The SUNY Oswego women's basketball team spent some of their free time this spring at the Oswego YMCA volunteering for the Her Time To Play national initiative from the WNBA.

Her Time To Play is a national initiative for girls from the Jr. NBA and WNBA, co-created with the Women's Sports Foundation. The program pairs on-court training with off-court life skills lessons to build confidence and to prepare them for the challenges of adolescence. This program is meant to inspire the next generation of girls to play basketball in a positive and healthy way.

This is the fourth year the Oswego YMCA has presented the program and invited the SUNY Oswego women's basketball players to bring this initiative to life. Each year, the program welcomes 30 girls ages 7 to 17 to the Oswego YMCA for the program and weekly five to six different members of the Lakers. In addition, several other campus volunteers including assistant coach Jim Muckey, take part.

Trish Levine, director of health and wellness at the Oswego YMCA as well as a 1986 SUNY Oswego graduate, has led the program all four years. She is certified through the WNBA to run the program and receives access to all Her Time To Play's Belonging in Basketball resources, created in partnership with the Girls Leadership organization. The program resources are new this year and focus on belonging –- in basketball and in life. Program materials are culturally responsive and healing-centered, designed for and by girls.

Levine noted that the program discussion teaches participants such lessons as: "This is me -- I know who I am off the court. I know who I am on the court, and I love who I am."

She added that the format is uniquely varied and includes a wellness check-in, a basketball/life curriculum topic, skills and drills, then a cool-down/wrap up each week. Wrapped into the basketball skill component are the skills they can use off the court such as confidence building, teamwork, playing fair and building friendships.

Wellness check-ins are quick activities to build the social and emotional muscles of self-awareness, empathy and compassion for others. The check-in could be energizing, centering or reflective.

Her Time To Play's Belonging in Basketball curriculum is a collection of 36 lessons across three age groups (7-9, 10-12, 13-17) designed to ground players in creating a space to be brave and make mistakes.

The skills and drills portion relies on the experience and knowledge of Laker women's players and other YMCA volunteers, including Christine Pritchard, a retired educator and former women's basketball coach at Ithaca College. This portion of the program offers time to learn basketball drills and introduce basketball to youth who may not have played previously, but it can help to improve playing skills and provide a better understanding of the game.

In addition to their knowledge of the sport, the Lakers serve as mentors to the program participants, sharing experiences on and off the court.

This program was deemed a terrific fit for the Oswego YMCA to bring to the community by measuring its success in three areas of impact:

  • Youth development: nurturing the potential of every child and teen
  • Healthy living: improving the health and well-being of everyone in the community
  • Social responsibility: giving back and providing support to neighbors

-- Submitted by Intercollegiate Athletics