You Should Know: Jill Bruns

As part of a newly weekly feature, Patch is introducing you to community members making a difference. This month, we're highlighting leaders in Glenview youth sports. Here, the Park Disrict shares a Q&A with Jill Bruns:

Know someone else we should talk to? E-mail us -- joanna@patch.com 

Exciting new things are happening in the park district’s youth athletic programs. Just ask Jill Bruns, supervisor of youth sports, who is spearheading the changes and has a personal passion & commitment to deliver a variety of fun and competitive sports programming opportunities for kids.

As an avid athlete, Jill graduated form Illinois State University with a degree in commercial recreation. “I always knew I wanted to have a career in sports programming,” says Bruns who has been with the Glenview Park District Recreation Department for the past ten years.

Q: Did you participate in park district programs when you were a kid?

A: We did not have a park district when in the town where I grew up, but there were many opportunities for recreation through the Springfield, Illinois YMCA. I was actively involved in my church youth group where I was able to participate in many outdoor activities like camping, hiking and climbing.

Q: What are the new sports programs for this upcoming year?

A: I am very excited about our new competitive basketball league. This unique league allows kids to form their own teams and participate at a more competitive level. Definitely check it out! We offer these new leagues to both boys and girls. They will run this winter, but parents can register their kids for the new leagues this fall.

Q: What responsibilities does your job entail?

A: As the Supervisor of Youth Athletics, I handle a majority of the youth athletic programs, especially youth leagues. I do everything from scheduling, team formation, equipment purchase, acquiring volunteer parents to coach teams, running coach meetings, setting up coaching clinic and hiring referees and support staff.

Q: How do park district youth athletic programs benefit children?

A: The real advantage to participating in “park district” sports programs is that we provide a good variety of sports opportunities. Kids need to have exposure to lots of different sports as they grow up. It helps them build “all” of their muscle groups and it gives them a solid foundation of how different sports are played; knowledge that they can use throughout their life. If kids are exposed to only one or two sports they can get burned-out, I see it happen more often than not.

Even more concerning is that if kids play the same sport year after year, they can “over” fatigue certain muscle groups associated with that particular sport. Those muscles will be more prone to wear down as the kids get older. Whether kids participate in park district programs or some of our affiliated sports groups, variety is the key in youth sports and the park district is a great resource.

Also, participating in youth athletic programs through the park district can provide physical, mental and social benefits. Boys and girls can learn camaraderie, teamwork, commitment, work ethics, problem solving, and sportsmanship while getting exercise. With some of our programs, kids are grouped within their own age groups. Groups are made up of kids from the same school or a mix of kids from different schools around the town. It is a great way to meet new people from different schools or hang out with their friends.

Q: If you could look 5 years into the future, what would you like to see happening with the youth sports programs at the Glenview Park District?

A: I would like to see more participation of girls in the athletic programs. Over the past few years, we have been slowly losing the girl’s participation at the older level (6th, 7th, 8th grade) especially in basketball and softball.

Q: Why do you think it is important for older girls to participate in athletic programs at the Park District?

A: As girls get older, they face many social pressures. When girls are involved in athletics they learn about teamwork, commitment, sportsmanship, and problem solving. Those experiences can help them handle other relationships in their life: at school, home and with friends. In addition, because park district programs are not super competitive, they are great outlets just to let off steam, have fun with their friends and make new friends. 

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