By By BRUCE HIXON-Sports Editor
If Randy Salter has his way, there will someday be a problem with the facilities where the Brewton Area YMCA conducts its sports activities.
Do not get the wrong idea about the word "problem." Salter's dream is the demand to play becomes too big for the current facilities.
Salter is in his third year as sports director at the Brewton Area YMCA and oversees the organization's soccer, volleyball, basketball, flag football baseball and softball programs.
Salter said most of the YMCA's sports programs have about 80 to 110 kids involved.
Most of the kids involved in the YMCA sports programs range from kindergarten age through seventh grade.
While most participants are from the Brewton and East Brewton communities, Salter said there are some participants from neighboring towns such as Flomaton, Repton and Castleberry.
While YMCA non-members pay a higher fee for programs, Salter said that participants are nearly divided from member and non-member families.
Recruiting players, coaches and to a lesser extent officials is one of Salter's more challenging jobs with the sports programs.
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more kids into the programs. As far as I'm concerned, you never have enough kids. While we have a lot of kids involved in our programs, many of those kids are involved in multiple sports and we'd like to get some new faces. Sometimes it's tough to get enough coaches for all the teams. A lot of people can't do it because their work schedules do not allow enough time. On the other hand, we're usually only talking an hour and a half to two hours a couple of nights a week. What is three to four hours in somebody's week. It's nothing plus most parents are at the activities anyway," Salter said. "Brewton has a pool of officials that we use so we usually are in pretty good shape there, but just about anywhere you go there will be a shortage of officials."
Another aspect of Salter's direction is baseball and softball field preparation and maintenance at the YMCA Sports Complex.
Salter indicated weather is usually the number one problem of maintaining the YMCA fields.
While the YMCA sports programs are a source of fun and entertainment, Salter pointed out the YMCA is also a business.