The Garden City Basketball intramural program is open to boys 1st through 9th grades and girls 1st through 7th grades and is held in the St. Paul's Field House. We will begin in mid-November and run through March 2007.

Please register online at www.gardencitybasketball.org for the upcoming 2006-2007 season. The registration fee is $50. Paper applications may be obtained from our website, St. Paul's-Cluett Hall, and/or the Garden City Recreation Office.

Garden City Basketball was created to provide the youth of Garden City with an organization that is solely dedicated to the sport of basketball. Garden City Basketball is a brand new New York State non-profit tax-exempt organization. For the coming season we are members of the AAU, USA Basketball, the Junior NBA, and the Junior WNBA. Our membership and acceptance of these world-class basketball organizations demonstrates our commitment to following their philosophy, principles, values, and our mission of promoting basketball for the children of Garden City. Garden City Basketball is not a part nor affiliated with the GCAA in any way. We are our own entity and are not trying to pretend to be the GCAA.

Garden City Basketball was founded by its president John Skramko. John and his family have been residents of Garden City since 1991. He has a long track record of volunteering in the village of Garden City and has been involved with basketball most of his life. Some of his volunteer activities include:

* Being responsible for building and running the GCAA basketball program for the last six years as well as coordinating different age groups, coaching numerous teams and running the 2nd grade clinic each year

* Co-head of GCAA boys fall soccer for 3 years, as well as coordinating grades, and coaching numerous teams

* GCAA board member for 6 years and Treasurer for 3 years

* Managed both of his son's little league teams for a total of 14 seasons and over 200 games

* Is currently the Garden City Centennials Girls K soccer coordinator and a coach

* Is a director for the Estates Property Owners Association

* Is a member of Island Garden Basketball's Advisory Board

John has recently left the board of the GCAA. He is now dedicated to launching this new organization, Garden City Basketball. There are improvements that we would like to make to youth basketball in the village that are more easily done in a new and dedicated to basketball-only environment.

Under the leadership of Mr. Skramko, Garden City Basketball will conduct clinics for 1st and 2nd grade boys/girls, provide special events/clinics led by professionals, boys intramurals for the 3rd through 9th grades, girls intramurals for the 3rd through 7th grades, and boys/girls travel. The Garden City Basketball website has been designed to make it easy to communicate, participate, and administer our program. We have online registration, tools for coordinators, websites for teams, court-time availability & practice time on the web, playbook software for coaches, and much more on the horizon.

Garden City Basketball has obtained the necessary insurance for our league and discussed space allocations with the Garden City Recreation Department. The Recreation Department's allocation of space in St. Paul's is based upon enrollment. The target game day for 1st thru 6th grades boys/girls is Saturdays at St. Paul's. The target game day for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade boys is Friday nights. Actual dates/times for Garden City Basketball cannot be established until the Recreation Department formally assigns time/space in about October. Once our time is determined, we will post dates/times in the Garden City News, send out an email blast, and post on the www.gardencitybasketball.org website.

Fortunately there are many choices for basketball in the village. We are totally comfortable with participation in multiple organizations and hold no animosity towards the very personal choices that are made by participants in different programs.

Obviously...make your own informed decision as to what you'd like to do. We look forward to you and your child being a part of the Garden City Basketball program.

We hope that this helps to clear up any possible confusion and provides additional background with what is going on with youth basketball in our village of Garden City.

If you have any questions, please email jskramko@optonline.net or call 746-9659.