CHANCE SPORTS

MOVED TO ADDRESS INEQUITY, THE CORNERSTONE PROGRAM OF CHANCE SPORTS IS THE PROVISION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR YOUTH TO ACCESS COMPETITIVE CLUB SPORTS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP AND TEAMBUILDING SKILLS THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM ON AND OFF THE ATHLETIC FIELD. THIS FINANCIAL SUPPORT ENSURES ATHLETES CAN COVER CLUB FEES, TRAVEL EXPENSES, TOURNAMENT COSTS, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS. SCHOLARSHIPS RANGE FROM 300 TO 4,500 AND ARE AWARDED ON A SLIDING SCALE BASED ON A FAMILY'S HOUSEHOLD INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE, SEEKING TO COVER UP TO 75% OF THE OVERALL COST TO PARTICIPATE ANNUALLY IN EACH ATHLETE'S PRIMARY SPORT. AS CHILDREN GET OLDER, SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNTS GO UP SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THEIR COST TO PARTICIPATE GOES UP AS COMPETITION LEVEL INCREASES, PARTICULARLY THE TRAVEL COSTS. EACH CLUB SPORT PROGRAM VARIES IN ITS DURATION AND ATHLETES PARTICIPATE ANYWHERE FROM A FEW MONTHS TO YEAR ROUND. ATHLETES PARTICIPATE ALONGSIDE ~20 PEERS AND 2-5 COACHES, OFFERING A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH OTHERS BEYOND THEIR HOME COMMUNITY. THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE, ATHLETES ARE NOT ONLY ABLE TO SHARPEN THEIR ATHLETIC SKILLS WHICH HAS THE POWER TO OPEN FUTURE DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY BUT ALSO TO DEVELOP THE MANY INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ASSOCIATED WITH ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION. CHANCE SPORTS SUPPORTED NEARLY 200 ATHLETES IN 2023 PARTICIPATING ACROSS EIGHT SPORTS IN 13 PARTNER CLUBS AND IN 2024 DOUBLED THE AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS ACROSS THIRTEEN SPORTS AND 63 PARTNER CLUBS. ELIGIBLE FAMILIES ARE THOSE THAT DEMONSTRATE FINANCIAL NEED WITH AN ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME AT OR BELOW 350% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE. 62% OF CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS ARE AWARDED TO MALE ATHLETES AND 38% TO FEMALE ATHLETES AND THEY RANGE FROM AGE 8 THROUGH 19. AS CHANCE SPORTS ADDS MORE TEAMS AND SPORTS, OUR INTENTION IS TO HAVE A MORE EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING BY GENDER. CS ATHLETES BY ETHNICITY ARE 44% BLACK, 28% LATINO, 14% MULTI RACIAL, 12% CAUCASIAN, AND 2% OTHER. CURRENTLY, 20% OF CS ATHLETES RESIDE IN DENVER, 53% IN AURORA AND 27% IN SURROUNDING AREAS OF METRO DENVER. (BECAUSE OF RESTRICTIONS ON SOME FUNDING, ATHLETES SKEW MORE HEAVILY IN AURORA, HOWEVER OUR MISSION IS TO SERVE ATHLETES STATEWIDE.) IT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF CS TO REMAIN WITH AN ATHLETE AS A SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING PARTNER THROUGHOUT THEIR ATHLETIC CAREER. TOWARDS THAT END, CHANCE SPORTS PRIORITIZES RENEWING SUPPORT OF RETURNING ATHLETES EACH YEAR.