[November 01, 2008]  Registration for 2009 YMCA Girls Basketball kicks off Nov. 13 at the FREE YMCA Girls Basketball Clinic, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at the Lincoln Park District Rec Center. Bring your first- through sixth-grade daughter to this fun clinic taught by coach Carol Wilson and her Lincoln College women's basketball team. This is a great opportunity for girls to experience hands-on instruction, learn basketball fundamentals and further develop sports skills.

The YMCA Girls Basketball program is for girls in first through sixth grade and helps them develop fundamentals and skills relative to the sport of basketball. This six-week program promotes teamwork, develops social skills and provides fun for the girls and their families. Instructional games will be played on Sunday afternoons, beginning in January. For something new this year, the YMCA is attempting to have outside teams come in to play in the fifth- and sixth-grade league. Call the Y for more information.

YMCA Youth Paintball has been growing. The field is now twice as big, with more obstacles, and a real moving target was introduced recently. This man-operated moving target system has multiple speeds and styles, plus makes the game more realistic. If you haven't made it out to experience this new program in action, now is the time. Each week the players have new missions to act out. Participants receive safety tips and instructional explanations of how the paintball markers work, and they learn how to think and move as a paintball team.

The winter session of the YMCA Home School P.E. program begins Nov. 13. Each week the children will experience warm-ups, relays and play fun gym games with their peers. This program is for home-schooled children age 5 and up and gives the children an excellent opportunity to exercise, have fun and socialize.

YMCA Preschool P.E. classes are now in session. Your 4- or 5-year-old can experience this program at the YMCA Activity Center, 719 Wyatt Ave., each Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.-noon, for a reasonable fee. Each week YMCA instructor Nate Bossingham does calisthenics, relays and plays a fun gym game with the children. At each class, participants are also taught a mini lesson in character development.

The ongoing YMCA Cheerleading program is for girls 4 years old through fifth grade. The girls are taught cheers and techniques each Saturday, then perform at various community events. Contact the Y for more information.

Registration for YMCA Youth Dodge Ball program continues for third- through sixth-grade children. Games are played on Saturdays, noon-1 p.m., at the Y Activity Center gym. Come out and play with your friends for some extra fitness and weekend fun!

For more information on all Lincoln Area YMCA programs and events, visit the office, located at 604 Broadway St., Suite 1; www.lincolnymca.org; or call 735-3915.

[Text from file received from Lincoln Area YMCA]