Photo Credit: © LORRAINE SWANSON | DREAMSTIME.COM
As many recreational athletic administrators know, the most difficult programs to create are for teenagers. There is something about peer pressure, pursuing a job and the discovery of independence that pulls young adults away from recreational programs. Attempting to form leagues and teams becomes difficult, and spells doom for some of them.
Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity applies well to programming for teenagers: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Oftentimes, recreation programmers fall into the trap of rolling out the same programs or events for teenagers each year; inevitably, they then stand in disbelief with little (if any) interest. At Botetourt County Parks, Recreation and Tourism in Virginia, we fell into that trap for some basketball leagues--until two years ago.
Something New
After years of watching 13-and-over basketball registrations dwindle, we decided to tailor the leagues to the smaller registration numbers, and to the target age population. This customized approach actually increased registration somewhat because it matched the league appeal to the new league structure.