Community Youth Council (CYC) (Check)

CYC was formed in the 1950’s so that boys of Japanese ancestry could participate in competitive sports on a more equal basis. Because of their relatively small stature, they were unable to compete with boys of other races their own age.

CYC recognizes that all boys are not equally talented, athletic-wise. But, CYC does not want to reject any eligible boy that desires to compete in its sport’s program, strictly because he lacked the skills of more talented boys. CYC philosophy has never been about winning but, about friendly competition, sportsmanship, promoting parent involvement, and learning about their cultural heritage, while developing the young boys in its program to grow up to be responsible adults.

Lately, more coaches, parents and teams have set aside the CYC philosophy and have put winning as their No. 1 priority. We understand that this trend may be strictly due to people being unfamiliar with the philosophy of CYC. We all like to win. That is a natural thing in all of us. However, to prevent an eligible boy from participating in CYC or only playing him the minimum number of minutes per half, strictly because his skills may keep his team from winning, is not only disturbing, but against CYC policy. Therefore, we are asking that everyone take an active part in this program and help the coach teach the boys the skills of basketball, the value of sportsmanship, and the fun of playing team sports.

Each team and all organizations in CYC should review its own philosophy and do everything possible to adhere to the CYC philosophy.