When he took over in July 2013, then-new Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) director Rob Caldera had a vision overseeing the expansion of the organization.
Through his hard work and the dedicated support of his staff over the last four years, one-by-one his long-term goals are coming to fruition.
This spring, CYO is proud to announce that it will begin offering two new sports: flag football and boys’ volleyball. The addition of these brings the total amount of sports offered by CYO to 15.
Flag football is set to “kick off” in late March. So far, 10 diocesan parishes have shown interest in starting teams.
The co-ed league – which will feature seven-on-seven gameplay – is set to be broken down into three divisions: Pee Wee, made up of third and fourth graders; Bantam, made up of fifth and sixth graders; and Intermediate, made up of seventh and eighth graders.
“Football is a very popular sport at the end of the day,” Caldera said of his thought process behind forming the league. “It’s something we should offer.”
There are several local flag football leagues in the area that compete in the fall, so Caldera thought it wise to have the league in the spring so young gridiron stars could play the sport basically all year.
“When CYO announced it was going to start flag football, we put it out to our members, and the response back was great,” said Pat McMahon, parish athletic representative at St. Gregory the Great, Bellerose. “Adding flag football is a step in the right direction. I am sure it is going to bring more kids into the CYO program.”
As for boys’ volleyball, which begins in late April, Caldera said he looked at the already established model of the blossoming CYO girls’ volleyball league.
A few parishes had inquired about boys’ volleyball, and Caldera said the idea to start the league struck him as he was watching a CHSAA boys’ volleyball game at Msgr. McClancy H.S., East Elmhurst.
“It dawned on me,” he said. “If the Catholic high schools offer it, we should offer it as well.”
The league is set to feature seventh and eighth grade as well as high school divisions. Many high school freshmen looking to play volleyball typically do not have much experience playing the sport competitively, so this new CYO league will give them the opportunity to learn the game.
Meanwhile, the high school division allows the athletes to maintain their relationships with their parishes as they continue their education.
“As the kids move on, we have felt that we wanted to keep their ties to the parish intact while giving them the opportunity to compete at a higher level and also extending the chance to maintain their bonds of friendship that they have created and nurtured over the years,” said Rob Anich, parish athletic representative at St. Andrew Avellino, Flushing.
“The introduction of volleyball is yet another way that our diocese, parishes and sports programs can offer just such a scenario.”
As these new sports join the fold, CYO once again has remained true to its mission of providing a method of evangelization to the youth of the diocese through the realm of sport.
“It’s continuing the growth, expanding and offering more opportunities for the kids to play,” Caldera said. “We have to continue to be part of parish life, and this all brings us a connection to the church and community.”
There’s just one thing left to do: Play ball… football and volleyball, that is!
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