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Shoe drive aims to keep young athletes flying By Buffy Pollock Updated: Nov 16, 2022 01:00 PM A A Eight-year-old David Saxbury ties his shoes for basketball practice at Central Point Elementary Tuesday evening. Junior Comet Sports has started a shoe exchange and donation effort to make sure all kids participating in its basketball program have good footwear. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Coaches and coordinators for Junior Comet Sports are hoping to keep their young — and steadily growing — players properly shod for seasons to come. Recognizing their age demographic of first- through seventh-graders grow out of shoes faster than some parents can afford to replace them, Junior Comet Executive Director Chris Saxbury said a shoe exchange and closet “made a lot of sense.” Players often grow out of or end up not wearing expensive basketball shoes. By the time sign-ups roll back around, players’ feet have grown two sizes or more, said Saxbury, who coaches boys basketball. For the boys basketball program, which has over 325 boys on its roster this season, Saxbury decided to put a call out for gently used, almost new shoes or even unworn pairs. He figured the idea will carry over for other sports, and for girls and boys alike. “I’ve been coaching in Junior Comet ... for four years now. We work with a lot of families, and we know people are really struggling to make ends meet, so we try to help out as much as we can,” he said. “We try to be really accessible and let our parents know if something is going on — or you have a need — reach out to us, and we’ll try to find a way to help.” With a decent pair of basketball shoes costing upward of $80-$100, Saxbury said there’s no sense wasting shoes that ended up not being worn. Even sadder is knowing players show up in worn-out, hand-me-down shoes due to family budget woes. Saxbury said he’s hopeful quality basketball shoes will be donated, which are better for players’ feet and for gym floors, too. “For our players and for the gym floor, we really want to try to get basketball shoes if we can. We know that not everybody can afford to buy basketball shoes, but it’s better for our courts, to make them last longer. The floors aren’t exactly cheap to redo either, so we prefer not to have kids playing on them in street shoes.” Saxbury said the shoe “closet” would prove especially helpful for families with multiple athletes signed up for a season. Donations will be accepted for both boys and girls, grades 1 through 7, in all sizes. Junior Comet Sports is set up for three levels: first and second grade, third and fourth grade and fifth through seventh grade. Saxbury said the local sports program tries to remain as affordable as possible. “We’re cheap, fair and fun, is what I like to say,” he said. “Only 50 bucks per kid, and you get a $5 break if you have two kids. Families with three kids only pay $120. We try keeping the cost low, so when a pair of shoes are a hundred bucks, and you have several kids playing, it adds up.” Saxbury said shoes would be provided via simple request — no rules or red tape involved in requesting a pair. “We’ll have kids playing in shoes that are old and raggedy, and their family just doesn’t have the means to go out and buy more,” he added. “We figured, why don’t we try a shoe program and make sure we can get all our kids into some decent shoes? When we start to collect more shoes, we’ll message our coaches and let them know what we have available.” For anyone wishing to donate, but without spare shoes lying around, Saxbury said new pairs — preferably shoes rated for basketball — can be purchased and dropped off. Monetary donations also can be made to Junior Comet Sports to help with scholarships for local high school kids, or to help cover program participation fees for lower-income families. To reach Saxbury, call 541-200-8545 or email [email protected]. For more info, see juniorcometsports.com or facebook.com/JuniorCometSports Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.