Little tykes are invited to party and countdown to noon on New
Year’s Eve with pizza, basketball, bubble machines and more at a
gala event called “HOOPla.”
The second annual HOOPla, sponsored by Little Hoopers-Basketball
Basics, is geared for children between the ages of 2 and 6, but
siblings are welcome. Festivities are from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15
p.m., Dec. 31, at the Sebastopol Community Center, in the main
hall. The party cost $5 and includes basketball hoops, hula hoops,
bubble machines, hats and blowers, and pizza provided by Mombos.
And, a children’s musician will perform interactive songs during
the countdown.
“We thought it would be really cool for the kids to count to
noon, and have a New Year’s celebration ’cause the parents get to
go out later, so why not have the kids do it at noon?” Little
Hoopers cofounder Myriah Volk said, noting the turnout at last
year’s debut event was so good, she and cofounder Jessica Bull
decided to make it an annual occurrence.
“We are grateful to Mombos for helping out. The pizza is fun for
the kids and it’s nice to feed them. We are excited to do it again
this year. It’s a good party,” Volk said.
Little Hoopers-Basketball Basics began in the summer of 2009
during a chance meeting at a park bench alongside the sandbox at
Ives Park, Bull said.
Little Hoopers founding “moms,” Bull and Volk, “sat gazing at
our three little boys, ages 2, 3, and 4, playing happily in the
sand. In conversation, we discovered we were old high school
basketball rivals; one the star center from El Molino and the other
the star point guard from Healdsburg,” Bull said, noting both of
them also played basketball in college. “We quickly bonded over our
love of basketball, resolving to share this love with our toddler
sons, and bring basketball to the community one child at a time.
Thus, the birth of Little Hoopers- Basketball Basics,” she
said.
With the support of the Sebastopol Community Center and local
independent businesses, Little Hoopers- Basketball Basics has
provided a fun, healthy and affordable “game time” to families in
Sonoma County for more than a year, Bull said.
The non-competitive basketball program actively engages them in
basic basketball drills and games, and is “committed to the
physical, social and academic development of young children through
the game of basketball. Learn to dribble, pass, shoot, and even
slam-dunk a basketball with Little Hoopers … it’s all FUNdamental!”
the Little Hoopers’ website states.
“We see these kids come in; 2-year-olds clinging to their mom’s
legs, and then by the end of class we see them dunk a basketball
and they are laughing. That’s a good feeling,” Volk said. “We watch
them build confidence,” she said, noting often times the children
think they can’t do it, and when they do, they smile with that type
of confidence that someone can only get from achieving a goal.
There are also parents who find it difficult to believe that
such young children can shoot baskets, Volk said. “But, we have
hoops that are as short as a 2-year-old. And there is nothing
simpler than putting a ball into a basket.”
Volk said they used their own children as guinea pigs when
designing the class.
“We tried out our drills and games with our own kids to see what
they were interested in, and what lost their attention,” she
said.
Then Volk and Bull made a website and held their first class a
year ago last October.
“We stood at the door of the community center and kids just
came. Ten showed up the first day. Since then, we have had hundreds
of kids showing up, coming from Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Windsor,
Santa Rosa, etc.” she said, noting they were just approached by
someone with the Rohnert Park Community Center who asked them if
they could run their class there, as well. Volk and Bull have also
taken their class into several preschools, where they put on
interactive assemblies.
“It’s been surprisingly successful. We get 100 hits a month on
our website. And it came from the things we know. We both know
basketball and we both have preschoolers,” Volk said.
On a national level, basketball in this age range isn’t really
done, she said. “This is kind of a niche. We are even talking about
going to a Warriors’ game and approaching them to see if they’d
allow Little Hoopers to do something at half time. We want to think
big with it, ’cause why not?”
The Little Hoopers class is held from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., on
Thursdays. The cost is $8 per child, per class, or two children
(such as siblings) for $12. Bounce passes, good for four classes,
are also available for $30.
For more information visit www.littlehoopers.net or call
Myriah Volt at 494-8134.
