Different ballgames
By JAMES BURKY
James.Burky@gjsentinel.com
Across the nation, youth sports are seeing a significant drop in participation on a large scale.
But in Grand Junction, that’s only the case in some sports.
Baseball, football and basketball all have seen participation take differing paths.
Locally, America’s pastime appears to be doing pretty well. Grand Mesa Little League and Monument Little League have both seen more kids join in recent years, for varying reasons. One of Monument Little League’s best fall baseball seasons was in 2021 when it had about 250 kids sign up, President John Duffy said.
This year figures to be another strong one with 140 kids signed up with more likely to register soon. This is part of a trend that has lasted for several years.
“I think our growth is the growth of Grand Junction. As families move here, they want to get their kids involved with baseball or softball and we put out a good product,” Duffy said. “We constantly improve facilities, we built an indoor batting facility 10 years ago, resodded major and senior fields, and just completed resodding minor fields and working on softball fields.”
Duffy believes two of the most significant factors in the league’s uptick in numbers are the quality of its resources and teams, as well as the fact its boundaries encompass the heart of Grand Junction. Duffy has also seen Monument Little League’s softball offerings expand. Meanwhile, Grand Mesa Little League President Chris Riley has also seen an increase. Compared to 2018, the league’s numbers have increased to 500, Riley said. He mostly credits that to the league’s scholarship program to cover playing costs so that kids can join.
These leagues differ from the national trend. According to the Aspen Institute’s 2021 State of Play study, which chronicles youth sports participation in the U.S., baseball saw a 15.2% decrease from 2019-2020 in turnout among children ages 6-12. Among youth ages 13-17, participation dropped by 16.8%.
The caveat with those figures is they don’t account for 2021 numbers as leagues began operating at pre-pandemic levels.
“I do see this trend continuing because of the growth of the area and I think our climate is more conducive to baseball as opposed to places like Basalt and Glenwood Springs,” Duffy said.
BASKETBALL CONTINUES TO GROW
After early years of modest numbers, the GJ Blackout basketball league is becoming a magnet for competition on the Western Slope. The Blackout offer programs and leagues for boys and girls in the area.
Blackout founder Dean Havlik said the league has grown almost every year, other than 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He credits the growth the Blackout is experiencing, in part, on the NBA’s rise in popularity.
“We try to do different things and something new every year. We did a summer skills program for girls this year, and we plan to do a boys camp and high school camps next year,” said Havlik, who is also running for Mesa County coroner. “People like how we are very active. We have local leagues in fall and winter, and club teams in spring and summer. We do activities pretty much yearround. We also travel to big cities and other states for tournaments.”
National participation in basketball increased among all children ages 6-17 from 2019 to 2020, according to the Aspen Institute. And it appears that could be one national trend the Grand Valley is mirroring.
Havlik is trying to build a 10-acre, $5 million fieldhouse for the Blackout that he hopes will bring more clout and pique interest in basketball.
“I’m hoping that the fieldhouse attracts more teams to participate in our league locally (Montrose, Rifle, Delta) and teams from around the state and region for tournaments,” Havlik said. “It’s hard to get a team from Denver and Salt Lake to travel here for a tournament because they have so many options.”
FOOTBALL HIT WITH A SLIGHT DECLINE
Grand Valley Youth Football is the biggest youth league for tackle football in Grand Junction. But like in so many other communities across the U.S., fewer kids are stepping onto the gridiron.
Will Jones is in his third year as the director of Grand Valley Youth Football and began as a coach in the league.
Grand Valley Youth Football introduces children ages 4-6 to the game through flag football before they put pads on and start tackling each other on the field. Participation in super juniors, the division kids join right after flag football, is low, Jones said.
“Football is kind of a dying sport with the younger generation. After COVID, numbers died off a bit,” said Jones, who also serves on the School District 51 school board. “Could also be that it’s made too competitive at the younger levels. We try not to post records for younger kids. There’s no (championship game) for the younger kids. We want them to learn and have fun and have an appreciation for the game.”
The decline in athletes at Grand Valley Youth Football falls in line with a national trend of youth disinterest in the game. Not only has it been traced to the competitiveness of football, but also the safety of the game and fears of concussions.
Football participation declined among children ages 6-17 from 2019-20, per the Aspen Institute.
Jones said Grand Valley Youth Football checks its equipment every year to ensure its quality, pushes coaches to teach safer tackling techniques and educate coaches on concussion safety.
“Our biggest challenge is keeping everyone safe. You’re always going to have costs, and get those numbers up. Ultimately, we just want to show everyone it’s safe and fun,” Jones said. “I think our biggest strengths are the community and how fun the game is. Everyone seems to work together as a team, look out for kids and have fun.”
Dean Havlik, founded the GJ Blackout basketball league, which has seen its numbers increase from year to year. That growth mirrors the trend nationally as basketball — thanks to the popularity of the NBA — has been on an upward trajectory.
CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON
The Monument Little League 50/70 intermediate team celebrates after beating Ken Caryl 12-6 to win the state championship in July. Monument Little League hasn’t experienced the dwindling participation going on nationally. Grand Mesa Little League, inset left, also has seen its numbers increase since 2018. Nationally, baseball has seen a 15.2% decrease in younger players in the past few years and the number rises to 16.8% for older players.
SCOTT CRABTREE/ The Daily Sentinel
The Grand Mesa Middle School Steelers practice this week as they prepare for the Grand Valley Youth Football season. The number of players in the league have decreased as parents afraid of head injuries keep their kids away from the gridiron.
CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON/ The Daily Sentinel
SCOTT CRABTREE/ The Daily Sentinel
