BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – “It’s pretty amazing, I love that it has been there that long continuously, and it just keeps growing and growing and growing," Stephanie Schendt said.
- Bellevue Junior Sports Association is celebrating 50 years.
- The program was started by five couples who saw a need for youth sports in the community.
- The organization is a non profit and relies on volunteers.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Jordan Burnett is a Bellevue senior and coaches cheerleading at the Bellevue Junior Sports Association(BJSA).
"Most of our team this year actually has never cheered before so to see the progress they have made from August until now is a really good feeling as a coach,” Burnett said.
But before she was a coach,she was in the program herself.
“I started cheer here in 2014 when I was four years old,” she said.
She's just one of thousands of kids who have gone through the BJSA. Now the program is celebrating 50 years.
BJSA is the vision of five couples who saw a need for accessible youth sports in the Bellevue community.
Matt Goetz has led the association since 1998. It's exciting to reach this milestone and see the impact the program has made for local kids, according to Goetz.
“We just want them to become a well-rounded individual as they grow and become young men and young women," Goetz said.
The program has grown a lot over the years and serves around 4,000 kids annually.
Stephanie Schendt has her kids in the program. Before that, she was in the program herself and had seen this change happen.
“It’s pretty amazing, I love that it has been there that long continuously, and it just keeps growing and growing and growing," Schendt said.
This will be Burnett’s last year coaching, and although she's sad, she's looking forward to seeing what comes next for BJSA.
"I have a feeling the program will be doing great, and I can't wait to see what they accomplish," she said.
Bjsa relies on volunteers to make the program possible. The organization offers several sports year-round.
