What People are Saying

Dear Bev,
Thank you so much for such a great opportunity. I couldn’t be more proud to be a Kidsports Coach. I had such a great time taking these kids to watch the Ducks play. With short notice many kids came out, and over half of them had never seen a Duck Basketball game. I’m so truly blessed, coaching has changed my life…

Jay Keller

This past April you donated several boxes of jerseys & soccer balls for my trip to Petit Goave, Haiti. When I brought the jerseys out to the field they ran over so fast. I cannot express enough how thankful I am to Kidsports for the donations. We were able to provide many, many children with team jerseys and their excitement nearly brought us to tears. One of our translators earned a soccer scholarship to a university in South Dakota and will be moving from Haiti this coming September. He was thrilled to see the joy of school children being fitted with team jerseys and soccer balls.

Curt Gillis

Wanted to share a story about Emerald Kidsports and what it means to kids and this community. I have coached for Kidsports for the last 8 years and have had many great experiences. But one particular experience was coaching football in the Fall of 2009. I had been coaching an 8th grade football team that had only 12 players and going into the final game had lost every game that season. They had been close several times. One boy on the team who was on scholarship did not have transportation to any games or practice so I usually took him. To this final game, I was unable to get him and he got himself dressed and on the bus across town to the game just before the start. Even without the success on the field, it was important enough to him to get himself to every practice and games despite the obstacles in his way. Without the scholarship and support of Kidsports, kids like this would never have the chance to experience sports and the meaning of being on a team.

Dan Duncan

I’ve volunteered as a youth volleyball coach of Kidsports. After coaching for 2 years I remembered how much I loved the game & started playing for the local city league! It’s great how the kids I work with have inspired me to get back in touch with the dormant athlete in me! They have blessed my life & I have my experience with Kidsports to thank!

SueAnn Evans Griffin

And so it began one November day, time to sign up for basketball on the Kidsports.org website. Bam! That was easy… Then came the waiting game for 6th grade boys’ basketball to start at ATA. Being the new coach on the block I did not know what to expect out of team placement practices where all coaches review talent and suggest team separation, what I encountered; was something akin to a rock concert(thanks to Brian Luna a staple for the last couple years in the Churchill area). Well produced, impressively run; and thoroughly enjoyed by the 6th grade boy’s that attended and all were assigned to a team. This would prove to be the high point during a month long stretch of practice, seeding jamboree’s and first games.

The rest of the early season did not go so well… We lost about 7 games in a row and we lost them all bad (we were 0-6 in the league seeding tourney) But the kids kept practicing hard and playing hard clawing our way to becoming regular season league Champions at 7-1 and making it to the final game of the Playoff’s.

We were invited to be a participant in the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing 3on3 tournament, where our team managed to give Singler, Lloyd and Kingma a little trouble with our 1-1-1 zone 😉 those guys are good sports (see video)

A big part of that unbelievable turnaround is credit to the hard work from Bev Smith and the entire Kidsports organization, even the ref’s! They do it by taking care of every detail, and making sure to hit every important bulletin point with a positive spin. Additionally it made me very comfortable and more positive as a coach having had the ability to ask Bev what drill is good for this and that.

Emerald Kidsports offers the best product and value of any kids sports organization I have ever seen and it transfers straight to the kids. One of our first practices a player came up to me and said coach I can’t be on the team because I hate (name withheld) that was also on the team…. By the final game these two kids were on decent talking terms and sharing passionate emotions on the court. That is just one example of many, as you may know; middle school is full of hormones or shortage of drama. The inroads the kid’s made socializing while playing; enemies becoming friends etc.. These are the important things because they ended up being what I am most proud of in our season easily trumping any win / loss record. But really… I guess I should have expected great things to develop because they always do when you remain positive and that is the way it is laid out at Kidsports and I think how it should be everywhere.

George C Wingard


I just wanted to say thank you to you and everyone who worked so hard to put the BBQ last Saturday together. It was great! It’s nice to know that what I do for fun is appreciated by so many. It was awesome meeting Bev Smith & Mike Bellotti. Being a Eugene native and a HUGE Duck fan, it really made my day! All of it made my day… Thanks again for everything! Looking forward to many more years of coaching for Kidsports…

Julie Lynch, Kidsports coach

I just wanted to take a minute and express my appreciation, as well as that of JBO, for giving our Midget National’s an incredible Championship Tournament. Dave and Matt did a hell of a job, and I’d also like to offer my appreciation to everyone else who unselfishly volunteered their time. As evidenced by the number of e-mails I received, yours was the most popular tournament of the two weekends. As you know, when I show up at a Tournament site, I spend most of my time talking to parents and promoting JBO. At your facility, no promotion was necessary on my part. The parents I spoke with were absolutely amazed at the fields their kids were playing on, and the kids were in awe. Please pass on my thanks to everyone else who helped make this a memorable experience for our “little guys and girls” (and their parents). I appreciate all of the hours you give to help make JBO the successful program that it is.

Dave Terry, President, Junior Baseball Organization, Inc.

Once again Kidsports did a great job not only in the Championships but throughout the entire season. Myself, my players and coaches, and all of the families really appreciate all that you do from the Jamboree to Autzen to the playoffs. We have a great time. The competition improved tremendously over the last year and I really look forward to next year. Again, great job!!!!

Kevin Lee, Tackle Football Coach 2008