Omaha Sports Academy Builds Confident Leaders
Area's Smallest Athletes Experience Strong, Healthy Foundation
Located at 11726 Stonegate Circle, the Omaha Sports Academy creates a positive environment for young and adult athletes to learn and hone their skills. It does this through its environment, strong core values and a team of well-versed and caring coaches.
“We’re a premier programming facility,” OSA Marketing and Publicity Director Katrina Kilgas said in a recent interview. “We develop skills and help the student athletes become better people.”
Kilgas said that one of the common misnomers about youth athletics is that it entails “Little League” parents that sometimes live, often aggressively, vicariously through their children. OSA, for example, does not have any coaches whose children are on their team, and they instill strong sportsmanship and teamwork.
Benefits of Playing Sports
But, that doesn’t mean parents don’t participate – rather they are active and help foster the many benefits of athletics. Kilgas referenced a 2006 San Jose Mercury News report that there are about 41 million kids who play organized sports. A fraction of those – are varsity high school athletes. Only about 360,000 student-athletes go on to play in one of three divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Among those athletes, only about .003% are getting a scholarship.
“But, look at all the athletes that still want to play competitively. We have the opportunity for them to still be physical, social and mentally tough,” Kilgas said. “Our athletes learn about disappointment and how to overcome it. They learn what it’s like to be a part of team. There are so many benefits. I could go on – patience, time management, leadership and confidence.”
Exciting to Watch it Grow
Athletes as young as 18 months are eased into an eight week program. Classes for the two-through-six-year-olds are arranged in non-competitive instruction made up of drills and games. The child to instructor ratio is 10 to one, for soccer, T-ball or basketball. As they progress, the four and five-year-old age group for basketball consists of more fundamentals and scrimmages.
And, the facility hosts grade school, high-school and men’s league basketball teams.
Still, getting the younger athletes in the door and watching them progress is both exciting and important for the community.
“We’re instilling from an early age the importance of athletics and physical fitness,” Kilgas said. “Our coaches are positive role models, and it’s taking those benefits and instilling it in the young athletes. Youth athletics has always been a passion of mine and being involved is unparallel to any other activity.
“It will be exciting to see it grow.”
OSA is centrally located and aims to build healthy and confident student athletes of all ages. OSA pricing and additional information can be found online at www.omahasportsacademy.com or by calling 402-504-1222.
OSA boasts a stunning basketball facility.
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OSA strives to build healthy foundations.
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