In 1995, Mike Wood’s first child was born and the seed of an idea was planted.
“I wanted to keep them on the right track with positive things to do,” said Wood, who at the time owned Haywood Sports, a retail clothing business in the City of Poughkeepsie.
The idea has now flowered into Helping Young People Excel (HYPE), a youth basketball and education program that began in February with a basketball tournament at the Salvation Army on Pershing Avenue.
With summer coming, HYPE is set to swing into full gear with a summer league at Wheaton Park and a weeklong basketball camp at Vassar College, as well as after-school tutoring and a planned American Athletic Union traveling team.
“The idea is to use sports to develop positive social skills,” said Wood, who works in security for Vassar College.
To accomplish this goal, Wood has partnered with other community-minded organizations, including Robert Wright of Nubian Directions, City of Poughkeepsie Recreation Director Robert Martin and Tyrell Bennermon of the New Hope Community Center.
“There are a lot of good people in this community and you can accomplish a lot through networking,” said Wood.
The summer league, which will begin July 7, will hold games on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at Wheaton Park from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wood said HYPE is hoping to field eight teams and welcomes any organized teams in the area wishing to participate. The league is open to youth ages 10-16.
Also on tap is a summer basketball camp at Vassar College from Aug. 4-8. The camp will teach children the fundamentals of the game, as well as conditioning. A featured instructor at the camp will be Steve Petagine, a professional trainer, who Wood said has worked with the New York Rangers and several professional athletes.
Wood said he hoped to get several collegiate and professional players to volunteer at the camp, as well. The camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost of the camp has yet to be determined, but Wood said the group is working to defray costs by convincing sponsors to come on board. Approximately $2,000 has already been raised through contributions from Otis Elevator Company, Vassar College, Modell’s Sporting Goods, 7-11, Associated Hair Craft Group and Nubian Directions.
In the fall, Wood said HYPE is working to provide after-school academic tutoring through student volunteers at Vassar College, as well as Nubian Directions. There are also plans to start an AAU team, the Poughkeepsie Royals, with the most talented and dedicated players from the summer league in order to build a competitive traveling team.
Wood said that for $125, children can register for the summer league, basketball camp and tutoring. Registration forms can be picked up at Nubian Directions, 248 Main St..
For more information about HYPE, call Wood at 518-0265.