AAU Provides Opportunity for Year-Round Conditioning and Training for San Diego High Schoolers
12/03/2020
The AAU will provide the ability for hundreds of athletes who would ordinarily participate in school athletic programs in the SDUSD to train with their same teammates and coaches under AAU license while adhering to the local health and safety guidelines.
ORLANDO, Fla. — For many high school athletes, playing AAU has always been part of the off-season. But now, in the San Diego area, the AAU season will be the main attraction all year-round.
Working with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), AAU Pacific Southwest District Governor Michael Brunker created an opportunity for these high school athletes to play AAU. The AAU will provide the ability for hundreds of athletes who would ordinarily participate in school athletic programs in the SDUSD to train and condition with their same teammates and coaches under the AAU license while adhering to local, state and federal health and safety guidelines.
To Brunker, a longtime basketball coach who ascended to the NBA sidelines before returning to work in youth sports, the relationships that can be built for young athletes of all skill levels were an important reason why getting back to play was a priority.
“Probably the greatest mentors are coaches that provide supervision, structure and support for a team. They bring the kids along and help them grow and be impactful in life,” said Brunker.
On the academic side, SDUSD Athletic Director Scott Guisti feels that the positive effects of getting the student-athletes back to training with their friends will be immediate and impactful.
“It’s a special opportunity, especially this year that has impacted so many of our students, to have the ability to go out and to start training and conditioning. It’s great not only for their physical, but for their mental health as well,” said Guisti.
For nearly 130 years the AAU has provided the opportunity for athletes to foster those relationships and boost their overall physical and mental health. That opportunity for AAU sports was always limited when it came to the school year, but now SDUSD's student athletes will have access to condition and train with their friends from January to December.
That’s where the AAU Community Club Program came in, and a collaboration between Brunker and Guisti was born. Now, with an AAU license and club membership, the students can train and condition with their school teammates on a club in the AAU. The high school venues will be open to the AAU-licensed clubs and where it is safe to do so with all the proper health and safety protocols in place, the kids will be able to play. It’ll be a little different on the surface; the clubs won’t be known as their school’s name but rather the school’s nickname only, but that should be the only major difference, allowing for the same conditioning and training that would normally exist between the athletes.
“It could be AAU club, leagues, and tournaments that can be held for those high school athletes that are going to miss the opportunity to have school sports played as we know it traditionally,” said Brunker.
Additionally, the AAU has set up scholarship grants to cover the cost of membership for all SDUSD student-athletes, making it possible for anyone who wanted to play this year to do so. What could have been a lost season for many athletes in San Diego has been saved by the AAU’s inclusivity and mission of “Sports For All, Forever.” The feedback received by the parents and coaches has already been glowing.
“The messages that came flying in, when some of our schools start up, saying how great it was to be out with the kids again was just an amazing thing,” said Guisti. “We would not have been able to do that if it wasn’t for Mr. Brunker and the AAU organization.”
To Brunker, who echoed the AAU’s motto when discussing the partnership with the school district, it’s a great fulfillment of the AAU’s mission.
“We know that kids really depend on sports. It’s helped them stay academically and socially focused on doing the right thing,” he said. “I’m just excited that the AAU can support the San Diego Unified School District in this kind of way.”
Working with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), AAU Pacific Southwest District Governor Michael Brunker created an opportunity for these high school athletes to play AAU. The AAU will provide the ability for hundreds of athletes who would ordinarily participate in school athletic programs in the SDUSD to train and condition with their same teammates and coaches under the AAU license while adhering to local, state and federal health and safety guidelines.
To Brunker, a longtime basketball coach who ascended to the NBA sidelines before returning to work in youth sports, the relationships that can be built for young athletes of all skill levels were an important reason why getting back to play was a priority.
“Probably the greatest mentors are coaches that provide supervision, structure and support for a team. They bring the kids along and help them grow and be impactful in life,” said Brunker.
On the academic side, SDUSD Athletic Director Scott Guisti feels that the positive effects of getting the student-athletes back to training with their friends will be immediate and impactful.
“It’s a special opportunity, especially this year that has impacted so many of our students, to have the ability to go out and to start training and conditioning. It’s great not only for their physical, but for their mental health as well,” said Guisti.
For nearly 130 years the AAU has provided the opportunity for athletes to foster those relationships and boost their overall physical and mental health. That opportunity for AAU sports was always limited when it came to the school year, but now SDUSD's student athletes will have access to condition and train with their friends from January to December.
That’s where the AAU Community Club Program came in, and a collaboration between Brunker and Guisti was born. Now, with an AAU license and club membership, the students can train and condition with their school teammates on a club in the AAU. The high school venues will be open to the AAU-licensed clubs and where it is safe to do so with all the proper health and safety protocols in place, the kids will be able to play. It’ll be a little different on the surface; the clubs won’t be known as their school’s name but rather the school’s nickname only, but that should be the only major difference, allowing for the same conditioning and training that would normally exist between the athletes.
“It could be AAU club, leagues, and tournaments that can be held for those high school athletes that are going to miss the opportunity to have school sports played as we know it traditionally,” said Brunker.
Additionally, the AAU has set up scholarship grants to cover the cost of membership for all SDUSD student-athletes, making it possible for anyone who wanted to play this year to do so. What could have been a lost season for many athletes in San Diego has been saved by the AAU’s inclusivity and mission of “Sports For All, Forever.” The feedback received by the parents and coaches has already been glowing.
“The messages that came flying in, when some of our schools start up, saying how great it was to be out with the kids again was just an amazing thing,” said Guisti. “We would not have been able to do that if it wasn’t for Mr. Brunker and the AAU organization.”
To Brunker, who echoed the AAU’s motto when discussing the partnership with the school district, it’s a great fulfillment of the AAU’s mission.
“We know that kids really depend on sports. It’s helped them stay academically and socially focused on doing the right thing,” he said. “I’m just excited that the AAU can support the San Diego Unified School District in this kind of way.”
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