Winter League Now Forming! | Players grades K-6 | League Dates: November 28, 2022 -March 12, 2023
Welcome to Upward Basketball at Herndon UMC!
At Herndon UMC we believe that God’s love is real, active and for everyone. With that, we have a passion for supporting our community’s families. One way is through Upward Basketball. Upward’s program is all about connecting families and building community. Upward doesn’t just teach kids about how to play basketball, but engages the whole athlete – mind, body, spirit and soul. With over twelve years of experience, we have seen children grow in confidence, resilience, and develop skills to build community around them. It has also been great to see the connections between families in the progam.
We are so happy your family is interested in taking part in this great program!
Registration Goes Live October 1
Registration for the 2023 season opens on Saturday, October 1. Between October 1 and 26, lock in the Early Bird registration fee of $125 per player. After October 26, the registration fee increases to $150 per player. If you are registering more than one child, then please note we offer a $10 discount for each additional sibling’s registration fee (i.e. $10 discount for the first additional sibling, $20 for the second, etc.) Additionally, scholarships are available for families in need of financial assistance. Contact JoAnn Batteiger, upward@herndonumc.org for more information.
Caring for Kids
About concussions:
Concern about concussions and sports-related head injuries have grown over the last few years, and Herndon UMC asks all parents/legal guardians of players and coaches to complete a brief online training offered by the Center for Disease Control related to concussions. You can access this training using this link: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html and under the “Launch the Training” select “For Parents: Click Here to Launch Course” option.
About COVID protocols/mitigation efforts for this season:
You can check current COVID community levels and Herndon UMC’s COVID policies near the bottom of our homepage. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 community levels throughout the season as we move into the winter and cold/flu season. We will be sure to communicate with families as soon as we are able if the levels shift and what those shifts mean for our league.
Additionally, if you have tested positive of COVID-19 or are showing symptoms, please stay home, and quarantine/isolate based on your vaccination status and the CDC’s recommendation.
Key Dates:
Expand the box to learn more.
October 1-26 | Early Bird Registration
Register online at UPWARD.org.
Get a $25 discount by registering early. The Early Bird registration fee is $125 per player. If you are registering more than one child, then please note we offer a $10 discount for each additional sibling’s registration fee (i.e. $10 discount for the first additional sibling, $20 for the second, etc.) Additionally, scholarships are available for families in need of financial assistance. Contact JoAnn Batteiger, upward@herndonumc.org for more information.
Please remember that space is limited, and we will be using wait lists. More coaches and refs means more kids can participate, so if you are willing to volunteer please sign up!
October 27-November 3 | Registration Continues
Register online at UPWARD.org.
After October 26, the registration fee increases to $150 per player. If you are registering more than one child, then please note we offer a $10 discount for each additional sibling’s registration fee (i.e. $10 discount for the first additional sibling, $20 for the second, etc.) Additionally, scholarships are available for families in need of financial assistance. Contact JoAnn Batteiger, upward@herndonumc.org for more information.
Please remember that space is limited, and we will be using wait lists. More coaches and refs means more kids can participate, so if you are willing check please sign up!
November 2 & 3 | Player Evaluations
5:30-8:30 PM on Wednesday & Thursday
in Doe Fellowship Hall (701 Bennett Street)
You and your child/ren will need to attend only one of these days, and you can stop in anytime between 5:30 and 8:30 PM. Evaluations will take about 10-15 minutes and will include confirming registration information; your child/ren doing a few skills assessments with one of our coaches; and taking care of any last minute things before the first week of practice.
Unlike a school team or another sports league, where you traditionally try out to see if you make it onto the team, Upward accepts everyone who registers to play on a team! Evaluations help us measure and assess what each child’s skill set and better build level teams for the season. All we ask in evaluations is for our players to come ready to have fun and do their best!
November 4-14 | Team Set Up
Teams will be created and coaches will contact team members (by November 14) with follow up information about practice schedules, etc.
TBD |Meet the Coach Night
Drop by Herndon UMC’s Doe Fellowship Hall for this is open house style event where you can come and meet your coaches, pick up your player box and uniforms, and take care of other registration matters before the season begins. If you’re not able to attend, no worries! We will have your player box ready for you on your first night of practice.
Week of November 28 | Practices Begin
Your once a week practices begin on the week of November 28. Practice times will be arranged around team member and coach preferences along with when other teams of your child/ren’s level will practice. There will be three weeks of practice and then a break from December 17-January 4.
December 17-January 4 | Holiday Break
We wish you a very, merry Christmas full of peace, hope, love and joy!
Please know that you are welcome at any of Herndon UMC’s activities. Learn more about what is happening at herndonumc.org/news.
Week of January 9 | Practices Resume
One more week to practice before the first games on January 14 or 15!
January 14-15 | Games Begin
For this Upward season, there will be 8 weeks of games, weather permitting, starting on January 14. Until we know the team breakdowns, we will not know who is playing on Sunday afternoons. (If this is a big issue for you, please let our coordinator, JoAnn Batteiger (upward@herndonumc.org), know.
Herndon UMC generally follows FCPS for weather closures (but not always). If FCPS closes, please check our homepage, herndonumc.org, for information about closures. We generally post closures by 7 am and updates by 2 pm. We have reserved the weekend of March 11 & 12 for a snow make-up day or possibly a tournament for the older kids.
March 4 & 5 | Game 8 and End of Season Celebration
The season will end after your last game on March 4 or 5. Celebrate with your teammates here at Herndon UMC. Details to come.
Our UPWARD Team!
JoAnn Batteiger, wearing the Duke shirt, is Herndon UMC’s coordinator for Upward Basketball. JoAnn is also Herndon UMC’s Director of Student Ministries. If you have questions, please contact her at upward@herndonumc.org.
Mallory Hopper, wearing the blue Upward coach shirt, is Herndon UMC’s Upward Basketball lead for hospitality. Mallory is also Herndon UMC’s Director of Children’s Ministries.
Upward is run by volunteers. Want to lend a hand?
We would love to have you join our team in helping make this season a success for our community children. If you are interested in coaching a team or refereeing a game below. Please note that after you sign up, we will follow up with you with information on doing a background check.
If you would like to volunteer in a non-coaching or refereeing game, you can reach out to JoAnn Batteiger at upward@herndonumc.org and talk with her about ways you’d like to support our league this year!
Quote about culture/community???
Other opportunities for kids with Herndon UMC.
