No feeling blue in Smurf League basketball
Rowan Prior practices in a game. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Xena Meggison, Luke Kaplan, Rowan Prior and Caleb Zexter of the kindergarten level pose for a photo.
Dylan Smith practices running and dribbling. 
Three of the kindergarteners practice running and dribbling.
Mike McCarthy coaches Josh Sylvia.
Alessandra Silva practices dribbling while walking.
Jaiell Cormier McEllroy starts to dribble the ball.
Elliot Kosta starts a drill.
Rowan Prior practices in a game. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Xena Meggison, Luke Kaplan, Rowan Prior and Caleb Zexter of the kindergarten level pose for a photo.
Dylan Smith practices running and dribbling.
Three of the kindergarteners practice running and dribbling.
Mike McCarthy coaches Josh Sylvia.
Alessandra Silva practices dribbling while walking.
Jaiell Cormier McEllroy starts to dribble the ball.
Elliot Kosta starts a drill.
Smurfs were running around Cushman Elementary School, but they weren’t blue or living in mushroom houses. These were kindergartners and first graders playing basketball in the Dartmouth Youth Athletic Association Smurf League.
The chaos started on Sunday, Jan. 4, with countless kids bouncing countless basketballs, shooting hoops and laughing with their friends.
“I grew up playing sports for DYAA,” said Steve Kaplan, a parent volunteer, “I just thought it was time to give back … be a good opportunity to spend more time with my kids.”
Before the Smurf Leagues were started, the youngest basketball league was for ages five through eight. The Smurf Leagues were started in 2025, because Adam Mathes, the president of the association, realized there was too large an age gap, and there needed to be more options.
“I grew up in a basketball family,” said Jeana Kaplan, another parent volunteer, “I love helping out and teaching the kids and being involved.”
In Smurf Leagues, kindergartners and first graders play separately. The kindergarteners start by learning the rules of the game and basic skills like dribbling and shooting. The first graders practice their skills, then are split into teams of seven or eight to play in a game against each other.
“I think it’s good to just keep them active and away from screens and being with their friends,” said Jeana.
No one is entirely sure why the league is called the Smurf League, but both Steve and Mathes theorize it’s because both Smurfs and children are tiny.
“Responsibility, teamwork, the things you learned in sports as you get older, you apply to life,” said Steve, “Sportsmanship … it’s okay to lose. Being a good person, but also being accountable for yourself and how your actions and what you do can affect others around you or your teammates.”
