Boys & Girls Club Ready for Three-Sport Winter Season

The College Park Boys & Girls Club is beginning this year's winter season of sports. According to the club's president, Mary Lintner, this season will feature basketball, indoor soccer, and lacrosse, .

Each sport has multiple teams assorted by age, that give players of all skill levels the ability to play and learn, with seasons lasting until St. Patrick's Day.

Participants in the club can range from age 8 to 13. Although teams are divided by age, those with advanced skills have the ability to advance to an older team when agreed upon by coaches and parents.

"That's what I love about our club," Lintner said. "Everybody has the opportunity to play."

Basketball, typically the highlight of winter sports, will contain a series of six games in the regular season. According to fourth-year coach Kenny White, every team in the club automatically advances to a single-elimination playoff.

"Last year we went 6-2 with a loss by one in the semifinals," said White, who also coaches football for the Laurel Boys & Girls Club. "Basketball in this league is very competitive, but all kids get an equal amount of playing time."

The College park 11-year-old team finished last season with a 5-1 record. Winning however, is not the only emphasis. White also ensures that his players show a high degree of character.

"My team is a respectable one and my kids understand that if they misbehave in school or home, they don't play," he said.

The club's lacrosse section is the first of its kind for a Prince George's County Boys & Girls Club. According to former commissioner Carolyn Fink, youth lacrosse tends to be competitive in this area. However, there are no local school-organized teams below the high school level. This void is what caused the College Park Boys & Girls Club to add lacrosse to its winter schedule this year.  

Fink estimated that nearly half this year's Boys & Girls Club lacrosse team will go on to play at the high school level.

For more information on the College Park Boys and Girls Club, visit www.cpbgc.org.

To keep up with local sports, visit www.twitter.com/patchsportsmd.