Next Level Athletics gearing up for fun fall of flag football, volleyball, cross country

Fall sports are right around the corner, and Next Level Athletics, the program started by Wilson Hall assistant athletic director Rip Ripley, is gearing up for a full slate of opportunities for young athletes on the hunt for some fun.

Registration is about to begin for its primary fall sports. NLA offers opportunities for flag football, volleyball and cross country. All three sports welcome both newcomers and more experienced players across various age levels. Next Level also serves as host for a middle school volleyball league, which includes both SCISA and SCHSL schools from across the state.

"We're just excited to see those continue to grow," Ripley said of their core three fall programs.

Next Level Athletics looks to expand its athletic opportunities thanks in part to a new partnership with Trinity United Methodist Church. While NLA will still continue to use facilities at Wilson Hall, particularly for flag football, Ripley is amped up to have another gym with a little more flexibility in its schedule with Williams Brice Center.

"We signed a deal with them to use their facility for a lot of our different sports, activities, tournaments and games. I think that's going to open up some opportunities for us to provide some more leagues and stuff throughout the year that we're really excited about," Ripley said. "Flag football will still be at Wilson Hall and a lot of our stuff will still be there but, to be honest, we were just growing. And growing to the point where Wilson Hall is a pretty busy place and getting gym time is tough sometimes."

Running is always a staple for Next Level Athletics through Sumter Speed. As they wrap up a successful summer, which includes several athletes taking part in the USATF Junior Olympic Nationals July 21-27, attention shifts back to their after-school program. That program is based in schools across Sumter, including Wilson Hall, Alice Drive Elementary, Millwood Elementary, Liberty STEAM Charter School, Westside Christian and Thomas Sumter. There is also a community group for young runners who don't have the program offered at their school. Ripley is always looking for additional partners, who can reach out for more information at https://nextlevelathleticssc.com.

"We're always looking for more schools that are interested in hosting our afterschool program," Ripley said. "Last year we had seven different schools that we worked with throughout the year, and we're looking to keep building that and having more and more schools that we're working with and to keep these kids running. That's the end goal."

Registration opens for Little Spikers and flag football in the last week of July at https://nextlevelathleticssc.com. Flag football will be played on Saturdays beginning on Aug. 16 and run through mid-October. The league is broken up into three groups, K-first, second-third and fourth-fifth. The Little Spikers will learn volleyball skills on Wednesdays beginning Aug. 20. That program runs for six weeks and is split between two age groups, 3-7 and 7-12. The Sumter Speed afterschool programs will have slightly different start times depending on the school calendar.