National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

March 16, 1998

Workshop focuses on 30th anniversary of NYSP

National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) staff from across the nation came together February 19-22 for the annual NYSP workshop in Washington, D.C.

The program focused on this year's observance of the 30th anniversary of NYSP. The program has expanded to 185 sites, with 22 new schools adding programs this summer. The 185 institutions supporting the program in 1998 marks the largest number of schools to sponsor NYSP.

Members of the NYSP staff spent time visiting congressional representatives to lobby for continued funding of NYSP. Although funding increased from $12 million to $14 million this year, workshop participants requested support for another $1 million.

NYSP staff gave members of Congress an overview of what the NYSP program did for their local communities and explained how the NYSP curriculum met their locale's specific needs.

The NCAA National Youth Sports Program Committee met in conjunction with the workshop. The committee announced a special training and orientation that will be conducted this spring to introduce the new schools' administrative staffs to the procedures involved in producing a NYSP program.

The training session will be May 1-3 in Indianapolis.

Celebrating achievement

Along with recognizing the 30th anniversary, the workshop focused on celebrating achievement.

NYSP Committee members were recognized February 20 for their outstanding contributions through the years. Schools that sponsored a program in the inaugural year of 1969 and are sponsoring an NYSP project this summer were also recognized.

Geddes Self Jr. of the University of Memphis received the NYSP Inspirational Achievement Award for his dedicated service every year since NYSP's inception.

Another major focus of the workshop was on the schools' educational component in their NYSP offerings.

The workshop promoted education through hands-on activities. Attendees received training on how to conduct interactive activities to enhance learning.

The integration of interactive activities as learning tools offers NYSP program operators an alternative to traditional lecture-type learning.

NYSP also honored institutions for exceptional programming during 1997. The Silvio O. Conte Award of Excellence was presented to Malcolm X College, a junior college in Chicago. The U.S. Department of Agriculture was honored with the Partnership Recognition Award for contributing more than $3 million annually for NYSP meals.

Nicole Márquez, a 15-year-old NYSP participant from New Mexico Highlands University, was honored for her winning NYSP T-shirt design.

Other highlights

In other workshop highlights:

  • NYSP administrators announced that the math/science programs being offered through NYSP projects have expanded from 45 schools in 1997 to 100 in 1998.

  • Representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Red Cross and U.S. Swimming -- all potential NYSP partners -- attended the workshop.

  • NYSP Committee members provided one-on-one assistance for schools needing additional technical training.

  • The committee shared its proposed strategic plan, focusing on a mission, vision and goals. The committee hopes to finalize the plan in the upcoming year.