Batavia Youth Football: Bulldog Pride Meets Rachel’s Challenge

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Neither men had planned it; but this conversation, over sandwiches and soft drinks, sparked the idea to create the Batavia Youth Football League - a fun, laid back experience that would bring young players of all ages and the community together.

“We were talking about whether we really wanted our sons to play tackle football; because the experiences that we had going to some of the clinics gave us a feeling that it was too involved time wise for our families. And we weren’t 100% convinced that playing tackle football necessarily best prepared a kid to eventually play football.”

This thinking was radical and contrary to the philosophies at the time.  But Piron and Gaspari were confident that there were other parents who were also looking for a tackle-free football experience for their sons.

So in their quest to find a model that would work - they didn’t have to look very far.

The well-established Junior Bulldog Football Camp, where Batavia High School football players ran a week-long summer camp for kids in the community, provided the inspiration for what would ultimately become Batavia Youth Football.

“We thought this was a neat approach – bigger kids with the little kids and the back yard style of playing – not super organized. Just fun and loose,” Piron said. “We liked the mentorship that was going on. We liked the dynamics that we saw. So, we thought, why don’t we spin this off into a fall league?”

It wasn’t long before the fall football season proved to be one of the most challenging times for the two coaches to effectively run the league.  So a group of local men offered to run the league.

“The guys got things up and running and pretty soon it grew from 70 kids, then 140, then 300,” Piron said.  “Then boom!  Last year grades one through second grade probably totaled 500 kids.  So it has exploded.”

And the “explosion” happens at Rotolo Middle School every Saturday morning during the season, where there is a profusion of red and gold jerseys from field to field.  This is where the magic happens – when Batavia High School varsity team quarter back and coach the first and second graders and help mentor the youngsters.

This might not seem like a big deal to some; except the Batavia High School Football team is in the middle of one of their busiest and most successful seasons.

“Philosophically, this league is so different from anything that you see out there,” said Piron. “Most coaches look at me and say ‘you are crazy! How can you afford to give up that time with your players?’ and I answer, ‘How can I afford not too?’"

Because for Piron and his team; it’s not just about football.

It’s about the relationships and bonding between the players and the young kids.

“These players enjoy being there with those children. It’s important to them. It’s as important as anything else that they do,” Piron said.

It’s about the positive peer pressure that comes with being a role model in the community.

“I like it because I think the players think about those little kids when they consider making bad decisions,” he said.

It’s about building a sense of community, too.

“Everyone in town is a Bulldog on Saturday morning. They all have their own team names, but in the end, they are all Bulldogs,” he said.

And while these benefits may have grown unexpectedly and organically has the league developed over the years, one of the things that Piron intentionally built into the culture is what he refers to as Bulldog Pride.

“Bulldog Pride is how you conduct yourself, not just in season but out of season; it’s concerning yourself with your grades; being a good person and other things that are important to know,” Piron said.

So when Batavia High School and Rotolo Middle School brought Rachel’s Challenge to Batavia this fall, Coach Piron collaborated with Batavia High School Behavior Interventionist, Cheryl Wyller, to adapt the principles of the program for younger kids and turn them into Bulldog Pride goals.

Wyller, who is also a football commissioner with Batavia Youth Football, was eager to help start a chain reaction of kindness within the league and reinforce the elements of Bulldog Pride that high school players were sharing with their ‘little brothers’ each week.

And while adapting the principles of Rachel’s Challenge for the younger kids took a lot of thought and planning, Wyller said it’s worth the time investment.

“It’s important for me to make time because I believe in the message so much. The community is begging for something like this and I have it in my hands to do,” Wyller explained.  “So either I do it or it’s not going to get done. So, it kind of became my little project.”

So at a recent football game, the high school players invited the Batavia Youth Football teams for a pre-game talk about why it’s important to be kind to others and to be a good person. These ‘big brothers,’ who had built relationships with the youngsters over four to five weeks, talked to them about being a good influence on others, and being supportive and kind to everyone.

According to Coach Piron, the advice the players gave their ‘little brothers’ went something like this: “You’re a Bulldog, and here’s what we have to do. The weaker kids at school — you need to protect him.  If there is someone with special needs; no one makes fun of them. Instead, you support him. Be his friend. Help him do his project; and be there when he has trouble.”

The messages sunk in; and the players made a unique and lasting connection during the exercise.

“Each little kid got a personal note from one of the older kids who were with them that Friday night. It was really cool when your son realizes that the same guys that are in the huddle are talking about and living out these principles,” Wyller said.  “It’s that chain reaction that’s central to the message of Rachel’s Challenge.”

According to Wyller, the principles and messages behind Rachel’s Challenge are also having a ripple effect in the classrooms and in the community.

And the message promoting kindness is not going away.

“This is something that we’re doing year after year, although the way we do it might be different,” Wyller explained. “The high school kids are putting a lot of time and energy into making a difference, which doesn’t happen at every high school.”

Coach Piron agrees.

“I think a lot of it starts on a Saturday morning with a little kids putting on their Bulldog jerseys and seeing his ‘big brother’ out there — living and thinking that way from a very young age.”

Thanks to that casual conversation between Coach Piron and Coach Gaspari 12 years ago, and all of the lessons learned along the way, Batavia Youth Football will continue its tradition of promoting class, pride and character; while reinforcing the principles of Rachel’s Challenge.