The Oglethorpe County Recreation Department is gearing up for spring registration, and although participation has plateaued recently, director Michael White said he’s pleased with the programs, with some in high demand.
White said there was a huge growth in participation roughly five years ago, and since then, there have been consistent numbers.
However, the number of kids participating in the rec programs is encouraging, all of them either living in Oglethorpe County or going to county schools.
White added that there is probably a higher percentage of kids participating in the rec department’s programs than in other counties with more people.
“It may be because there's not a whole lot else to do down this way besides playing ball,” White said.
Youth basketball, adult basketball and wrestling made their returns this winter. Additionally, the department added flag football, which White said has been received well in its inaugural season.
Flag football has about 90 participants, split into three age groups with three teams each. Roughly 20 of the players are girls in the co-ed league.
“The girls are having fun playing with the boys because they’re as good as (the boys) are,” White said.
Ideally, if enough girls sign up next year, White said a separate girls division can be created, similar to the high school level. Flag football was sanctioned in 2020 in the state as a high school sport for girls.
The second year of the adult basketball league has been a big hit, White said.
After being added in 2023, White had to cut the registration this season due to the high demand and limited facilities, leaving 12 teams in the league.
“I think I could probably have as many teams as I wanted if I didn’t cut it off,” White said.
Similar to adult basketball, wrestling registration has to be stopped at around 25-30 kids because of the space. The department uses the wrestling room at Oglethorpe County High School for its practices.
White attributed the large participation numbers in wrestling, for kids between second to fifth grade, to the Patriots’ success.
“Everybody wants to be a part of something that’s winning,” White said.
Looking ahead to the spring, Little League is the most popular, ahead of girls volleyball, track, tennis and soccer.
Registration for Little League will end Feb. 1, and the remaining spring sports will stay open until Feb. 12.
While the programs have had another successful year, space and facility availability remains a challenge.
“It’s extremely cramped,” White said.
Building new facilities, like a soccer complex, would go a long way for the department, White said, but money is a limiting factor.
“Nobody wants their taxes to go up to support it, but I would say that it is heavily needed,” White said.
However, the rec programs continue to succeed and make a large community impact by getting the youth involved in sports, White said.
“If we don’t support the youth correctly, then they won’t be who they should be later,” White said.