Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina began offering a youth basketball program in 2000. What started as an Upward Sports league was re-branded as Above the Rim in 2010, and since then we have had the opportunity to provide a unique program that accommodates and serves many families through the sport of basketball.

Purpose

1) Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ 

2) Provide an exciting and engaging sport environment for participants

3) Teach the fundamentals of the game

Core Values 

Empathy

Sportsmanship

Community

Encouragement 

The ATR program is organized around a pleasure and participation model (Coakley, 2017) in which we strive to give athletes the opportunity to:

• Actively participate, build connections, and express oneself.

• Gain confidence through support from teammates, coaches, parents, and staff.

• Feel included based on our ability to accommodate different levels of skill.  

• Embrace and value competition as a form of excitement and motivation, without prioritizing wins and losses. 

• Compete under a set of manipulated rules that emphasize improvement of basketball skills. 

• Demonstrate sportsmanship and respect towards opponents. 

• Learn the fundamentals of the game in a  structured setting.

• Achieve goals that are set with realistic expectations. 

• View sports as a source of fun and enjoyment. 

• Develop a desire to be physically active in the future. 

Coakley, J. J. 2017. Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies