The Top of Texas Youth Sports League has been a strong organization for 28 years and is associated with high schools across the Texas Panhandle to work as one.
Over the last five years, president Paul Davis and vice president Nick Burns have come together looking for ways to advance the league and make a significant impact on what they could do to make it even better.
It seems they’ve found that solution.
TTYSL has decided to join forces with Fellowship of Christian Athletes which involves area director Ben Krissel along with Randall head football coach, and FCA ambassador Dan Sherwood.
The mission is simple. Start a grass roots program built on faith and changing the narrative of this generation through Jesus Christ.
“Reaching out to FCA and Dan Sherwood was a no brainer,” Burns said. “It’s all about the kids and this community. The next step is to grow this league into how we want it to look, and having FCA involved is exactly what we want.”
Sherwood echoed Burns’ comments.
“Both of my sons played in TTYSL,” Sherwood said. “Seeing how much it has grown is amazing. I’m trying to have what they have at the high school level. Seeing what they are doing, I felt like there was something more that I could do. That got my wheels turning, and that started with Ben (Krissel) and FCA. He got me hooked up with being an FCA ambassador and being in the Youth Sports League. Then, I got with Nick Burns and asked him what we could do together. He told me the kids needed more than wins and losses. These kids needed to know the why.”
The goal going into the fall is for Burns, Sherwood and Davis to educate the kids, the parents and the coaches on it’s more than just football. It’s more than just being a fan. They want these players to learn faith, have fun, and know what comes next.
“It’s about helping kids grow and for us coaches and parents to be the example,” Burns said. “We’ve eliminated those that act a certain way and those kids see it. We’re going to set great examples and we want these young guys to know we’re men of faith and be the role models for them. Just know and trust what we’re doing for this league. One day you’re going to be done playing sports and then what do you do. That’s a hard reality. We all love to win but it’s seeing these guys have fun the right way and having mentors that will lead them.”
Sherwood adds he wants these elementary youth to learn these values, so when they enter high school, they have the foundation set.
“Through players, through coaches, officials and parents, we want this generation to know Jesus Christ,” Sherwood said. “If we didn’t need change then other entities wouldn’t have started their own initiatives. We all need to be held to a higher standard. That makes me know with what we’re trying to do, I need to talk a certain way, and do everything Christ teaches us.
What I want to see is that we are driven by the fruit of the spirit. I want them to come in and compete, but I don’t want to win at all costs. I want to win how we deserve to win. I get paid for wins and losses, but that’s never been the most important thing to me. I’ve told my team for years that my priority isn’t wins or losses. That will take care of itself as long as we take care of the main thing and that’s focusing on how we can improve ourselves, and that starts with Jesus Christ.”
For Davis, it’s also a chance for kids to find a safe haven.
“A lot of these kids don’t have a positive role model in their lives,” Davis said. “I can count on one hand how many times my parents came to my games. If we’re putting bad representatives out there, the kids will follow. If we can put positive role models and lead by Christ, that’s a huge difference. That changes the cycle.”
For more information
Please visit Top of Texas Youth Sports League website at https://www.ttysl.pro/home
