Skyhawks Spring 2026 Recap: The Games That Grew Our Kids

Eric Tung
20 hours ago
3 min read

Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Spring brought us outdoors — complete with sunshine, the occasional rain delay, and exactly one court covered in glass shards (we cleaned it up, don't worry). Across 68 coaching sessions from Foster City to Redwood City, our kids played basketball, volleyball, flag football, and yes, even golf.

But enough about logistics. Let's talk about the games that made this season so fun — and the kids who surprised us along the way. And of course thank you for being part of the fun this spring!

The Games That Shaped This Season

Jellyfish Jostle

The skill: Dribbling while protecting the ball

Imagine a gym full of 4-year-olds, each dribbling a basketball while dodging "jellyfish stingers" (cones, coaches, sometimes each other). It's exactly as chaotic as it sounds. The kids love it.

This spring, Leo started out dribbling with two hands in a death grip. Totally normal for his age. But somewhere around mid-April, during yet another round of Jellyfish Jostle, his coach noticed something new: "Leo dribbled with one hand for the first time today!"

He probably didn't even realize he did it, but we sure did!

Attack the Ship

Some ballers chasing after a rebound from a missed shot

The skill: Shooting (but make it pirates)

Kids shoot at targets to "sink the ship." It's basically target practice with a storyline, and it turns out that's all you need to get a 5-year-old to take 50 shots without complaining.

Maya started the spring launching air balls that didn't quite reach the rim. Totally fine — she's four. But her coach kept at it, week after week. By late April: "Maya went from not being able to reach the rim to making her shots consistently!"

Another kid in her class summed up the vibe: "I'm proud of myself for not giving up when I was shooting on the big hoop!"

We are too!

Farmers and Foxes

The skill: Running really fast (with a thin educational veneer)

Foxes try to steal from farmers without getting tagged. Kids sprint, dodge, giggle, collapse. It's cardio disguised as mischief.

Sam showed up to Multi-Sport week one and... didn't really want to play. Week two, same thing. But week three? His coach wrote: "Sam eagerly participated and was super excited to do all the drills. He even made his first basket!"

Fast forward a few sessions: Sam was crowned "the only fox to win!" in Farmers and Foxes.

His review? "I had fun today!" High praise from a kid who didn't want to be there three weeks ago.

Sleeping Dinosaur

One of our HoopsterTots kids working on shooting form

The skill: Sneaky shooting

Kids creep up to the hoop and try to score before the "sleeping dinosaur" (a coach doing their best impression) wakes up. It's suspenseful and silly and wildly popular.

How popular? One parent told us: "Benji loved the Sleeping Dinosaur game and has been having us play it at home ever since."

New This Spring

We added a few things to the lineup that were pretty popular this spring:

Track & Field (Foster City) - Running form, sprints, and javelin. One kid asked: "Can I keep practicing javelin while they get water?" So that went well.

Golf (Foster City & Burlingame) - Chipping, putting, and kid-designed mini golf courses. First-timer Zach's verdict: "LET'S PLAY MORE GOLF."

Multi-Sport (San Mateo) - A rotating sampler of soccer, basketball, and more. Great for kids who want to try everything before committing to anything.

What Parents & Kids Said

Our favorite part of the season: the quotes.

"I LOVE EVERYTHING!" - four kids, in unison, after basketball
"Wait, I don't want class to end. I want to keep playing!" - Mia, Multi-Sport
"You're the best coach ever. Can you coach us again?" - Eli, Flag Football
"Danny was so excited to come today and has been talking about Coach Dolphin all day." - Danny's dad
"Thank you so much for the class! Rosa really enjoys it and has so much fun!" - Rosa's mom

The Coaches Behind It

None of this happens without our coaches, who showed up rain or shine (mostly shine, but definitely some rain).

A couple special shoutouts:

Coach Dolphin ran sessions across four sports and three cities! If there's a kid win in the data, she probably wrote it down.

Coach Star brought the energy to volleyball and basketball in San Bruno — and somehow got a group of kids who "couldn't get along" to end class with everyone apologizing and high fiving each other.

Thanks for everything, team.