Building character through Upward Basketball
Stephen McNally and Tate Foster take it to the hoop. (photo:Submitted )
Initially a program serving nearly 100 children at First Baptist Church, Upward in Clinton has grown to a program of 200-300 and now a joint sponsorship between First and Second Baptist Churches.
The Upward Basketball and Cheerleading program in Clinton strives to teach fundamentals of each sport, to share a faith-based lesson, and to promote opportunities to develop character on and off the court.
Upward Basketball is a volunteer-run program that continues to impact the lives of our citizens.
Clinton native Katherine Oliver Birkbeck recounts the impact of volunteer coach Stephen McNally: “One of the first times I met Stephen McNally was when he was coaching my son’s basketball team. It didn’t take me long to realize that Stephen would be doing so much more for this team then teaching them about the fundamentals of the sport. We happened to all be there early on one Saturday morning, watching some of the other teams play, and Stephen quickly pointed out to his team of five year olds how awesome it was that a player on an opposite team helped someone up when he fell. I can honestly say that after getting to know Stephen since then that he is in fact always his brother’s keeper. He takes the time to invest in the lives of our kids in so many ways and he brings that forth in everyone he meets, always looking for a way to help.”
“Fast forward to the spring when Stephen was once again helping to coach our kids’ baseball team. After a really intense game, and trust me when I say that even a league for 5 & 6 year olds can get intense, we ended up on the winning side.
“But before we went to shake hands with the other team Stephen asked our players two simple questions that still stay with me today.
1. “‘Do we all have friends on the other team?’
2. “‘Do we also know what it feels like to loose?’ and of course the answer to both of those were a resounding yes. What a teaching moment it was for these kids to be reminded to tell the other team what a good job they did out on the field. I was so proud watching every kid on our team tell their friends what a good job they did too and actually mean it.”
Evaluations and registration for the 2019 season are underway for preK-6th grade from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Second Baptist Church and from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church Thursday, Oct. 25; and from 10 - 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at First Baptist Church.
More information on Upward Basketball in Clinton is available at www.facebook.com/ClintonUpwards/.