Children and parents filled the Ellenville High School cafeteria Sunday evening to celebrate the end of another successful Ellenville-Wawarsing Youth Commission NFL Flag Football season. "Next year, we're doing it again!" exclaimed Kris Kiernan, the director of the Youth Commission; he continued, "It was a great season and we're glad so many of you could celebrate with us."

The EWYC NFL Flag Football program is currently concluding its second season. Since its beginnings in 2005, the program has grown from forty-eight participants, creating four teams, to ninety-six participants, creating eight teams. Because of the amount of interest shown by young boys and girls in the community, the Youth Commission amended its age requirements from ten to fourteen years old in 2005, to eight to fourteen years old in 2006. Due to the increase in attendees and the varying ages, the Youth Commission created two divisions: Division I, consisting of children ages eight through ten; and Division II, consisting of ages eleven through fourteen.

"I knew there was a lack of organized community sports in Ellenville and an abundance of youngsters," explains Kiernan, "then I thought about the field on Berme Road and knew that Ellenville needed the Flag Football Team."

Wildly successful, the Flag Football Team isn't the only Youth Commission program growing in popularity. In 2005 the Christmas Fest and Tree Lighting in Ellenville had a mediocre turnout; this year the turnout doubled. "Since our first year in 2005, the commission has virtually doubled its all-around success," says Kiernan.

Following brief speeches, the ceremony began with the awarding of trophies and certificates to each participant. One member of each of the eight teams, who demonstrated notable sportsmanship, was awarded with a game-ball that was used throughout the season.

Though Kiernan made clear that the objective of the Flag Football program is fun, the hope that the lessons learned within the program would take root in other areas of participants' lives was made clear by Kyle Tomlin, the coordinator of the Police Athletic League; in his speech Tomlin declared, "The energy that you demonstrate on the field, should be the same energy that you apply to your education."

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