Upward | Mandarin United Methodist Church

About Upward

We offer Upward Basketball, Cheerleading, and Soccer for children and youth. Upward emphasizes all-round development of the player mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. The goals of Upward are to:

Promote character and self-esteem in every child;
Help players learn to make wise decisions;
Improve physical abilities;
Recognize and embrace life’s purpose;
Foster healthy relationships;
Allow each child to connect with God and others.

We are looking for volunteers with a passion for God and a love for children who are willing to invest 2 hours a week. Sign up to coach a soccer team, basketball team, cheerleading squad, or referee.

During the summer, we offer one week, half-day basketball and cheer camps. These camps enable participants to enhance their skills and continue the emphasis on developing the total person.

If you have any questions, please email Chris Rogers.

Basketball & Cheerleading Registration Is Now Open!

Registration is now open for the winter 2024 basketball and cheerleading season at MUMC! Please use the links below to sign up your athlete:

Fees

The fee for each activity is $145. There is a $15 discount if you register by December 9, the day of evaluations. There are limited scholarships available. We ask that you volunteer as a coach or in the concession stand if you are the recipient of a scholarship.

Evaluations

Evaluations will be Saturday, December 9. A reminder that these are not tryouts. They are a way to gauge skill level, and, after other factors (coach requests, carpooling, practice night requests), the results of evaluations may be used to balance team rosters. It is also a great way to introduce your athlete to the facility (especially if it is their first season) so they are more comfortable at the first practice. 5th grade and younger (and cheerleaders) will be in the morning. We will host scrimmages for the middle and high school aged athletes in late morning and early afternoon. The times for each will be sent out as we get closer to the evaluation date. We realize that it is a busy time of year, and you may have plans – there are no makeups for evaluations but that does not keep you from participating.

Ages

This season, we will have divisions for 4 year olds through 12th graders for basketball and kindergarten through 5th graders for cheerleading. For the 4 year olds, they will play on 7-foot hoops. If you have a kindergartner that you would like to play on 7-foot hoops, please select during registration that you want them to play with the 4 year olds. This might be their first season playing, or they may be smaller/younger than their classmates. Otherwise, they will play on 8-foot hoops with the 1st graders.

Schedule

Practices will start the week of January 8. Your athlete will practice once a week on either Monday, Thursday, or Friday at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, or 8:00 PM. In general, the younger athletes will practice earlier and high school aged athletes at 8:00 PM. Depending on the number of registrations, we may have practices on Tuesdays or Wednesdays as well.

The first game will be Saturday, January 20. We will play 7 games. The final game will be March 2, and the end-of-season celebration will be on Sunday, March 3. All practices and games will be in the MUMC gym.

Socks

We are only planning on ordering socks for 4 year olds through 5th graders. Older athletes will want to wear their own socks anyway. No change in fee – this will help to offset the extra expenses specific to the older divisions.

Please let Chris know at crogers@mumc.net if you have any questions and contact me for more information about scholarships.

Volunteer to Coach!

We will need coaches! If you are interested in coaching this season, please contact Chris Rogers. First come, first serve for practice day and time! Let us know your division, when you want to practice, and your team’s name.