Praise for the Disc Golf Course

A recent visitor to The Fields shared some words of praise about our Disc Golf Course, located on Oklahoma Avenue lawn, that made our day:

“I am glad to see it is not permanently discontinued. I’ll definitely be back in May. I hope you all consider adding another three holes to get us to a nine hole course. I’ve found the course to be an awesome addition to the area and hope it becomes permanent (and potentially extended). It’s a great thing to do after work in the summer when there is still light out, and the course seems to be pretty popular. I’ve made a few friends out there throwing discs!”

While we make space to play,  it’s wonderful to know that we’re making memories with it. See you and hopefully more happy visitors at The Fields soon! For those who are planning to visit the course, here is a quick update:

Update: Disc Golf Course Closure 

The course will be temporarily closed due to several facility-wide special events and will be back up and running by mid-May. Follow our instagram page for more updates!

Summer Camps at the Fields 2024

We have booked an amazing 2024 lineup of summer camps happening at The Fields at RFK and we want to share more information with our community.

DC Way* 
Embark on a soccer journey infused with the vibrant spirit of Brazil at DC Way’s Brazilian Way Summer Camp. Led by experienced Brazilian coaches, players ages 7-13 will not only refine their soccer skills but also dive into the rich tapestry of Brazilian traditions. Take advantage of the DC Way’s Early Bird Special and click here to secure your child's spot. 

Bradley Baseball Academia*

Bradley Baseball is pleased to announce the release of its 2024 BBA Youth Summer Camps with Capitol Hill Little League. This summer, BBA will continue its partnership with Capitol Hill Little League to bring one Monday - Thursday youth baseball camp for players ages 6-12 of all skill levels. Questions? contact President of Operations, Chris Nee.

Flag Star Football*

The grind doesn't stop for Flag Star in the summer! This camp is open to athletes of all experience levels, boys & girls in grades 2-7. Campers play in two games/day, alongside real skill building and instruction. Accompanied by the best staff around, they will guarantee an amazing summer! Click here for more information and to register.

Real Madrid Soccer Camp* 

Train the Real Madrid way and join this soccer camp by the Real Madrid Foundation. Improve your tactical, technical, physical and psychological skills under the direction of official Real Madrid UEFA licensed coaches. Come have fun, make new friends and get a chance to be invited for an experience in Spain! Use the promo code CRYSPDC during registration for a $30 discount.

AC Milan Academy

The AC Milan camp is a playful and educational project that aims to consolidate and improve the motor, technical, tactical, and psychological skills of the young player. Through play and training, players acquire essential experience and skills in confrontation with opponents and in the relationships with teammates in football. Register here with promo code RFK10 for 10% off. 

Atlético de Madrid (provided by Firmament Sports)

Get ready for an incredible summer with Atlético de Madrid’s soccer camp in Washington DC. Open to boys and girls ages 6-18, featuring top notch training led by Spanish coaches from Atlético de Madrid. Register now with the code RFK50 for $50 off

DC United Soccer Camp (provided by Headfirst)
Grab your friends and join this summer for an opportunity to connect with a hometown MLS team like never before and create memories that will last a lifetime! This week-long soccer curriculum will help players of all abilities, beginner to experienced, develop both on and off the field while still keeping the focus on fun! Sign up here. 

Washington Capital United
Bring your enthusiasm to WC United Soccer Camp! Co-ed campers ages 7-14 are welcome. Mon - Fri 9am to 3pm. Apr 15-19th; June 17 - July 26th all at The Fields. Come train with former Ghana National Player, Coach Ossie, and British Coach Sam. For more info, email admin@wcunited.org.

Know of a child who needs help accessing a spring sport or summer camp?

Camps with an asterisk (*) above partner with CRYSP DC’s Youth Sports For All program to make opportunities available to all youth in our community. Summer registrations open this week. Email ysfa@cryspdc.org with any questions.

Equipment Swap

CRYSP DC’s Youth Sports For All (YSFA) program provides the benefits and possibilities of outdoor sports and recreation to families who may not be able to access such programs due to financial and other structural limitations. Through our YSFA program, we are dedicated to providing both scholarships and athletic equipment to any child who needs it in order to have a successful season. Typically, families request 2-3 pieces of equipment per child, equaling $1,000 - $2,500 of equipment purchases per season. 

In response to the growing inquiries and expected new equipment demands for families enrolled in our YSFA program, we are planning an equipment swap for spring 2024 at The Fields at RFK’s Celebration Pavilion. From now until early spring, we are collecting new/gently used youth and adult sports equipment for our program’s families - about 100 youth total!

Equipment most needed:

• Girls youth running shoes

• Soccer shin guards, socks (new), and soccer cleats

• Football cleats (male and female)

• Baseball and softball gloves

All remaining equipment that is not used for our YSFA families will be donated to Leveling the Playing Field to redistribute to other sports programs around the region. 

Equipment can be dropped off at:

The Fields at RFK - Concession Stand

401 Oklahoma Ave NE

Washington, DC 20002 

Don’t have equipment, but still want to support YSFA?

Are you a parent seeking after-school and summer sports programs for your child? Express interest here or reach out to our Program Manager, Monica, at monica@cryspdc.org

Summer Youth Sports For All

More kids, more equipment, more fun! Our Youth Sports For All (YSFA) summer season is coming to a close. Check out how this season is going so far.

A big thank you to Ty Simpson, DC Fray, and District Sports for sponsoring the program and to Capitol Hill Community Foundation for its repeated support of the program. Show your support today!

Interested in participating in the fall? Stay tuned, registration will open later this month!

CRYSP DC Happy Hour

CRYSP DC is holding a fantastic event that's all about fun, community, and supporting a great cause. We’re hosting a free Happy Hour in support of our Youth Sports for All program.

Our program is focused on giving back to young athletes in DC by providing scholarships and sporting equipment. It's an initiative we're passionate about, and we're thrilled to have District Sports Premier League and Atlas Beer partnering with us for this happy hour.

We’re expecting an exciting afternoon of soccer matches and ice-cold beverages to enjoy!

But it's not just about the games and drinks. We want our guests to connect with our incredible CRYSP community, which is made even more special by amazing patrons. Their support makes our mission possible and helps us create a positive impact in our community.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Summer of Fun

More than 40 kids are looking forward to a great summer camp season as part of the Youth Sports For All program. With help from a foundation, business sponsors and individual donors, the generosity of our sports program partners, and a lot of work from our YSFA program coordinator, Monica, kids will be participating in seven different programs this summer. Many of them will receive new cleats, water bottles, soccer balls or other equipment to ensure they enjoy a great summer camp experience.

Better than the financial support (which is pretty darned awesome) is the commitment of all of the participating organizations to making sure that all kids have the same opportunities to benefit from afterschool and summer sports programs.

We’d like to give a shout out to the sports programs (and the people who lead them) that are making space for kids to participate: DC ICE Skate Camp, DC Way Academy, Flag Star Football, LaLiga Camp, Pedalheads, Washington Youth Rugby, and Winners Lacrosse.

A big thank you to DC Fray and District Sports for sponsoring the program and to Capitol Hill Community Foundation for its repeat support of YSFA. And thank you, also, to Dick’s Sporting Goods for its substantial discount, which allows us to equip all participants with what they need to play.

New Staff Roles, New Board Members

We have great news to share about two CRYSP employees who were recently promoted and are taking on new responsibilities. And we have some new board members on the CRYSP board.

Monica Scharf, Program Coordinator

Moving on up!

Monica Scharf, who started last year as an intern and then executive assistant is our new Program Coordinator. Monica organizes our Youth Sports For All program, where she establishes partnerships with sports organizations, recruits kids, and works with parents to enroll children in great afterschool and summer camp sports programs.

“I'm excited to add my creativity and enthusiasm for sports programming to this new role with CRYSP,” she said. “I will work hard to provide new (as well as grow current) programs and partnerships that will benefit our local communities.” In addition to organizing the Youth Sports for All program, Monica has taken on large special events and tournaments at The Fields. She also supports CRYSP communications and provides customer service both on the field and behind the scenes. When she’s not working, Monica loves transforming thrift store finds into up-cycled treasures.

Jaime Melvin, Facility Coordinator

Jaime Melvin, who was one of CRYSP's first field monitor's at The Fields, back in 2019, is stepping into the position of Facility Coordinator. Jaime makes sure onsite operations run smoothly for a safe and fun environment and works closely with Tyran Rich, deputy operations manager. In his free time, Jaime loves to watch and practice mixed martial arts, and he also enjoys basketball.

Congratulations to Monica and Jaime!

New Board Members

We’re so glad to have three new board members, putting their time and energy into helping make space to play in DC.

Brian Atkins has over 15 years of leadership experience in community engagement with Events DC, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc., and now, JPMorgan Chase & Co. where he educates residents, small business owners and nonprofits in financial health and is the firm’s liaison with wards 7 and 8. Raised in Southeast DC, Brian is passionate about bridging the gap between organizations and communities and creating access for underserved youth to career and education programs and higher education, including on the board of the William Lockridge Foundation.

Bridgett Frey has lived on Capitol Hill/Kingman Park for over 15 years and serves in a leadership position with Friends of Kingman Park Civic Association, and she loves to spend time in the community with her beagle Stevie. She has volunteered with George Washington University, where she earned her Masters in Public Administration, N Street Village, and DC Scores' annual One Night, One Goal event. She previously worked on Capitol Hill and now works in strategic communications in the private sectors.

Sharita Slayton is a solutions-oriented African American female with a heart for the success of the youth and seniors of the District of Columbia. She volunteers as the Board Chair of the Legacy Collaborative Senior Village and Managing Director for Dynamic Solutions for the Aging. She has a Bachelor's degree in Management and Business and an Associate’s degree in Management Technology. As a native Washingtonian, residing in Eastland Gardens of Ward 7, she believes that solutions come from those who are being directly affected and that we must include them to be effective.

Leveling the Playing Field

As director of operations for Leveling the Playing Field, Kaitlin Brennan knows that people really want to put their used sports equipment to good use. But even she was surprised to get an email from someone in Hawaii with softball equipment, wanting to know where they could drop it off.

“People want to give, they just don’t know how,” says Brennan. It’s what drives her and also the organization, which at just shy of 10 years, is now in three areas – the DMV, Baltimore, where she started in 2018, and Philadelphia, which opened amidst the pandemic last year.

Video of Will McBeath of Leveling the Playing Field hauling the DMV’s newest collection bin to a spot just across from the field office.

“Youth sports is apolitical, you can see the value for kids,” she says. “It’s been amazing to see the positivity and connective nature of youth sports across every stakeholder we work with.” Givers want to give, volunteers love helping, and recipients love the equipment and the sometimes unexpected possibilities.

Leveling the Playing Field will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. It started when founder Max Levitt saw the volume of sports equipment that goes to waste. He decided to create a “food bank for sports equipment.”

Kaitlin Brennan is LPF’s director of operations

Just like it sounds, people drop off used (and sometimes new) sports equipment in bins that are placed around the DMV (including one of the newest, at The Fields at RFK!). LPF collects and sorts items in its warehouse. And coaches and others come into the warehouse to pick up what they need for their players – many of whom can’t afford new equipment and get shut out of sports experiences.

“(Coaches and program leaders) come to the warehouse, see all the options and they're typically walking out with a lot more than they initially thought they were coming in for. To see that expansion of ideas and options, that’s always the thing for me that really makes me proud and grateful to be able to work for LPF. To see that aha! moment and see those options open up – we get the chance to see that in real time and it is something special and energizing.”

A few years in, Levitt and his team saw the need extends beyond the DMV – lack of equipment as a barrier to sports play isn’t a uniquely DC problem. Leveling the Playing Field expanded to Baltimore in 2018 and then to Philadelphia. Brennan went from opening the Baltimore warehouse to now serving as director of operations for all three locations.

It’s hard to get an exact count because of the way teams and players overlap, but LPF figures it has distributed over $8 million of athletic equipment to 1,250 unique programs. About half of them are Title I schools and the rest are Boys and Girls clubs, volunteer-run leagues and afterschool programs. More than 100,000 kids in each market have received cleats, gloves, weights, golf clubs, helmets, volleyballs…it’s a long list.

LPF’s day-to-day work is collecting the equipment and distributing it. But Brennan says its core mission is about more than that. “LPF is about connecting the entire youth sports ecosystem” from the travel team running a collection drive to the school or business that volunteers to the programs that are providing sports experiences to kids, often with limited resources.

“We are connecting all the components of the youth sports ecosystem and hopefully contributing to not only a more connected youth sports realm, but one that really expands opportunities for all kids, regardless of background, to play sports.”

There are now 24 bins in the DMV, including the bin that was added at The Fields earlier this month, which came about quickly after LPF and CRYSP first found each other and Events DC gave an enthusiastic ‘yes’ to placing the bin across from the field office. Both organizations hope that as players, parents and coaches become aware of the bright green bin, they’ll start filling it with cleats, lacrosse sticks, soccer balls, field hockey sticks, roller blades, hoola hoops, t-ball sets, and whiffle balls.

To learn more about Leveling the Playing Field, how to volunteer, what and how you can donate, or how to receive gear for your group or team, visit their website.

DC SCORES: Poetry in Motion

Poetry and soccer may not seem like a match, but for Tony Francavilla, combining the two comes naturally. Francavilla’s everyday life is filled with scoring goals and writing verses with DC’s youth.

DC SCORES, where he is the chief development officer, is a nonprofit that brings together youth sports, creativity, and education. Founded at a DC elementary school in 1994, DC SCORES aims to turn children into independent, successful teenagers and adults and empower them to be the best they can be. Francavilla, who is also a member of the board of CRYSP DC, explained the impact that working for DC SCORES has had on him and how it benefits the community.

His journey started as a donor and volunteer with DC SCORES when he got to see the organization’s contribution to the East Side Poetry Slam. Learning about an organization that combines poetry and soccer excited him as an athlete and English major. Now working for DC SCORES, Francavilla sees “poet-athletes” as powerful, intelligent, active people in the community who express themselves with their words and actions. When talking about the children who benefit from DC SCORES, Francavilla explains, “This entire concept of a poet-athlete is incredibly powerful. That's something that we should be talking about and trying to create more of in the world.“

DC SCORES has served more than 3,000 poet-athletes, at over 60 schools, with a dozen other schools on their waitlist for which they are currently seeking funding. The organization exposes and cultivates children’s creativity through poetry events. Poetry slams bring students together in competitive spoken word. Celebrity guests present awards at the end of the event. The poetry competitions are even more competitive than the soccer tournaments, according to Francavilla. Children have composed thought-provoking pieces on their feelings towards the 2016 presidential election and on mental health issues, among many others.

For soccer tournaments, DC SCORES utilizes the Fields at RFK Campus. Children love coming to The Fields and seeing the “giant Pringle” (the Pavilion). Adults can even join in on the fun at the SCORES Cup, which is a tournament just for them. DC SCORES provides safe, physical spaces for people in the community to play soccer. “A safe space is a brave space,” says Francavilla. Children can play without being in physical danger and show their true selves on the field and in the classroom.

Summer Programs with Youth Sports For All

Summer is coming up fast and it’s time to register for Youth Sports For All summer programs! CRYSP DC is teaming up with some amazing sports partners – new and old – to provide access to summer camps and sports.

Youth Sports For All enrolls youth in high quality after-school and summer youth sports programs. We aim to give children who may not easily access such programs, due to finances and other structural barriers, the same opportunities that other children in DC already have. The program serves girls and boys in grades Pre- K-8 in wards 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Sign up here

This summer’s programs:

• DC Way Academy, soccer, one week camp, ages 5-14 — limited spaces

• Flag Star Football, flag, one week camp, 2nd to 7th grades

• Washington Youth Rugby, touch rugby, summer league, two to three days/week, ages 5-15

• Pedalheads, bicycle camp, one week camp, ages 2-12 — all spaces filled

• Winners Lacrosse, summer league, two days/week, ages 6-14

CRYSP DC will help with registration and equipment, as necessary, thanks to support from Capitol Hill Community Foundation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and our summer sports and recreation partners: DC Way Academy, Flag Star Football, Pedalheads, Washington Youth Rugby, and Winners Lacrosse.

Express your interest/sign up.

Know of another child or family who would benefit from this program? Please pass this info along!

Questions? Interested in getting involved as a sponsor? Want to offer scholarships to your sports program? Contact Monica.