Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Nelms.
Jason, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Cherokee Youth Football Association (CYFA) is a volunteer-driven organization that provides safe and effective instruction in youth football, sideline and recreation competition cheerleading for youth athletes ages 6-11 residing in Cherokee County, GA. For 53 years, we’ve served as the premier middle school and high school feeder program for Cherokee County’s six high schools.
I started volunteering with CYFA in 2010/2011, as a youth football coach for my oldest son’s team. I felt compelled to step up and coach my son’s team because I love the game of football and the positive attributes it taught me in the areas of teamwork, perseverance, working hard, and the importance of good sportsmanship. I wanted to be the coach for these kids that I wish I had when I played. I wanted to impact my players through the game of football both on and off the field, so as they grow and become adults they’ll look back to the sport and the lessons they learned about adversity, teamwork, overcoming obstacles and they’ll be equipped to handle difficult situations that life throws at you.
In 2012, I was asked to join the board of directors first as an Etowah district football director, then I moved into a leadership role on the board serving as the league’s player safety director. In 2015, I was nominated and elected to serve as president of CYFA and presently serve in this role.
Has it been a smooth road?
In recent years, the sport of youth tackle football nationwide has seen a decline in participation due to the widespread media attention and ongoing debates among tv personalities that pertain to the risk of concussion, brain injuries and the overall safety of youth tackle football.
While numbers have been down for most programs, we’ve seen a growth in our youth tackle football program over the past two years, and we attribute the growth of our program to the success of our board of directors. Our board of directors is committed to communicating, educating and improving the overall safety of the youth football within our organization and our own community of parents.
CYFA is committed to creating a culture that puts safety first. We do this by seeking, mentoring and certifying coaches who can instruct and teach USA Football’s Head’s Up blocking and tackling techniques to our youth athletes. We also work with our community partners and high school programs to make sure we’re providing sport-specific instruction to our athletes that also adhere to proper technique and safety in both football and cheerleading.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cherokee Youth Football Association (CYFA) has been providing a safe and effective instruction to children ages 6-11 for 53 years in Cherokee County, Georgia. Our goal at CYFA is to teach each child proper technique and mechanics in both football and cheerleading while maintaining a safe and fun environment. Our program continues to successfully serve as the premier feeder program for the county’s six high schools: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock.
I am extremely proud of our organization because of the positive impact our football and cheer program has had on the lives of thousands of youth athletes in Cherokee County. The success of our organization is because of the volunteers who have served and presently serve in our organization.
CYFA’s board of directors is the driving force behind our success! Our board of directors and our parent volunteers are incredibly talented, smart and dedicated professionals that are committed to making our organization the best youth football and cheer organization in the southeast. Without the commitment and dedication of our board and our volunteer coaches in both cheer and football, our success today wouldn’t be possible.
In our community, parents will make a point to stop me to share a story about how a board member or coach went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the needs of a child are met. From a leadership perspective, that is what it’s all about to me.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, football and cheerleading are two sports that are deeply rooted in our southern culture. In Cherokee County, we are excited to be the organization that has the first opportunity to properly teach the sports of youth football and cheerleading to our youth who experience it. Therefore, we have a big responsibility to make sure our children have a positive experience with this great game and it is our job to help them develop a love and a passion for each sport and understand the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship.
One of the behavioral trends that stands out to me in today’s culture is the “what can you do for me” attitude, and I believe one of the ways, we as parents can end that type of attitude/mentality is by enrolling your child in a team sport early on so they can understand the importance of being coachable, learn how to work well within a team environment and how to display sportsmanship because these are all things that will help shape your child’s character and help them to become successful adults and that’s the legacy I want our organization to be remembered for by past, present future generations of youth athletes in our county.
Pricing:
- Kindergarten Only Rookie Tackle Football – $275
- Kindergarten Only Sideline Cheerleading – $270
- Youth Football (Grades 1st – 5th) – $330
- Sideline Cheerleading (Grades 1st – 5th) – $325
- Recreation Competition Cheer (Grades 2nd -7th) – $515
- CYFA Cheerleading Camp – $115
- CYFA Youth Football Camp powered by Fury Performance – $125
Contact Info:
- Address: 1426 Towne Lake Parkway, Suite 102, Woodstock, GA 30189
- Website: www.cyfa.org
- Phone: 770-710-2835
- Email: info@cyfa.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyfa.ga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyfa.ga/
Image Credit:
Skip Daughtery Photography
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