Remodeling at CYC
In the last several years, three new houses have gone up on my block. Currently, three more houses are under construction. Large 4–5-bedroom homes replacing small 2–3-bedroom bungalows. Some neighbors bemoan the fact we are losing that small, old town feeling.
The key word being “old”.
Today’s homeowners want something different. They want a new home to grow their family into. They don’t want an old fixer upper. They don’t want the frustrations that go with something outdated. Many of your communities are going through the same transformation.
In keeping with the spirit of All Things New, the CYC sees today as an opportunity to update our community. No need to tear down the old; it has served the Archdiocese well for many years. It is, however, time for some remodeling, to keep up with the changing look of our CYC neighborhoods.
Currently, CYC is set-up in five districts. The parishes in each district are included geographically. Over the last several years, we have seen a decrease in numbers in a few districts, and a large increase in a few others. The smaller districts have fewer teams. This makes scheduling difficult. Smaller districts have only one division for each age group. Often the lack of parity in these divisions makes for blowout games. Those are no fun for either team involved.
To help with this scheduling issue, we have decided to divide the CYC into two regions, instead of five districts. The Southeast region would be current programs in the South County/South Central districts. The Northwest region would consist of programs in the West County/North County/St Charles districts.
This will provide for more teams to schedule in all divisions. It will give us an opportunity to keep teams with similar skill levels in the same division. Scheduling will still be done with a look at geography; trying to keep teams in the same area.
There will also be some changes in the volunteer structure of CYC. Each region will need 2-3 Region Sport Coordinators for each sport. With a team of volunteer coordinators for each sport the task will be easier to handle. Region Sport Coordinators will:
- Work closely with parish sport coordinators to organize the sport for their region.
- Organize teams for the divisions.
- Help with registration, field/gym availability, official training.
- Assess issues during the season.
- Look for ways to improve the sport through rules/procedures changes.
Region Sport Coordinators will be trained by the CYC office. Each sport will have a designated contact at the CYC office when questions or problems arise.
We are also instituting a new CYC Advisory Board. The Board will assist and advise the CYC office regarding the operations of CYC programs, rules, and policies. The primary functions of the Advisory Board are:
- To review and vote upon all major rule and policy changes that are presented by its standing and special committees, and individual members.
- To assist, when necessary, at all special events
- To assist providing philosophical leadership of the program
- To assist in the review and enforcement of the general rules and code of conduct requirements as stated in this handbook.
The Advisory Board will be made up of volunteers from both regions. We are looking for parents, coaches, officials, and former CYC volunteers. We are hoping to have a member of the clergy and we would like for more women represented on the Board. Meetings will monthly on a designated day and time. The term of office will be three years, with an opportunity for more than one term if desired.
Like All Things New, we are also looking for ways to better evangelize our athletes and parents. We are proud of our Catholic roots at CYC. Our motto is “Building Communities of Faith Through Sports”. We have such an opportunity to spread the joy of the gospel to others. There are over 30,000 kids playing CYC sports. Thousands of games all over the St Louis area. There is so much potential. We need your ideas and suggestions to better ingrain the Catholic into the Catholic Youth Council.
These changes provide an opportunity for those of you who would like to help to make a difference in the CYC organization. We are looking for new ideas and a fresh perspective on everything we do. If you are interested in being a part of this change, please complete this short application: CYC Advisory Board Interest (google.com)
We pray every day for the health and safety of our CYC athletes, and for the chance for all of them to have fun playing the sports they love. We appreciate all the time and effort of our parents, coaches, and officials, put into the CYC organization.
