North Adams Youth Basketball Leagues Merge
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's boys and girls youth basketball leagues have joined forces under the North Adams Youth Basketball League.
The newly formed entity, which begins registration on Oct. 12, will have three divisions: the Whitney Girls Division, John Gaudreau Memorial Boys Division and the co-ed instructional league.
But it will have one place to play games. All contests will be played at the North Adams Armory, which means all families will be able to see their boys and girls play.
"We've talked about this for a couple of years," said Mike Canales, former president of the Whitney Girls League board. "Why does North Adams need separate boards, leagues and everything?
"This is the year people said, instead of making people choose between their daughter and son, let's be one board, one organization. It's better for the families whether it's attending games, coaching, helping out, whatever."
And there is a financial benefit for families, as well.
As most youth sports leagues do, the NAYBL will offer a discount for multiple children. Because the league is co-ed, that discount now will kick in for families with one boy and one girl.
And the registration price for boys is lower this year. All players will cost $40 for the first child and $25 for the second (down from $50 and $35 on the boys' side in the past). Those prices apply to children enrolled in the North Adams, Clarksburg, Florida, Stamford, Vt., and Readsboro, Vt., school districts.
In addition to the games and practices at the Armory, the league will hold practices at Colegrove Elementary and Greylock Elementary.
The YMCA, which has been home to the girls league in the past, does not factor into the league's plan.
"We really want to thank the Y," Canales said. "They've been there for us. It was a good relationship. But at the time, we had two separate leagues. In order to bring them together, we needed to have one spot.
"A lot of work has been done at the armory, so it's a beautiful court."
The newly merged league will preserve the heritage of the former boys and girls leagues by honoring the names of important contributors to North Adams youth basketball.
The NAYBL's Whitney Girls Division echoes the name of the former girls league, which recognized co-founders Myles and Margaret Whitney.
"As the founders, Myles and his wife did a tremendous amount of work in the early years getting the league together and getting the girls to play basketball," Canales said.
The boys' division honors John Gaudreau, whose name already graced the boys league's annual travel team tournament.
"I thought it was a huge testament to the work my father put into youth sports in this city," Ryley Gaudreau said. "Between that and the tee ball league he founded, the true passion of his life was youth athletics. It's a testament to him and to [the board] as well. They're carrying that work forward. I'm honored by that."
John Gaudreau was an involved parent and coach of his sons Ryley and Seth's teams, but he did not stop there.
"Even when we were done — I was playing high school athletics, and he was coaching the fifth- and sixth-grade travel all-star teams in North Adams," Gaudreau said. "He had a real passion for youth sports, and he carried it through until he was too sick to do it anymore."
The former North Adams boys league honored John Gaudreau's memory with the memorial tournament just after his death, his son said.
Now the father of three, he is following his dad's footsteps by getting them involved in youth sports as young as possible.
"Keep them out of trouble — that's what my dad always told me," Gaudreau joked.
Registration for the North Adams Youth Basketball League will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 12 and 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the North Adams Armory. A last-chance registration will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Any business interested in participating in the league as a sponsor should contact NAYBL Board President Jim Sarkis at 413-652-1060 or jsarkis@inlandinc.com.
Tags: youth basketball, youth sports,
