The Showcase Sports Academy Sharks are a mixed-ages team in the Washington, D.C. area who have played football together since they were three-years old. Teaching kids teamwork and commitment is a lofty goal, but that’s what Showcase Sharks do.
Brittney DeLoatch-Powell is mom to one of the team’s star linemen. You can ask her about the boys’ individual achievements, but she will probably still end up emphasizing the achievements of the team — that’s just how important teamwork is to the Sharks.
“All of our boys are amazing! This is their third year playing together, and the growth has been unbelievable…The coach’s motto is ‘Do your job.’ As long as everyone does their job, the team succeeds.”
And succeed on the field, they do. The Sharks have won a string of titles over the past three years, including an undefeated 2019 campaign when they captured the Legacy Bowl Flag Football Championship for ages eight and under. They’ve also won titles in both flag and tackle football in multiple age groups over their three-year run.
And though the team has been extremely successful locally, and when travelling as far as North Carolina, the focus isn’t just on football. Academics are a big part of the program. Jaden “Tough Juice” Tyson received straight A’s during the first and second quarter of the school year, and over 90% of the players are on the honor roll. You might think that the team only recruits academic whiz kids or that they have to maintain a high GPA to play, but that’s not the case. The team simply acknowledges the kids’ achievements in the classroom, highlighting their successes on the Shark’s Instagram page. The competitive nature of these young scholar-athletes does the rest.
It’s great to see such a focus on schoolwork in a sport like football, where brawn is often prioritized at the expense of academic success. But the Showcase Sharks are in the business of developing well-rounded young men, not just athletes. Keeping all of these boys involved in the program takes money — and Brittney and the Sharks have had great success raising it with Double Good.
“Last year was the first year, and we sold $7,777 in popcorn. We were pleasantly surprised at the success of the fundraiser and even more proud that we were able to exceed that amount this year — $9,040. The money raised through the fundraiser helps our team fund end of season celebrations to recognize the players’ hard work throughout the season, offset the cost of team apparel for the players, and finance away games.”
It’s a delicate balance to strike between helping kids win games and helping them become better people, but the Showcase Sharks do exactly that, and they make it look easy.
Have your own team that needs to cover costs? We got you.