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EAST ALTON - As spring approaches, the East Alton Parks and Recreation Department has several clinics and programs coming down the pipeline.
Tyler Lafferty, the department superintendent, explained that the Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor multiple youth clinics throughout March and April before tri-city volleyball and baseball begin later in the season. The department will also hold a Generation Gap trivia night on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, to raise money for a sports scholarship and senior programs.
“It takes support,” Lafferty said. “We’re very blessed in East Alton in having so many connections locally. Everyone’s wanting to see the community grow.”
In March, East Alton will offer a t-ball clinic for ages 3–5 and a basketball clinic for ages 5–7, followed by a “Soccer 4 Tots” clinic in April for ages 3–7. The clinics are scheduled for every Saturday for four weeks, and it costs $30 to participate.
The clinics take kids through different stations where they learn the basic skills they need to succeed in a sport. Lafferty explained that it’s a great chance to expose kids to a new sport and help them develop their social skills.
“We’re trying to build a solid foundation and really provide a service to our community and stuff like that,” he added.
Lafferty said East Alton Parks and Recreation Department has an “awesome partnership” with Roxana and Wood River to sponsor tri-city sports, a recreation program for kids to play volleyball and baseball/softball in the spring and summer. Both sports are super popular with community members.
This year, the tri-city program has restructured their season so that teams get more opportunities to practice in between games. They will also offer a week of clinics at the beginning of the season to teach coaches how to structure a practice. Lafferty hopes these changes make it even more fun for players and coaches to work together and improve.
“When you just go to game, game, game, it’s just the best players who are getting those touches. And say if I’m not as skilled, how am I going to get better?” he explained. “I think in recreation sometimes we get stagnant, where it’s like, ‘Hey, we’ve done it this way.’ I’m glad that we’re changing things up, being a little different, and adding those different aspects to the recreation side.”
You can find out more information about the clinics and tri-city sports, including how to sign up, at the official Village of East Alton Parks and Recreation Department Facebook page.
In the meantime, Lafferty said the Generation Gap trivia night will be a fun way to bring people together and raise money for the department’s Bob Angleton Youth Scholarship and their Senior Citizens Activities Program, including their senior breakfast on Feb. 28. Scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2024, the trivia night has several baskets and raffle items available on top of the trivia prizes. You can register your table by calling the Keasler Recreation Center at 618-259-7411 or emailing Lafferty at tlafferty@eastaltonvillage.org.
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