October 8, 2010

On October 4, USYCA President Jamie Harrison brought cricket to Eldersburg Elementary in Carroll County, Maryland. Due to inclement weather outside, the presentation was held inside the school's gym, which was no problem for the easily adaptable Schools Program. Jamie was there at the invitation of Debbie C. Buenger, one of Eldersburg's two PE instructors and the 2008 NASPE National Teacher of the Year.

The children took to cricket quickly and enthusiastically, as each class only needed a quick overview of the game before they were up and playing. Ms. Buenger and the school's other PE instructor, Billy Kavalos, were very welcoming hosts. They have committed to making cricket a regular part of the school's PE curriculum.

As an additional bonus, the cricket presentation was observed by Linda Kephart, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education for Carroll County Public Schools. Ms. Kephart was so impressed with the USYCA Schools Program that she immediately invited Jamie to present it to all county physical education teachers on February 22 at an in-service event at Winters Mill HS.

In a follow-up email, Ms. Kephart said, "Cricket is a great striking and strategy sport that can be enjoyed by students of all ability levels... what a great addition this will be to our physical education curriculum!"

One of the sessions from that morning was videotaped by school staff and is available on the USYCA YouTube site.