The Kuumba Olympics is a summer camp that is held with multiple sports available to introduce various types of skills to future Kits. E-town is excited and ready for the Kuumba Olympics, which are being held for the third time, after last year’s successful outcome. The Kuumba Olympics is a way for young girls and boys to learn and compete in different sports. It also benefits the high school athletes who get to give back and participate in coaching and helping with the sport they love to play.
Kuumba Olympics is held over the summer, in June, with a few carnival dates in the spring. There is an opening ceremony, torch run, parade, and then the games begin. Each team of athletes gets to compete in the sports they sign up for. Throughout the days of the Olympics, they have the opportunity to compete at a competitive level and try out all different sports. The ability for the athletes to try different sports can give them a broader perspective on which sports they might want to start competing at a more intense level. After all the games finish, there is a closing ceremony that follows, and brings all the athletes together to celebrate their accomplishments.
Chris Livatino, Athletic Director at ETHS, plays a huge role in the Kuumba Olympics as the head of the experience.
“The number one goal of the Kumba Olympics is to break down barriers and expose kids at younger ages to sports they might not otherwise have participated in, especially our students of color and low-income families,” said Livatino.
ETHS takes a lot of pride in its sports programs, and the Kuumba Olympics is only benefiting that. With athletes starting their sport at an earlier age, it helps with the drive and skill to compete at higher levels.
Livatino says, “I think it will help lead to better teams too. The number one indicator of sports programs being successful is the number of kids involved in that sport from an earlier age,” commented Livatino, “and if we can bolster those numbers and get more kids involved earlier in a legitimate way, they’re gonna end up being more competitive later.”
Kuumba Olympics not only impacts the youth community, but it also impacts the high school students who get to coach and teach kids how to play a specific sport. ETHS students get to learn leadership skills and gain experience in giving back to their sports community.
Last summer, junior Fritz Clark got the opportunity to help out with the floor hockey group. As an Ice Hockey player, he got to sustain the ability to coach and help kids become better players.
“My favorite part about coaching Kuumba is seeing the kids enjoy a sport they’ve never played before. Kuumba gives them a great opportunity to play new sports, and it is so awesome to see them go through the motions of figuring out how to play,” stated Clark.
Fritz is just one of the many high school students who have volunteered or are looking to volunteer this summer.
“I’m learning that more and more of our high school kids are familiar with this and hopefully more involved. It’s a fun way to just be involved in sports in the summertime in a way that is competitive and like, you’re giving back,” said Livatino.
As high school student-athletes give back and volunteer, they gain knowledge and learn new things through experiences.
The Kuumba Olympics benefits all parts of the Evanston communities, from the young kids learning to play new sports to the teenagers growing into better leaders. The organization hopes to grow and contribute to the success of creating strong varsity-level teams and opening up opportunities that have not always been available to Evanston kids.
