News Release
For Release: Immediate
Contact: Kieth Pressey 973-266-4047

Orange Sports Teams Roll Up victories. Participate in National Competitions

43rd United States Youth Games- July 8th-July 12th
Orange Recreation’s Flag Football Team recaptured the US Youth Games Gold Medal in Cocoa Beach Florida on Saturday, July 11th.

United States Youth Games, first held in the summer of 1967 in New York City, is designed as an Olympics style showcase for inner city youth, offering the opportunity for youngsters under age 15 to test their skills against their peers from across the country. The initial sports of Basketball, Track and Field, and Swimming have grown to include Volleyball, Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Soccer, Double Dutch, Flag Football, Chess and the Academic Bowl.

Orange competed in four events: Boys Basketball, Girls’ Basketball, Flag Football and the Academic bowl. The participation of Orange is unique. Most of the cities participating in the Youth Games have populations of 250,000 and over.

Youth Games has touched the lives of millions and provided countless experiences for youth.  The first games began with New York, Washington D.C., Boston and Newark and have expanded over the years to include cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Baltimore, Columbia S.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Milwaukee, New Haven, San Francisco, Seattle, the Virgin Islands, to name a few. Each city’s team has one-half boys and one-half girls and no athlete is over 15 years of age. The city’s teams represent the best and the brightest of that city’s youth in both athletics and academics, which can be witnessed in the Academic Bowl based on the “College Bowl” program.

Over the years, the Youth Games has featured many future top athletes including basketball legends, Patrick Ewing, Kenny Anderson.  Tennis star, Pam Schrieber, Football & Baseball legend Bo Jackson, and most recently the 1st African-American to win gold at the Winter Olympics, bobsledder and former track star Vonetta Flowers.

Inner City World Series

Orange is fielding a team at the Inner City World Series in Greensboro, North Carolina, August 5th-August 9th.The World Series is sponsored by the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League. It will be hosted by the City of Greensboro, NC in conjunction with North Carolina A & T University, North Carolina Central University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Winston Salem State University and Shaw University.

Orange won the invitation to participate in the World Series by winning an automatic berth at the Monte Irvin 2nd Annual Invitational Baseball Tournament, an official tournament of the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League. The Orange Recreation Department and the Monte Irvin Youth Baseball League held the Tournament June 20-June 22nd at Metcalf Park. Other New Jersey teams participating in the Inner City World Series are from Trenton and Hillside.
Orange’s Monte Irvin Tournament showcased some of New Jersey’s most exciting youth baseball teams, who competed not only for the Monte Irvin Tournament Championship, but also for an automatic berth in the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL) World Series August 5 – 9 in Greensboro, N.C. The tournament featured eight 12-year-old all-star baseball teams from Orange, Newark (Jackie Robinson – South Ward; Ivy Hill & West Ward), Irvington, Hillside, Asbury Park and Trenton.

Statement by Kieth Pressey, Orange Director of Recreation

“Orange is sports. Orange has become a major sports destination hosting championship tournaments and fielding championship teams. Our sports activities benefit Orange’s economy. But, most important, our sports programs help grow the minds and bodies of our young people and encourage excellence inall their endeavors.”