me that the unsanctioned advisory board was going to have teams, so it would not be right for me to try and organize any teams.
Again, they had the children sign up. Put an unprepared, coachless team in the league and only showed up for one game.
The situation was so pitiful, in January 2011, the FCYBL, rightfully, had to drop them from the league.
It turned out that Bailey's didn't have any coaches or organization for teams to be formed.
Who is the contact person?
I really don't know who to talk to anymore. I talked with Community Services director, Chris Leonard; area director, Chris Scales; area director, Bruce Patrick and BCC director, Chonn Lacey.
Who do I contact? I ask the BCC director, and he refers me to the appointed commissioner, Daryl Lucas, then he refers me back to Chonn. Then I'm referred to the board or back to the commissioner. Round and around I go, but end up getting no where.
They all gave me varying stories.
But the bottom line is, the children in this area are denied an opportunity to play. Money is not a problem, in 1993, I was successful in getting the county to set aside $5,000 to use primarily for youth basketball at BCC and three other community centers. Since BCC does not have any teams, I cannot attest to how the they are spending or spent the money.
The contact person is Pam Washington. I don't believe any other board member is active in the decision making process.
Each year I have to pass up at least $15,000 in free camps, games and other freebies that are offered to county teams. Why? Because we do not have an organized program.
What Can We Do?
Organize. They are not going to pay me any attention. I need parents and citizens who have an interest in seeing youths participate basketball to come forth and join me in my efforts to restore the game and all the activities that go with it back to the Bailey's Crossroads community.
Youth basketball is not just about playing, it is also about scholarships, jobs, interacting with other children, using the gym for the community, strengthening local high school teams and many other benefits.
For example, our last 8th grade girls team sent 6 girls to varsity as freshmen in high school.
For more information on the status of BCC, and pictures that show, in part, the condition of the gym, visit our new dedicated Website, http://www.bxrcc.blogspot.com/
My email address is, gebryant411@gmail.com
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