YMCA Challenger Sports: Children Playing Sports and Building Confidence

When Isaac played his very first YMCA Challenger game almost a decade ago, he was hooked and so were his parents. He was only about five years old but he had found a social network of kids he loved to play with and most importantly he was playing sports, his passion!

Tanya Cromwell, Overland Park, said their family stumbled across Challenger through the Y’s other sports program and recognized immediately that it was ideal for Isaac. The YMCA Challenger Program strives to create a culture of healthy activity among kids and young adults that are dealing with a wide range of special needs. It was started in 2006 at the Kansas City Y and today is it’s a model for other programs within the Y and beyond.

That spunky 5-year-old who loved playing almost any sport is still doing the same today in the eighth grade, and his sisters, Caroline, 11, and Anna, 7, along with their dad, Thurston, are all on the sidelines cheering him on. “We love that he’s creating memories and friendships that will last a lifetime through the Challenger program,” Tanya said.

Of course, another important aspect of the Challenger program are the buddies. The buddy system pairs all of the Challenger athletes with a buddy volunteer, and it is one of the things that makes the program special. “Isaac’s buddies have known him since he was five years old and they have such neat relationships. He can’t wait to see them each week. They truly have a blast together. They do a wonderful job of understanding his abilities and only helping when he truly needs assistance,” Tanya said.

Today, Tanya is very involved with Challenger and not just as a supportive mom. She serves on the planning committee for Challenge Your Fashion 2018. The biggest fundraiser of the year for the Challenger program is the always much-anticipated Challenge Your Fashion gala, during which Kansas City sports celebrities and YMCA Challenger athletes strut along a fashion runway for an evening of fashion and fun. ■

To learn more about the Challenger program, please visit kansascityymca.org/challenger.

Challenge Your Fashion 2018
This year’s gala to support young athletes will be Saturday, January 27 at the Kansas City Marriott Muehlebach. Tickets are $175 each and are available at ChallengeYourFashion.com. This event gives more children with special needs the opportunity to play sports, learn new skills, build confidence and make new friends. The evening will feature a delicious dinner, cocktails and silent auction, a fashion show with sports radio personality Steven St. John as the emcee; fashion runway models will include local professional athletes and YMCA Challenger athletes; live auction by the Nigro Brothers and live music from the band Dolewite. Event chairs are Royals TV commentator Rex Hudler and his wife, Jennifer Hudler.

Written by: Megan Neher