Archive: Sports

New Year is a time of celebration, resolutions, and youth sports at the Lansing Recreation Department. Recreation Director Steve Colt says three powerhouse programs are about to begin after the new year, in wrestling, basketball, and baseball.

The wrestling program begins January 10th and runs through March 9th. Targeting Kindergarteners through 6th graders, the program was begun last year, and Colt says it is a world class program. Headed up by coaches Kyle and Doug Dake, he's not exaggerating.

Kyle Dake is the first and only four time NCAA wrestling champion in four different weight classes, won as his time on the Cornell University wrestling team. As a Lansing High School wrestler, coached by his father Doug, he was a state champion twice. Doug Dake won a state title for Westlake High School, near Cleveland, in 1980. In 1985 he became an NCAA All-American at 177 pounds.

"That duo alone -- if we were in Iowa of New Jersey I would guess parents would drive their kids two or three hours one-way to be coached and taught by those two guys," Colt says. "On top of that we have Jacob Arnone (Cornell 2014) and Mitch Clark (Ohio State National Champion) -- Cornell guys. And it never hurts to have Rob Cole, a Lansing resident and coach of the national powerhouse Cornell Varsity Wrestling Team, to be in our court, too."

This year the program moves to the Lansing high School wrestling room, with room for between 25 and 30 kids. The coaches will focus on drills and technique, and there may be a chance to compete against other programs in scrimmages and matches.

"There can't be a better youth coach program in the country," Colt says. "People think I'm kidding, but it's true. You can't get any better than that. And it's right here in Lansing."

Basketball for 2nd and 3rd graders starts right after New Year, on January 4th. Colt says that because of the small gym at the Lansing Elementary School the parent-coached program can only handle 25 or 30 boys and the same number of girls, but it is not too late to sign up.

"They'll play competitive lead-up games," Colt says. "They may scrimmage a little bit, but it's not basketball as you and I would see it on TV."

Colt stresses that kids should start learning basketball at a young age, noting there is a lot to learn.

"In my opinion youth basketball is the hardest sport to learn," he says. "It's the hardest one to master because there are a lot of skills and speed. It's not a slow game. So basketball is a very difficult sport for kids to learn. They need to start early and they need to work on ball handling skills. That is the secret to the game, being able to handle the ball. They'll have a lot of drills to learn that."

Boys will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, and girls on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Colt says they use the smaller gym because the baskets at the Elementary School are lower for the smaller children. He adds that he would love a bigger gym, but thay use the Elementary gym because its baskets can adjust down to 8 feet high. The other school gyms have baskets at the regulation 10 feet high.

He notes that part of the new school building project that voters recently passed is to replace and add some baskets in the elementary school gym. These baskets will be adjustable between 6 feet and 10 feet.

"It is a really, really wise thing to do, because it lets us start even younger," Colt says. "On the other end of it, when you can crank the basket up to 10 feet it gives us another practice station for our school teams -- high school, JV, modified -- it could open up a whole other gym, which we drastically need."

Baseball in January? What better time to work on skills leading up to the Spring season? Lansing Hot Stove Baseball begins on January 8th at the FIELD in the CRC Community Recreation Center. The popular program is aimed at athletes who will play on the modified travel teams in the Spring. The focus is on skill development, pitching and catching, training for specific positions, and team building.

"It's a way to get inside and begin to throw and hit and work on skills in the winter," Colt says. "This wraps up on the 12th of March, so by the time you are done with this program you've gotten the rust off and you're ready to get into your outdoor season through the schools, or through the Rec Department if you're one of the younger participants."

v12i48