To the Editor:

Thirty years ago, a small group of Guilderland parents was looking for a place where their daughters could play organized basketball. While there were Catholic Youth Organization teams affiliated with local churches, they were limited as to how many non-parish players they could take.

It turns out, other communities were facing the same issue. As girls’ basketball was becoming more and more popular, the need for a league in the Capital District became evident. Hence, the Guilderland Basketball Club for Girls became a founding member of the Capital District Girls Basketball League.

Today, GBC Girls has grown from four teams to several teams, from third grade to eighth grade. We provide Amateur Athletic Union opportunities, summer skills camp, fall open gyms, and skill programs in the winter for first-and second-graders.

Through it all, we have stayed true to ideals of the original members, stressing sportsmanship, developing skills, and most of all learning how much fun basketball can be! The Capital District League has also grown from the few original members to 16 clubs across the region, offering girls in this area the finest in travel basketball competition.

Many graduates of GBC have gone on to play at the high school and college levels.

If you know anyone in grades 3 to 8 who is interested in joining GBC, sign up now for this season at our website www.gbcgirlsbasketball.com, or email questions to gbcgirlsbasketball@gmail.com.

Mary Schmitz

President

Guilderland Basketball

Club for Girls