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S4 E15 - Bench Mob - Creating Great Opportunities for Kids · Inside the OSD

• 0:06
  SPEAKER 1: "Strong family and community partnerships" is one of the Oregon School District's five core values.
• 0:12
  Today, we are speaking with the Commissioner of Oregon Bench Mob, a basketball league right here in Oregon that was created to offer more high
• 0:20
  school students an opportunity to play recreationally competitive basketball.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER 2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids.
• 0:32
  Here is your host, lifelong educator, and our superintendent, Doctor Leslie Bergstrom.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER 1: So welcome to Inside the OSD. We love talking with community partners and are eager to learn more about this great opportunity you've created for kids in our
• 0:48
  community. So to kick things off, could you please share a little bit about yourself with our listeners?
• 0:53
  SPEAKER 3: Sure thing. Well, my name is John Kuehl, and I'm an Oregon resident for about the last 12 years.
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  I'm a parent of a couple of kids in the district. My wife works in the high school as a special ed case manager.
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  Um, and I still play sports at, uh, 46 years old.
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  And, uh, and yes, I started Bench Mob basketball league five years ago to help kids in high school be able to keep playing.
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  Well,
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  SPEAKER 4: what was your inspiration
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  SPEAKER 1: for creating Bench Mob?
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  SPEAKER 3: Uh, I mean, it was just the need of--you saw a need.
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  There's --all right. There isn't anything anymore.
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  My son, uh, that season was a sophomore that was cut from the JV team.
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  Um, I grew up in the area, and there used to be a league called CYO
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  SPEAKER 1: that
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  SPEAKER 3: had many teams in in the county and that--
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  SPEAKER 1: My son played in it also.
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  SPEAKER 3: Absolutely. Yeah. That's what I did in high school.
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  And unfortunately that folded during Covid.
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  Um, and it was just one of those things where like "someone should do something about that." And I just decided to do something about that.
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  Yeah. Um, so yeah, it came together really quickly.
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  The first--I'll never forget the first night, just hoping the kids actually showed up at the gym.
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  But here we are five years later and.
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  SPEAKER 1: They're showing up at the gym. All right.
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  Does the league operate with any core values or philosophies that guide you in how you make decisions?
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  SPEAKER 3: Uh, yeah. I mean, first of all, I mean, just the opportunity. It should be there and that's--that's the first one. Um,
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  I do believe in keeping youth sports fun and a big question I'm always asking myself when it comes to things with the league is "what would be more
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  fun?" And if I can do this or that and this would be more fun, we're going to do that.
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  Uh, and then the, the other one is probably just that it's, it's ultimately about the players,
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  right? I do open the gym and throw out the basketballs and put out the website and everything,
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  but like the kids make it what it is. It wouldn't be fun if and if they weren't having fun.
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  Um, so I'm grateful for them. Yeah. Like showing up every week and making it what it is.
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  SPEAKER 1: Well, not only are they having fun, but they're taking on in some aspects, a leadership role,
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  right? Because they're making things work for their team and they're organizing themselves and all of those things they do.
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah. I mean, I do have, uh, like grown adults.
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  SPEAKER 1: I'm sure you do.
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  SPEAKER 3: Each team, you know, just in case, uh, at the gym because I'm doing a lot. And if something goes on, I need that. But, uh,
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  yeah, we've got kids showing up in suits to coach their team, uh, throwing clipboards on the ground when they're mad at their team or
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  whatever. Um, but no, they organize themselves.
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  They do get to play with their friends. Of course, I add free agents to teams.
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  So, you know, everyone can play, but I do think that kids playing with their friends is a big part of what makes it great.
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  And yeah, they so they organize and they communicate--sometimes poorly, but otherwise,
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  uh.
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  SPEAKER 1: It's learning though, isn't it? Yes it is.
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  So, um, how has the Bench Mob grown or changed over the years?
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  SPEAKER 3: I mean, well, it's grown just in size. The first year we had seven teams and like 60 kids,
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  kids played in masks. That year was still just coming out of out of Covid.
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  Uh, now we have 13 teams. Um, so we have three teams from, from other districts,
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  but otherwise about 100 kids just from Oregon. So, um, it's gotten bigger every year.
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  Um, it's become more fun every year, I hope.
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  Really? That's so great. As far as like the music we play at the games or the sound effects we play at the games or the rules we have,
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  uh, at all star games just to like make things more fun.
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  Um, but the core, I guess, of it is still what it is.
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  Like you're out there playing with friends. You are--it is recreational, but we keep score,
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  we keep stats. So like competitive juices do flow at times.
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  Um, and that that has remained.
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  SPEAKER 1: Well, that's part of it, right? Tapping into that part of young people.
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  So can you walk us through the structure of the league?
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  Um, who can join? How are teams formed? What does the season schedule look like?
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  That kind of thing?
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah. Um, so like I said, teams do self organize.
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  Okay, so there's like a pre-registration process where they fill out a form listing.
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  SPEAKER 1: Who do you want to be on my team? Do you want to be on my team?
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  SPEAKER 3: That kind of thing. They do that part and they submit it to me.
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  And anybody who is in high school who does not play for one of the school teams is eligible to play.
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  That's my only--
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  SPEAKER 1: That's your line?
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  SPEAKER 3: Yes, exactly. Um, ostensibly it is a coed league.
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  We have had a few girls play. Nice. Um, we're about to start, though, like a full girls Bench Mob.
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  Uh, after spring break, we're going to do
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  SPEAKER 1: like a
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  SPEAKER 3: four week trial run. Um, so I don't want to get too far ahead, but that's exciting.
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  But, um, and now I lost my train of thought because I'm thinking about my daughter blowing me up like,
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  like"dad, there needs to be girls. There needs to be girls." Um, so yeah.
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  SPEAKER 1: The teams form themselves.
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  SPEAKER 3: They form themselves. And then, yeah, I mean, I lay out the schedule we play every Sunday night at Oregon Middle School.
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  It's where we've always played. Okay. Um, all the games are at the middle school.
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  Um, I do adjust the schedule at times just to like create the best matchups because,
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  you know, more than ever, we have freshmen in the league because there's just more cuts than ever at the freshman level. So freshmen going up against seniors
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  at time can just be like a tough matchup.
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  SPEAKER 1: Might not be
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  SPEAKER 3: fun, right? Right, exactly. So it's more fun if games are closer, right.
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  Um, so we play 10 to 11 games in the regular season, and then there's a year end tournament.
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  Uh, that always happens at the high school in the main gym. So.
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  SPEAKER 1: Oh, that must be exciting.
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's a whole different vibe when you're in--in that gym.
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  For sure. This year, we've had to get creative with the tournament where we're going to be at the middle school and doing some, some different kinds of things
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  just to be able to like have every team be involved.
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  But but that's just a fun one day experience too.
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  That's, that kind of caps the year every year.
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  SPEAKER 1: Well, for people who haven't been there, describe the energy, the atmosphere of a Sunday night game.
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah. Um, well, in the spirit of like "the kids make the league," the--the games can feel different based on the age of the kids who are playing
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  freshmen. They're getting rides to the gym.
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  So of course there are parents there and sophomores tend to have more too.
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  So there'll be more fans in the stands for the younger teams.
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  Um, which is great. I mean, I'd love to have fans there.
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  Um, of course some kids tell their parents "don't come." I hear that all the time. Like "don't come to the gym." Um,
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  whatever they want to do. Um, other times it will be senior teams against each other who know each other really well.
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  And you can even tell there are rivalries between some of the kids that come out onto the court.
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  Um, and there will be maybe, you know, a girlfriend or two in the stands, but no parents.
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  And those games can feel more intense. Um, and so it's, it's a journey every night,
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  Leslie, just to kind of like game to game.
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  Um, uh, the commissioner will rule with an iron fist when, when needed to keep things in line.
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  Um, but overall, the atmosphere is like, there's loud music playing, like the loudest I can play.
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  What would high school kids want to hear?
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  Um, and I can handle that. And so that's what we do.
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  Um, even like there's always open gyms before the season start where you can come out and kind of get used to playing.
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  I can kind of get a lay of the land on the teams that way too.
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  Um, and that is like, as you'd imagine, like 100 high school kids in a gym at once playing basketball.
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  SPEAKER 1: That's a lot less boisterous. Um.
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  SPEAKER 3: And it's energizing, you know, I guess like ultimately it kind of.
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  SPEAKER 1: Is it that way. That's great.
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  SPEAKER 3: Like, yeah, sometimes you do have to keep things in line, but they are kids.
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  And, you know, I have to remind myself that like, it's competition and sometimes things are going to go a certain way,
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  but ultimately it's like, that's what I want for them.
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  SPEAKER 1: But the outlet is so important. Right? That's what I think so many of them are missing an outlet for all of those pieces of who they are at this stage in their
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  life.
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah. And we try to, you know, rightsize it in the sense that there are no practices.
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  Like unless the teams want to organize that themselves, there are no practices.
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  There's a game on Sunday night, right? So it's not a big commitment, you know, for kids who are super casual about it,
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  but it is an outlet. Like instead of whatever else, they might just be kind of like hanging out.
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  Um, I am a, I pay attention a lot to, um, the, I guess if you want to call it the loneliness epidemic,
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  especially with young men. Yes. So getting kids out, um, again, with friends or classmates and against friends and classmates in that
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  way, I think is something that like they don't care about like at the top of their mind.
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  But I do care about that.
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  SPEAKER 1: Well, it might not be at the top of their mind, but we know how important it is,
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  right? So another caring adult in their life trying to make those things happen for them.
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  It's pretty great. So I know that each team is responsible for serving as game referees.
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  So how does that work and why is this an important part of it?
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  SPEAKER 3: How does it work? Yeah. Um, this is the first year we've tried that.
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  So in the past I've hired referees, which is a huge expense.
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  SPEAKER 1: And
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  SPEAKER 3: that was--and difficult. Anyone who works in youth athletics knows it's hard to get refs.
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  So this year, because we had an odd number of teams, ultimately it just created an easy way where every team,
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  some team is going to be on a bye every week.
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  Okay. And so great.
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  SPEAKER 1: They serve as
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  SPEAKER 3: refs. And ref. And most of them have never done it before.
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  Most of them have complained to referees before.
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  So now they get a chance to, you know, try to blow the whistle, uh, themselves,
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  which is a learning experience. And some of them are in their element.
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  They love it.
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  SPEAKER 4: I can see.
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  SPEAKER 3: It has blown, you know, strongly. And they're ready to call every foul they can.
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  SPEAKER 1: And others not so much. Others might.
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  SPEAKER 3: Not. But, um, I mean, I've had to do that in adult leagues and it is a different perspective and I think it's good.
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  And um, it's hard to get the kids organized to be there.
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  Um, and we struggled with that at times.
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  But yeah, and, you know, we've had some issues with it, growing pains with it.
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  But I guess when you talk about like how the leak has changed, things have evolved enough every year where I still am very involved trying to
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  like work through those changes, and this is one that has kept me very involved.
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  Um, this year again.
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  SPEAKER 1: Well, I can see how if the students go on to play in other, other sports in other seasons,
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  that it would give them a little more empathy for the perspective of whatever referee is involved or whatever official is involved in that other athletic
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  sport too.
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  SPEAKER 3: So that's the hope.
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  SPEAKER 1: That's a good thing. That's a good thing.
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  Um, so what kind of support and feedback have you received from the community about Bench Mob?
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  SPEAKER 3: You know, gratefully, no one's ever told me it's a bad thing.
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  SPEAKER 1: No, I can't imagine they would.
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  SPEAKER 3: A lot of positive feedback about the opportunity.
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  And, um, yeah, even thinking back to the first year, I have seen some of the kids from the first year,
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  um, and tell them all the time, just like how important it was that they showed up that first year to build,
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  to build it up. And, so, you know, grateful for the players that have been involved.
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  And then financially, we've, um, I mean, it's a, it's a situation where it costs,
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  what it costs to register. It's about $65 and then they get a jersey and they play the games and all that.
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  Um, but any kid who if they just tell me I don't have that, we, we waive--they're in.
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  SPEAKER 1: We figure
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  SPEAKER 3: it out. Community has supported us, you know, through donation nights or I did a thing one time where I made burgers for a
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  bunch of people and, you know, as like a fundraiser or whatever, we sold t shirts kind of just like nice stuff that we needed to do to keep it
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  affordable. And the community has always shown up for those kinds of things.
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  SPEAKER 1: I love.
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  SPEAKER 3: It too. Yeah.
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  SPEAKER 1: What if a community member wants to be involved in a bigger way?
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  What can what can or should they do?
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  SPEAKER 3: Um, I mean, there are, though I don't volunteer it like there are volunteer opportunities right now.
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  My wife is there at the gym with me every week, um, keeping score at the table or more recently,
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  my daughter. Um, and I do pay them a little bit to, to be there because they could be doing other things.
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  There's a OHS grad who's in grad school now who has come the last few weeks to, to film the games.
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  It's the first time we've ever had that. So when people reach out, they're like, hey, I'm looking for some way, you know, I can find the right kind
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  of fit for them. Um, but I've had to realize like, partially because of just the change in me being there to make sure things
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  still, I guess, go.
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  SPEAKER 4: Well, um.
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  SPEAKER 3: I cover a lot and I'm happy to do that. Um, and I like, I guess that as long as I can do that,
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  that for other people, it's just a chance to come and enjoy themselves.
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  SPEAKER 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Commissioner of fun.
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  Yeah. So yeah, you're clearly super, super dedicated because this is taking a lot of time.
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  So thank you so much for that. Um, what is for you, the most rewarding part about being the commissioner of benchmark.
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  SPEAKER 3: I mean, in the beginning, of course, just like my son having a chance to keep playing. Yeah. Um,
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  and to see him with his friends just, you know, mostly having a good time.
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  And we'll leave out the part where I gave my son a technical foul on his birthday in the league as a referee.
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  Um, you know, you can't have, uh, your kid taking advantage of things, but, um,
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  I do value the relationship with these kids.
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  Like it is what it is. Um, it's not like I know many of them.
• 14:17
  Well, um, I wish they would call me commish, but usually they call me John.
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  Um, but I love having them come through the gym every Sunday night.
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  And, um, the interactions with them are, are fun.
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  Um, it, I think it does make me feel young, um, to be around them and on those open gym nights when it is me and 100 kids
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  and it's just me. And, um, you know, it's it's good energy, ultimately.
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  Um, this past fall, uh, I made a new website for the league where I had been like keeping stats and like a record book in this like Google sheet.
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  Sure. Um, but I made a whole website dedicated for this.
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  And now there's like a career leaderboard and the players get badges and achievements for,
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  you know, game winning shots or scoring 100 career points or playing in 40 career games.
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  Um, and that's a fun outlet for me just to, to.
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  SPEAKER 4: And for them.
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  SPEAKER 3: Yeah, yeah, no, they, they check it out and um, my day job is in software development and,
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  um, and I work for a company that makes youth sports apps now over the last recently.
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  So like, it's a, it's kind of fun to have my passion, um, be able to like combine with work and,
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  and so I get something out of that too, like create and decide that the kids want to come to and,
• 15:42
  and now they can watch recordings of their games and they're on the website. And I mean, that's just satisfying for me personally too.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER 1: Thank you so much for being here. This is such an impressive program for our community,
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  for our students. I just I love it. We're all very thankful for your time and effort.
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  SPEAKER 5: Thank you.
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  SPEAKER 1: Remember that you can find links to all episodes of inside the OSD and submit topic ideas on our website at Oregonstate
• 16:11
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• 16:16
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• 16:22
  We'll see you next time on inside the OSD where it's all about the kids.