Homeschool Sports on the Rise

By Thomas Scheino, Homeschool Basketball National Web Site

Fifteen years ago, quality homeschool sports in the USA were almost unheard of. Since then, homeschool sports have grown by leaps and bounds. There are national, regional, state, and area tournaments for homeschool basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and track. Several years ago, the New York Times estimated the existence of up to 1,000 homeschool basketball teams across the nation. Growing numbers of homeschool teams are being accepted in Christian school and public school leagues. Another evidence of the success of homeschool athletics is the growing number of homeschool athletes earning athletic scholarships in many colleges across the nation.

Basketball has clearly developed as the largest and most popular homeschool sport. Developed to serve the growth of homeschool basketball, the Homeschool Basketball National Web site (HBNW) provides information, resources, and services, free of charge. The HBNW has grown to over 120 pages in its four-year history. Homeschoolers across the nation can access 24 hours per day information on team set up, tax exemption, insurance, scholarships, team Web site development, open tournaments, resource links, state-by-state reports, college contacts, feature articles, bulletin boards, history, developmental topics, and much more. Every state with homeschool basketball teams has its own webpage in the HBNW, accessible through the "State Reports" section in the home page menu. The HBNW recently was granted its own domain name and is now found at www.homeschoolbasketball.net. The HBNW also has a backup national Web site, located at http://www.eteamz.com/homeschoolbasketballusa. The USA Web site has a page with nearly 70 links to other homeschool sports Web sites across the nation.

The HBNW is an official member of the National Christian Homeschool Athletic Association (NCHAA). The NCHAA works to develop homeschool sports across the nation by 1) setting standards for conduct and participation, 2) organizing and developing national and regional tournaments, 3) acting as a resource for colleges and universities seeking information on homeschool athletes, and 4) acting as a resource for homeschool parents looking for sports programs. National homeschool basketball, volleyball, and soccer tournaments have been major projects for the NCHAA, and now regional tournaments are also NCHAA projects. Persons interested in contacting the NCHAA may do so by reaching the director, Kenny Collins, by e-mail at: nchaa2@juno.com, or by phone at: (316) 267-1484. The NCHAA has its own multi-sport Web site, NCHAA Sports, http://www.geocities.com/NCHAASports.

A new affiliate of the NCHAA is the all-new regional homeschool sports association, C.H.A.M.P., which covers the five state area of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Missouri. This first-ever regional association has twenty-three member associations and plans regional events for basketball, volleyball, and track. Long-range plans include developing other homeschool sports in the region, as well as non-sports activities for homeschoolers, such as music, forensics, and art events. The CHAMP Web site is located at: http://www.geocities.com/champhomeschool.

The HBNW was honored by being named the first honorary member of the Homeschool Sports Network (HSPN). The HSPN Web site, http://www.hspn.net, has become the nation's most-visited homeschool sports Web site. HSPN founder and director, Chris Davis, may be reached by e-mail at: coach4life@yahoo.com.

One monthly service of the HBNW, is the National Coaches E-Mail, sent out to hundreds of homeschool coaches and team leaders across the nation. The free monthly e-mail, along with all the content of the HBNW, is under the scrutiny of not only the NCHAA, but also a five-member National Advisory Board, with members from Oklahoma, North Carolina, California, Montana, and Kansas. Homeschool coaches and other team leaders may subscribe this free monthly e-mail by contacting HBNW Webmaster Thomas Scheimo, by e-mail at homeschoolbasketball@yahoo.com. However, the team leaders must indicate what team they are with, and in what capacity.

The HBNW, HSPN, and the NCHAA all offer free team locator services, designed to help homeschool students and parents find a team, as well as to help homeschool teams find other homeschool teams to schedule games with. All three place a strong emphasis on Christian character and good sportsmanship in the development of homeschool sports.