10 years of building student athletes

Hill City Youth Athletics (HCYA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a positive sports environment for the youth of Hill City, and it is celebrating 10 years since its founding.

In 2016 a group of motivated parents recognized the need for a consistent, continuous sports program for elementary-aged children in the community according to co-founder Travis Eckert.

The program began with basketball, baseball and softball. Over the past decade, it has expanded to include flag football, volleyball, soccer and even hosts a spring track meet.

While some parent-led teams existed, HCYA set out to create something more unified, to build a program—not just a team. Many of those teams and families joined the effort, helping lay the foundation of what HCYA has become today, a consistent and organized program.

The first official meeting was held in the fall of 2016 with founding members Cori Schmidt, Jacob Rapp, Laramie Harvey, Blake Gardner and Eckert. 

“But there was a lot of support from the Hill City School District and the cities of Hill City and Keystone in generously letting us use their facilities,” said Eckert. “We were blessed with Brian and Melissa Rupert volunteering to buy jerseys and Scheels of Rapid City getting us going with gear at a discounted price.” 

He added, “Really, without all this support, we never could have made it.”

HCYA introduces children to athletics as early as kindergarten, giving them a strong foundation in fundamental skills while emphasizing character development.

“The program helps build crucial life skills like teamwork, discipline and leadership,” said volunteer coach and parent, Nicole Young. “It is a real privilege to get to be part of it and watch them all grow individually and as a team.”

The program’s leaders work closely with middle school and high school programs to create consistency for athletes as they progress.

“We have kids that have now been getting quality reps from quality coaches in practice and games for years before moving into the middle school program,” said Eckert.

High school athletes are also encouraged to get involved, further strengthening the sense of community.

“Having high school athletes help whenever they can helps build a sense of community in our athletic program,” Eckert said.

HCYA also invests in equipment that both benefits the youth program as well as the school district.

“It not only gets used in our practices, but can be used by the school’s sports teams or even PE, like the Dr. Dish, small hoops, balls and such,” said Eckert.

Beyond organizing teams, HCYA ensures every elementary student can show their Ranger pride by distributing a gear bag equipped with a HCYA/Hill City Ranger T-shirt to every K-5 student.

“This way, every kid starts out with green and gold they can wear to sporting events,” Eckert said. 

The organization also gives back through volunteer cleanup efforts at Memorial Park, preparing the ball fields for baseball season.

Over the years, HCYA has steadily grown in both participation and impact. Eckert believes the future remains bright.

“We look to keep getting better every year with our program from an athletic standpoint and an organizational standpoint,” he said.

Danielle Lind, a parent and volunteer coach for HCYA said, “Hill City is blessed with a youth athletics program that believes in our kids. Ten years of commitment has built more than teams—it has built confidence, friendships and a future full of Rangers ready to compete.”