The Origins and Need for Lys Sports Academy

Lys Sports Academy is comprised of a large contingent of sports enthusiasts that converged over a period of several years from numerous directions. For years, the Fathers Club of St. John's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark NJ conducted a weekly volleyball recreational evening at its school gym, with some 20 regular and semi-regular participants. Simultaneously, there was another contingent of recreational volleyball players meeting weekly at the Wilson School in Mountain Lakes NJ, which included a number of Morris County members of the Ukrainian community. When St. John's closed the doors on its school and gym, the two groups coalesced and expanded the Wilson School group.

When the opportunity was presented to enter a team into several Ukrainian community tournaments, the Wilson School volleyball players organized a number of teams and christened themselves the Morris County Volleyball Club, or MCVC for short. The creation of an informal website slowly attracted additional inquiries from other volleyball enthusiasts looking for a haven. When the Wilson School announced that their gym facilities would no longer be available with the start of the new school year in September 2006, the MCVC shifted court rentals to the newly-constructed UACCNJ in Whippany NJ.

Several times, the MCVC made inquiries with Chornomorska Sitch about having its participants become members of the existing sports club. However, as this would be a sizeable group joining with an existing program and organizational expectations, the MCVC wanted to insure that its members' interests would be accommodated upon joining Sitch. For a variety of reasons, Sitch was unwilling to commit to the requests under discussion. While the MCVC group assured Sitch it would cover its costs, Sitch retained reservations to that effect. 

Most recently, toward the end of 2006, the MCVC contingent again applied to Sitch for membership. The request was tabled for the time being by Sitch, by email dated Dec. 28, 2006 (attached).

Presented with various organizational imperatives, such as obtaining insurance for its activities and members, and formalizing membership at the UACCNJ in order to assure undisturbed facility access, the MCVC decided to institutionalize itself as a not-for-profit New Jersey corporation in September 2007. In doing so, it deemed a proper name should accompany the change in status, and opted for Lys Sports Academy Inc. (Lys, Ukrainian for fox, was chosen both for its status as a popular creature in Ukrainian folklore, and for its physical presence throughout Morris County NJ).

Why the need for multiple Ukrainian sports clubs in the same geographic area? (Why not ask why the need for multiple Ukrainian youth organizations in the same geographic area?)

The clubs serve different constituencies. As Lys grew organically through the process described above, its members included members that the Sitch regulations struggled to include. Lys felt the need to ensure a more inclusive structure existed.

The clubs serve different interests. The Lys volleyball enthusiasts are numerous, but do not diverge much into the other sports that Sitch more readily embraces. As organizational, financial and facility decisions are made, Lys SA wants to ensures its members' interests are properly represented.

The clubs allow for friendly but spirited competition. There few enough Ukrainian sports clubs within the region. In volleyball at least, the presence of several premier programs allows players to find a team that suits their style, dedication, interests and schedules, as well as providing them with someone to compete against.

The clubs allow for the benefits of divergence. Lys SA is now conducting a tournament for the third straight year, has stimulated interest among sectors of the area youth that Sitch was not reaching, and brings additional numbers to participation, competition and organization than might not be engaged if only one sports club existed. Lys SA also brings different assets to organizational issues, as the existence of the Lys Sports Academy website can testify, as one example.