Excitement from new sports director at Washington Y

He?s only been on the job since May, but the new sports director at the Washington Y is excited to be where he is.

?As a sports director, I was hired the second weekend of May,? Ryan Harris says.

?I?m very new in that regard, but I?m not new to the area. I worked at the front desk at the Wellman Y for many years and helped with the soccer and basketball programs there as well as with football and the track.?

He?s having fun learning all about his new position as well.

?I love everything. With sports, there?s just so much to it,? Harris says, ?outside of just the competitiveness that you?re going out and socializing.

?It?s really a social event with your friends and people you don?t know.

?You meet fun people that you play with probably the rest of your life or as long as you?re here. You build a community out of the sports.

?As the youth level it teaches a lot ways to think about life and growing up. There?s a lot of ways to provide for the community and I enjoy that.?

He didn?t just step into the role, he wanted to become the sports director.

?For me, personally, I played basketball since second grade. I had Don Showalter as a coach.

?He told us that ?most of us weren?t going to play college basketball, but I?m going to teach you how to approach life and be able to really take the things thrown at you and move past them and get through it.?

?I think we can provide the same thing here at the Y and that?s what I want to come through in the programs.

?That?s why I?m working with the coaches that are doing the youth programs and working with the teams is because it?s a team effort.

?The adage, ?it takes a village to raise a child? is very practical and very applicable to what we?re doing.?

Although he hasn?t been in the position long, he is looking forward to working with the youth teams.

?I haven?t done much with the youth sports yet. When I started, T-ball began a couple weeks after that, so I worked with the coaches and I think people really enjoyed that program.

?What I?ve done in the meantime is work with the summer Y read program with the library and school district.

?That?s been a lot of fun working with the kids. It gives them a place to be and continue learning and prepare to go back to school.

As for more youth sports coming up, Harris is ready.

?I?m looking forward to what?s just around the corner with soccer, flag football and volleyball coming up.

?I will get more of a taste of that. I?m excited to what I?ve been able to be a part of so far.?