The Pottsboro Youth Association, Inc. sponsors and organizes youth sports programs in the Pottsboro area. The sports programs include softball, baseball, volleyball, football and basketball. The overall goal is for the children to have fun while building character and promoting physical fitness.

BASEBALL:

Dixie league baseball is open for children age 5 through 14. Sign-ups begin in February and teams begin playing games in late March or the first of April. This is a great opportunity to introduce young players to the game and to improve the skills needed of experienced players. Games are played during the week and on week-ends with teams from communities around the Pottsboro area.

BASKETBALL:

Basketball is open to grades K-6th grade. K-1st is co-ed. 2nd through 6th grade is gender based. We have made exceptions to this rule at parent’s request. Sign-ups are held in the fall. Our basketball games begin the first part of January. We travel and compete with other towns in the area. We have an end of season tournament for all grades with the exception of K and 1st. We do not keep score for that age group. This age should focus on fundamentals instead of the score. Pottsboro Youth Association has been very successful in all age groups competing throughout the league. Online registration is available via the PYA website at http://pottsboroyouthassociation.org.

FOOTBALL:

Football is open to all children ages 5 through 12 as of Sept. 1st. Sign-up is in the summer with practices beginning in mid-August. Games are played on Saturdays with teams from communities around the Pottsboro area. Helmets and shoulder pads are furnished by the PYA.

SOFTBALL:

We encourage all girls to join us in the spring and summer months to play girls softball. This is an exciting sport for our young girls and is a great opportunity for your child to learn basic softball skill. Games are played during the week and on weekends with teams from communities around the Pottsboro area.

VOLLEBALLY:

Open to 4th, 5th, and 6th grade girls. The PYA’s volleyball program is designed to teach young girls the rules of volleyball and to develop the skills needed to play the game successfully. Games are played during the week and on Saturdays. There is an end of season tournament held in Pottsboro. We do not travel in this league; we play at Pottsboro each week against each other.

Information regarding upcoming events, schedules, meeting times etc. is also available via e-mail. Funding for PYA is through registration fees as well as donations and sponsorships. The Pottsboro Youth Association, Inc. is a 501©3 corporation and is eligible for United Way funds. Individual donations can be made via the United Way. Direct donations are also accepted. Two types of sponsorships are available, Team Sponsors or Banner Sponsors.

Team Sponsorships: For $300 dollars or more, your company or business can be PYA Baseball Team Sponsor and have your banner ad displayed on the outfield fence at one of the fields at Festival Park for the entire baseball season. Team Sponsors names are also displayed on the game jerseys of their teams.

Banner Sponsors: For $100 dollars or more, your company or business can have your banner ad displayed on the outfield fence at one of the fields at Festival Park for the entire baseball season. Festival Park is the host to more than 75 PYA games ranging in divisions for 5 to 12 years of age. Banner Sponsors also have their ad displayed in the Banner Sponsor’s section of the PYA website. Special thanks go out to all our Banner Sponsors for their support of PYA baseball.

In 2007, our community suffered tragic losses of two of our teens in automobile accidents. On May 15, Shelby Johnson, 16, was killed when her car collided with a dump truck as she was on her way to school. Exactly one month later, Jordan Onstott, 17, lost her life when she was a passenger in a car driven by another teen on their way home from a date. It was then that the Less Tears...More YearsTM Campaign for Safer Teen Drivers was born.

Since the summer of 2007, the Less Tears...More YearsTM Campaign has made great strides in making the roads safer for our young drivers by conducting teen driver safety awareness programs and road safety projects in our rural community. Another accomplishment is the Less Tears...More YearsTM Act which was passed by the 81st Texas Legislature in the summer of 2009. We continue to morn the loss of these two daughters, friends, and classmates but we also are confident that their loss has not gone in vane.

Our Goals

The Less Tears...More YearsTM Campaign's goal has been stricter drivers education guidelines for new Texas drivers. The Less Tears...More YearsTM Act (effective Sept. 1, 2009) is a great step toward that goal.

Less Tears...More YearsTM Act drivers education law changes include:

The driving skills test administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers which was reclassified to an optional test in 1995 has been returned to a required test for all new Texas drivers under the age of 21.

The number of hours of behind-the-wheel training and observation before obtaining a drivers license has been increased from 14 hours to 34 hours with 10 hours devoted to night time driving. The Graduated Drivers License (GDL) which restricts new drivers for the first six months they have their license to only one passenger under the age of 21 and no driving between the hours of midnight and 5am has been extended to one full year.

Wireless communication (cell phone or handsfree communication device) usage which was part of the GDL and not allowed during the first six months has been removed from the GDL and is not allowed by any driver under 18 years of age.

All school districts in Texas are required to consider offering Drivers Education in their curriculum.

The Department of Public Safety will have access to Texas Education Agency electronic enrollment data to verify enrollment

The drivers education curriculum shall include sections on wireless communication device usage and other driver distractions.

Drivers Education is now required for all Texas drivers under the age of 21.

Beginning in 2011, the State will compile and publish collision rate statistics for public school taught drivers education, private driving schools, and parent-taught driver education or any other Texas Education Agency approved driver training.

Statistics Everyone Should Know:

6000 teens lose their lives in car crashes every year

Car crashes is the leading cause of death in the United States for persons 15 to 19 years of age.

Nationally, during 2006, a teen died in a traffic crash an average of once every hour on weekends and nearly once every two hours during the week.

Please visit our website: www.lesstearsmoreyears.org

Like us on Facebook

Look for our new iPhone and Droid APP coming soon.

“Driving is one of the most dangerous activities our children will participate in their entire lifetime, and they will participate in it for their entire lifetime. It is our responsibility as parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors to ensure the best possible education is made available to our younger drivers. Join the Less Tears…More YearsTM Campaign in our efforts to make driving a safer experience for our teens.”

Phil Johnson, President

Less Tears…More YearsTM

The Pottsboro Ministerial Alliance is a cooperation of six churches in Pottsboro that work together to share the love of Christ and minister to the physical and spiritual needs of our community. PMA provides a scholarship each year for one graduating Pottsboro High School student. On Easter Sunday, we lead a sunrise worship service. At Thanksgiving, we invite our entire community to gather for a meal and worship experience. Over 300 people gather to worship and give thanks for our many blessings. One of the biggest ministries we provide is a Family Festival in August that provides free food, games, and school supplies the week before school begins. It is exciting to experience over 1,200 people come together for a night of fun and fellowship. In June 2011, the Pottsboro Ministerial Alliance will coordinate and conduct a “Great Days of Service” event. For two days, we will scour our community looking for and meeting needs of residents in Pottsboro and the surrounding areas. Hundreds of people from our local churches will be mowing yards, washing windows, building wheel chair ramps, roofing houses, and many other projects to show the love of God in practical ways.

First Baptist Pottsboro

Pastor Josh Burton
Office phone: 903-786-9449
www.fbcpottsboro.com

Georgetown Baptist Church

Pastor Bobby W. Hancock
Office phone: 903-786-2233
www.georgetownbaptist.net

Hagerman Baptist Church

Pastor Neal Alexander
Office phone: 903-786-2823
www.hagermanbap@msn.com

Lakeway United Methodist Church

Pastor Allen W. Snider
Office: 903-786-2138
allen.snider@lakewayumc.org

Preston Community Church

Pastor Billy Vier
Office phone: 903-786-9599
www.prestoncc.homestead.com

St. John Community Church

Pastor Ally Perry
Office phone: 903-786-4339
Allyperry2004@gmail.com