Program

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT NVA

NEW VISION ATHLETICS

A Kraig Moreland YoutH PROGRAM

NVA PHILOSOPHY

The lessons learned at an early age are carried with us throughout our lives. We feel that athletics are a way to educate kids in life.  Our mission statement:  NVA aims to foster positive development of youth through athletics.  We encourage kids of all ages to utilize leadership, teamwork, responsibility, a positive attitude, and most of all, respect for others.  For us, this is what sportsmanship is all about.  Frankly, the development of these virtues takes precedent over the competitive aspect of sports, though we also teach the graces of winning and losing.   

Equal opportunity

In our leagues, every child receives an equal opportunity to play.  The child who may not be as gifted physically will see the field or court as much as the talented “all-star”.  Every child makes a contribution to a team even though it may not be in scoring the most points.  We attempt to build the self-esteem of the individual by giving kids opportunity.

In addition, in some leagues the less athletic kids are relegated to playing less influential positions on the field or court.  Except in cases where we feel safety may be a concern, all kids get a chance to play every position they have an interest in playing over the course of the season.  In cases where rosters are light on a day, kids may even get to play each position over the course of one game.

Finally, at the conclusion of games we reward players with stickers and verbal praise.  Often times the kids recognized are not only those who contributed in the most apparent ways, but kids who cheered their teammates most positively, kids who “picked up” a teammate when she or he was down, or even kids who applaud the efforts of their opponents.  Little things go noticed by our coaching staff if they affect the game positively.  And, improvement of any kind is rewarded.

FUNDAMENTALS

We begin each program with a series of six instructional clinics to teach the fundamentals of the specific sport.  We typically open up the first clinic with, “We start at the beginning, pretending each one of you is an alien who has never seen a basketball (or baseball, soccer ball, etc.) in your life.”  We strive to instill a core understanding of the sport as well as enough ”work” at the basic skills at the clinics.  Before even getting a uniform and beginning the regular season, we emphasize fundamentals so that each child is confident once we begin games.

Coaching staff

We feel the people who work with your children make the difference.  The NVA coaching staff is composed of people well versed in the “NVA Way”.  The well being and positive development of each child is in our best interest.

Many of our coaches are teachers or studying to be educators outside of NVA.  Many of our coaches grew  up in the Lake Forest/ Lake Bluff area.  And, since we began NVA seven years ago, several of our former athletes are now helping us coach!  We utilize male and female coaches and coaches ranging in age and playing experience so that kids become comfortable with elders from different walks of life.  Most of all, the quality common to our entire coaching staff is the desire to positively impact the lives of kids in this area.

“Who wins in NVA...?” “EVERYBODY!”

At the conclusion of every NVA game we talk with both teams about the things the team and individuals can improve, a sensational play, winning, losing, and most importantly, the lessons about the game which filter into the children’s life development.  We also hope parents learn to appreciate the life skills we teach the kids.  For it is not uncommon to see and hear NVA parents cheering for both teams!

For our kindergarten, first and second grade leagues we do not allow  the kids to keep score.  We tell them that if everybody is 1. learning, 2. improving, and 3. having fun, then everybody wins!  We ask the kids to answer the question, “Who wins in NVA [sport- basketball, baseball, field hockey, soccer, football] !?”  They answer resoundingly, “EVERYBODY!”  Though not all the older kids, parents, and fans answer vocally at the conclusion of our games, we hope everybody feels the answer that EVERYBODY WINS IN NVA!

NVA Hotline: 847 – 295 – 0NVA

NVA Fax: 847 – 615 – 0234

NVA PO Box: PO Box 216, Lake Bluff, Illinois 60044

NVA Headquarters: 120 Brierfield Ct., Lake Bluff, IL 60044