Ravenswood Youth Athletic Association

Avi Barrigan Speaks Up About How SUMMER LEAD Program Helped Her Realize She Does Make a Difference

RYAA — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:14:33 +0000

The experience I had with lead was one of the most memorable in my life. They offered me so much and I benefited from the program more than others benefited from me: I made good friendships and had my first job experience. I learned so much, but the one thing that stuck with me most were the leadership classes.

Because it gave me a broader view of my community, this class stood out from all the other classes the program offered . LEAD helped me realize that I do make a difference, and I always can make a difference through the little things I do.

The program may seem like a simple first job experience, but it’s much more. I could see that through all that Bay Shore ministries was doing for us: like taking us out to visit colleges or preview career options. They weren’t just giving us a few worthwhile classes, or a jobs for a few lucky teenagers, they were building up this community, 12 teenagers at a time.

- Avi Barrigan (Summer LEAD student in 2011)

High schoolers give back to community!

RYAA — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:54:39 +0000

This past week youth from a local high schools came to Cesar Chavez Academy and helped put on sports programming during recess. This was a true blessing because the equipment and organized nature of the sports is something unfamiliar to the school. We join Amika in commending our young leaders and their efforts!

Having Shannon and RYAA high school volunteers these past two days of benchmark testing has been a blessing and gives me a taste of what recess can be, when there are organized games and sports to keep kids engaged. I wish I could film it. It’s really impressive seeing high school kids on spring break – giving their time and being engaging in this way – really great leaders for our community . If you see it, it can give you goosebumps!

Cheers!

Amika Maria Maran Guillaume

Principal, Cesar Chavez Academy & Green Oaks Academy

Transforming Lives Through Sports and Gospel

RYAA — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:37:35 +0000

A little over a week ago, God blessed the RYAA community with a generous gift of support by Louis Zamperini given through Menlo Park Presbyterian church. We praise God for this gift and intend to use it to further our goal of building character, families, and faith. We also commend Louis Zamperini and Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for their faithfulness in working towards transforming our community for Christ.

Mr. Zamperini’s story is quite extraordinary because his life was transformed by sports and by the gospel. First as a youth, sports helped deliver Louis from his troubled life by giving him a constructive outlet. Instead of continuing to get into fights – he transformed that energy to running and shortly thereafter he became an Olympian. Years later, Louis would become a war hero during WWII as he survived terrible conditions and torture beyond all imagination. However, even after these successes, something was still missing for Louis and his life was on the wrong track. That is, until one fateful day when Louis began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as a result of finding God at a Billy Graham tent meeting. Louis said his life was “revolutionized in a moment.” Since then Louis has been living the gospel and seeking to help others do the same.

We intend to use this gift in a way that honors God by enhancing our programs that teach dignity and responsibility in the context of sports by the power of the gospel. Our prayer is that many youth lives will be transformed by the power of the gospel and will in turn be inspired to become tomorrow’s leaders who will continue to generously give to their communities.

[See below for a news story to learn more about Louis Zamperini's life]

The Joy of Community

RYAA — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:57:46 +0000

In sports, there is nothing that compares to the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. Much like the ups and downs of riding a roller coaster, being in active in sports can twist and turn your emotions. At least that is what I have experienced in my 28 years of life. How we learn to handle these emotional situations determines what kind of character we develop. As I reflect back on my life to this point, it is really clear to me that some of the most definitive moments and important relationships I’ve enjoyed have be born from the field of play. It is because of this thought – and also a passion to serve God by serving His people – that I chose to serve with RYAA a few years ago.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure to meet hundreds of youth as a soccer coach, a Bible story teacher, a referee, a friend, and a mentor. Its really cool when I am able to go out to the soccer field – like on tournament day – or when I am in the grocery store and I run into somebody whom I met through RYAA. I love it when they get so excited to see me. I mean, who am I? I give a little time and I feel like I get so much love in return. In the end, I am the one who is so thankful to see them. And I also remember all the people who invested time in me when I was young – the people who hoped and prayed for my success. Now that I am on the giving end of this relationship, I value their efforts on my behalf even more.

It is for these reasons that I highly encourage everyone to consider being a coach, mentor, prayer partner, or servant in any way you think God may be calling you. I have been so blessed by the coaches and mentors in my life and I am excited to have the opportunity to give a little back. In a way, it almost feels unfair because even though I am “giving” I feel like I get so much more in return.

- Eric Garthoffner (joyful member of RYAA community)

Trial and Triumph in Leading and Coaching

RYAA — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:44:28 +0000

As Jesus left the world, He left us with a commandment to take the gospel to all the nations and teach them to follow all that He commanded. Many have understood this as a call to go to foreign countries for short or long term missions trips to preach the gospel. But we have many needy people right here in our own home nation too! Some need material needs, but everybody needs love. We encourage people to see coaching as an opportunity to spread the gospel through planting the seeds of Christ’s love and hopefully the end result is that both yourself and the youth will become (in terms of character and love) more like the savior Jesus Christ!

RYAA Soccer coach Greg Ullom describes how coaching affected him and the youth he served:

Well,this season was filled with mixed feelings for me. That is not to say that the things that were tough were bad. Rather, they were opportunities to get better. The tough times were always accompanied with sweet individual moments with the kids. I found it very difficult to communicate the importance of of certain things like team work, Christ-like attitudes, and soccer skills when the kids were in a large group. However, when I would be walking to the field – say during a water break – I was usually approached by a kid on my team who would alway be excited to share with me a piece of their day or some other nugget of personal information about there lives. The cool thing was that it wasn’t the same kid every time!

As I think back on the season, I believe I actually spent one-on-one time with every kid on my team. And the cool thing is that they all seemed delighted to talk with me. Of course, there were some kids I got to know better than others. And through the season these were the glimmers of light that really kept me motivated. The other thing that helped to keep me motivated was that I felt, on a number of occasions, the Lord reminding me that I have no idea how my interactions with the kids was affecting them. Therefore, He reminded me to keep a good attitude and stay aligned with Christ.

- Greg Ullom, RYAA Soccer Coach

That final line says it all. For Coach Greg, the result was he had a motivating force for staying aligned with Christ. Also in his personal relationships with the youth, he helped keep them aligned with Christ as well! We are all unique members with varying gifts of the same body. How does God want to use you and your gifts for His glory? Won’t you prayerfully consider if God is calling for your gifts to serve with the RYAA community?

If so, please contact us and we will help you answer that call.

Putting youth in the driver’s seat

RYAA — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:09:38 +0000

Some of you have had the experience of teaching your children to drive, but most haven’t. Its almost as scary as watching your wife give birth, or deciding to adopt for that matter. As each of our children became a part of our family, my future passed before my eyes. That was definitely scarier than watching my past.

Anyway, sitting in the car next to each child in the driver’s seat for the first time is an experience like none other. Each time, my life passed before my eyes, not just out of fear, but reminiscing on how life brought us both to this point. You know, you can teach and train them, admonish and encourage, but some day, you have to put them in the driver’s seat. Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes not.

One day a few years ago, our family went to the grocery store. Most of the family went inside to shop, leaving Josiah, my second son, and I in the car. The parking lot was pretty empty, so I told him to get behind the wheel, we were going for a drive. He said, “Are you sure, Dad?” The light in his eyes was a mix of fear and hope. “Let’s do it”, I said. We went for a nice cruise, a couple of laps around the lot, and parked the car, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. When April and the rest of the family heard about it, their jaws just dropped.

Well, April thought that she could do the same thing for some of her teenage girls in her Bible study. They found a nice, empty, church parking lot. April did everything she could do to make it as safe as possible. The first girl took the driver’s seat. April told her to just lift her foot off the brake gently, then put it back down. Well, as the car began to move forward, panic set in. She stepped down, but on the gas instead of the brake. The car shot out towards the street. If it weren’t for the small tree they uprooted, and the church’s 4-foot high sign that almost turned our mini-van into a convertible…well, God is good. The car was fixed, but the roof now leaks when it rains, reminding us of that day.

The girl behind the wheel was of course pretty upset. When I drove up, she was convinced I was going to chew her out (why not, that’s how her own father would respond). When I simply said I was glad she was OK and gave her a hug, I could see a huge weight fall off her shoulders. For a while, she didn’t want to spend time with us any more because of the embarrassment. But with encouragement, she came back to the Bible club, and despite the experience, this meek girl has learned to face her fears, her family problems, and continues to grow in her faith. She joined our summer leadership program and quickly became a leader of the leaders. We are looking forward to seeing her become a major force for God in our community in the future.

As I look back on this year at RYAA, I would say the overwhelming theme has been leadership development. We had 16 youth in our summer leadership development program, and in our fall soccer program, over 50 youth leaders as coaches or referees. Many of these youth had never coached or refereed. Some were not really even soccer players. But the eagerness and enthusiasm they showed gives me so much hope for our community. We gave them training of course, but then, we had to put them in the driver’s seat.

As one 13 year old coach of 6 and 7 year old boys put it, “I learned to be responsible. If I didn’t show up, no one else was going to be there. If I didn’t bring the balls, we were not going to have balls to practice with. When they wouldn’t listen, I had to be tough. It was hard, but I am glad I did it.”

Think about the youth in your own life. Look for an opportunity to put them in the driver’s seat. Even young children can be given responsibility for a family task, like deciding how to set the table or preparing food for a special meal, owning a small piece of the garden for flowers or vegetables, or picking out the clothes for mom and dad to wear on a special night out. Our youngest daughter enjoys putting on April’s makeup before we go out on an (infrequent) date night. If you have a good example of how you put youth in the driver’s seat, let me know. We have a new blog at …, and we will post it for others to learn from your example.

Remember to be there with them, though. Just like you would not just let your child get in a real driver’s seat and send them off alone, you need to support your youth in the process. But try your best to be quiet, and just be there to prevent complete disaster. If they fail, don’t admonish, but give them a hug and encourage them to try again.

And, thank you for all of your prayers, work and contributions towards caring for our community. Some of you have been faithful in your prayers, some have been incredible generous with your time and finances. And some of you even let us borrow your bicycles and helmets during our bicycle camp, when we had one day to find 30 bicycles because we just had an overwhelming response to our bicycle camp. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

Shannon