Kansas City Urban Youth Academy 2018
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KANSAS CITY URBAN YOUTH ACADEMY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT MISSION EMPOWERING KANSAS CITY’S UNDERSERVED YOUTH THROUGH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES, TO BE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW. The purpose of the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy is to provide our community’s youth with a dual opportunity, to develop into high-character members of society and at the same time learn the skills of our national pastime. As an Academy, we are committed to providing a positive environment for our youth. We will educate our Academy participants on what it means to be a “professional” on and off the field, while surrounding them with coaches, mentors and role models who can teach them how to play the games of baseball and softball while serving as examples of good citizenship. Through our baseball and softball-focused training, education, and character development programs, we will build a strong foundation for Academy participants, based on work ethic, leadership, responsibility, accountability, and moral principles. This foundation will allow Academy participants to acquire that unwavering strength of purpose that is the keynote of all individual success. RIBBON CUTTING AND GRAND OPENING The KCUYA was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, March 29, 2018, Royals Opening Day. The celebration continued into the weekend with a Grand Opening Community Open House on Saturday, March 31, 2018. The KCUYA was open for the community to tour, watch baseball and softball games, and join in an array of family-friendly activities. SANDLOT LEAGUE The Sandlot League was a fun, yet instructional and developmental T-Ball/ Machine Pitch league to introduce approximately 120 boys and girls, ages 6-9, in the urban core to the game of baseball/softball. The program ran for eight weeks in June and July in the summer of 2018, with practices on Wednesdays and games on Saturdays. We followed the summer Sandlot League with Sandlot 2.0 in the fall of 2018. The fall program ran for four weeks in October for 40 athletes. We built off of the summer’s results, and began to introduce players to more advanced The Urban Youth Academy is great place with incredible energy. I know instruction. The Sandlot program will be continued in the Spring of 2019. that the staff at UYA is there to help me with school work, athletics or even if I just need someone to talk to. MLB ALL-STAR WEEK Carmen July brought about an opportunity to travel to the Washington D.C. with Jennie Finch Classic team member some our male and female student-athletes. Baseball and softball teams were selected to represent the KCUYA at the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic. The tournaments were a part of the MLB All-Star Game Weekend. The KCUYA had 15 boys and 12 girls, ages 14-17, from the urban Kansas City area, who had the ability to showcase their talent during a four-day tournament against teams from all over the United States and Puerto Rico. For some of the athletes, it was their first trip outside of the Greater Kansas City Area, their first time on a plane or first MLB game. The student-athletes were able to create lasting relationships and memories not only through the competition on the field but the full experiences of the opportunity. SUMMER CAMPS CLINICS The C You In The Majors Camp provided 50 athletes with the opportunity COLLEGE SOFTBALL SERIES to learn the game from the Royals front office staff as well as the KCUYA In January 2018, the KCUYA partnered with nine local colleges, allowing staff. Players were given skill development and instruction as well as the them to hold a winter practice in the indoor facility and run a youth clinic Foundations’ core values on leadership development. after their practice with KCUYA athletes. The first clinic drew in about five . Another community partnership with KC Parks produced young softball players. By the final clinic, approximately 40 athletes were the KCUYA’s Parks Camp Program. Each week a different group of in attendance. This also helped us build a volunteer database with the youth would travel to the KCUYA to learn baseball and softball skills local student-athletes. along with being introduced to sports analytics. Eight different COACHES CLINICS KC Parks facilities were represented, and more than 250 students The KCUYA continued to focus on youth development by hosting a were served in this eight-week program. four-part series of coaches clinics for those who had a desire to coach in . Also, in July 2018, professional softball players from the USSSA the Sandlot League and local RBI and recreational programs Pride and Aussie Spirit teamed up to run a clinic at the KCUYA. throughout the city. Coaches were given instruction Instructors included Bianka Bell, Nicole Pendley and Paige Parker. on how to instruct their athletes by KCUYA staff and Royals Alumni, including Mike Macfarlane and Rod Myers. Topics were hitting, catching, pitching, and practice planning. More than 20 coaches were in attendance weekly. PITCHING CLINICS YOUTH ELITE TRAINING .The pitching clinic series was a part of the fall calendar for both softball Fall ushered in a new program called Youth Elite Training. The YET and baseball. Forty athletes ages 10-12 had a four-week series, during program is designed to identify athletes who have the skills and desire which they were taught foundational principles of pitching mechanics to compete on a more competitive level. Each week, the program served and arm care. Each session enhanced the previous week’s session so that about 60 boys ages 9-12, 75 boys ages 13-18, as well as 23 girls ages 9-18. students would be prepared to compete in a game environment. The youth participated in a series of hitting, fielding, and base running CATCHING CLINICS drills to progress as baseball and softball athletes. Each The winter program included a catching clinic series. This four-week student-athlete was evaluated on their natural ability to run, throw, series had 36 participants who learned the foundational skills for playing and hit so that they would be properly grouped with those of similar the position of catcher in baseball and softball. Each week the participants ability for maximum growth potential. Those who excel in the program will gained another skill to enhance the previous week’s learned skill. Skills have the opportunity to compete for positions on the STICKS (Support taught included proper stance, receiving the ball, blocking the ball and Towards Inner City Kids) travel team program. Those who are not ready proper footwork and arm mechanics for throwing to the bases. for that program continue to develop and will be helped with placement on teams that compete in local leagues. BADGES & BASEBALL MLB UMPIRE CLINIC The KCUYA hosted Baseball and Badges as a partnership Sixty men and women participated in the MLB Umpires Clinic at with the I Am King Foundation and the KCMO RBI Kings. Baseball the KCUYA. Local umpires were given the opportunity to develop their and Badges allowed KCMO police officers to take student-athletes skill, gain local certification and have an opportunity to gain a spot at through various drills. This event allowed the student-athletes to know MLB’s Umpire Development School in Florida, where two people would officers who patrol their community and to see them as public servants be granted the opportunity to become a professional umpire. who are friends. More than 100 athletes participated in this event. BREAKTHROUGH SERIES IOWA VS. MISSOURI STATE GAME MLB Youth Development again partnered with the KCUYA through the College-level baseball between the University of Iowa and Missouri State Breakthrough Series. The Breakthrough Series brought 60 highly skilled University allowed the Academy’s student-athletes, as well as minority baseball athletes from 22 different states to gain additional the community, to see baseball played at a high level. The game development from an array of MLB Alumni. The event included three days was attended by more than 300 fans. of intense on-the-field training coupled with featured guest speakers, including MLB players Billy Hamilton and Alcides Escobar and Hall of SPRING TRAINING TRIP Famer George Brett. College and professional scouts were in attendance Eight male student-athletes who have participated in the KCMO and to scout the athletes for possible future scholarships and career Kansas RBI programs were granted an all-expenses paid trip to Surprise, advancement. In 2019, the KCUYA will host a Arizona to the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals. The Softball Breakthrough Series event. student-athletes had access to the Major League and Minor League Coaching Staffs for skill and personal development. The athletes were also MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS able to witness how professional athletes work to develop the high level of ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CLINIC skill as well as participate with the minor league players in drill activity. Kansas City Metro Area Major League Baseball Alumni from different The athletes were also able to form relationships with athletes from teams shared their wisdom and knowledge of the game to 60 male and another RBI program, which helps with some of the local issues that exist female athletes. Athletes had the opportunity to learn skills about each in a border city such as Kansas City. position on the field as well as hitting and pitching mechanics. At the conclusion of the clinic the alumni shared about their careers and the JR. HOME RUN DERBY importance of working hard to achieve personal and team goals. MLB Youth Development hosted its Regional Qualifier for the Jr.