Archive: Around Town

While everyone is steeped in summer, the Lansing Recreation Department is looking ahead to their Fall programs.  Recreation Director Steve Colt says that it is vital for parents to sign up their kids now, even though Fall seems a long time away.  "The biggest thing now is for people to understand that a lot of our programs require a lot of planning, a lot of work and volunteers to step up like they always do," he says.

"Fall soccer, Small Fry Football that plays in the Youth Football League (YFL), flag football, and the cheerleading program." Colt says.  "They are examples of programs that even though it doesn't feel like it's Fall, people need to sign up now.  We need to be able to get those registrations in so we can determine how many teams we're going to have, how much equipment is needed, volunteer help to assist and coach -- the sooner we can know that the sooner we can be prepared to run those programs.  It just doesn't work out well if people are signing up the day before they start."


The programs begin at the end of August and the beginning of September, and represent some of the most popular sports programs the department offers.  Soccer attracts the most kids, typically attracting more than 100 players from grades Kindergarten through six.  Schedules must be set, shirts ordered, fields assigned, and coaches lined up

Flag football is expected to attract almost 30 players.  The Small Fry Football program is always popular, sporting two teams of different age groups.  The Junior division is 4th and 5th graders, and the senior division 6th and 7th.  Colt says he expects between 35 and 45 players, and that ten or eleven municipalities have teams in the league.  For the past few years the teams have played a game at Cornell's Schoellkopf field, which Colt says is a real thrill for the kids.  On Monday Colt was headed to Cornell to try to arrange a game there for this year.  "That's a heck of a treat for the kids to be able to play in a facility like that," he says.  "We're thankful we can play up there."


The Small Fry Cheerleaders actually cheer at YFL games.  "There is a lot of preparation for that and a lot of cheers to learn," Colt says.  "We need to determine early on whether or not we're going to have a cheerleading team."

The Recreation Department offered a discount to kids that signed up for Small Fry Football before July 11 to try to encourage early registrations.  "The big message is please sign up early!" Colt says.

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