The Cinnaminson Wood Park Basketball League is in full swing, with games Monday through Thursday from 6-9pm.
The boys play two days per week and the girls play two days per week. The league boasts almost 220 players for the 2016 season.
“Not all of our kids are in Cinnaminson public schools,” League Coordinator Christine Turner said. “Some go to St. Charles. Some go to Westfield Friends. Our goal is for the kids to exercise, have fun and meet new friends.”
Games are played on the hour with six games per night, two per hour.
“It’s a little high this year,” Turner said of enrollment in the league. “Normal is anywhere from 180 to 200, so it is up this year. It’s a township sponsored league.”
There are no practices, just games, in this non-competitive league.
By non-competitive, we mean that the league is for kids to get out and play during the summer, not to win titles.
“We just want the kids to have fun. It’s totally for fun.” Turner said. “Riverton had a league for years and you would enter teams. You enter this league individually. This is the first year Riverton hasn’t had their league.”
The players range in age from 8-16 years old. Games are played every hour, with the youngest kids playing at 6pm and the oldest playing at 9pm.
“There’s no pressure in the league, which is what I think makes it so fun,” Turner said. “The kids do still love it when the game is tied late, because they want to win. It’s just a great time.”
The teams in the Wood Park Basketball League are divided into levels; freshmen (3rd and 4th graders), junior varsity (5th and 6th graders) and varsity (7th grade and up).
“Most of the kids are repeat from previous years, except for the youngest age group,” Turner said. “It’s all skill levels too. We have kids who never play basketball outside of the summer league and some who play year-round.”
All workers within the league are volunteers, including the coaches and scorekeepers.
“On Thursday nights, the bands are at Wood Park,” Turner said.
“That’s a great night to be at Wood Park for the entire family. It’s fun to watch the games and have the music in the background too.”
The referees for the Wood Park Basketball League are paid and are teenagers from the township.
“The younger ones really look up to the older ones,” Turner said. “The older ones enjoy watching the kids out there. They tell them stories about when they were on the courts. It’s a sense of community.”
The league has been around for close to 18 years and plenty of the current referees once played in the league.
Photo provided by league coordinator Christine Turner.
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