"SYA MOMENTS"
Capture the Moment with SYA

July, 2020 Newsletter
The SYA Moments is a monthly e-newsletter to keep you informed on all SYA sports and community events
SYA Offers 16 Different Sports !

Babe Ruth Baseball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Cricket - NEW! , Field Hockey, Tackle and Flag Football, Lacrosse, Little League Baseball and Softball, Rugby, Soccer, Track & Field, Ultimate Frisbee - NEW! Volleyball and Wrestling
SYA is Still Accepting Fall Sport
"Pre- Registrations" With No Fees At This Time!!

Sign up today so we can hold your spot. We are working hard to determine the right time to collect fees for the fall season and will do that as soon as we can. So go to SYA website and secure your spot today!

SYA Has Fantastic Volunteers!!
Here are our Past Year's Volunteers of the Year!

We have amazing volunteers and we know we would not be the organization that we are without the thousands of volunteers that work with our sports. We appreciate the time, commitment and dedication of all of our volunteers. Each year we ask our sports to nominate the best of their volunteers to receive our Volunteer of the Year award. Unfortunately, this year we didn't get to honor those selected the way we normally do but we wanted to say thank you to all of them for a job well done. Congratulations to our Volunteers of the Year!

  • Jeff Barr - Wrestling
  • Tracey Barrett - Field Hockey
  • Chris Brooks - Lacrosse
  • Curt Congdon - Wrestling
  • Brian Conway - Football
  • Jody Corbet - Football
  • Maryann East - Track & Field
  • Anthony Himelright - Babe Ruth
  • Susie Hoopes - Rugby
  • Dave Kopfinger - Lacrosse
  • Ross Lemke - Rugby
  • Chet Luther - Little League Softball
  • Renee Macri - Soccer
  • Phil Malkus Field Hockey
  • Susan Malkus - Field Hockey
  • Frank McNulty - Basketball
  • Danielle Mudge - Cheerleading
  • Jason Mullins - Football
  • Dorothy Owen - Soccer
  • Steve Parrott - Soccer
  • Tom Phipps - Rugby
  • Kristi Purdy - Basketball
  • Brian Robinson - Rugby
  • Adam Rodriguez - Little League Baseball
  • Kevin Ryan - Lacrosse
  • Brian Sanders - Little League Baseball
  • Susan (Betsy) Scott - Cheerleading
  • Aravind Sreeram - Track & Field
  • Sammy Suleiman - Basketball
  • Bruce Thayer - Babe Ruth
  • Regina Thomas - Cheerleading
  • Ryan Toni - Wrestling
  • Walter Zirk - Little League Baseball

Here is what was said about some of our volunteers:
  • Susan "Betsy" Scott - Coach Betsy has been a volunteer cheerleading coach for the SYA Extreme Competition cheer program for the past seven years. She is an outstanding coach, that can offer significant skills and experience in the areas of athletic development, mentoring, practice drills, tumbling and competitive cheer. Coach Betsy is highly organized, intelligent, and driven to succeed. She is a team player, is able to communicate well with young athletes and is dedicated to achieving any goal that she sets for herself and for her teams. Coach Betsy is a hard worker and has an inner drive that motivates athletes to always try their best. She spends hundreds of hours at the gym each week and her love for our program and athletes is immeasurable.
  • Regina Thomas - Regina became involved with SYA Cheer when her daughter, Haylie, joined our competition program several years ago. Since that time, Regina has become an important part of our cheer program. She has volunteered to the team mom every year, often taking on two teams at a time. She has planned team bonding events for our teams and put together gift packages for them before each competition without fail. Regina is a huge asset to our gym and our teams. Regina is always one of the first parents to volunteer to work at community events, to help raise money for our program, and to help anyone that is need. Regina is a respected member of our community and of our organization. She is the perfect example of someone that exemplifies respect, caring trustworthiness and a love for our program
  • Danielle Mudge - Danielle became involved with SYA Extreme two years ago when her daughter, Aspen, joined our competitive cheer program. Since that time, Danielle has volunteered to serve as a team mom for several teams. She assists coaches in creating a positive atmosphere at the gym and is one of the first to respond if anyone needs assistance. Danielle is one of the first parents to volunteer her time to help in whatever capacity is needed. She gives everything that she does 100% of her attention and she has helped to make our program stronger!
  • Dave Kopfinger - Dave grew up playing lacrosse and passed that love on to his daughter, Lawson. His dedication to our program, even after his daughter graduated out of it, is beyond admirable. His knowledge of the lacrosse works is a major benefit to our organization as he has facilitated relationships with the NOVA lacrosse community. He is passionate about he game and about the players giving their all in every situation. He has donated time and money to SYA Lacrosse and we want to recognize that devotion. We are happy to have him as a member of our board.
  • Kevin Ryan - Kevin grew up in the area playing lacrosse among other sports. He has brought his sons into the SYA community to share his love of the game. Kevin has worked countless hours as our equipment coordinator (which deserves its own trophy!) as well as volunteering as a coach and board member. Kevin has come up with ways to rework our equipment rental which has helped the process. His coaching has been a great benefit to the younger levels in our boys' league and he has been so supportive in our fall clinic as well. Beyond his donation of time, he has donated his knowledge, which is just as impressive.
  • Chris Brooks - Chris has coached three kids through the program from the early 2000's through the 2019 season. Chris has the specific honor of having coached the current SYA lacrosse commissioner to a championship through his acknowledgement that is all about the players. His ability to easily switch between coaching the girls' game to the boys' game really speaks to his knowledge of the sport. His dedication to providing the kids with great training has produced great athletes. As his last child has graduated out of our program, we wan to give our heartfelt thanks for his years of service and kindness.
  • Jason Mullins - Jason is tireless in his efforts to promote SYA as a safe, inclusive organization dedicated to fostering teamwork, resilience and responsibility to the youth of our community.
  • Jody Corbit - Jody dedicates additional time and effort above and beyond what is necessary to ensure our players are properly equipped and fitted with the best equipment possible.
  • Brian Conway - Year after year, Brian continues to take a disparate group of players, build them into a single, cohesive team and win championships. His passion for developing his players is evident in the success he has had over the many years he has coached in our program.
  • Curt Congdon - Curt's unshakeable approach of positive reinforcement has helped so many young Matdogs develop a quick bond with the sport. Add the fact that he once drove through the night from Florida to be here for a mid-season tournament is telling of his commitment to the kids.
  • Ryan Toni - In his first year with the program, Ryan jumped right in and delivered great energy and positivity to help propel our youngest team, our "Pups," to a fun and successful season.
  • Jeff Barr - Jeff's enthusiasm and emphasis on creating a fun and positive team atmosphere enhances everyone's experience.
SYA's Fields of Dreams SPORTS PARK

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the Sports Park is open only for limited use by SYA programs and to maintenance personnel. We are keeping your park in great shape, with reduced services so that we are ready to fully open when we get through this crisis. Stay safe!

Located at 6626 Bull Run Post Office Rd, Centreville VA 20120
Visit our Sports Park website - click here
SYA Says Goodbye to Longtime Office Administrator Sue Rafferty

We will miss you Sue!

If you are a part of SYA, you most likely know our Office Administrator, Sue Rafferty. Sadly, Sue and her husband are packing up and moving down south, and that means, she is leaving us! Sue has been an integral part of our organization for close to 14 years and has touched countless lives along with way. Whether it's a parent that had trouble registering, a coach that wanted equipment, a player that needed a uniform, a Commissioner that wanted a report, or even a toilet that needed to be serviced, Sue always had the time to help and did so with a smile on her face.
 
Sue's passionate about sports and her four children all grew up playing SYA sports. Sue could be found right there watching every game they played. With the move, she'll now have more time to watch her favorite teams like the Caps, her alma mater, the Georgetown Hoyas, and not being a fair weather fan, the Redskins.

We've got some big shoes to fill and we know it! We have a new face, and also someone very familiar to our SYA families, taking on this task. New to our organization is Diane Spina, who will be taking over the accounting part of Sue's duties. While we navigate through Covid-19, SYA's very own Gary Flather, will handle the bulk of Sue's remaining responsibilities.

Thank you, thank you, Sue for your love, dedication, and commitment to SYA over the years. We will miss you greatly! We hope you don't forget about us because we will never forget the immeasurable contribution you made to SYA. Most of all, we wish you much happiness in your new home and community.

The 2020 Froghair Golf Classic
has been Rescheduled to Aug 21 at Twin Lakes Golf Course


SYA and CYA teaming up to bring you a fun filled day of golfing that is formatted to challenge the beginner and expert alike. Get your team together and sign up.

Better yet, get your team and sponsor a hole and sign up!


We are looking for sponsors, golf committee members and helpers on the day of the event too. Please contact us at 703-815-3362 or email us at sliskey@syasports.org


ONLY $99!!! What a deal!
Honoring the Game

This week’s topic, “Honoring The Game,” is one of the most sacred of principles we teach for athletes, coaches, parents and leaders. It speaks to not only the reverence of the game but to the overall respect for the culture of the team. Coaches know honoring the game is critical to centering the values and behaviors of their players, especially in those times when things may not be going as planned.

Because life is a team sport, you as parents are finding yourselves stepping into the role of coach and the team you have to manage is your family unit. Learning to honor the game is uniquely valuable as we manage through this current predicament, but also as we look to the future there is an opportunity to reimagine together what youth sports can be.

Honoring The Game: ROOTS

The key tenets of this principle of honoring the game are represented by the acronym ROOTS, which stands for respecting Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and Self. Roots are what hold a tree in place and roots are what hold your team in place. Each aspect is articulated below.

Honoring The Rules

The rules of a sport have been developed and modified for a reason. Rules keep the game fair, and they also keep athletes safe. It’s important not to try to work against the rules or bend them; respect the role they play in your sport. This is something that is relevant to athletes at any age and something you can start teaching your children at an early age. Right now as you manage your way through home life, you will find respect for the rules of the household are vitally important to maintaining a healthy routine.

Honoring The Officials

Officials are doing the best they can to enforce the rules and maintain a safe environment for play and there is never an excuse for disrespecting them, especially when you consider how important they are to the sport itself.

You can still have a game if you’re missing an assistant coach or even a star player, but without the official there is no game. Helping kids to honor the game by understanding and respecting the role of the official is a character development that will do them well as they become positive contributors to society as a whole.


The SYA "Meal-Deal" Card is HERE! And all businesses have agreed to honor the card through March 31, 2021!
SYA Families and Friends,
 
As we all continue to navigate through the Covid-19 and all the challenges it presents, SYA would like to send a note out asking you to remember to support our restaurants that are struggling. We ask that you support all of our local restaurants and would like to highlight some of the SYA partners here. All of these restaurants are open for curbside take out and also have delivery (either themselves or through a third party delivery). Last month SYA introduced its “Real Deal” card that offered discounts at 17 local businesses. All the restaurants below have offers that are listed on this card. If you would like to purchase this card please click this link and order. Thank you for the support. We will mail the card to you.
 
Fosters – Westone Plaza –
703-378-3797
 
Jersey Mikes – Westone Plaza – 571-299-4980
 
Firehouse Subs – Centreville –
703-942-5200
 
Paisano’s Pizza – Fair Lakes/Chantilly – 703-266-1400 (Fair Lakes) – 703-378-3400 (Chantilly)
 
Carrabas – Centreville –
703-266-9755
 
Bricks Pizza – Centreville –
703-830-4545
 
Eggspectation – Westone Plaza – 703-263-7444
 
BoneFish – Centreville/Farilakes – 703-815-7427 (C-ville) –
703-378-4970 (Fairfax)
 
Moe’s – Westone Plaza –
703-817-9540
 
Thank you very much for supporting both SYA and our local businesses.
 
What : SYA Meal Deal Discount Card
Price: Only $20
How to Buy it : Buy HERE! We will mail the card to you once your order is finalized.
Questions? contact Scott Liskey - sliskey@syasports.org
All funds raised support the SYA Sports Park and All SYA SPORTS!
THANK YOU for Supporting the Southwestern Youth Association!
SYA (Southwestern Youth Association)
5950 Centreville Crest Lane
Centreville, VA 20121
703-815-3362
admin@syayouthsports.org
www.syasports.org
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