Breaking into the elite ranks of a particular sport requires hard work, dedication and, above all else, opportunity -- the opportunity to participate, to learn and grow as an athlete. Without opportunity, nothing is possible.

This philosophy is the foundation of the NCAA's efforts to get minority youth involved in nontraditional sports -- that is, sports with a low representation of ethnic minority girls and boys. The next Tiger Woods or Venus Williams could be waiting to be discovered, but may not have the means to make that possible. That's where Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinics at NCAA member conferences come in.

In 1995, the Committee on Women's Athletics, the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and the National Youth Sports Program Committee (NYSP) supported the Girls Sports Clinics (GSC) Initiative in order to promote diversity in athletics at the grass-roots level.

Charles Whitcomb, chair of the MOIC, said that based on NCAA graduation- and participation-rate reports, there was an obvious lack of minorities involved in sports other than basketball, football, and track and field. "If we're not seeing it at the collegiate level, that means it's not at the high-school level or even the elementary level," he said.

To change that trend, the GSC replicated at conference championships NYSP projects and YES clinics that take place at national championships as a means to provide youths with a more localized avenue for exposure to nontraditional sports. "Hopefully it ignites some flame of interest," he said.

A total of $323,900 was allotted to the GSC -- $178,900 to assist with efforts to establish additional YES clinics at conference championships and $145,000 to extend NYSP to a year-round program.

While both programs allow low-income and ethnic minority girls the opportunity to participate in sports such as tennis, golf and volleyball, there is a slight difference in the participants who attend. NYSP GSC programs are directed at girls ages 10-16 who have limited exposure to and experience with nontraditional sports, while conference YES clinics focus on a more experienced player and work on the enhancement of established skills.

The first conference YES clinics took place during the 1995-96 academic year. Currently, 20 of those clinics are held spanning the fall, winter and spring championships seasons.

Boys' clinics

Recently, the same initiative was instituted for low-income and ethnic minority boys. A total of $50,000 was appropriated for 10 boys' clinics that are slated to begin at the 2000 spring conference championships.

Though the boys' clinics will operate on a smaller budget than the girls', there is little chance a clinic will be under-funded. Host conferences often assist with the costs not covered by the allotment per clinic. Such a gesture emphasizes the collaborative effort among the conference office and host institutions and the NCAA in administering a clinic.

To recruit the type of youths the clinics are designed for, the conferences and host institutions work especially hard with local community organizations to get the word out and create interest. Some of the participating conferences have experienced tremendous success in attracting participants. In 1998-99, the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Conference USA had 98 percent and 75 percent ethnic minorities, respectively, at their YES clinics.

Alfred White, commissioner of the Southern Conference, which will have hosted five clinics by the end of this academic year, said he encourages conference institutions to host the clinics because "it gives us a chance to do grass-roots involvement in the community."

So far, grass-roots efforts have proven successful if the participation numbers are any indicator. For 1998-99, the 20 conference YES clinics had 2,482 participants. That number should increase for the 1999-00 round of clinics.

Even with what seems to be tremendous success, not every YES clinic is a hit. As Ed Thiebe, NCAA youth programs director, said, "Certain sports are more conducive to having clinics than others."

The first cross country YES clinic, held at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, had a turnout of just 32 participants. It served as a reminder of the difficulty clinic organizers can have in reaching kids and building interest in a sport they probably haven't had exposure to.

Student-athlete leaders

In keeping with the YES theme of providing a life-enhancing experience through sport, in addition to the activity programming in sport-skill instruction, these clinics have a strong educational component. The educational programming includes topics such as exercise and healthy lifestyles, social development, leadership skills and self-esteem. A parent session also is held in conjunction with the clinic so that parents have an opportunity to discuss issues regarding youth sports with the clinic staff.

The clinics also introduce collegiate coaches and student-athlete role models to girls and boys and encourage sports participation available for them in local communities.

Aside from the rewards participants receive, Thiebe said it's just as fulfilling for the student-athletes who help run the clinics. "It's an opportunity for student-athletes to be in a leadership role and pass information to the next generation about the collegiate athletics experience," he said.

"It's an interesting dynamic as the kids ask for autographs and hover around a student-athlete who probably hasn't really had much experience signing autographs."

For all of these reasons, White said, "It's clearly a win-win for the conference, the NCAA and the YES program."

At the recent Division I Management Council meeting in April, a request for additional funding for YES conference clinics was denied in the belief that current clinics should be used to encourage increased ethnic minority participation.

Though some restructuring of funds might occur, the clinics will continue to reach youth in efforts to expose them to the benefits of sport.

Regarding the benefits that programs of this type will have on increasing diversity in nontraditional sports, Whitcomb said, "The differences we see may be slow, but the important part is that there will be differences."