Little Vikes Youth Sports a huge success in Hayfield

Little Vikes Youth Sports (LVYS) was started in the Fall of 2022 in Hayfield. It is for students in Pre-K through either 2nd or 3rd grade, depending on the sport. The organization’s motto is to “encourage youth interest and involvement through skills training, Hayfield High School game/match events, and athlete mentorship.” During the Fall, sports offered are volleyball, flag football, and soccer. In the Winter, students can participate in basketball and bowling. During the Spring, sports offered are baseball, softball, and golf. Most sports have three to six weeks of mini-camps dedicated to their sport and the students get skills training from parent and grandparent volunteers who are knowledgeable in those sports, as well as some instruction from Hayfield High School coaches and players. A couple of the sports have single-day events, which include bowling and golf.
The program has seen increasing numbers in each of their first three years of existence, with the strongest sports seeing 75-100 kids enrolled. The single-day events typically have around 30 kids enrolled. LVYS has also seen kids from surrounding schools enroll as well, especially from Blooming Prairie. This Fall, the LVYS flag football group played at halftime of the varsity football game against Wabasha-Kellogg on September 6th. Just last Friday, the LVYS volleyball group showcased the skills they have been working on during the intermission of the varsity volleyball match against USC. The boys and girls basketball group will play during halftime of a varsity game in Hayfield this Winter as well. In the Spring, the baseball and softball groups will have an event after one of the baseball and softball games as well. These are great opportunities for the LVYS athletes to see the high school kids play and learn from watching the varsity athletes.
LVYS is led by Astyn Kramer, a parent of elementary students and a former college volleyball player. There is a board consisting of other parents that include Breanna Estby, Katelyn Hendrickson, Brooke VanBuskirk, and Keefe Zelinske. Each sport has managers that coordinate schedules for that particular sport. Each sport will have a number of parents that volunteer as coaches. Kramer said the goal is to have 8-10 parent coach volunteers for each sport. The organization receives support from local donors, the Hayfield Booster Club, Hayfield head coaches, and administration.
Kramer commented through email: “Starting this program and watching it grow over these first few years has been an absolute joy. We have a wonderful group of parent volunteers. Anyone who runs a volunteer-based program knows how crucial it is to have parents who are willing to support their children and the programs their kids are involved in. We have a wonderful community who has helped us get this program up and running, at a very low cost for families to participate. The excitement we see from these young student-athletes is contagious. They are learning new skills, staying active, and having a blast!”
If anyone has any questions about the program or are interested in being a volunteer, please call Astyn Kramer at 507-304-0646.