ABC30, Disney Jr. and ESPN hosted the Let's Play Sports Clinic in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California, Fresno State and High Performance Academy. The event brought together 80 pre-registered children ages 3 to 7.
"ABC30, Disney Junior and ESPN are so excited to be out here hosting this Let's Play sports clinic for local children," said Sara Sandrik, vice president of news for ABC30. "We are partnering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central California and High Performance Academy. We have some awesome coaches out here, tons of fun activities."
The clinic is part of ESPN Take Back Sports, powered by Disney Jr., an initiative designed to get and keep children playing sports. Disney Jr.'s Lets Play campaign encourages preschoolers to experience play through familiar characters and stories.
Children were divided into age groups and rotated through activities including soccer, T-ball and flag football.
"So right now the kids ages 3 to 7, they're separated by age group and they're learning soccer, T-ball, flag football. And they're so cute with their little jerseys," said Diane Phakonekham, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California.
For some of the children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, Phakonekham said the clinic provided an experience they might not otherwise have.
"A lot of the children we serve in Madera, Fresno Kings and Tulare County, they wouldn't have this opportunity. Who gets to come to Fresno State Valley Children's Stadium to come play sport?" she said.
Jesus Garcia, CEO and founder of High Performance Academy, said his own experiences with sports helped shape the work his organization does with young people.
"Sports is so rooted. I mean, brings me back to when I was little, when I had access to sports and really empowering me to have confidence and really know how to persevere in life," Garcia said. "That's what we're doing here today, to just provide youth more access for them to continue to grow and feel confident to accomplish their dreams."
Tulare County educator Roberto Vaca also emphasized the role sports can play in children's development.
"Sports is part of their social emotional learning. It's about being connected and actively involved," Vaca said.
The event also included a special appearance by Mickey Mouse, who joined children for a warm-up and the "Hot Dog!" dance before participants began their sports rotations.
"My favorite part was the reaction when Mickey Mouse came down the tunnel," Vaca said.
For Maria, a parent attending the clinic, seeing her children participate was part of the experience.
"As you know, young little ones, they are watching you all the time. So when you bring them into sports clinic, they know that they love to be active as well," she said. "So it feels nice as a parent to see them active, and seeing their happy faces was really nice experience."
The young participants had their own favorites.
"My favorite sport was like softball," one child said, while another said, "I play football and soccer."
The Fresno clinic is one of several events being held around the country to introduce young children to different sports and connect families with youth sports resources in their communities. ESPNs Take Back Sports and Disney Jr. Let's Play are also working with Every Kid Sports to help eligible families cover youth sports registration fees.
Families can visit EveryKidSports.org to learn how to apply for support for an upcoming sports registration season.
Disney is the parent company of ABC Localish and this station.