Annual Report Digital - Flipbook - Page 16
The Annual Report 2023-2024 | OUR COMMUNITY
ROOTED IN COMMUNITY
Being rooted in community can mean
something di昀昀erent to each individual that
engages with our JCC. Early childhood
families support one another on their
parenting journeys. Mah jongg players form
new friendships over the clicking tiles. But for
a select group of athletes, there is no better
community than the one that is formed on
the basketball court at the JCC.
Damius participates in the annual draft night,
which is a favorite tradition for captains
and other longtime participants in the
league to gather over food and drinks. The
JCC Recreation sta昀昀 help prepare scouting
reports and record the selections as captains
draft players in six rounds. Damius loves
that they have this chance to come together
in a relaxed setting to kick o昀昀 a new season.
The adult basketball league at the JCC,
a昀昀ectionately named JBA by the players, is
a community that extends beyond the court.
Each year, the league welcomes veterans
and rookies alike to compete on Sunday
mornings from November to March. This
past year, 72 members took to the 昀氀oor to
compete, sweat, and trash talk during their
favorite time of year.
Throughout the season, players are
consistently referenced by their draft round
in the playful banter that goes back and
forth between the players. This year, 昀椀fthrounder Jamie Miller even invited league
veterans to his podcast after draft night to
make predictions for the season ahead. Any
listener can see how much these players
truly know and love one another, even
through the teasing and intense evaluations
of each other’s talents.
JCC Member Damius Alexander tagged along
to watch his dad, Sam, play in the league
almost 30 years ago, and now he is a 12year veteran in his own right. He believes
that being a part of this league has made an
impact on his life both on and o昀昀 the court.
As a 昀椀rst-round pick, Damius is always ready
for the heated competition on the court. But
he also places a lot of value on the sense of
family, brotherhood, and fellowship that he
has found through their shared love of the
game.
“Being around that group of people at a
young age helped me learn how to read
rooms as an adult,” shared Damius. “I have
also bene昀椀ted from lifelong advice from
these guys. It’s just like being on the golf
course. The other players have o昀昀ered
me insights into investments, real estate,
stocks… you can even get legal advice from
the lawyers among us.”
“The league is special because it is made up
of people from all di昀昀erent walks of life—
di昀昀erent races, religions, ethnicities, and
professions,” he said. “Sharing that kind of
cultural awareness with one another allows
us to learn more about people and create
more peace in our community.”
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