GYSA | - Part 2

COVID-19 and Our Children’s Physical Inactivity

April 17, 2020June 22, 2020

The current state of affairs has brought our nation to a sudden and screeching halt, a complete shut down of the world we once used to know. From gyms, to sporting events, from small and large businesses, to schools, normal no longer exists. The adverse effects of this shut down will be plentiful. Among those effected are the children of America. Today’s youth already live an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and staying home for prolonged periods is not doing any favors for their physical activity levels.

GYSA Founder, Devonte Woodson

Let’s take a step back for a moment. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic our nation’s youth were not the most active group around. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that ONLY 24% of children, ages 6 to 17, participate in the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Again, this finding was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the state-wide stay-at-home order. So, not only is it unlikely that 76% of children will start incorporating physical activity into their daily routines during this strange new time, but it is expected that the number of previously active children will fall as well.

The CDC found that ONLY 24% of children, ages 6 to 17, participate in the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day

According to the CDC the consequences of not being physically active include:

Energy imbalances which lead to increased risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Increased risk of factors for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.

On the flip side, students who ARE physically active tend to have higher grades, better school attendance, improved memory, and more appropriate classroom behavior!

“Unhealthy children become unhealthy adults”. Right now, it is vitally important to encourage physical activity in our children, and once school resumes, after-school sports programs such as the GYSA “School Sports Solution” (https://greateryouthsportsnv.org//school-sports-solution) will be more important than ever for our schools and their students. GYSA believes in educating children at a young age about the importance of daily physical activity. By instilling this knowledge in our children at a young age, they will grow to be healthier, happier adults.
We understand staying active during this time can be challenging. Below, GYSA has provided several tips for incorporating physical activity in your child’s daily routine:

Play a game of catch with a football or baseball outside (be sure to follow social distancing guidelines)
Work on your dribbling and passing skills by kicking around a soccer ball
Complete virtual home workouts, like Coach Woodson’s 15 Minute Daily Workout on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/greateryouthsports/live). Workouts are kid friendly and take place at noon each week day.
Set aside one hour a day for any type of physical activities - avoid phones, the TV and other electronics.
Avoid sitting for extended periods by taking a walk or just standing up and moving regularly - studies have shown that sitting for 3 hours a day or more can cut up to two years off a persons life expectancy!

News & Press Releases

250+ Attend GYSA Youth Development Seminar

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020

Michael Waters, Mike Philogene and GYSA Founder Present To 250+ at GYSA Character & Awards Night

LAS VEGAS, Nevada. On November 15th, 2019 Greater Youth Sports Association, Inc. (GYSA) a 501(c)(3) non-profit, serving at-risk, elementary-age youth in Nevada, hosted its first Character and Awards Night of their 2019-2020 season. The event which was held at SLAM Academy featured speakers including Michael Waters of Phase 1 Sports; Motivational Speaker, Mike Philogene; and Devonte Woodson of GYSA.

The Character & Awards Night is a staple in GYSA’s premier program, the School Sports Solution^SM. These nights conclude each of GYSA’s three sports seasons and aim to teach student athletes important life lessons. GYSA Co-Founder Annalise Lullo explained “We believe we can use sports as a vessel to teach our athletes the importance of having good character and a sound education.”

Each speaker presented to the athletes and their parents about the importance of responsibility and taking ownership. The presentations were very interactive and got not only the students excited and involved but the parents and coaches as well. Devonte noted “there is so much good that comes out of this night. It gets the students thinking about their futures while simultaneously giving their parents tools to assist them in building successful lives”.

The next GYSA Character and Awards Night will take place following their 2020 Basketball season in February.

ABOUT GYSA: GYSA, which was founded in 2018, has accomplished much over its short life. Devonte and Annalise founded their non-profit because they believe that cost should never be the reason a child does not participate in sports. Sadly, this is the reality for 7 out of 10 low-income students. During their first year they impacted more than 700 students. This season they are on track to impact more than 1,200. However, Devonte and Annalise feel they’ve only scratched the surface with their impact. They hope to eventually impact more than 100,000 students each year.

News & Press Releases

Another Impactful Year

May 12, 2018January 14, 2020

Local NV Nonprofit Provides a Solution for Title-1 Elementary Schools

In 2017, the concept for Greater Youth Sports Association’s (GYSA) School Sports Solution program grew organically out of the desire to help one student. This student spent most of his time in the Principal’s office. He was angry, poised to distract others and altogether unengaged with his schooling. If you’re an educator or administrator you know this student… you’ve seen him/her before and the question you always ask yourself is “what can I do to motivate this child?”.

That very question was the spark that ignited the School Sports Solution Flame. After, GYSA Founder, Devonte Woodson (then Elementary School Teacher) discovered this particular student went home each day after school and did “whatever he felt like” with his older brothers, he decided to host a soccer camp at his school. The camp brought in more than 100 students which was when Devonte realized that many children could benefit from inexpensive, after-school sports programming.

Did you know that 7 out of 10 low-income children do not participate in organized sports? The two biggest reasons for this lack of participation are cost and transportation. GYSA is the solution to this problem.

After months of pilot programming and problem-solving, GYSA entered the 2019 school year partnered with 14 local, Title-1, elementary schools to provide them with after-school sports programming. The School Sports Solution program provides three sports seasons (Flag Football, Basketball and Soccer), reading mentorship and character development.

From the inception of the School Sports Solution program to today, the GYSA team and families have seen some truly transformational stories. This program is much larger than sports and hopes to have a lasting impact on the lives of all students they serve.

With their impact last Football Season the program is on-track to service 1200+ students this school year. But for the GYSA Founders this is just the tip of the iceberg. They hope to take the program to a national level and impact 100,000 students each school year.