Rebound: Outdoor Hoops Return To Lakewood
As the end of the fall season winded down and gave way to winter, a success story emerged in the middle of Lakewood at Kauffman Park. This fall, the familiar sound of basketballs pounding the pavement returned. They could be heard on Detroit Avenue as neighborhood kids congregated at the newly installed two half court outdoor basketball hoops. Funded by The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee (LOBC), the group lobbied for the return of the outdoor hoops after a five year hiatus.
The city's only court was used heavily by neighborhood kids. It even got the attention and use of Head Basketball Coach Phil Argento and the Lakewood High School boys basketball program. “Many of the kids that have used our hoops have taken ownership of the courts,” states Stephanie Toole, co-founder of LOBC. The non-profit LOBC staffed the courts during peak hours with adult supervision. “There has been little out of bounds behavior from the neighborhood kids; many of them realized what was at stake.”
Indeed, to LOBC, at stake is the revitalization of the city's outdoor recreation game. LOBC has been arguing that in era of childhood obesity and the electronic binge of social media that outdoor recreation targeted towards youth would help destabilize the momentum of both forces. “Our goal is to add a piece of spontaneity to the outdoor recreation puzzle in Lakewood. We know how popular the game of basketball is and we wanted kids to have the opportunity to play it free in an outdoor setting.”
LOBC plans on continuing to lobby City Council in hopes of bringing several more outdoor courts to different parts of the city, enabling children to safely ride or walk to hoops near their homes. The group also hopes to soon begin a discussion with the School Board on the potential use of several vacant gyms throughout the city. With the lack of a city recreation center, LOBC’s ongoing campaign is to keep kids active without substantial cost.
With the return of the outdoor basketball hoops, LOBC’S goal is to foster a culture of free outdoor recreation within the City of Lakewood. “We saw kids playing basketball that established friendships with kids from different parts of the city. Our cities wide ranging diversity is definitely reflected on our basketball courts and that’s something our committee is proud of.” For more information about LOBC please visit their website at lobc.org.