Welcome to Turnpike Basketball!

Turnpike Basketball Club provides community-based youth basketball programs for boys and girls from Kindergarten through 12th grade in the vicinity of Little River Turnpike in Fairfax and Annandale, Virginia.  Our objective is to teach and develop basketball skills, good sportsmanship and an appreciation of the game of basketball through programs designed for the enjoyment of our youth and their families.

Turnpike Basketball is moving forward with our normal House and Travel programs for the 2021-22 school year.  By no means was this decision made lightly.   We are a community club full of our neighbors and friends, so the notion of any one of us getting infected with COVID during our activities impacts us personally. 

This is not mere lip service.  In March 2020, we were one of the few clubs nationwide that decided to shut down its basketball activities BEFORE its locality closed down schools and access to its gyms.  In the Winter of 2020-21, we were also one of the few clubs in this area to shut down ALL of its basketball activities for the season.

Plenty have disagreed with our approach.  Some families moved on to other clubs.  Our Board meetings have been livelier than normal.  Some argued that these decisions should be left to the individual families.  Others, let's just say, have been less polite.

So why are we moving forward in 2021-22?  Because we feel as if the overall community has enough of a better understanding than we did a year ago about how we can protect ourselves against the spread of COVID on our basketball courts.   We've also had relevant experience as well.  We held our normal Spring and Summer Programs this year and this gave us the opportunity to work and tinker with our protocols. 

While we've had no reported cases so far (knock on wood), none of this guarantees against any one of us contracting the virus.  However, we will remain vigilant in our efforts against the pandemic by:

• monitoring any developments nationally and closely following and enforcing all Fairfax County guidelines while using their facilities;
• continuing our open communications with Fairfax County's Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) and Health Departments; and
• maintaining constant and immediate contact with Turnpike families in case any situations arise.

Like all of you, we wish to maintain a proper balance between safety and the ability to live our lives and we share your guarded enthusiasm that we are moving towards a light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care and stay safe!

Scott Zucker, President, Turnpike Basketball Club Inc.