When a father is needed

“You know I could of played for Wales” my dad tells me, I’m not sure how true that is but there is no doubt my dad is a proud Welshman. His roots certainly run deep into the valleys of Wales and the game he loved to play, you guessed it, rugby. Unfortunately, a back problem cut his dream short and has had to put up with it for the rest of his life. I don’t think he regrets playing though and still loves to cheer on the mighty welsh. Despite not being able to play anymore he was able to focus on becoming the great father I know him to be.

I never take for granted what my dad has done for me and it saddens me to hear of the stories of young people growing up without a father figure. I believe that this is something desperately needed by every young boy and believe my dad has certainly helped shape me into the person I am today. He was always someone who would give me the advice I needed to hear or the encouraging word to keep persevering and staying strong when times got tough or doubts crept into my mind. One of my most vivid memories is when I was younger I was playing in the park, fell over and cut my knee. I cried out in agony, even though it probably wasn’t that bad but I was young and wanted the attention. I remember seeing my dad running as fast as he could to see if I was ok and picked me up, took me home and made sure I was ok. That set the bar for what my dad was like for the rest of my childhood, whenever I had a problem he would put other things to the side for me.

My dad was all I could ever ask for, a friend, a mentor and most importantly a loving father. The reality of this world has opened my eyes to the fact not every young boy had the father they needed in their life. I love how God is described as a father and the amazing statement he said to Jesus when he got baptised ‘And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ Mark 1:11. We think of God in many different ways but never forget God as a father who loves you and will run towards you when you call out for him.

Dodgeball Tournament April 2013

Just over a month ago we ran our first inaugural Onside Ministries dodgeball tournament and it didn’t disappoint. We had six teams ready to prove their worth on the dodgeball field. Some of the teams really dressed up for the occasion with one team sporting some matching red vests and head bands, another consisting of the MVP of the tournament in a tiger onesie and a leprechaun ready for war while I managed to put on my basketball gear for the occasion. Other teams went for the standard look but certainly came to play.

So once the teams turned up probably not knowing what to expect we explained the rules, as demonstrated by my sister and Mr Kennard. Once the teams had a somewhat understanding of the rules (next time I’m going to really read up on them) we started off with the games. The music kept playing to keep the atmosphere pumped up and we were ready. One of the first teams that really wanted to establish their presence, especially with the matching vests, was Dodge This! They certainly bought a team of men who were here to win (while posing for pictures) and they didn’t disappoint and came top of the tree with the most wins and moved on to the semi-finals. The 5 D’s were another team that came to play, these guys really came to play with a certain Josh Kennard nearly taking someone’s head clean off when throwing a dodgeball only just hitting the wall instead of someone’s face (that would have been unfortunate), lucky boy! These guys only lost one game getting to the semi-finals, which was to my team I just like to mention, but they worked hard and had some great ball throwers!

The two team’s that travelled the furthest really stepped up to make themselves known to, HTC from Claygate, Surrey bought a great team with a mix of ages and certainly had two of the best dressed dodge ballers on the day. The tiger chants certainly came out for the star of the team when he came up with some superb blocking and cat like reactions to stay out the way of the oncoming balls. The Jammy Dodgers from the Surrey area, including some work colleagues of mine from Compassion, had a good mix bag of players and were a bit unfortunate in some of the losses. These guys had the biggest journey to make with the others being local to Worthing but certainly was appreciated and were a big part of the day.

Occupy Ball Street, headed up by my super sister Rachel, did have another good mixed team and with the late addition of my friend Nat due to one of her players having to drop out due to an injury (sustained at the Brighton marathon, not through dodgeball just to point out). Again very unlucky with the losses and did unfortunately come last but they did beat my team so my sister has bragging rights on those grounds, till next time. My band of dodge ballers consisted of photographer of the day Naomi (pictures are amazing), my fellow basketball playing friend Jez and his mate Rob and ultimate competitor and all round good guy Jeremy Rolph (see below picture). Apart from the game where I forgot my own rule when you are not allowed to throw a ball once you have grabbed it from the middle and must retreat before throwing it I think we played pretty well.

It came down to a joint 3^rd to 5^th place for two places in the semi-finals to play The 5 D’s and Dodge This. HTC, JD Ballers and Jammy Dodgers had to play each other again in a quick two minute game and would you have guessed we all won one game. It had to come down to players difference to separate the teams and how many still remained on the dodgeball court at the end of the game. This meant that my team lost out, which was a real shame but was happy to see how the semi-finals with Dodge This vs HTC and The 5 D’s vs Jammy Dodgers. There was an intermission at this point where some of the children who were watching had a go but obviously it was all supervised and glad they were able to take part.

The first semi-final turned out to be a surprise as HTC beat Dodge This and this was the upset of the day. Was a great team effort and managed to get the big guns out early and worked from there. The next match turned out to be a little bit more one sided as the dominant D’s managed to put away the dodgers despite the valiant effort. It then went to the final where the local boys The 5 D’s took on the out-of-towners HTC. It went down to the best of three series and despite a close start, the D’s had too much fire power and beat HTC in the series 2-0.

The presentation then followed in which ‘Dodge This’ won best dressed with the matching attire of red vests and headbands, the man simply known as ‘The Tiger’ won best dodge baller and won his very own dodgeball and finally ‘The Five D’s’ won some chocolate’s and a stack of DVD’s for being the winners of the first Onside Ministries Dodgeball Tournament.

Overall. I felt it was a great event and echoed by a number of the participants. Thank you to all the teams who took part and the journeys you made to make it a great day. Was fantastic to see some supporters come along to and cheer on their respective teams to and really added to the atmosphere. Certainly the event couldn’t of been done without Paul and Tim who kept the whole thing organised and games in order. Josh Kennard for helping set up the event and use of the van he borrowed and bringing some teams along, we talked about how it would be great to see a dodgeball tournament in Worthing and glad we could make it happen. My girlfriend Nisha for helping out with the odd jobs and taking pictures and not forgetting Naomi for all her great camera work to.

We would love to see this happen again so and raise more money for our charity so please let me know if you feel you would be interested in playing sometime in September and if you have four other willing players to come along and enjoy the beautiful game of dodgeball. More events to come soon and an exciting announcement should be coming up in the next few months……

Construction of a great tower: The Blueprint



I will be honest; I never won any trophies for being the best player or the best worker in class, as like the many other young people in their school days. I never had a hidden talent or skill that could be mastered for excellence, which can be quite frustrating though as a young person who wanted to be great at something. I think many children these days see the talented sports people, singers, writers, actors and say that looks great but really don’t have the belief or ability to get there.

Even my favourite sport Basketball, I rarely got on the team in High School because I was too small and just didn’t quite cut it. I was seen as someone who didn’t have the ability to play the game despite my work rate and enthusiasm, just not the right look for a Basketball player I guess. For one thing I wore the biggest glasses you could purchase back in my school days so that probably never helped gain the trust of a coach that I had what it takes. I remember some of my friends being in the team telling the coach I wanted to play. The coach said I could play in an upcoming friendly high school tournament and I was pretty excited and nervous at the same time, but knew I needed to take this chance. We were playing the host school and in one offensive play I got the ball, rotated on one foot and no one was marking me. So it was just me and the net, took the shot and made it. That was a real moment of triumph for me, not a team triumph perhaps because we were probably losing anyway but that was a statement saying I can play, I can do it! Coach congratulated me on the basket and from then on I knew it was possible to become better.

So it’s not like my career in Basketball took off but college was around the corner and the guys where only getting bigger, faster and tougher. The first year I failed to make the team, which was again another rejection that hurt like every other one but I worked hard during that year with a set of coaches who were formerly part of the Brighton Bears Basketball Club, a very successful team in its years within the British Basketball League. I went to these Basketball sessions every Saturday for three hours and picked up a lot from these experienced coaches. I got equipped in how to play the game and went to a couple of the holiday camps they did to. The year went by and I trialled for the College team again, I felt I impressed the coach at the time and later on found out I got picked to be in the squad. It was a great feeling after all the work and practice I put in. Through the guidance and coaching I got I was a much better player, sometimes someone needs to focus your enthusiasm and work rate so you can become more effective. I may have not been the best player by a long way but I did feel great, greatness felt attainable.

In the bible it talks about the importance of strong foundations laid so great things can be done:

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” – Luke 6: 47-49

I feel my foundations were set when I got given the right guidance by my coaches and the support of my Dad throughout was also very important that I will go into on a future blog. I kept working hard and taught how to play the game correctly through the learning the fundamentals well and that’s what made me a better player. Not only did Basketball give me skills to use on the court but to use off it to, it can build the three C’s courage, confidence and communication, all very important on the court and whatever else you may choose to pursue in life. William Arthur Ward said ‘We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them or build with them’. So the obstacles put in our way or the rejections that we face can be used to make or break you.

What is it you want to pursue?

What obstacles get in your way?

Do you find yourself complaining about them or doing something about it?

What do you think God can do through a setback in your life?

The next blog we will start building our tower, the foundations first of course. These include attitude, friendship, faith and values. Tweet @xoverbasketball to give me answers to the questions I have included above. Look forward to seeing you next time and let’s pursue greatness together….  



New year, new goals!

Happy 2013 everybody!

Well what a year it was in 2012, it has been an interesting first year for Cross-Over with many plans ahead and hopes for the future! After the incredible trip me (being Jamie, Hi!), Dan, Paul and our man in India Churchill, we have felt inspired by the incredible people we have met in Uganda and hope to go back and visit soon after the great coaching and ministry sessions out there. The Lilly Orphanage we worked with will be moving very soon to a new building, with a lot more space, which is all very exciting and Aimee who overlooks it all will be going out this month to make sure it all goes nice and smoothly. I have made a donation to the orphanage so Aimee will be able to buy some of the children we worked with some trainers and use some of the money to hire out the Basketball court so they can still continue to play and enjoy all that Basketball has to offer! Will keep you all posted how it goes out there.

So what is the plan? What way are we moving in 2013? Well I have felt inspired by John Wooden who put together a Pyramid of Success. A Christian man who won 10 NCAA titles, basically a man who knew how to coach. He put together fundamental areas that he believes led to his team's success in a pyramid, he believed these building blocks could be used not just on the court but in life to. This is something we want to put into the projects of Cross-Over! You can find out all the information about the pyramid on http://www.coachwooden.com/

I believe these areas are the way that can develop young people further. If we educate them on each area and how to live by these characteristics then we can build hope for the young people we work with and equip them to be game changers in the future within their communities. We are going to try out a few sessions with Feltham Basketball Club in Middlesex who I coach with currently. Through rewarding them getting to each level we hope to really engage with the players and to not only play with the pyramid in mind but also conducting themselves off the court in the same way! It will focus around theree areas, class room based exercises so they can learn what each building block means and how to apply it, develop this building block through Basketball training sessions and build that attribute through a challenge set to them that they need to complete within a certain time frame. Very excited about this and hope it can produce great results and challenge young Basketball players to become all rounded individuals.

Also, this year we are hoping to do another Basketball tournament in the Univeristy of Sussex, in which we had the first one last November, which was a great success and due to the demand by the students we will be doing a couple more this year. We are planning on a dodgeball tournamount this year to down in Worthing and Surrey in April 2013 so if you are interested please let me know and you could be the next Peter Le Fleur (Dodgeball movie reference)! Lots of fun things ahead, could be thinking of the first Cross-Over Basketball summer camp in the UK.

Big plans ahead and I heard that reality is a product of our dreams, decisions and actions so let's make this happen! Anybody want to contact me @JamieGlencross on Twitter and let me know your thoughts you beautiful people, ideas, catch up, constructive criticism, I am all ears!

Blessings to all and keep the support coming #TheCrossOver