Despite cutbacks in funding that threatened to jeopardize the effort all together, the National Youth Sports Program will stretch into its 20th summer at West Virginia University.

The NYSP is an annual anchor for disadvantaged youth from Monongalia County between the ages of 10-16. It offers everything from sports to kid-friendly advice on the importance of good study habits. Participation is free and the program runs June 21-July 20.

Pre-registration is from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum. Another pre-registration session will be June 13 at that same place and time.

The NYSP , said Bruce Wilmoth, a WVU physical education professor who has coordinated every program here since the beginning, is obviously about fitness. And this summers activities do include sports instruction from swimming to tchoukball (CHUKE-ball), an indoor variation of soccer played on a cushioned court with recessed trampolines.

But theres also a foundation of learning that young participants can use as a springboard into adulthood, he said.

Thats why I always tell people we arent just a �€~sports camp,Wilmoth said.We also offer academic and nutritional counseling. And we talk about study habits and self-esteemthat ones especially important, because good self-esteem keeps young people from falling into the traps of drugs and alcohol.

Whats also important, he said, is dollars to keep the NYSP going at WVU and other venues across the country.

Federal funding for the Indianapolis-based program thats been around since 1968 was dramatically cut last year and diverted to Homeland Security programs instead.

Weve had to scale back,Wilmoth said.We need to make up the rest through donations. A lot of our kids just wouldnt have the chance to participate in an environment like this, otherwise.

Around 200 youngsters a year take part in the NYSP at WVU , and their parents dont just see it as a way to stave off summer boredom and restlessness. They see it as an investment in education.

I looked in on one of the groups and they were designing bridges with popsicle sticks and rubber bands,Amanda Ejimofer said as the 2005 session was winding down. All three of her children are enthusiastic participants in the NYSP , and shes excited, too.

They were using real design principles and they were problem-solving,she said of the budding bridge-builders.They were actually learning how to think. The NYSP really made the summer for my kids.

For more information and to learn about ways you or your business can donate, call 304-293-3295.