In July 1968, several members of Seattle’s Chinese community form a group to foster athletics and community participation among youth. The Seattle Chinese Athletic Association (SCAA) begins with 35 boys playing softball, tennis, and basketball. By 2010, the association will focus its efforts on basketball, and more than 200 boys and girls are active on the teams, encouraging a sense of community within Seattle’s Chinese population.
Connecting Through Sports
The idea for the Seattle Chinese Athletic Association came about in July 1968 during a discussion between several Chinese in Seattle. There was general agreement that athletics had played an important part in their childhood, fostering both friendships and pride in their Chinese heritage. By 1968, Seattle’s Chinese community was becoming more disjointed, and these leaders wanted youth to feel the same connection they had felt as children. Thus, The Seattle Chinese Athletic Association was born.
The SCAA began with 35 boys playing softball, tennis, and basketball, but by 1977 had expanded to encompass girls. In 1973, Cheryl Chow (1946-2013), who would go on to become Seattle City Councilwoman, and Dr. Roy Mar secretly coached two girl’s basketball teams. Later on, Chow became a legitimate basketball coach. By 1993, girls made up half of the 24 teams in the SCAA. Basketball can be an important experience for girls growing up in a culture that does not give girls many opportunities to assert themselves. Many of the girls who were early players in the SCAA went on to become successful lawyers and businesswomen (The Seattle Times, 1993).
SCAA continues to organize a variety of basketball teams, tournaments, and practice clinics designed to enhance the skills of members through high school. Jefferson Park Community Center functions as its main location. Some scholarships for high school members and coaches are awarded at the end of the each year. All aspects of the organization are operated by volunteers who are often former players or parents of current members, which serves to enrich the Chinese community, as intended by the founders.
