We participated in Upward Basketball for the first time this year with my son, Chase. We have been so impressed with this program and I highly encourage you to check it out.

In North DFW, we have so many activities to choose from for our kids. My kids are still so young and I feel like it is important to introduce them to a variety of sports and activities before they choose just ONE. Yes, eventually, I will force them into ONE…maybe TWO. Not a big fan of over-scheduling…possibly because I don’t care to be an over-scheduled mom of 3. I digress.

Upward just makes sense! The Motto for Upward is this:

Upward Sports

Every child plays. Every child learns. Every Child Is A Winner.

We saw this first-hand all season but especially this past Saturday.   Chase is the youngest kid on his team and the smallest by a good foot! The first few games, he would confidently proclaim on the way home that “Basketball is NOT about Winning! It’s about having FUN!” We loved to hear him say that…even though my husband and I were secretly wishing for him to feel the success of making a basket.

Related: Printable March Madness bracket & fun facts about basketball

We spent the first half of Chase’s last game on Saturday, on the edge of our seats. Today was the day. We knew it.

Ok, we hoped for it..

Maybe even offered up a few prayers…

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It was nearing the end of the second half. I hear the coach yelling to the players, “PASS IT TO CHASE!” Chase gets the ball. He runs with the ball to his Basketball Goal (there is no dribbling involved in this transaction). He shoots. He misses. I hear the coach, “PASS IT BACK TO CHASE!” He has the ball again. He shoots. He misses. Once again, “PASS IT BACK TO CHASE!!!” Everyone is on the edge of their seats.  

He scores!!!

The coach runs onto the court! All the refs are high-fiving my boy! Pride fills the gym.

Every child does win.

Upward doesn’t just have a good philosophy of how they want sports conducted – they are putting it into action!

We participated in the Upward Program at Lakeland Baptist Church in Lewisville. You can find information on Upward Soccer, Flag Football, Cheerleading and MORE at upward.org or through
Trietsch Memorial UMC – Flower Mound, TX!

More Fun from Kids Activities Blog

When Shauna isn’t working out or keeping this website up, she writes rambles on about her life at Blah Blah Blog.



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6 Comments

  1. 3 of my kids have been in Upward and we have loved it too. The no-stress environment has been especially good for my oldest daughter. She has fun every game, even if she doesn’t make a basket. It has been a great way to introduce the kids to basketball without it being full of pressure. All 3 kids look forward to playing again next year.

  2. My daughter wanted to play basketball and my brother n law has coached for two years now in upward. They did not have enough coaches for my daughter to play so I signed up. I’m not sure who recieved the most this year, but if it wasn’t me then i will challenge the decision. My whole family has been effected by this wonderful program. All other 7 girls on my team made me laugh, cry in joy and feel so proud. For example when one of my girls won the white star award for most Christ-like and when I saw her crying with happiness i wept a little and I’m a big burly bearded biker type. This organization is what life should be all about. I will not only coach 2 teams next year but i will help coach flag football as well. Try it out…if ya don’t like it, then you may beheading down a wrong path.

    Big Tony
    Coach Lady Wildcats

  3. hi, love your site and feel the same way you do, upward is a special place … I wanted to share a video I made two years ago … just click on my name below – thanks!

    mark fowler

  4. We have participated in Upward sports for over three years. The program builds sportsmanship through Christian principles. It is a wonderful league, but is has unfortunately been discovered by some who forget the goals of the program and are sacrificing it to a “win at any cost” philosophy. Hopefully Upward can become the salt and light to those people.

  5. I had the same experience as a coach at our last game. The coach from the other team and I identified our players who had scored the least. We made sure they scored. The players, parents, and coaches went absolutely nuts — what a great feeling! I plan to coach in Upward again next season, and next time I won’t wait until the last game to make that arrangement with the opposing coach. It’s a great program that I highly recommend. Thanks Upward!