CPAL looks to expand reach, community impact
CALEXICO — In Calexico, where converted retention basins often stand in as recreational parks, open space for youth sports leagues has always been at a premium, said Carmen Estrada, director of the Calexico Parents Athletic League.
With CPAL enrollment expected to grow by an estimated 250 to 300 youths later this month, Estrada said she is constantly on the lookout for open spaces that can serve as potential soccer fields for league play.
Currently, she has been holding discussions with a Calexico property owner who has promised to donate 10 acres of land to CPAL if the organization can get city approval to convert the land for public use, Estrada said.
“Hopefully this year I can reach my dream, God willing,” Estrada said in Spanish.
The possible addition of a 10acre athletic field would not only benefit CPAL, but other youth sports leagues that operate in the city as well, she said.
Estrada’s efforts promoting youth sports within the city are well known, and recently resulted in the city naming the athletic field at Andrade Avenue and Fifth Street in her honor.
The Oct. 12 recognition came at the request of the CPAL board of directors, and was one request that the city was more than happy to consent to, said former mayor Luis Castro.
“She has always fought to promote youth sports in Calexico and is dedicated 100 percent,” Castro said.
Since having become the CPAL director in 2010, Estrada has helped grow the league’s soccer program from a few dozen participants to more than 1,000 boys and girls.
Many who are familiar with Estrada’s dedication to CPAL and youth sports in Calexico have come to recognize her tireless commitment as a bonus for the city, in spite of the occasional bruised egos, said Councilwoman Maritza Hurtado.
“There’s no one else around like her that has the passion she demonstrates every day,” Hurtado said.
Estrada’s passion dates back prior to the creation of the CPAL she now heads, to her days raising her six now-adult daughters to be both outstanding students and athletes.
Her passion for youth sports also led her to the Calexico Police Athletic League, where she was a volunteer and director for eight years prior to its dissolution by the Calexico Police Department in 2009 for lack of funds.
During its heyday, the department’s CPAL had attracted the participation of more than 4,000 youths in its basketball, softball, boxing and soccer programs.
Its dissolution weighed heavily on Estrada’s mind and heart, prompting her and other supporters to create the Calexico Parents Athletic League, which soon dedicated itself exclusively to youth soccer programs.
The second incarnation of CPAL also got a boost from settlement money that Estrada’s family had received following an incident that left her husband disabled, she said.
Rather than spending the settlement money on any item of her choosing, Estrada said she convinced her husband to use the money to revive the athletic league.
“Investing in the children’s future is the best thing one can do,” she said.
A social worker by trade, Estrada said she considers youth outreach to be her calling in life. She also credits her father’s example of supporting youth activities when she was a child in Mexico as well.
Naturally, the league could not run without the help and support of parents and the wider community. Estrada said that her constant outreach efforts through the years have made the demands and needs of operating CPAL something of a concern in others’ minds as well.
“I’m extremely proud of the community’s support,” she said. “I no longer have to ask (the community for help), now they ask me what CPAL needs.”
At its core, CPAL is vested with keeping youth engaged in positive activities such as sports and away from crime. Its relatively low $25 enrollment fee is designed to make league participation accessible to all, and can be waived for families experiencing financial hardships.
A positive sign that CPAL is working as intended is the support of individuals who had participated as youth and who have returned to help as coaches and referees, Estrada said.
Although Estrada has no plans of soon letting up on her involvement with CPAL, she said that she is not the least bit worried that the league will carry on successfully in her absence.
“I’m preparing the kids so that they can continue the work,” she said. “Who better than them?”