The Suffolk Inner City Youth Athletic Association has been around for 42 years, and for the first time, they hosted bowl games this year. Teams with players ranging in age from 7 to 14 came from Portsmouth and Hampton to participate in the bowl games last Saturday at John F. Kennedy Middle School.

Since 1985, the Steelers have been invited to bowl games in Baltimore, Md., Winston-Salem, N.C., Charlotte, N.C., and other cities in The Mid-Atlantic Region. Last Saturday, the Suffolk community was able to come out and witness bowl games for the first time in their hometown of Suffolk.

It was an exciting opportunity and accomplishment for the city, organization president Robert Faulk said.

“It was a real special event for the kids and the community,” Faulk said. “This was our first time having one. Everyone was real excited. The kids were getting a little down, because they thought we weren’t going to have it, but we found a way.”

Out of the four teams that participated, the Suffolk Steelers unlimited team won first place. All of the teams competed well throughout the season, but for Faulk and the rest of the organization, what’s most important is that the kids are having fun.

“After the games, each team got a team trophy,” Faulk said. “Next year, we will have a trophy for each kid that participated. Our kids were excited about the opportunity they had out there.”

The goal of the program is to inspire youth to achieve success on the playing field, in the classroom and in the eyes of the Suffolk community. Last Saturday was just the first step for the many bowl games the organization wants to bring to the kids and the community, Faulk said.