By JOANIE WILLIAMS

Assistant Athletic Program Director,

Bainbridge Leisure Services

Now is the time to register your kids for the 2013 city of Bainbridge football and cheerleading season! This is for ages 3 to 12.

Flag football will be divided into two age groups, 3-and-4 and 5-and-6, and the registration fee is $20 per child. Tackle football will be divided into three age groups; 7-and-8, 9-and-10 and 11-and-12. The registration fee for tackle football is $40 per child. The registration for cheerleading is $20 per child. All fees are to be paid at the time of registration.

If you are interested in being a head coach or assistant coach, please let us know or check the box on your registration form. Youth sports participation has long been touted for the many benefits it offers children. From leadership and teamwork to sport specific skills, youngsters learn lessons that they will take off the field and into their daily lives.

As a coach, you are a critical part of that development! Not only that, but you really have a chance to make an impact in a child’s life. It’s a great feeling when you know that you bettered one of your player’s lives through coaching and mentoring.

I saw a book once called “The Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Football.” It made me stop in my tracks. It should have been titled “The Joys of Coaching Youth Football.” A friend of mine coached 7-and-8-year-old football one year and was explaining to them the basics of your body and how it moves and works. When he was talking about not hurting yourself and your back, one child raised his hand and shared his knowledge, “The spinal cord is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on the top and you sit on the bottom,” he said.

If you have not coached before, give it a shot! If you have coached before, we hope to see you back on the sidelines! Stop by Leisure Services and register, or visit www.bainbridgecity.com and download your form from home. Registration ends Aug. 16.

The last day for daily opening at the Aquatic Center will be Wednesday, July 31. It will remain open on weekends through August, with the final day of swimming being Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2.

Boot Camp Session V will be starting in September. Dates for this camp and registration will be available soon. For more information on any Leisure Services Program, please call us at (229) 248-2010. Remember, you can always visit us at www.bainbridgecity.com or on Facebook under “Bainbridge Leisure Services.”